Folk star Seth Lakeman tours new album to Chesterfield venue Real Time Live

The Mercury Prize Award nominee makes his debut at Real Time Music on February 8, when he will be accompanied by his long-term collaborator Benji Kirkpatrick.

Seth is no stranger to performing in Chesterfield. He said: “I’ve played the Winding Wheel a few times before. Always had a fantastic night there. Getting back out in front of an audience is always a real joy. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Forced by lockdown to take a break from live shows, the Devon-based musician spent the time writing and recording his latest album Make Your Mark.

Seth said: “I wrote lots of songs, many that haven’t made the album. I think the space really helped me piece lots of different writing styles together. The topics range from a whale rescue attempt to the dying fishing industry of Cornwall.

"It was recorded in four days at Middle Farm Studios in Devon and the pilgrim band joined me (who played on my last album A Pilgrim’s Tale). A fine bunch.”

The BBC 2 playlisted single Higher We Aspire is among the 14 new songs that feature on Make Your Mark.

When asked which of his dozen albums he is most proud, multi-instrumentalist Seth said: “This new one as it was a real struggle to put together and it feels more personal.”

He said that his career highlight was being nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2005 for his album Kitty Jay.

And he’s plenty more to be proud of, from the gold-selling 2006 release Freedom Fields which gave Seth the first of six UK top 40 albums, to winning Singer and Best Album of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2007.

Fast forward a decade and Seth was snapped up by a rock titan. He said: “I worked in Robert Plant’s band for three years. Pretty big.”

This summer Seth will be on the bill with another legend, Fairport Convention, at the folk superstars’ Cropredy Festival.

He said: “There’s plenty coming in for 2022 and I’m really looking forward to another project in the pipeline.”

Tickets to watch Seth in Chesterfield cost £19.50. Go to www.realtimelive.co.uk