Seth Lakeman - the acceptable face of folk music

This week sees the launch of the Guardian's latest online outlet, Music Guardian which includes a section on folk music.

This is very welcome to folk fans who feel that folk is getting a bad press or, even worse, no press at all. For my own research, it offers more scope to examine the relationship between the experience of folk music at a 'grass roots' level (the humble folk club or music session) and mainstream media representations of folk.

The headline of the Seth Lakeman article raises an interesting question- 'What, no Shaggy Beard?'. The question it raises in my mind is - who is this article aimed at? It's an informative piece of writing, but can't resist at least a passing reference to the classic folk stereotype:

True, his songs are about myths, legends and stories of old, but they tell their tales with timeless melodies and ear-catching hooks more readily associated with polished pop songs. And yes, his good looks and his lack of a woolly hat, scraggy beard and knitted waistcoat haven't exactly hindered his progress.

It offers Seth Lakeman as an example of folk's increasing appeal to younger people (although you tend to hear his single more on Radio 2 than Radio 1) but - and this is hardly surprising for a national newspaper - it reflects a view of folk as experienced by arts centre and festival audiences and a discourse of 'folk' celebrities, high media exposure and the 'mainstream'.

These are the criteria for 'success' in folk music. There is also an indication here of how folk music itself is becoming more accepted and acceptable within the wider media discourse. It offers younger, more glamorous protagonists who fit more readily into established ideas of what makes a 'celebrity' - much more attractive and newsworthy than sweaty morris-dancers!

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Guardian   Seth Lakeman   music journalism   folk image   music promotion