Now that Seth Lakeman has firmly established himself as a solo performer, and a headliner at that, he is a very busy man. And, with folk being the new rock'n'roll, the English singer-songwriter has emerged from various music collectives - including a band with his brothers Sam and Sean - to be considered one of the best folk artists of his generation.

It is around seven years since his last non-solo LP was released (2004's 'Western Approaches' with Steve Knightley and Jenna Witts) and his most recent solo album, 2010's 'Hearts and Minds', made the UK top 20. He's come a long way since his early nineties debut with The Lakeman Brothers.

Seth Lakeman's career hit a high when his album 'Kitty Jay' was short-listed for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize, losing out to Anthony Hegarty and his Johnsons. But his music continued to pick up gongs (including Radio 2 Folk Awards) and gained a wider audience following support slots for The Levellers, Billy Bragg and Jools Holland.

The last three or four years have seen Lakeman join the folk elite and, in 2011, he's a guaranteed crowd-puller. Following a series of spring and summer dates, he has announced a UK tour in December.

Ahead of the winter dates, Seth Lakeman will be performing at the Hebridean Celtic Festival (14th July), in Derby on 16th July, at Dorset's Larmer Tree Festival (17th July) and headlining Folk By The Oak 2011 at Hatfield House on Sunday 24th July, among other summer festival dates. During the December dates, Seth takes time out to play the Great British Folk Weekend in Skegness on 4th December.

The December tour begins in Cheltenham on the 2nd, then on to Dartford, Exeter, Wolverhampton, Brighton, Southampton, Holmfirth, Frome and finally Falmouth on the 18th.

Tickets for all December dates are on sale now, costing £18 (£17 for Frome).

Stewart Darkin