Sean Lakeman

Sean has played guitar since the age of six, and was recognised from an early age as one of the most talented and promising young guitar players one the folk scene. He was asked to be a member of the BBC Folk on Two ’Young Tradition Band’, alongside previous winners of it’s award, Luke Daniels, Simon Thoumire and Catriona MacDonald. The group was assembled to showcase the best young traditional musicians in the UK.

Sean’s early career saw him partnering Geordie fiddle favourite Tom McConville on the folk club circuit, and from the early 90s, playing as part of the ’Lakeman Brothers’, along with siblings, Seth (violin) and Sam (piano). The trio wrote and produced the album ’Three Piece Suite’ (1994), upon which Kathryn Roberts was a guest singer for two tracks.

When asked to play a tour of Portugal in September 1994, Kate Rusby and Kathryn Roberts asked the Lakeman Brothers to accompany them as a backing band. On their return to the UK the five agreed to form a permanent band and ’Equation’ was born. The line-up would change over the years but Sean and Kathryn were constants as the Equation went on to produce 4 albums: Return To Me (recorded 1996, released 2003), Hazy Daze (1998), The Lucky Few (1999), First Name Terms (2004), and The Dark Ages EP (2001).

Alongside this, Sean has toured and recorded two albums with Kathryn Roberts: ’1’ recorded in 2001 and ’2’ recorded in 2003, as well as continuing to tour with his brother Seth.