May/100
Megson – The Longshot
Megson - The Longshot
Megson's The Longshot featured pretty highly on my list of 'most anticipated' albums of 2010 and it certainly doesn't disappoint!
The Longshot is Megson's fourth studio album and follows in the footsteps of the critically acclaimed 'Take Yourself A Wife' which saw the pair nominated as 'best duo' in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
The Longshot is an upbeat affair with Stu Hanna's guitar coming to the fore and Debbie's vocals providing the perfect accompaniment. Megson have stayed true to their roots with tracks on the album depicting tales of the working class and the decline of the factory industries. However the two have broken new ground with self-penned tracks The Longshot and The Cabman which bring these themes to a contemporary setting.
It is rare that an album keeps you hooked from start to finish but every song on The Longshot stands out in its own right and reflects the excellent craftmanship of Stu and Debbie as artists leading the way in the contemporary folk genre.
This is one record which won't be leaving my side for some time!
You can find out more about Megson and The Longshot at www.megsonmusic.co.uk
May/102
Seth Lakeman @ Bath Komedia May 14th 2010
Seth Lakeman @ Bath Komedia 14th May 2010
Seth Lakeman was playing in at the Komedia in Bath on Friday evening and on Thursday after a day of mourning the fact that finals revision was taking over my life I made a somewhat spontaneous decision to buy a ticket and go. I later persuaded my friend & non-folk convert that she would really enjoy the gig even if the music wasn't what she normally listened to and that she should come along too.
The gig was good, the Komedia itself is a small venue with balcony seating and a downstairs bar and 'standing' area. This came as somewhat of a surprise to me having recently seen Seth perform to thousands at Shrewsbury Folk Festival and at the Bristol 02 - but I wasn't complaining!
This gig was one of a series of 'Get Intimate' gigs that offered unsigned acts the chance to perform as support artists. So we were treated to the likes of a few bands - but those that stood out were Heart Shaped Things and Karima Francis who had an incredible voice and seemed slightly overwhelmed by the support of the audience!
The Seth set was excellent and we were treated to a number of songs from the forthcoming album Hearts and Minds which is due for release at the end of June. Memorable tracks included Changes - which I remembered as being a stand out track from Shrewsbury, See Them Dance, The Watchman, Preacher's Ghost and Hearts and Minds. The Circle Grows was definitely one of my favourites from the evening & I'm looking forwards to seeing that on the album as well.
Sadly though there was no 'Working Man' - perhaps one of the songs that the audience were more familiar with due to its promotion for the album.
The gig ended with a 'hoe-down' encore to Blood upon Copper and Race to be King and definitely left the audience wanting more though we were swiftly ushered out of the building.
This probably wasn't the best that I've seen Seth of late - he didn't seem quite so smiley/enthusiastic until later in the set & sadly Benji Kirkpatrick had to be almost off stage because the venue was so small.
All in all though the small venue added to the character of the gig and was probably a rare chance to see the band up close before they head off on the festival circuit.
Hi! I’m Jen, I’m 21 years old and study medicine in the UK. I'm currently studying for an intercalated degree in Pathology and Microbiology but excited about going back to clinical medicine next year!
