It’s been 7 years since folk fiddle poster boy SethLakeman first plucked the g-strings of his many female fans, going on to
release four more albums after his Mercury nominated breakthrough Kitty Jay and
regularly wowing festival audiences across the country. This current tour’s in
support of his latest release Tales From The Barrel House and it’s pretty much business
as usual. Opening with an almost We Will Rock You style drumbeat the set kicks
off with More Than Money, a typically meaty Lakeman number. Dry ice washes over
the stage, there’s moody lighting and the hearts of several hundred ladies of a
certain age are sent a fluttering. Seth’s not the first folkie to flirt with
the rockier side of things of course and whilst it’s unlikely to get the crowd
making devil’s horns or banging the bejesus out of their skulls it’s the kind
of energy that a gig like this really needs to get started...especially at the
unusually early time of 7.30 (no support act tonight).
The set’s split into two
halves, overall act one’s a little more restrained, plucking several more
tracks from the newbie and introducing co-vocalist Lisbee Stainton, who’s
rapidly becoming a bit of star in her own right. The addition of a female vocal
softened the sound nicely, balancing the testosterone that’s often literally spilling
out of Lakeman and his band, enabling more of the slower, ballad style numbers
to be played more effectively. Whether the fans want more ballads was difficult
to tell although the applause seemed noticeably louder after the livelier
numbers. Stainton undoubtedly contributed to some of the best moments from the
first half though with a beautiful version of The Sender (off Tales From The Barrel
House) particularly standing out. It takes a fair few songs before Seth whips it out...steady
ladies...his fiddle that is, but once it’s out that's when his real...wanky marketing speak ahoy...USP shines through
and whether he’s in full flow or just plucking out some simple notes as on pre
break homage to the art of the cider maker, Apple Of His Eye, that’s when the
show really comes to life.
The second half of the set is much more of a greatest
hits selection kicking off with firm fan favourite The Bold Knight, ably backed
by percussion maestro the permanently smiling Cormac Byrne. Lisbee returns for
a haunting run through The White Hare before the tempo shifts up several gears
with Blood Red Sky, the stage stained a deep dark red as the dry ice machine
goes into overdrive. I reckon it would make an interesting cover for a genuine
rock band or perhaps even a collaboration? After teaming up with Birmingham rap
outfit Moorish Delta 7 a few years back I’d half hoped Seth would perhaps mix
things up a little and songs like this could offer intriguing possibilities to
break out of the folk scene a little more. Just a thought. Setting Of The Sun
gets the post drink interval crowd up and clapping for the first time thanks in
part to an impressively groovy double bass solo from Ben Nicholls. Predictably
the biggest cheers of the night though were reserved for the pairing of Lady Of
The Sea and, yes, the biggie...Kitty Jay.
These are pure, unadulterated Lakeman, full on
furious fiddling and an equally up for it crowd clapping along until their
hands fell off. Yes, literally.
The encore included an awesome howdown showdown with Lakeman
and a now be-banjoed Nicholls doing their very best to set their respective
instruments on fire on Blood and Copper and a roof raising Race To Be King.
Seth's at an interesting stage in his career,
seemingly settled into his role as folk’s fiddler in chief and darn good he is
at it too but he’s got a passion and energy that frankly deserves to be heard
by a much more diverse audience. If that requires some deviation from the folk scene, a la
Imagined Village or some of Eliza Carthy’s poppier moments, then perhaps it’s
worth a try eh?
No comments:
Post a Comment