“Most Memorable Gig of The Year… swung with constraint-free exuberance, tugging at and capturing everyone’s hearts.” RnR magazine

To call Laura Cortese a globetrotter would be to drastically understate her adventurous spirit. Her nature, as a musician, has always been to go where the wind takes her, settling into new ecosystems in which to adapt and grow roots until the breeze blows once more. In these travels, she has found a global network of collaborators, friends, and mentors who have helped her forge bonds and grow mastery in many musical traditions, all of which she approaches with the same reverence and devotion that she felt when picking up a fiddle for the very first time as a young child.

Now, more than twenty years into her already impressive career, she makes her home in Ghent, Belgium, where she continues to do what she does best: building musical community. Along the way, she developed a new solo show based on original American folk songs, inspiring a new solo album coming out on Compass Records in 2026. When Laura is alone on the stage, the audience becomes her band, stamping and clapping like a kick and snare drum, sometimes singing along sweetly and occasionally reminiscent of an enthusiastic gang vocal. She can be found performing internationally, exploring, and exalting in her passion for American roots music.

“If you are into bands like the Cowboy Junkies, Sparklehorse or perhaps Liz Phair and Elliott Smith then you will love Laura Cortese…” The Rocking Magpie, UK

Support comes from FINOLA.

FINOLA makes alt-pop for the hopeless romantics, the overthinkers and anyone who’s evertreated their love life like a scene from a film.

Blending nostalgic pop production, infectious hooks and emotionally honest storytelling, her music feels like the soundtrack to a noughties rom-com: all messy feelings, questionable decisions, and the realisation that sometimes you’ re better off without.

Taking inspiration from Swedish production and classic pop with the likes of Robyn and Carly Rae Jepsen, and the confessional songwriting styles of early Taylor Swift, FINOLA balances big, cinematic melodies with the intimate details of real life.

Originally from Yorkshire and now based in Manchester, FINOLA brings a fresh perspective to alternative pop, combining heartfelt storytelling with a playful, self-aware approach to love, life and everything in between.