SOUTHAMPTON born singer-songwriter Lisbee Stainton, who was playlisted by Radio 2 before reaching her 21st birthday – is returning to her roots next week. Known as ‘The English Rose with The 8-String Guitar’, she lived in Hamble until she was seven when she moved to Basingstoke and still has a big following in Hampshire. Lisbee plays the Talking Heads on Thursday.

IT’S BEEN ALMOST TWO YEARS SINCE YOUR LAST ALBUM. ARE YOU RECORDING A NEW ONE?

Yes, I’m busy writing at the moment so hopefully I’ll release later in the year. I’m busy preparing for my tour too. Those two things are taking up every second I get. We’ll aim for September time with the album. I’ve recorded my parts, so we’re getting other musicians in to sort the arrangements and things.

THIS IS A BIG TOUR YOU HAVE COMING UP.

It’s 23 dates over all I think. It’s intense, but luckily my band and I aren’t too keen on days off.

If you’re far from home and you have a day, it’s not very useful having a day off anyway. We’re all based in London now, and it is lovely being in new cities, but you can find yourself wandering around aimlessly, spending money you haven’t got. You constantly have to convince yourself you’re not on holiday.

DO YOU LIKE TOURING?

I love touring and have had the bug ever since my first one in 2010. Whenever I’m not touring it’s all I can think about. It’s not bad, loving your job. It’s a great time to travel around the UK or in Europe and meet new people and hang out playing music all the time.

HOW ARE THINGS TAKING OFF IN EUROPE?

Pretty well. If I’m out there it’ll be supporting someone else. Germany has always been great for me. They have a very positive view of gigs over there, like |if they’ve spent ten euro on a ticket, they want to get every cent’s worth.

ARE YOU TOURING WITH A BAND?

It’s a small set-up this time, it’s me, a drummer, guitarist and my tour manager, so just four. It’s a fun set-up. If I’m doing a support gig, then it’ll just be me, as there isn’t the money to take a band out with me. They’re very different experiences, but equally enjoyable.

ARE YOU WRITING SONGS WITH SETH LAKEMAN?

I have been. We met last May when I was asked to support him around Germany. I’d never met him before but have been a big fan since I was about 17. He sent me an email just before the tour asking if I’d like to sing some harmonies for him on the tour, which I thought was putting a lot of faith in someone he’d never met.

It went well, singing together every night. As the tour went on people were telling us to do more stuff together. He asked me to go on another tour with him, playing the banjo. I couldn’t play the banjo at that point but went out and bought one, learned it, and went on tour. Since then we’ve written together too which was really enjoyable.

WHEN DID YOU START PLAYING THE GUITAR?

When I was eight. That was the hardest thing about learning to play the banjo – I’d played the guitar for so long and thought the banjo would be similar, but it really wasn’t.

YOU PLAY AN EIGHT-STRINGED GUITAR. HOW DOES THAT WORK?

It was made for me in 2009. I went to see a luthier called Joe White, who is amazing, he’s been fixing guitars for me for years. I wanted a 12-string, but he said he had an idea for an eight-string and needed someone as a guinea pig. Within two months, I had it. It’s fantastic, sounds like a dulcimer, and it’s a lot of fun to play. It makes everything I play sound more difficult than it actually is, too, which is a good thing.

YOU WERE THE FIRST UNSIGNED PERSON TO PLAY AT THE O2. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

I knew a producer who was putting on a variety show there in 2007. We’d known each other for a while, from back when I lived in Basingstoke, and he called saying he’d love me to play a song of mine he’d heard.

I played two shows there, right in the middle of the floor surrounded by 15,000 people. It was the most incredible experience of my life. I couldn’t see all the crowd, just a few of them and a load of glowsticks in the background.