One I missed during the blog hiatus. Medley of behind-the-scenes video from the spring trio tour with Benji Kirkpatrick (bouzouki, guitar) and Cormac Byrne (percussion, bodhran). Warning: new song spoilers, but also fun footage of Seth messing about in a violin shop leading to definitely the strangest rendition of Lady of the Sea to date.

via Facebook

Visit sethlakeman.co.uk/category/gigs/ for full Autumn 2011 gig dates.

With backing music from a selection of tracks from the new album

Update 1, 3 Jul: the album has been removed from Spotify in what I hazard was a “no one told them the release date had changed” cock-up.

The official release isn’t for another three weeks, but you can already listen to the ‘standard’ version of the album , plus digital bonus track ‘Fire & Dirt’, on music-streaming service Spotify.

Listen to Seth Lakeman, Hearts & Minds on Spotify

Get Spotify

If you don’t already have Spotify you can sign-up free at www.spotify.com.

Hearts and Minds, the first single from Seth’s forthcoming fifth solo album of the same name, is now available to download from Amazon, Play, and 7Digital. The single release includes a ‘B’ side of the same track recorded live at The Minack, Cornwall, in May 2009.

Tiny World

The second single from the album, Tiny World, will be released on 12 July. Unlike Hearts and Minds, Tiny World has made it onto the Radio 2 daytime playlist from this week.

The release date for Hearts and Minds has been put back (again) to 19 July due to “unforeseen problems”.

Buy standard CD: Amazon | Play | HMV | iTunes
Deluxe CD+DVD: Amazon | Play | HMV

The album is also now available on iTunes with a special bonus track, Fire & Dirt.

Launch Gigs

I’ve delayed publishing this post to try to confirm what the new release date means for the various launch gigs scheduled in London, Manchester and Bristol. The good news is the London and Manchester gigs are going ahead as planned. The Bristol one is delayed until 20 July.

Tickets are not on sale for London or Manchester but are available to win by entering competitions from HMV and Q Magazine respectively.

London Jazz Cafe with HMV: Tue 29 June

Win Tickets: pre-order the album from HMV by 8am on Tues 22 June for a chance to win one of 150 tickets.

If you’re quick off the mark you can enter the competition without ordering the album from HMV:
“For free entry, send your name, address, email and telephone number handwritten on a plain piece of paper by pre-paid post to ‘Seth Lakeman Competition’, The Promotions Dept, HMV, Film House, 142 Wardour Street, London, W1F 8LN, to arrive before 21st June 2010. Only one plain paper entry per stamped envelope. ”

See http://hmv.com/hmvweb/navigate.do?pPageID=4618 for details.

Manchester Hard Rock Cafe with Q Magazine: Thu 8 July

Win Tickets: enter the free prize draw on the Q Magazine website by Midnight on 27 June for a chance to win a ticket. Enter at http://news.qthemusic.com/qmusicclub/gigTwo.html

Bristol instore with Rise: Tue 20 July

An instore performance and signing at the Rise record store in Bristol has been rescheduled from the original date of 30 June. There’s not much point doing an instore signing if there’s nothing for to sign.

Tickets: you must have a wristband/ticket to attend the signing. You can get one wristband for each copy of the album you pre-order – in person – from the Rise stores in either Bristol or Cheltenham. Details on the Rise website: www.rise-music.co.uk

Including a brief snatch of forthoming single, Tiny World, at its live and solo best.

Radio 4: Loose Ends. 12 June 2010

A full, solo performance of Tiny World. Plus Seth accompanies fellow guests I Am Kloot.

On iPlayer until 6:15pm, Sat 19 June: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00sn68q

Pre-order

• ‘Hearts and Minds’ from Amazon
• ‘Hearts and Minds’ from Play.com

1. Hearts And Minds
2. The Watchman
3. Tiny World
4. Spinning Days
5. See Them Dance
6. Stepping Over You
7. Changes
8. Tender Traveller
9. Hard Working Man
10. Preacher’s Ghost
11. The Circle Grows

Order CD: Amazon | Play | HMV

Deluxe Edition

Two bonus tracks on the CD, plus a re-release of the 2009 DVD Live at the Minack with a bonus track of ‘The Circle Grows’.

Disc 1 (CD)

1. Hearts And Minds
2. Watchman, The
3. Tiny World
4. Spinning Days
5. See Them Dance
6. Stepping Over You
7. Changes
8. Tender Traveller
9. Hard Working Man
10. Preacher’s Ghost
11. Circle Grows, The
12. Ghost Of You
13. High St Rose

Disc 2 (DVD)

This appears to be Live at the Minack:

1. Storm, The
2. Hurlers, The
3. King And Country
4. Blood Red Sky
5. Solomon Browne
6. Riflemen Of War
7. Lady Of The Sea
8. Greed And Gold
9. Hearts And Minds
10. How Much
11. Take No Rogues
12. Colliers, The
13. Blood Upon Copper
14. Poor Man’s Heaven
15. Kitty Jay
16. Ye Mariners All
17. Send Yourself Away
18. Setting Of Sun, The
19. Race To Be King
20. Behind The Scenes Featurette
21. Circle Grows, The

Order Deluxe CD+DVD: Amazon | Play | HMV

Bonus Track: Signed & Sealed

Amazon have a bonus track, ‘Signed and Sealed‘, available as an MP3 download. It’s free if you pre-order either version of the album from them at the same time. See this post » for details.

Seth appears dead on the 4mins mark with extracts from a couple of tracks, talking about Fairport as an influence on him, and providing a useful excuse to share here. Do watch the whole thing…

The video is by Mike Rowbottom and is extracted from the longer DVD Fairport@Forty. This year’s Cropredy Festival (sans Seth) is on Thu 12 – Sat 14 August.