Megson - Contradicshun (2019)

Megson bid you to join them in a journey of contradictions and conversations. From Victorian domestic disagreements to 21st century martial arts misadventures the perplexities of the human condition will be laid before your ears. Megson began writing and collecting the songs for Contradicshun two year ago when they stumbled across the title song, an obscure composition by Geordie Victorian balladeer Joe Wilson. This song sparked the idea to write and collect an album of songs exploring the themes of contradictions and conversations. The music was recorded in their self-built garage studio as well as a cobbled together studio in their beloved 2002 5 berth Avondale Dart caravan. The acoustics of the caravan brought out the best of the Banjo and Fiddle on the album though the sound of passing postmen and local wildlife can no doubt be faintly heard in the background. This is the 13th record produced for their own cottage industry label EDJ Records & Production which has produced and released albums for Benji Kirkpatrick, Kelly Oliver, Show Of Hands, The Young 'Uns, Lucy Ward amongst many others. Lyrically this is their most ambitious album to date, every word finely tuned to fit the meter, music and narrative & drawing inspiration from classic folk songsters like Ewan MacColl, Pete Seeger and Vin Garbutt. Again this is an album rooted in Megson's native North East with many of the songs taken from 19th Century Tyneside manuscripts like Rhymes of the Northern Bards. But unlike other Megson album there is now a nod to their East Anglian residency with a song about a fictitious Cambridgeshire Judo team. Joining Stu & Debbie are John Parker of Nizlopi fame on Bass, session musician Patrick Duffin on Percussion & their neighbour Paul Youdan on Backing Vocal. Since releasing their last album GOOD TIMES WILL COME AGAIN in 2016 Megson have been nominated for their fourth BBC Radio 2 Folk Award and performed over 200 packed out shows across the country.