This is Somerset --
Dartmoor folk ambassador Seth Lakeman and his band of merry men are safely back on home turf after a four-week, 5,000km Australian road trip, winning over hordes of new fans.
While some of us may be dreaming of drier and warmer climes, Seth is quite happy to immerse himself in the vagaries of the Westcountry weather after the extremes on this fresh territory on the other side of the globe.
"It was 38C in Adelaide – now that's just too hot," he says. "But they want us to go back again in March, which is brilliant."
Seth has returned just in time for a string of Westcountry dates, starting with Sunday's evening spot at Plymouth's Volksfest at Newnham Park.
Then there are headline shows next weekend – in the glorious garden of RHS Rosemoor at Torrington on Friday, May 31, and in the magical oceanside setting of Lusty Glaze Beach near Newquay, on Sunday, June 2 – followed by a bevy of summer festivals including the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury, Sark Folk Festival, Cornbury Festival and Ely Folk Festival.
The singer, songwriter, fast and furious fiddler and guitarist, now has six albums to plunder for his live repertoire which reflects his talent for balancing tender and thoughtful ballads – some sparse and starkly emotional and others orchestrated into symphonic splendour – with punchier numbers that rock up into fast and furious rabble-rousing foot-stompers. His most recent album Tales From The Barrel House – released more than a year ago – was recorded at Morwellham Quay copper mine and harbour near Tavistock in the old barrel house of its title. It drew international acclaim, following an initial, sell-out, own-label edition.
Now Seth has signed a two-album deal with Cooking Vinyl, one of Britain's top independent labels, and home to artists like Billy Bragg, Madness, Ron Sexsmith, Alison Moyet and The Proclaimers.
The key priority on Seth's mind is now to record the new set of songs he has composed as part of a unique project called Word of Mouth.
"Basically I have been wandering around the Westcountry collecting interesting stories and recording interviews on a Dictaphone," he explains. "I've talked to a man who has been working down on the Bodmin and Wenford steam railway; to Reg Hannaford who was a young boy evacuated from Torcross to make way for the D-Day practice landings; a guy at Dartmoor Prison."
He has also picked up some footage of Rowena Cade, the founder of the Minack Theatre at Porthcurno.
All these tales have fuelled Seth's songs for the new album, and the recorded interviews may also be released as part of a package.
"We'll see how it works out," he says.
Seth has harnessed the skills of Ian Grimble, owner of the Communion label, whose production credit sits on the albums sleeves of a huge range of music makers including Beth Orton, Travis, Manic Street Preachers, Everything But The Girl and Cat Stevens.
"It will be very interesting to see what he brings out in the music," muses Seth, who has been rehearsing with the band in London, but will be setting up a studio in a Dartmoor church over the summer for the actual recordings.
"I heard a record Ian made for a Scottish folk singer called Rachel Sermanni, and I thought 'Wow, this is fabulous'. Then I started getting into his other work and really appreciated the harmonic side of his production.
"I think it is going to release colour and space in the music," he adds.
"I have been really pushing forward, doing a lot of stuff with a singer called Lisbee Stainton; two voices together are really powerful and exciting."
He will be recording throughout June, in between shows, and expects a January release.
Seth, 36, who grew up in the heart of a musical family on Dartmoor, and cut his teeth on the road in America with his older brothers Sean and Sam as a teenage member of folk rock band Equation. A year ago he married nurse Hannah Edwards and the couple live near Tavistock with springer spaniel, Bernie.
He's relishing the chance to play in Devon and Cornwall again.
"We have a VW van so I am quite interested to see the punked up versions at Volksfest on Sunday," says Seth. "But it's nice and close to home too so I get to sleep in my own bed that night.
Other familiar faces at the three day festival are Levellers, who headline on Saturday, following Land Of The Giants, Mad Dog McRea, Hazel O'Connor and Ruarri Joseph among others. Tonight's headliners are the mighty Alabama 3, with support from the James Robinson Band, Magnus Puto, Cosmo Jarvis, Diamond Geezers, Moriarty, Poet Junkies and These Reigning Days.
Apart from Seth, the main stage on Sunday hosts headliners Zion Train, Freshly Squeezed, the PJP Band, Vince Lee And The Big Combo, Josie Ghost, The Scribes and Grooveyard.
Seth Lakeman and his band perform at Volksfest, Newnham Park, Plymouth on Sunday (visit plymouthvolksfest.co.uk); at RHS Rosemoor on Friday, May 31 (theploughartscentre.org.uk) at Lusty Glaze, near Newquay on Sunday, June 2 (lustyglaze.co.uk). Reported by This is 5 hours ago.
Dartmoor folk ambassador Seth Lakeman and his band of merry men are safely back on home turf after a four-week, 5,000km Australian road trip, winning over hordes of new fans.
While some of us may be dreaming of drier and warmer climes, Seth is quite happy to immerse himself in the vagaries of the Westcountry weather after the extremes on this fresh territory on the other side of the globe.
"It was 38C in Adelaide – now that's just too hot," he says. "But they want us to go back again in March, which is brilliant."
Seth has returned just in time for a string of Westcountry dates, starting with Sunday's evening spot at Plymouth's Volksfest at Newnham Park.
Then there are headline shows next weekend – in the glorious garden of RHS Rosemoor at Torrington on Friday, May 31, and in the magical oceanside setting of Lusty Glaze Beach near Newquay, on Sunday, June 2 – followed by a bevy of summer festivals including the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury, Sark Folk Festival, Cornbury Festival and Ely Folk Festival.
The singer, songwriter, fast and furious fiddler and guitarist, now has six albums to plunder for his live repertoire which reflects his talent for balancing tender and thoughtful ballads – some sparse and starkly emotional and others orchestrated into symphonic splendour – with punchier numbers that rock up into fast and furious rabble-rousing foot-stompers. His most recent album Tales From The Barrel House – released more than a year ago – was recorded at Morwellham Quay copper mine and harbour near Tavistock in the old barrel house of its title. It drew international acclaim, following an initial, sell-out, own-label edition.
Now Seth has signed a two-album deal with Cooking Vinyl, one of Britain's top independent labels, and home to artists like Billy Bragg, Madness, Ron Sexsmith, Alison Moyet and The Proclaimers.
The key priority on Seth's mind is now to record the new set of songs he has composed as part of a unique project called Word of Mouth.
"Basically I have been wandering around the Westcountry collecting interesting stories and recording interviews on a Dictaphone," he explains. "I've talked to a man who has been working down on the Bodmin and Wenford steam railway; to Reg Hannaford who was a young boy evacuated from Torcross to make way for the D-Day practice landings; a guy at Dartmoor Prison."
He has also picked up some footage of Rowena Cade, the founder of the Minack Theatre at Porthcurno.
All these tales have fuelled Seth's songs for the new album, and the recorded interviews may also be released as part of a package.
"We'll see how it works out," he says.
Seth has harnessed the skills of Ian Grimble, owner of the Communion label, whose production credit sits on the albums sleeves of a huge range of music makers including Beth Orton, Travis, Manic Street Preachers, Everything But The Girl and Cat Stevens.
"It will be very interesting to see what he brings out in the music," muses Seth, who has been rehearsing with the band in London, but will be setting up a studio in a Dartmoor church over the summer for the actual recordings.
"I heard a record Ian made for a Scottish folk singer called Rachel Sermanni, and I thought 'Wow, this is fabulous'. Then I started getting into his other work and really appreciated the harmonic side of his production.
"I think it is going to release colour and space in the music," he adds.
"I have been really pushing forward, doing a lot of stuff with a singer called Lisbee Stainton; two voices together are really powerful and exciting."
He will be recording throughout June, in between shows, and expects a January release.
Seth, 36, who grew up in the heart of a musical family on Dartmoor, and cut his teeth on the road in America with his older brothers Sean and Sam as a teenage member of folk rock band Equation. A year ago he married nurse Hannah Edwards and the couple live near Tavistock with springer spaniel, Bernie.
He's relishing the chance to play in Devon and Cornwall again.
"We have a VW van so I am quite interested to see the punked up versions at Volksfest on Sunday," says Seth. "But it's nice and close to home too so I get to sleep in my own bed that night.
Other familiar faces at the three day festival are Levellers, who headline on Saturday, following Land Of The Giants, Mad Dog McRea, Hazel O'Connor and Ruarri Joseph among others. Tonight's headliners are the mighty Alabama 3, with support from the James Robinson Band, Magnus Puto, Cosmo Jarvis, Diamond Geezers, Moriarty, Poet Junkies and These Reigning Days.
Apart from Seth, the main stage on Sunday hosts headliners Zion Train, Freshly Squeezed, the PJP Band, Vince Lee And The Big Combo, Josie Ghost, The Scribes and Grooveyard.
Seth Lakeman and his band perform at Volksfest, Newnham Park, Plymouth on Sunday (visit plymouthvolksfest.co.uk); at RHS Rosemoor on Friday, May 31 (theploughartscentre.org.uk) at Lusty Glaze, near Newquay on Sunday, June 2 (lustyglaze.co.uk). Reported by This is 5 hours ago.