Seth Lakeman

From the UK to Australia, the folk world have been buzzing about Seth Lakeman for years now. The one thing that Seth shows the music World is that you don’t have to be a massive fan of Folk Music to appreciate top dollar folk when you hear it. Folk is often seen as an ‘older’ form of music because of it’s traditions, however, this does not denote it’s success even today. Seth set out into the folk world with his brothers in tow. However, now he’s solo, and more serious about his work than he has ever been. He brings the sound of the country into the sound of contemporary music and is a lot more than just your usual singer/songwriter. Each song of his tells a personal story of the World around us and as Seth takes to the skies for his 2012 tour, he is bound to leave everyone dreaming for more. We catch up with Seth to see what makes his folk heart fizzle.

Good morning Seth, how are you?
Not bad, not bad at all thanks Frankie. Everything is great back here in England; the sun is even shining today.

That’s pretty impressive for old blighty Seth, so, tell me about how you first became involved with music?
From early days it was pretty forced upon ha-ha. I lived my young days each week in a folk club in Plymouth. I pretty much got into music from then on.

Who first influenced you in the folk world?
Well, Richard Thompson and Roger Wilson and Mick Jones. People like Frankie Armstrong had a massive influence on me including my parents. The English, Scottish and Irish folk music was booming back then. Really booming.

Did you ever imagine you would be making music for this period of time, or was it just more of a hobby than a career?
It was definitely a hobby early on. Then when I got to the tender age of seventeen I started to take it a bit more serious and I realized that you could make some money out of it. I didn’t start making tunes until my early twenties, and started singing soon after that. That’s when you start to find your own feet really and find your own sound.

So how do you go about making a track? Has it definitely evolved and changed since you first set out? How many instruments do you play in total?
Yeah it’s quite fierce. I would say that fifty percent is on fiddle and the other fifty on guitar. Everything is melodic driven and it can start as a quiet ballad and then builds and crescendos. Then you add all of the other instruments that are playing with some unconventional percussion techniques. It’s a real variety.

So you started out as a band with your brothers. You are such a music family! How was it to be part of a band figure with your siblings?
Yeah back in the day, it was great; it must be fifteen years ago now.

So what made you go solo? You and your brothers obviously were very successful?
I think it was just a very different musical path, which I was going down. My two brothers were working with two female singers, which they went on to marry. So I had to then go on to sing for myself (laughing)

So are you now set on continuing as a solo artist?
You never know what is round the corner. I can definitely see collaborations around the bend. I love working with new music, fresh musicians.

You are about to set sail on an epic tour Seth, how do you feel about coming to Australia for the first time?
Yeah I cannot wait, this is the first time and I am very, very excited. The Byron festival is such a great place to start.

Are you playing at the Bakewell Music Festival? What an interesting date to have on your tour. It’s such a quaint little town and will be a great little festival; it’s just down the road from my Mum’s house! What other interesting dates do you have coming up?
We have some great festivals. There are so many festivals in England, hundreds and hundreds, which look amazing this summer. I am more than ready for the tour. The journey we will have is incredible.

What has been your proudest moment so far throughout your career?
The diversity of what I am doing musically means that I can travel a lot; I have played some very interesting places. I played in Libya, at a place called Leptis Magna about five years ago. We were the first band to play there in this amphitheatre, the first in 2000 years in this crazy Roman city. I also played in Malawi, which was amazing. I also launched my first record in Dartmoor prison, Devon. It was certainly a weird one!

What an amazing achievement Seth, so what else is left to achieve in your career?
To be able to play and sing with a huge orchestra. There is so much theatre and drama in what I do. My songs tell stories and to be able to show that through a huge orchestra is obviously very powerful. There are loads, which I would love to do. I am right in the thick of my career. Collaborations are my main aim.

You are definitely at such a high for your career…what else could you ever imagine doing?
Well it is crazy to think that I would probably be selling something if I weren’t doing my music (laughing). I am very lucky and an awful lot of effort goes into my work and a lot of dedication. But I have such a lot of fun.

What else is set for the Summer Seth?
So this year I want to write a lot more, play festivals and then take myself back home to recharge! It’s all more than worth it!

Cheers Seth, all the best for 2012, have a great tour!
You too, thanks for taking the time Frankie.

Tour Dates 2012
CORNWALL
Eden Sessions, 01.07.2012
LEICESTERSHIRE
National Forest Folk Festival, 07.07.2012
TROWBRIDGE
Village Pump Folk Festival, 20.07.2012
DEVON
Chagstock, 21.07.2012
GOSSINGTON
Gossington, 28.07.2012
CAMBRIDGE
Cambridge Folk Festival, 29.07.2012
SIDMOUTH
FOLK WEEK, 05.08.2012
BAKEWELL
Music Festival, 11.08.2012
BELGIUM
Deerlycke Folk Festival, 17.08.2012
LOWESTOFT
FolkEast, 24.08.2012
CUMBRIA
Solfest, 25.08.2012
YORK
Galtres Festival, 26.08.2012
CHELTENHAM
Greenbelt Festival, 27.08.2012
HERTFORDSHIRE
Berkhamsted Music & Comedy Festival, 15.09.2012
RAMSBOTTOM
Festival, 16.09.2012
DERBY
Derby Folk Festival, 07.10.2012
BASINGSTOKE
The Anvil, 10.10.2012
WARWICK
Warwick Arts Centre, 11.10.2012
SALISBURY
City Hall, 12.10.2012
LONDON
Cadogan Hall, 13.10.2012
CANTERBURY
Festival, 14.10.2012
SHREWSBURY
Severn Theatre, 16.10.2012
GUILDFORD
G Live, 17.10.2012
GATESHEAD
The Sage, 18.10.2012
MANCHESTER
Royal Northern College of Music, 19.10.2012
SCUNTHORPE
The Baths Hall, 20.10.2012
IPSWICH
Corn Exchange, 21.10.2012
BUXTON
Opera House, 23.10.2012
BARNSTAPLE
The Queen’s Theatre, 24.10.2012
BIRMINGHAM
Town Hall, 25.10.2012
TRURO
Hall for Cornwall, 26.10.2012
PLYMOUTH
Theatre Royal, 27.10.2012