Seth Lakeman

There isn’t very many people gathered in front of the stage when Seth and company climb aboard it. He greets us and launches straight into ‘Take No Rogues’ playing his mini guitar and accompanied by the usual band of merry men. Cormac O’Byrne is sat on his usual speaker box playing out complex rhythms on a bodhran, Seth’s brother Sean is on guitar and playing a layered rhythm over Seth’s and big Ben Nicholls is plucking a double bass and making it look small. The rhythmic tempo and mellow warming strings is very enthralling, the band’s trip to Libya has clearly expanded their repertoire of rhythms.

By the second track the crowd has suddenly doubled and it’s starting to warm up in the room nicely, as the sun streams in through slits in the blackout blinds. ‘John Lomas’ is a rare treat I’ve not heard it in a while and it’s one of my favourites from the Mercury Award Nominated album ‘Kitty Jay.’



Ben and Sean leave the stage and take a break while Cormac and Seth play the forthcoming single ‘Lady of the Sea’ due for release Seth tells us in July. It’s really stripped down but with fiddle and drum the tale of a Mermaid still sounds terrific.

Sean and Ben return with Ben donning a banjo for a “Hoe Down” with a twanged up version of ‘Blood Upon Copper’ the mining story is told at a faster pace and Cormac has moved from playing bodhran to playing his speaker box. Now the throng of people are captivated and the crowd spills out into the corridor behind the main room all still straining to catch all of Seth and Co.’s set.

Seth switches back to his half size guitar and it’s to bass for Ben for the beautifully crafted ‘The Charmer’ which really shows off Seth’s voice and Cormac plays a shake to great effect to fill in the percussion. He’s certainly talented and I do wonder if her ever plays a ‘real’ drum kit.



As the setting sun streams through the slits in the windows, dropping pools of liquid gold amongst the crowd Seth stands on stage alone for ‘Kitty Jay’ and is all virtuoso violin and powerful voice and I spot Exeter’s very own Show of Hands in the crowd enjoying the performance. They’re not the only ones Rev Hammer and The Levellers’ Mark Chadwick are here too.

The band return for a song about Dartmoor and then take their leave to huge applause. A really well received set in what Seth calls the nearest town to home. They just seem to be getting better and better. Catch them on tour and you won’t be disappointed.

FUTURE GIGS