Seth will be appearing on BBC One Scotland’s “Hogmanay Live” on New Year’s Eve, showing on BBC1 in Scotland, digital TV ‘red button’ throughout the UK, and streaming worldwide online.

The programme looks to have a distinctly folky flavour throughout, with performances from Phil Cunningham with Aly Bain, Scots Singer of the Year 2008/9 Emily Smith, and an “All-star” houseband featuring John McCusker, Michael McGoldrick, Ross Hamilton and James McIntosh.

The one hour show starts at 11:45 pm. It’ll be on BBC1 in Scotland. If you’re elsewhere in the UK with digital TV you’ll be able to watch it through the BBC “Red Button”, and it will also be streamed live online at www.bbc.co.uk/hogmanay. The online stream will be accessible from anywhere in the world, and the whole programme will be available to view on-demand for 24 hours afterwards.

No news on what Seth will be playing, though it’s possible it may be a solo appearance as now regular band member, Benji Kirkpatrick, is otherwise engaged at the Bellowhead New Year bash at London’s South Bank Centre.

For more info visit the programme website at www.bbc.co.uk/hogmanay or the Facebook page.

March 2010 ‘Mini’ UK Tour

December 23, 2009

All the dates are now confirmed for a short UK tour in the first week of March 2010, including a long-overdue gig in the North East.

Mon 1 Mar Northampton Derngate Theatre
Tickets: £20 | www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Tue 2 Mar Basingstoke The Anvil
Tickets: £17 (kids & students: £9) | 01256 844244 | www.anvilarts.org.uk

Wed 3 Mar St Albans Alban Arena
Tickets: £20 | 01727 844488 www.alban-arena.co.uk

Thu 4 Mar Crawley The Hawth
Tickets: £20.50 | 01293 553636 e-programme

Fri 5 Mar Southsea (Nr Portsmouth) King’s Theatre
Tickets: £20 | 023 9282 8282 www.kings-southsea.com

Sat 6 Mar Gateshead Sage
Venue: 0191 443 4661
Tickets: £19.50 | seetickets.com

Sun 7 Mar Shrewsbury Theatre Severn
Tickets: £20 | 01743 281281 | www.theatresevern.co.uk

 
These are all now up on MySpace and the official website, but credit must go to the ever watchful Mirelings, especially Annie, Debs, Helen, Rebecca and Fiddler’s Elbow’s sister, for tracking them all down in advance of the official announcement.

There are a couple of extra summer festival date for May – on Isle of Wight and Shepley, West Yorkshire – on the gigs page

The 2008 Channel 5 documentary, Seth Lakeman: My Music, is being repeated on Sky Arts 1 and HD tonight at 8pm, repeated again tomorrow (21 Dec 2009) at 11.05 am and 4pm.

The one-hour programme followed Seth through 2007 as he wrote and recorded 2008’s Poor Man’s Heaven album, and covers his career up to that date.

Similar programmes on Kate Rusby and Eliza Carthy, also well worth watching, are being shown on Wednesday 22nd.

Photo: Seth Lakeman playing at Shepherd's Bush Academy on the 12th December 2009

Seth Lakeman – Shepherds Bush, originally uploaded by matthew.d.williamson.

Photos from the storming gig at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 12 December 2009

Behind the scenes report on the new Live at the Minack DVD from BBC Spotlight (South West). Originally broadcast Thu 3 Dec 2010.

The DVD – released today – is available from Amazon and HMV.

BBC 6Music broadcast an old gig from 2006 last night at the ungodly hour of 4am. Luckily it’s available to listen to at a more civilised hour on iPlayer for the next 7 days.

In a blast-from-the-past treat for fans, the half-hour gig includes tracks not included in the current live set and features popular former band member, Cormac Byrne, in full bodhran flow on The Bold Knight and Lady of the Sea.

Setlist:

  1. Take No Rogues
  2. John Lomas
  3. Blood Upon Copper
  4. King and Country
  5. The Final Lot
  6. Rifleman of War
  7. The Bold Knight – with Cormac on bodhran
  8. Lady of the Sea ditto!

Listen Again:

iPlayer (until end of 7 Dec 2009)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00p4p27

The gig starts around the 2h 34m mark with a special mention of dedicated Seth fans, The Mirelings.

Interview and preview clips …

Seth Lakeman: Live at the Minack, Seth’s forthcoming live DVD, will be premiered at two special cinema screenings next week in London and Truro, Cornwall.

The exclusive screenings are your first chance to see the DVD – in the presence of The Man Himself, no less – before its release on 7th December, and possibly the only chance to see it on the big screen.

It’ll be just like being there at the gig.

Honest …

 

Full details and booking links below.

The DVD is available to pre-order from Amazon ».

DVD Premier Screenings

Wed 2 Dec, 6pm
Prince Charles Cinema, Leicester Square, London
Tickets: £9.50 book online online booking doesn’t seem to be working. Try calling 020 7494 3654 instead
Info: www.princecharlescinema.com | 020 7494 3654

Thurs 3rd Dec, 6pm
Plaza Cinema, Truro, Cornwall
Tickets: £6.00 book online
Info: www.wtwcinemas.co.uk | 0871 200 3304

Seth Lakeman: Live at the Minack DVD

Seth Lakeman: Live at the Minack

is now available to
pre-order from Amazon ».

The official release date is listed as 7th December, not 30th November as originally announced.

Update 12 Nov 2009: Available to pre-order from Amazon with the release date now listed as 7th Dec.

Back in May this year, Seth played an amazing sell-out show at the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno, Cornwall. Set on the cliff edge, the Minack Theatre is a beautiful and unique outdoor amphitheatre – a truly fitting venue for Seth’s story telling lyrics and foot stomping performances.

The magical show was captured for Seth’s first live DVD – released on 30th November. ‘Live at the Minack’ features songs from his three hit albums Kitty Jay, Freedom Fields and Poor Man’s Heaven, and perfectly captures this amazing venue in all its glory. The DVD will be available from 30th November 7th December.

After a warm-up gig in Chesterfield on Saturday Seth’s UK tour starts with a vengeance tonight in Cambridge and takes in cities across the UK in November and December culminating with a night at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire.

We’re promised yet more new songs on this tour, after which Seth is heading into the studio to finalised the new album which is set to be released in Spring 2010.

If you haven’t got your tickets already, get them now by clicking one of the links below. Support on the tour comes from 6 Day Riot.

Autumn/Winter 09 Tour Dates

Tue 3 Nov Cambridge Junction
Tickets: 01223 511511 | www.junction.co.uk

Wed 4 Nov Aylesbury Civic Centre
Tickets: 01296 486009 | gigantic.com | ticketweb.co.uk

Thu 5 Nov Norwich Waterfront
Tickets: 01603 508050 | www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Thu 6 Nov Brighton Corn Exchange
Tickets: 02072 879482 | www.bigwheeltickets.com

Fri 7 Nov Poole Lighthouse
Tickets: 02072 879482 | www.bigwheeltickets.com

Sat 8 Nov Falmouth Pavillions
Tickets: 02072 879482 | www.bigwheeltickets.com

Tue 10 Nov Warwick University, The Copper Rooms
Tickets: 02476 572777 | www.seetickets.com

Wed 11 Nov Nottingham Rock City
Tickets: ticketmaster.co.uk | gigantic.com

Thu 12 Nov Edinburgh HMV Picture House
Tickets: www.ticketweb.com

Fri 13 Nov Manchester Academy 2
Tickets: 01618 32111 | www.seetickets.com

Sat 14 Nov Salisbury City Hall
Tickets: 01722 434434 | gigantic.com | ticketweb.co.uk

Mon 7 Dec Exeter University Great Hall
Tickets: 01392 263518 | www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Tue 8 Dec Oxford Town Hall
Tickets: gigantic.com | ticketmaster.co.uk

Wed 9 Dec Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall
Tickets: gigantic.com | ticketmaster.co.uk

Thu 10 Dec Cheltenham Town Hall
Tickets: gigantic.com | www.ticketweb.co.uk

Fri 11 Dec Bristol 02 Academy
Tickets: gigantic.com | www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Sat 12 Dec London 02 Shepherds Bush Empire
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Top quality official festival video of Seth’s live performance on the main stage at Shrewsbury Folk Festival 2009.


A nostalgic moment for long-time fans, as Cormac Byrne joins Seth on-stage for a classic performance of ‘Lady of the Sea’ at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention 2009. Cormac, with his dazzling bodhran playing, was Seth’s original percussionist. Before he left the regular band this pairing of fiddle and bodhran for the high-energy Lady of the Sea was a staple of the live set. Cormac last toured with the band in Autumn 2007.

Cormac now devotes most of his time to his own band, celtic folk trio Uiscedwr (www.uiscedwr.com).

Other good videos (all on YouTube) from Cropredy – with its big stage, huge crowd, and massive light show – include this good quality recording of set-opener The Storm (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8Ktkv4pQKs) and I have a soft spot for this one of set closer Race to be King (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnN2k3Kr3C8) – despite the shakey camera – perfectly capturing the wild atmosphere of the night.

Seth is a last minute addition to the Leveller’s Beautiful Days festival this weekend, after Friday’s scheduled Big Top headliner, Richard Thompson, broke a finger.

Tickets for the festival are sold out.

photo (see caption below)
Seth Lakeman plays Kitty Jay backstage at Cropredy. Click for full size version. Photo from @wittertainment

Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode caught up with Seth backstage at Cropredy last Friday for an exclusive performance of Kitty Jay and short interview, before his field-storming headline performance that night.

You can listen again on iPlayer until this Friday (starts around the 58min mark after the Kermode film reviews) and on the Simon Mayo podcast (at about 16min mark).

Listen to the podcast

Download » (right-click and choose ’save target…’)

Background folk/punk mashups by Ade Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds.