Seth Lakeman – The Stoller Hall, Manchester: Live Review

By Mike Ainscoe on 28th February 2024 • ( 1 Comment )

Seth Lakeman – Stoller Hall, Manchester – 27th February 2024

Tours that celebrate an iconic anniversary of key albums are becoming de rigeur these days. On his last visit to the Stoller, Seth Lakeman and his band were raising a toast to FF15 – Freedom Fields celebrating fifteen years since release. Hard enough to imagine time passing so quickly, even more so that we now have KJ20 (or maybe KJ-XX which might have been a nice merchandise branding opportunity). The album that catapulted Seth into the public eye with the Mercury Prize nomination most will know the story of the £300 recording done in the kitchen with Sean Lakeman.

In the first of a three-part series on the anniversary (see Youtube) Seth pays tribute to Sean’s fantastic vision. Shame is that KJ hasn’t had the update and polish (and inevitable conversion to vinyl) that often goes hand in hand with the tours; maybe a revisit to the kitchen to reimagine the album paired with a live recording of a KJ show? Park that thought…

The band is the well-versed unit that regularly accompanies Seth in part or whole. Both Ben Nicholls and Benji Kirkpatrick were on the original recording. Cormac Byrne has been a constant presence whenever he’s not been galivanting with another one of his many projects while Alex Hart is now firmly placed at the right hand, adding multi-instrumental contributions – mainly a telling harmonium presence – as well as backing vocals. The esteem in which they’re held comes as Seth introduces them before a note is played. It may be his name on the ticket, but without whom…etc…

This rather pleasant and plush venue has become something of a go-to place for a number of Folk musos of late. In a brief show of nostalgia in light of the passing years, Seth even refers back to the days at the Manchester Academy. Yes – were were there in 2006-ish in Academy 3 before he moved up to Academy 2 – there’s an archive of posters and ticket stubs stashed somewhere safely. He pays tribute by stepping off mic midway through the first set to sing Farewell My Love and appreciate the acoustics of the room.

It’s one of the highlights of a first half that runs through Kitty Jay – the album – which Seth refers to as “a dark album.” Not quite in order and (annoyingly!) missing the very pleasant (and personal fave) The Streamers, a clutch of songs from the album remain amongst the first names on the teamsheet when compiling a setlist. Kitty Jay itself is ‘the’ regular set closer and Blood Upon Copper gives Ben a chance to roll out the low slung banjo, more often than not in the encores with a hoedown usually taking the recorded version into untethered realms. However, the opportunity to reboot the likes of The Bold Knight and John Lomas and even rarer, less-heard tracks, is a pleasure. The Ballad Of Josie and Cape Clear, in particular, cast a haunting presence and Henry Clark benefits from one of Benji Kirkpartick’s rare excursions onto electric guitar to add some high-up-the-fretboard contributions.

It’s Blood Upon Copper that Seth jokes gives “a taste of the second half” before the psychedelic sonics of his showpiece number concludes a first set where a handful of the rarely heard have made a solid bid for a place off the subs bench. A bit like Foden and Grealish – fitting some of these into the same set is a difficult job.

Part 2 has Seth and Cormac offering to “cheer you up” – not that Cormac ever has anything less than a huge grin across his face and oozing addictive energy, as Lady Of the Sea is joined by a selection of party numbers – Change, Race To Be King the more familiar pairing that encourages even the most staunch of the Stoller crowd to their feet at the end of the evening, alongside a less so, yet still rollicking, Rambling Sailor – Benji electrifying things again. While Shoals To Turn in particular and the brooding Side By Side might fit more of the KJ palette, the welcome and very nice nostalgic surprise comes as Seth, Benji and Cormac (in a blur of bodhran) kick off the encore with a blast from the past with the Scrumpy Set of tunes, and we’re right back in one of the smaller Academies…

It might have been a trip down some long forgotten memory lane with a warming hint of nostalgia, yet the evidence from a pretty much sold out tour is a reminder that Seth Lakeman, one of those bright young folk from the turn of the century (!) is still flying the flag with a vengeance. Did he make a joke about the next twenty years? Never a truer word spoken in jest.