Seth Lakeman + Dan Donnelly
Mercury Music Prize nominated Seth Lakeman released his first live DVD ‘Live at the Minack’ in December last year. The film captures Seth and his incredible live band performing to a rapturous crowd at the spectacular, open-air Minack Theatre in Penzance, Cornwall. The set features songs from his three hit albums Kitty Jay, Freedom Fields and Poor Man's Heaven.
Seth's live show, as with everything else he does, takes the established folk orthodoxy and turns it on its head. The spirit of the rock band meets the timeless and heartfelt subject matter of the folk tale in a blur of fiddle, acoustic guitar and foot-stomping rhythms, with Seth's unmistakable vocals riding the wave.
Seth Lakeman is one of the fastest-rising stars on the folk roots scene. His 2006 album ‘Freedom Fields’ has sold over 100,000 copies in the UK alone and helped Seth build on his traditional cult following, finding a whole new audience for his rhythmic, captivating brand of indie-folk song writing. Seth was named Folk Singer of the Year and ‘Freedom Fields’ awarded Album Of The Year at the prestigious Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2007.
His 2008 album ‘Poor Man’s Heaven’ charted at number 8 in the UK on its release. The album represented a progression for Seth’s sound – while remaining firmly rooted in folk, it moved from a more acoustic-based feel to a fuller, rockier sound, underpinned as ever by emotive lyrics and story telling. It is also the closest representation on record of Seth’s live show yet, capturing the rhythmic, raw energy seldom seen in any other acoustic band.
In breaks between touring in 2009 Seth was writing and recording his highly anticipated new studio album ‘Hearts and Minds’ which will be released this year. Seth will be showcasing some of those new songs on his UK tour in March.
Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Via New York Dan Donnelly has become a regular fixture on the live music both here and the States. He has cut his teeth in the clubs and cafes that have cut the teeth of songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Elliot Smith and Jeff Buckley. Dan has supported Seth Lakeman numerous times in the recent past plus he has played at most of the major music festivals in the UK, including, Beautiful Days Festival, Glastonbury Festival and The Big session Festival. These popular performances gained him a nomination for the 2009 "UK Festival Awards Critics Choice" category alongside artists such as, Thom Yorke, Lily Allen and Mercury Rev. He is one of the only artists that have performed onstage with both The Levellers and Oysterband, arguably the finest folk rock acts in Europe.