Folk’s Finest: An exclusive chat with Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman

How do you stand out from the crowd?
We have been playing together now for 30 years and have developed an almost telepathic connection. We simply invite audiences into our world for a couple of hours. They like it and they keep coming back. The way that we compliment each other as musicians is a huge part of what we do.

What’s on your rider?
Absolutely nothing these days! We take care of our own catering requirements. We are grown ups now and can sort our own M+Ms.

Tell us about your worst live show.
‘We have had a few over the years, but this year at a festival Sean broke a guitar string on the first verse of the first song then all the lights went out for the next two numbers. We soldiered on but it set the mood for the rest of the show. Oh and there was a gig where Sean was electrocuted down his microphone. That was bad. We try to focus on the better shows 🙂

What was the first song you ever wrote, and do you still perform it?
Kathryn – The first song I wrote is called ‘The Ballad of Andy Jacobs’ and it’s about memories of growing up in South Yorkshire amongst the miners’ strike in ’84 so yes I have been playing it this year particularly as it’s the 40th anniversary.

If you could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be?
Lowell George from the great band Little Feat.

What’s the most unusual venue you’ve ever performed at?
When we were playing with our band Equation in the US we played a real life cowboy bar up in the Rocky mountains complete with chicken wire across the front of the stage. There was a giant bull tied up outside and everyone had lasoos. We were the only ones without big hats and cowboy boots. We seemed to go down well actually.

Do you have any pre-show rituals or superstitions?
Just vocal and hand warm ups. Plus Kathryn likes to play Scrabble – not terribly Rock n Roll!

Which song of yours means the most to you, and why?
We have a song called ‘A Song To Live By’ and Kathryn wrote it as advice to our twin daughters when they were babies. The first line goes, ‘Always try to be the one with the brightest smile’. People are always asking for the lyrics so we had them put into a design on a greetings card which we sell at shows. We have sold many many thousands of those cards and they have been sent all over the world. It’s fantastic to hear from people to who and where they have sent a card.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received about the music industry?
Respect your influences but find your OWN voice. Harder than it sounds actually.

What do you enjoy most about touring? What do you dislike the most?
The most enjoyable thing is going to new places and meeting interesting people. Also being able to do it with your best friend is an absolute joy.
The worst thing is the rigours of the traveling. Back ache, stiffness, that sort of thing. We always say that we get paid for the traveling not the music.

What 3 words come to mind when you think about Wolverhampton?
Great gig venues. The civic is a blinding place to play and see a gig.
The fantastic market.
Your iconic football team!

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing folk musicians today?
Sustaining a profitable career in folk is becoming harder and harder. Touring costs are fast rising, venues are closing, whilst streaming has impacted terribly any income from recorded music sales.

How do you feel about the fusion of folk music with other genres?
Folk music should definitely keep moving otherwise it becomes a museum piece. One of the ways it can keep evolving is to mix with other music genres. Although sometimes it can be more successful than others.

How do you see the future of folk music?
Solid. The music is not going anywhere. There is actually a really exciting scene in the US with lots of young people discovering their own folk scene that has very little to do with any of the previous revivals. Its very internet based and our teenage daughters are bang into it. Go check out bands like ‘Tiny Habits’ or’ Shallow Alcove’ to see what we mean.

What are some common misconceptions about folk music and folk musicians?
STILL, the beards, finger in the ear and woolly jumper thing. There are still lots of bad examples that give all folk musicians a bad rap but it’s just like anything else, stereotyping is just ignorant really.

What is the significance of live performances in folk music compared to studio recordings?
The live performance gives you a chance to explore and evolve songs and to tailor them to how an audience may be on any particular night. It also give the performer the chance to try new material on an audience to decide whether it’s actually worth recording or not.

What initiatives or changes would you like to see in the folk music industry to support artists better?
It would be great if all folk artists could come together and unite under a dedicated music streaming service for the genre which paid everyone fairly through a subscription service. It would mean everyone taking their music off other mainstream platforms though.

What would you say to our non-folk audiences to tempt them to come and try our folk programme?
We have played to countless non-folkies over the years who have said ‘I never realised I would like a folk music gig so much!’. We think we are an excellent gateway into the folk scene for people who might like to dip their toe.