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The Interview
What festival are you most looking forward to playing this summer – and why?
K+S : The Purbeck Valley Folk Festival for me. It’s a return visit and it’s right up our street being on a farm in the heart of the most perfect Dorset countryside. The family vibe is just lovely and there is always a great atmosphere on site.
Kathryn : I always enjoy Broadstairs Folk festival as its a real nostalgia trip for me, we used to go there as a family when I was a little girl.
Tell us about one/some of the most career defining shows you’ve played so far.
K+S When we were in the band Equation we were signed to a big New York Label and we were heavily on the promo treadmill which lead to performances at some of the most prestigious folk and roots shows and festivals in the States. That time was pretty wild but a biggie for us was definitely playing Newport Folk Festival. It is so iconic it was a thrill.
How did you come into this career?
Sean : I grew up in a musical household with folk musicians coming and going all the time. Myself and my brothers all played together since we can remember and at some point it became clear that we could earn more than just pocket money through our music. That progressed through our teens through to meeting Kathryn, forming a band called ‘Equation’ and quickly getting signed to Warners. Then our education into the music business really began…
Kathryn : Kind of by accident, I had a year off after A-Levels and fell into doing a few folk clubs with my childhood friend Kate Rusby and it sort of spiralled from there. Suddenly we were doing tours and festivals and met the Lakeman boys and the rest is history.
Any pre-show rituals?
Sean : These days it’s mainly hand and arm stretching for guitar playing. I’m a pretty hard player at times and I ache if I dont warm up. Perhaps a little jog on the spot to get the blood pumping just before stage time 😉
Kathryn : I like to slowly put on ‘my face’ (make-up), whilst doing some vocal warmup excercises, nothing too rock n roll, I never have a drink until weve finished playing either.
What was the first show you remember going to?
Sean : Either Steeleye Span at Elephant Fayre in Cornwall ( Bloody Hell they were loud, leather clad and impressive! ), or The Blues Band with Paul Jones and Dave Kelly at Torquay Riviera. Very ‘Doo wah diddy’!! Both those must have been in the 80’s sometime.
Kathryn : An early gig that sticks in mind was seeing June Tabor and Maddy Prior play at Leeds Irish Centre in 1984, I was 9 and it was a huge deal as I had, and still am, a huge fan of their work together as ‘The Silly Sisters’.
What was the first show you remember playing?
Sean : The first show I played outside of our family band was with a local dance celidh band called ‘Ethnic Bedlam’. The other bandmembers were Plymouth dockyard workers much older than me. One guy had made his own instrument from stolen materials at the dockyard. He called it his Naval Bass.
Kathryn : I played with Barnsley Town Concert Band as a young person so my earliest memory is of playing at various venues with them, including a rather marvellous trip to the former Yugoslavia, playing on the shores of Lake Bled. Singing wise it would be Holmfirth Folk festival I think.
One thing you wish you knew before your first gig?
Sean : That pretty soon there would be another gig, then another, and another after that…Then you dont worry so much about bum notes.
Kathryn : For the most part the audience wont notice minor mistakes and its not worth beating yourself up about perfection. A passionate performance is almost always more enjoyabe than a sterile note perfect run through.
Tell us about someone in your team you couldn’t do without.
K+S : Both our sets of parents have been invaluable over the years as they have looked after our kids on so many tours. Without massive family and friends support I’m not sure how a husband and wife musical couple could be proffesional musicians otherwise.
How do you find working with Midnight Mango?
K+S : Midnight Mango have grown with us for over a decade now so we have seen a massive positive shift in the company. We love the personal touch and the total professionalism from everyone that we have contact with in the company. Over the years we have regularly sung their praises to other artists who have gone on to join the roster and have flourished as a result.
Tell us about something you’d like to promote.
K+S : Well we have the second half of our 30th Anniversary Tour coming up in October throughout the UK then we will be back on the road again in the spring of 2026 with a batch of new songs.
