“London based guitar player, composer and singer with a diverse background in different musical styles. ”
Laurence started off playing in bands in the Suffolk countryside with French popular music star Charlie Winston.
Moving to London in 1997 he studied ethnomusicology at London's School of Oriental and African studies. At this time he fell in love with the music of Zimbabwe, studying Mbira and being introduced to various Zimbabwean artists through his teacher Chartwell Dutiro.
In the early 2000s he moved to Nice in the South of France where he became immersed in the Harlem Swing scene embodied by the music of Billie Holiday and Fats Waller. This led to a partnership with cult American Swing outfit: The Lost Wandering Blues and Jazz Band featuring Georgian Songstress Madeleine Peyroux. He toured extensively with them over the next few years from New Orleans to Stockholm.
Returning to London in 2003 he spent the next 5-6 years performing with various Zimbabwean artists in the U.K and the rest of Europe: Mbira Maestros Stella Chiweshe, Chartwell Dutiro and the remaining super stars of jit; The Bhundu Boys.
In 2010 he was asked to be Musical Director of The National Theatre's production of The Broadway hit musical Fela! This lead to a tour with the Broadway cast of the show from Amsterdam to London. To date he has been involved musically with various other theatre productions at The Young Vic (Feast 2013), Leeds Playhouse (Boi Boi is Dead 2015), The National Theatre (A Pacifists Guide to the War on Cancer 2016), The Globe Main Theatre (Much Ado About Nothing 2017) and the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (A Captive Queen 2018). His time on Captive Queen lead him to a fruitful musical association with Pakistani singing maestro Nawazish Ali Khan whom he still works and studies Hindustani Classical music with. Laurence’s most recent theatre engagement was The National Theatre (Much Ado About Nothing 2022).
In 2016 he recorded an EP with his six piece band Strange Cargo; two guitars, bass, drums, trumpet, saxophone and vocal harmony. These songs have a distinct urban quality but reflecting some of his favourite grooves from all around the African continent.
Since 2019 Laurence has been engaged in using his band as a springboard for other writing projects which cross into Film, TV and Theatre…
Laurence supports himself by performance, either under his own volition or as side man in bands or accompanying singers playing a variety of music, then channels this back into his own creative projects.
