Sam Lee plays a unique role in the British music scene. A Mercury Prize nominated singer, highly inventive and original arranger, folksong interpreter, passionate conservationist, song collector, and creator of live events, his work has consistently challenged our ideas of what traditional music can be. Sam’s approach shatters the boundaries between the old and the new, breathing fresh life into timeless songs and inviting us to rediscover their power.
His journey began with the groundbreaking debut album Ground Of Its Own in 2012, when he dramatically reworked old songs with a striking blend of traditional and contemporary sounds. The album, made possible by a prestigious Arts Foundation award, was short-listed for the Mercury Music Prize and marked Sam’s immediate impact on the music scene.
Following this early success, Sam continued to innovate with releases like The Fade In Time and Old Wow, each further proving his knack for melding heritage with modernity, earning him accolades such as a Songlines Award for Artist of the Year and recognition at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. In March 2024, he elevated his art once again with songdreaming. Named one of Mojo’s Top 10 Folk Albums of 2024 and Best European Album at the 2024 Songlines Music Awards, its enduring appeal is underscored by its steady presence on the Official Folk Albums Chart since its release.
Songlines magazine—probably the leading journal of the global world and folk community—remarked:
“We’ve seen Sam Lee progress from wunderkind singer and song collector to a respected spokesperson of the planet, its custodians (of all species) and its sounds, while his music becomes ever more beguiling and important. A folk voice for the England of the 21st century.”
Beyond his musical accomplishments, Sam is a storyteller in every sense. In 2021, he published his debut novel, The Nightingale, Notes on a Songbird, an epic tale that explores the enduring legacy of this endangered bird in culture, folklore, music, and literature. As a regular radio and TV broadcaster and an accomplished film soundtrack composer, he has also provided songs for several major feature films such as King Arthur (2017), directed by Guy Ritchie, and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, starring the utterly compelling Jim Broadbent, as well as Speak No Evil (2024), featuring multi-award-winning actor James McAvoy and others. And of course there is The Nest Collective which Sam founded more than a decade ago and which continues to provide a platform for many artists and storytellers alike.
A true change-maker, Sam has never shied away from using his art for a greater cause. He is a co-founder of Music Declares Emergency, a former board member at both the UK’s Featured Artists Coalition and the USA’s Folk Alliance Internatinoal, and the pioneering artist who partnered with environmental charity Earthpercent, donating a portion of his album proceeds to support their work.
Sam Lee’s creative journey is deeply rooted in his early experiences in North London’s Kentish Town, where summer holidays at Forest School Camps sparked his lifelong love for music and nature. Inspired by mentors like Scottish Traveller singer Stanley Robertson and enriched by his time collecting songs from Gypsy Traveller communities, his work remains a heartfelt tribute to our cultural and natural heritage. With every album and every live event, Sam Lee reminds us that tradition and innovation can exist side by side, forging a path that is as emotionally compelling as it is musically groundbreaking.
Book a table for pre-concert dining
Acapela Studio provides pre-concert dining between 6.00pm and 7.30pm from our pizza oven. To view the current menu visit here.
Please purchase your concert tickets first before booking a table. We will not accept any table bookings that do not have a corresponding ticket purchase.
Then return to the event page to book your table, by selecting the date of your event, number of diners and time you require table. The times shown are the only vacancies left. Please complete your email and phone number as this is required to ensure your table is allocated. You will receive confirmation of your booking by email and text.
If on the date you have chosen no tables are available - no times will be shown and the booking system will revert you back to todays date - PLEASE ENSURE YOU BOOK THE CORRECT DATE!
PLEASE NOTE THE VENUE RELIES ON THE INCOME FROM DINING TO ENSURE WE CAN BOOK ALL THE GREAT ACTS PERFORMING.
Income from the provision of pizzas is very important to the venue and if you have booked a table it is a requirement that all people sat at tables order food - a salad alternative is available to pizzas. Please do ensure that all individuals will be ordering on your table - if this is not the case please cancel your table so others who are looking to dine can do so. Our apologies to raise this but recently we have had many tables (some very large) where less than 50% of those sat at tables have ordered food. Financially this is a real problem to the sustainability of the venue.
- All seating at tables must purchase a pizza - so please do not book a table if everyone is not eating.
- Please ensure that you arrive 10 minutes before the time slot allocated to order your pizzas prior to your booking time.
- Tables not seated within 15 minutes of the allocated time may be lost and allocated to other audience members wishing to order pizzas.
- If you wish to book a table for 6 or more please email info@acapela.co.uk
Please note that all of our pizzas are made fresh to order. It may take up to 45 minutes to be served during busy periods.
IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO BOOK A TABLE YOU CAN STILL ORDER PIZZAS ON THE NIGHT (USUALLY ON BUSY NIGHTS NO LATER THAN 7.15PM) AND WE WILL SERVE THEM TO YOU WHEREVER YOU ARE SAT IN THE VENUE - IN A PIZZA BOX.