Scottish singer/ songwriter Karine Polwart comes to Burnley Mechanics on Thursday. We put a few questions to her.

Two new albums, one new baby and a tour - things must be pretty hectic in the Polwart household. How do you cope?

Lots of coffee and adrenalin I think. And a massive multi-coloured wall planner. Looking back, it was probably a bit daft to try to do so much all at once. And it's all still a huge experiment. But I'm really happy. I have a gorgeous wee boy called Arlo and I get to do something I love for a living, with amazing support from friends and family. So it's all worked out great.

You're no doubt categorised as folk but your new album, This Earthly Spell, has elements of pop, country and even a little jazz in there. Is that more the "real" you?

I have a folk sensibility, I suppose, because I like telling stories and I like talking to people. But musically, yes, it's much more of a mixed bag. I don't really get the obsession with genre classifications anyway. I never liked or disliked a song because of the way it was labelled in a store. I've met a lot of people at gigs who say "I don't normally like folk music but I like what you do," which is great for me but a shame in a way. I'm sure there's loads of other music out there that they'd like too if they only got a chance to hear it on the radio.

What can people expect from a live show, do you like a chat?

I can be a bit of a blether actually! Sometimes I like to say a bit about where a song comes from, especially if it's based on true story. I know it's a very folky thing to be conversational at shows but that's just the way I am. I couldn't imagine pretending to be cool or enigmatic. But because a bundle of my songs have pretty heavy subject matter, and are designed to be thought-provoking, I also like a wee bit of fun at gigs. My brother Steven's a bit of a quiz obsessive, so this time we have an interactive quiz challenge each night, just for a laugh. And you can't phone a friend either!

Do you consider yourself a songrwiter first and performer second?

I'm not sure. As a writer, of course I'm delighted when other people sing my songs or when folk take them to heart. But I do love performing live. It's the most direct way possible to communicate with people as a musician. And when it goes well there's a lovely warm glow about singing live and feeling people respond.

I find that your lyrics creep up on the listener. Initially you are taken with the wonderful harmonIes and then "wallop" - you realise what the subject matter is. Is this a conscious thing on your part?

Quite a few of my songs are dark, occasionally even sinister. But I do try to be deliberately subtle about how I tackle anything tricky. I hate being preached at or patronised so I'd much rather let an audience do a bit of work for themselves. I also love songs that sound sweet on the surface but underneath there's a lot more to them.

Do you hope people who enjoy This Earthly Spell might then go on to try Fairest Floo'er, your collection of traditional Scottish songs.

I love Scottish trad songs and I love singing in Scots. It's such an amaingly expressive language. There are words that just don't exist in ordinary English. "Fairest Floo'er" is pretty stark and simple so I know it's not everybody's cup of tea. But I'm not trying to please everybody. If a few folks gave it a try and found something that touched them I'd be delighted, because a lot of those old songs are really powerful.

Do you look on shows like the Burnley date a bit of missionary work "down south"?

Well, it'd be a daft lass that called Burnley folks southerners! What I do sounds unmistakably Scottish, that's true. But I love getting out and about to England and Wales and even further afield. I just got back from touring in Germany and I'm off to Canada later in the year. It's great to meet folk from different places. Besides, I get to trawl through a lot of charity shops while my brother Steven checks out the local football stadiums.

You've assembled a fine set of musicians around you. Tell us a bit about your band.

I'm travelling in a more compact line-up than the last time I visited Burnley because three of my five-piece band have babies and once you get us all on the road it's like a circus. I'll be playing with my brother Steven on guitars and vocals and Shetlander Inge Thomson on accordion, percussion and vocals. Though we're only three, it's a lovely line-up for the new songs and there's a lot more vocal harmony than the last time we came to The Mechanics.

Describe a Karine Polwart show in three words Bittersweet, thought-provoking, uplifting

  • Karine Polwart, Burnley Mechanics, Thursday, March 13. Details from the box office on 01282 664400.