Date/Time
Saturday 24 May 2025
7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Categories Dartmoor Tors Festival 2025
Tickets on sale here from 12 noon on Sat 22 Feb 2025: £22 full price • £18 or £15 if you prefer – please pay what you can*
NB There’s limited availability of the cheaper tickets, so book early if you need them
Seth Lakeman released his latest studio album <i>The Granite Way</i> on 14 February 2025. The album is a collection of songs recorded alongside a group of longtime collaborators, staying true to his roots and based on ancient West Country stories and folklore. While all the tracks on <i>The Granite Way</i> were written and produced by Seth, the album was made possible with a group of musicians he has played alongside for many years, who’ll be touring with them 2025. Two of these, Benji Kirkpatrick (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin and harmonica) and Alex Hart (vocals) will be appearing with Seth at Ashburton Arts Centre on Saturday 24 May 2025 as part of the inaugural Dartmoor Tors Festival.
Seth Lakeman was catapulted into the music mainstream when he was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2005 for his album ‘Kitty Jay’. Inspired by the legends and stories of Dartmoor where Seth grew up, it was produced by his elder brother Sean Lakeman and cost just £300 to record in his kitchen in a Dartmoor village. The Guardian noted his inclusion in the Mercury Prize shortlist at the time as “the biggest surprise” as he was up against a raft of well-known pop artists. Seth’s thrilling solo performance of the eponymous title track on live television at the Mercury Awards won him unanimous praise and started him on an incredible solo journey which has included record deals, 11 album releases (including 6 Top 40), BBC Radio 2 play-listed singles, a clutch of awards and touring all over the world.
2024 marked the 20th anniversary of Kitty Jay’s release and after a sell-out February tour, Seth toured again in October with the band – Benji Kirkpatrick, Ben Nicholls, Cormac Byrne and Alex Hart – playing the album and other favourites. He returned to HMP Dartmoor earlier this year to play a concert to inmates after having last played there in May 2004 when he was given permission to launch his debut solo album. ‘Kitty Jay – Live from Dartmoor Prison’ is from that performance in January 2024 with Benji Kirkpatrick and Alex Hart.
Other recent releases include the ten-track ‘The Somerset Sessions’ which features original, unreleased session recordings from Seth featuring Ethan Johns and other guest musicians and studio album ‘Make Your Mark’. Seth was also part of the ‘Sea Song Sessions’ in 2022 – a collection of British maritime folk songs and sea shanties performed by Jon Boden, Seth and others. In late 2022 he recorded on Van Morrison’s new album ‘Moving On Skiffle’ and performed with him. Seth has previously worked and toured extensively with Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) with his band the Sensational Space Shifters
Dartmoor Tors Festival
23 – 25 May 2025
This event is part of the first Dartmoor Tors Festival. All ticketed events at Ashburton Arts Centre and the Field System gallery next door can be booked at wegottickets.com/dartmoortorsfestival.
Visit Dartmoor Tors Festival for the full programme, and links to book on guided walks, workshops and other events happening elsewhere.
This is a new festival about culture and place from 23 – 25 May 2025, based in Ashburton, South Dartmoor, with events in Ashburton Arts Centre and Field System gallery in Ashburton, and other locations around Dartmoor.
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See Access, Tickets & Finding Us for more about why there are three ticket prices, plus other useful info about coming to events at Ashburton Arts Centre: getting here, parking, loos, PA tickets, etc.
* We usually have three ticket prices – please pay what you can. If you can pay the full price, that’s great. If choosing a cheaper ticket allows you to come to more things, then please do! Ticket receipts are split between the artists (it’s usually their livelihood!) and the arts centre (keeps the place going). Except on the rare occasions when we have a sellout gig on our hands, it’s always better to have someone here in the audience than an empty seat, so genuinely, please pay whatever you can.