THERE'S little danger of Mercury Music Prize nominee Seth Lakeman getting delusions of grandeur - he got the news of his nomination on the way to a gig in Wimborne when his car blew up!

Seth, 28, from Devon, was booked to appear at Wimborne Acoustic Folk Club but never made the gig.

"He didn't actually get here, he had to be AA Relay-ed home," says Kathy Dunn, who runs the club with John Butcher.

"John actually knew Seth as a child in Devon, he's a friend of the family and we got him for the gig as a kind of favour because Seth is a very highly rated young folk artist.

"He had a couple of nominations for the BBC Radio Folk Awards, so while the Mercury nomination was a surprise I don't suppose it was a complete shock."

Kathy is currently waiting for Seth to confirm a New Year date at the club, which meets at The Mount, Corfe Mullen, when he'll be appearing as a duo with Benji Kirkpatrick.

Seth made his album, Kitty Jay, for a mere £300 and is nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize alongside big hitters such as Coldplay, KT Tunstall, The Magic Numbers and bookies' favourites, the Kaiser Chiefs.

Silent Alarm, the debut album by critically-lauded indie outfit Bloc Party, whose drummer Matt Tong is from Bournemouth, is also nominated. The winners will be announced tonight.

For further information about the Wimborne Acoustic Folk Club call 01202 732239.