Seth Lakeman, the man dubbed “the poster boy of British Folk” may have seemed an odd choice for a jazz festival but an enthusiastic sell out crowd was proof that the unorthodox choice can often be the correct one.
Although the 2009 Brecon Jazz Festival was a hastily put together affair following the financial difficulties outlined elsewhere on this site the accompanying Fringe Festival was bigger than ever. During the course of the weekend over 100 performances took place in the pubs and clubs of the town, most of them free of admission and covering a wide range of music from jazz to rock to folk to ska and more.

This performance from Seth Lakeman and his band was the first collaboration between the Fringe and the official festival and there can be no doubt it was an enormous success. The Lakeman band were introduced by one of the Fringe stalwarts and they hit the ground running with “The Storm” from Lakeman’s breakthrough album “Kitty Jay”.

I must admit to feeling a certain sense of proprietorship as regards young Mr Lakeman’s career. I first saw him perform in Hereford in 2004 as part of a trio led by Oysterband vocalist John Jones and also featuring Benji Kirkpatrick on bouzouki and guitar. The trio produced a magical evening of music and even at this early stage it was clear that Lakeman was an enormous talent. At this time he had two albums out “The Punch Bowl” (2002) and the 2003 follow up “Kitty Jay”. I remember buying and enjoying them both, plus Benji’s solo effort “Half A Fruit Pie”.
Lakeman’s career really took off when “Kitty Jay” was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize. It didn’t win but the enormous amount of publicity Lakeman received plus the sheer excellence and vibrancy of his stage shows helped to pushed the young folkie into the mainstream. His records and concerts have since become more rock orientated but I don’t sense that Lakeman has in any way greatly compromised his artistic vision. I get the impression he was heading in this direction anyway, in some ways following the route taken by his one time mentor Jones a decade or more earlier. 
The trio tour has taken on a mythical status over the years. Those of us that saw it do take a certain smug pride in informing people that “actually I was listening to him long before the Mercury” and a Seth Lakeman gig is still a life affirming experience.

Lakeman’s band have grown with him. Elder brother Sean has been there from the beginning as guitarist and co producer and is very much Seth’s right hand man. Mountainous double bassist Ben Nicholls has also been there right from the start but there have been a number of changes in the drum chair with Cormac Byrne giving way first to Andy Tween and now to new man Simon (surname lost in the crowd noise I’m afraid) .This basic four man line up was tonight augmented by long term collaborator Benji Kirkpatrick, of Bellowhead fame, on bouzouki, guitar and harmonica. 

Most of Lakeman’s songs draw their inspiration from the myths and legends of his native West Country, particularly those of Dartmoor. “The Hurlers” from his most recent album “Poor Man’s Heaven” comes from neighbouring Cornwall. With it’s thunderous drum intro and shout along chorus it’s a great crowd favourite and quickly got the audience on the band’s side.
The last time I saw Lakeman was a year ago at the Oysterband curated Big Session Festival in Leicester (the subject of a feature elsewhere on this site). This was a brilliant show and one big adrenalin rush but if one were to be churlish one could accuse Lakeman’s performance as being too one paced and lacking in dynamics and subtlety.

Although the band still plays at rock volume Lakeman seems to be consciously trying to respond to this criticism. “King and Country” a tender anti war ballad dedicated to Lakeman’s grandfather was starkly beautiful, movingly sung by Lakeman accompanying himself on his distinctive four string tenor guitar. Lakeman’s voice is itself a fascinating instrument, hoarse, urgent, and assertive but curiously plaintive and vulnerable. No wonder the ladies love him.
“Blood Red Sky” quickly raised the temperature again, fiercely rhythmic like much of Lakeman’s music, and with some furious instrumental duelling between Sean and Benji’s guitars, Seth’s tenor and Nicholls’ double bass.
The song “Solomon Browne”  from “Poor Man’s Heaven” received some criticism at the time of release. The subject matter of the song, the Penlee lifeboat disaster of 1981 is still within living memory and some felt Lakeman was exploiting the story for commercial gain. I don’t see it like that, it’s hardly the most obvious subject for a song but having committed himself to tackle the subject Lakeman was only continuing the “folk process” of writing about contemporary subjects and events. The “Poor Man’s Heaven” album launch took place at Polperro, Cornwall with the proceeds going to the RNLI so the gainsayers had little real cause for complaint. The song defiantly remains in the set list to this day with Nicholls bowed bass adding an extra poignancy to the arrangement.
Seth took the opportunity of introducing some new material to the set. These included “The Traveller”  (or something similar that I didn’t quite catch), the brooding “Constant Changes” with Kirkpatrick on harmonica, “See Them Dance”, a collaboration with fellow songwriter Dan Goddard and the social commentary of “Hearts And Minds”. On first hearing these tunes seemed to be a move away from the “West Country Legend” material that has formed the basis of Lakeman’s work thus far and an attempt push his music even further into rock territory. All seemed perfectly acceptable and Lakeman’s next album release should prove to be most interesting.
A Seth Lakeman show wouldn’t be complete without it’s jaw dropping solo violin and vocal set piece. Tonight we got two for the price of one. Sandwiched between two of the new songs was “Lady Of The Sea” which I initially thought might have superseded Lakeman’s signature song “Kitty Jay” but later we got that too. These two tunes are quintessential Lakeman, both are a bravura display of virtuoso fiddling as he simultaneously pounds out the rhythm on his trusty stomp box and delivers the lyrics in his distinctive voice. Seth comes over like a turbo charged version of the “Geordie Fiddler” Tom McConville, the energy and passion he puts into these voice and violin workouts is astonishing and leaves him sweat stained and breathless. No matter, his adoring legion of female fans just love it and are dancing in the aisles and the rest of us can’t be anything but seriously impressed.

Other crowd pleasers in a lengthy show included “Riflemen Of War” with drummer Simon taking one of several excursions on the cajon, and the drinking song “How Much”  from “The Punch Bowl” which ensured that all four of Seth’s albums were represented. Sometimes overlooked Seth’s début album is a fine record in it’s own right and shows his style to be pretty much fully formed even at this stage.

We also heard “Take No Rogues and “Blood Upon Copper” the latter featuring Nicholls on banjo in a rousing “hoedown” section. This song is about the hardships suffered by the men who once worked the copper mines on the Devon/Cornwall border. Lakeman is not an overtly political writer but several of his songs subtly champion the working man, none more so than “Poor Man’s Heaven” itself, a rousing anthem for the dispossessed.

Lakeman was one of the few acts over the weekend to be allowed an encore. First we had the ballad “Setting Of The Sun”, Lakeman’s adaptation of the folk song “Molly Bond”, followed as I recall by “Race To Be King” featuring Nicholls on jew’s harp and with some characteristically furious fiddling from Lakeman.

As ever the Lakeman band had delivered in a well drilled, high energy performance and the sell out crowd, a mix of Lakeman regulars and curious jazzers clearly loved it. It might have been better as a standing only gig but I suspect that moving the chairs out and replacing them for the jazz events the following day was logistically impossible.

In view of the Market Hall’s large size and the difficulty of obtaining good sight lines through the numerous pillars three video screens had been installed. A word of praise for the people filming the event for these, their camera work genuinely helped to enhance the performance. The filming was done with a real feel for the music and incorporated all the band members rather than just concentrating on the charismatic Lakeman. I spotted lots of interesting musical details that heightened my enjoyment of the event, the kind of thing less sympathetic directors might have missed. Well done guys. 

The Lakeman band have plenty more performances coming up including the Shrewsbury and Bromyard Folk Festivals. They remain an essential live experience. Catch them if you can.

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