Mention the Rough Trade record label to anyone and they’ll immediately point to cutting-edge indie legends like The Smiths, Cabaret Voltaire and The Strokes. Unlikely as it may seem, northern chanteuse Cara Dillon can now be added to that illustrious line-up.

“As far as I know I’m the first folk act to be signed to Rough Trade,” she says. “It’s the first question people ask me these days, especially in the UK where the label is so well known for the bands they’ve signed. In a sense it’s worked both ways – they are getting a lot of interest because of me and I’m getting interest because of them. A lot of people who are fans of Rough Trade come to see us play live and I’ve heard people at gigs saying ‘I never thought I’d buy a folk album or listen to a traditional song’.”
Dillon’s second album for the label, Sweet Liberty, which features interpretations of traditional numbers and her own originals, showcases her stunning voice and strong traditional roots. It follows a lengthy and by all accounts unhappy period with Warners where she found it difficult to maintain her traditional voice, as she explains.
“Basically there was a lot of too-ing and fro-ing and pushing and shoving with Warners. The parts of the songs that they didn’t want to use – the folk traditional parts – were the ones we wanted to keep. They were looking for a mainstream commercial pop act and we were really into maintaining the traditional thing. I suppose The Corrs were big at the time and they were looking for something like that. Not that I’ve any problem with The Corrs, it’s just not what I wanted to do. I thought we’d be able to meet in the middle somewhere so we fought for a while and then we decided to call it a day.”
Born in Dungiven, Co Derry and now based in Somerset, the 28-year-old Dillon is a veritable veteran of the folk scene. Starting out with the acclaimed outfit Oige she was thrust into the limelight in 1995 when she replaced Kate Rusby in the folk supergroup Equation. It was there she met her current musical collaborator and now husband Sam Lakeman. Since then she has garnered critical acclaim – including a BBC Radio 2 award, taken part in the Woman’s Heart revival tour and linked up with Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD collective which has led to her touring Australia and the Far East.
“They’ve been fantastic for us,” she says. “It’s a real family atmosphere and touring with them has been amazing.”
While her blonde tresses and striking good looks have attracted the “folk babe” tag in some quarters of the UK music press, Dillon says she has no wish to take the easy route to commercial success
“I’m from a completely traditional background and that’s where I want to stay,” she says. “I love the whole culture of the area where I grew up and I learned a lot of songs from local musicians like Paddy Tunney and Roisin White. When I was in my teens I got into Joni Mitchell – I went out and bought Blue and I’m a big fan of Fleetwood Mac and bands like The Strokes. And I absolutely love Kate Bush as well – I’m always playing her CD’s when I’m on tour. But at the end of the day I can take or leave most pop and rock. I just want to make traditional music cool again.”

Sweet Liberty is out now on Rough Trade