FOUR generations of Britain’s first family of folk have been playing together for years, but on their current tour there’s a new member sharing the dressing room.

Nine-month-old Florence Daisy is getting her first taste of life on the road as one of The Waterson Family, alongside her mother Eliza Carthy, grandfather Martin Carthy, grandmother Norma Waterson and assorted other relations.

It’s a new experience for fiddler player Eliza, who has been twice-nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.

“My partner’s coming with me as well,” says the 34-year-old Radio 2 Folk Singer of the Year 2003, whose family is playing the Philharmonic Hall tonight.

“It’s hard getting used to hotel rooms and how everything works when you’ve been at home for months, transplanting your routine to five hours in the car and hotel rooms and backstage areas.

“It’s a challenge but I keep being told that babies are adaptable and it’ll get easier.”

In the back of her mind is that her own mother gave up touring when Eliza was born.

“It may happen, we’ll see, I’ve got a good four years before she has to go to school.”

Despite this, Eliza’s upbring was far from conventional. She grew up in the North Yorkshire countryside with famous musicians as parents and others always dropping in for a session.

Martin Carthy’s reputation as one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, having inspired Bob Dylan and Paul Simon among others, drew them to their Scarborough home.

“My mum really doesn’t stop singing all day – she does it when she’s washing up or cleaning the house,” says Eliza.