Seth Lakeman: Live at the Minack
Seth Lakeman: Live at the Minack
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By Adam Leveridge. |  |
Tuesday, 08, Dec 2009 02:02
Relentless, out now.
What's it all about?
A live performance from the folkster at the impressive Minack Theatre, a venue carved into Land's End. It was recently named as one of the top ten open-air venues in the UK by Lonely Planet.
Who's it by?
Lakeman has been doing the rounds for some time now. Having previously been in The Lakeman Brothers band (one of his siblings performs with him at the Minack) his recent efforts have gained him some degree of commercial success, particularly Poor Man's Heaven and Freedom Fields. Songs from both pepper the Minack set.
As an example...
"Now back at Penlee Point, time stood still/ Twelve young children cried for their fathers killed."
What the others say
"If Blunt is the Mr Darcy of pop, then perhaps there's room in the market for Mellors the gamekeeper as well." Alexis Petridis, Guardian review of Poor Man's Heaven.
"His songwriting continues the gold-yielding formula of its predecessor with energetic strumalongs, voracious fiddles and a sparkling delivery that'll do nothing to diminish his rising star." Sid Smith, BBC review of Poor Man's Heaven.
So is it any good?
Maintaining interest in live DVDs, or in fact any video footage of bands either strutting their stuff or getting inebriated while touring across some country or other, is a tricky task. Rarely does the direction these days manage to be dynamic enough to keep up with better artists, although the recent Arcade Fire work, Mirroir Noir, was proof that it can be done with contemporary musicians.
So what does the director do when the musician is vastly talented, the setting of the show is nothing less than stunning, yet the songs don't match up to the location? Lazily put together a few shots, with occasionally pointless blurring or slow-motion effects is the answer in this case. It is shoddy from the off, just a straight shooting of the show, detracting from any allure the performance must have had for those who were there. No story, no personality and apparently very little effort - something that is really driven home by the special features which amount to a brief confab with the troubadour.
The Minack Theatre manages to be the most impressive force of the DVD, despite the directorial failures that the work as a whole suffers for. It attains an almost wise, stoic character with the somewhat naïve Lakeman stamping his feet and warbling along to his various tales in front of it. While the songs attempt to take the normally dismissed traditional folk form to the masses, they miss both the charm and passion that forefathers of the genre (name drop time!) such as Fairport Convention and, dare I say it, Steeleye Span could infuse their music with.
Lakeman can occasionally tug at the heartstrings, but somehow the poignancy never really hits. A prime example is Solomon Browne, centring on the Penlee lifeboat disaster. While it is suited to the surroundings, with the sea and the dramatic cliffs of Land's End in the backdrop, the song does not have the atmosphere to match the striking landscape or the humble antiquity of the scene.
Lakeman is undeniably good on record. Not great, but still worth a listen. For fans, seeing him live is surely a treat, especially with his vigour, talent and notable pulchritude. However, admirers will most likely be unimpressed with a DVD that could have been something considerably more powerful than what is delivered.
3/10
Thomas Brewster