“It seemed to connect,” says Lakeman of that day. “It was extremely exciting for us seeing people almost discovering the music. We’ve been playing in the UK for six or seven years and to start all over again, well, it’s really exciting for a musician to see that kind of discovery – it’s hard to explain, but it’s a real pleasure and privilege to come back and do it all over again.”
Affable and talkative, Lakeman laughs and chats excitedly, often having to pull himself up when he thinks he’s “rambling on.” On the phone from his hometown of Devon in South East England, I can barely keep up with Lakeman as he, when pressed about his favourite non-fiction inspired song, recounts the tale behind Childe the Hunter.
“He was lost in a blizzard on Dartmoor [moorland in South Devon] and he was forced to disembowel his horse and crawl inside for the night to survive the blizzard. Do you remember Star Wars?” Yes I do. “That’s it! That’s exactly it. Childe the Hunter made it to the big screen!” He apologises further but has to finish the story. “He scratched in the name of the person he wanted to leave his wealth and his land to in stone. It was found, presented, and passed on.”
Lakeman is clearly not lacking in enthusiasm when on the subject of songwriting or foraging for new material. “It’s a magpie thing,” he explains, “where you get snippets from here and there: from libraries, from searching online, to chatting to people in pubs. I’ve discovered a lot just from chatting.”
Whereas Lakeman’s last LP was a concept record about a mining town (in which the percussion was made up entirely from mining equipment such as anvils), his next effort will pay homage to the anecdote. Tentatively titled Word of Mouth, it involves Lakeman “interviewing people, taking their experiences, their stories, and turning them into songs.” The interest in stories works both ways as he reminisces about Australian audiences: “I think Australia is certainly a place that can appreciate [storytelling]; it seemed to me last time people were asking about the songs, where they’re from, and I think that consideration is important and has a lot of depth to it.”
As well as a great storyteller and lyricist, Lakeman is also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, swapping between banjo, violin, and mandolin. Where acoustic guitar folk may be more accessible considering the success of other English bands like Mumford and Sons, Lakeman has stuck to his guns and maintained a traditional folk edge.
“It’s the rhythm you can get out of them,” he says of those instruments. “It’s a voice, or as close as you can really get to singing without actually having the lyrics. The language – it seems to be in tune with yourself. That’s how I feel anyway. That’s the root of me really.”
On the subject of roots, Seth’s musical beginnings were intertwined with that of his family; both his brothers were successful musicians and the three were once in a band before going their separate ways. It was thought by some that Seth was the least likely to succeed solo, but his second album Kitty Jay (made for a mere £300 and recorded in his brother’s kitchen) led to a Mercury Nomination, his name in the company of Coldplay and Bloc Party that year. “It was quite a massive record. It pretty much sums up everything I am. The gimmick and the brand is all there isn’t it?” he laughs, his self-deprecation endearing. “But in a way, when you look back on things sometimes they become bigger than they are,” he adds philosophically. I press him though: wasn’t it a leap of faith? “I guess the whole early part of my career was a leap of faith. You can only go so far unless you throw it all into it. It is a proper gamble.”
The gamble has seemingly paid off, as has the decision the come out to Australia last year. This year Lakeman will be far more present, appearing at Bluesfest, WOMADelaide and here in Victoria at the Port Fairy Folk Festival and the Brunswick Festival. He will also be reunited with a staple of the Australian folk scene, Carus Thompson, whom Lakeman describes as a “fabulous friend”, a “brilliant performer” and a “brilliant songwriter”, his kind words reaffirming the feeling that he is a man deserving of success. I might take him home to meet my mum.
BY GARRY WESTMORE
