MEGSON, the Teesside folk duo Stu and Debbie Hanna, have spent the last 20 years developing their own distinctive sound and songs that look at different aspects of the human condition. 

Having just recorded a new album What Are We Trying to Say? they have teamed up with playwright and actor Kieran Knowles to produce a touring show, The Herald, which looks at the role of the media and the impact it can have on people’s lives.

Backed by John Parker on bass guitar, the show is part concert and part narrative theatre. Opening with the title track from the new album, this is followed by an older song, Generation Rent, which looked at the housing crisis for young people. 

The song performances are interspersed with readings from Knowles, who plays the part of a journalist on a local newspaper. 

In this role he speaks as someone who joined his local newspaper hoping to do stories relevant to his local working-class community, but finds himself having to report on a pancake day at the local Conservative club. Later on, however, he gets his big scoop which results in the resignation of the local MP. The joyful celebration of this career defining moment is cut short when the MP commits suicide and his body found by a distraught 10-year-old boy.

Looking at other aspects of the media, both printed and online, in songs like The Conspiracy Trap, this show is both enjoyable musically and thought-provoking as theatre. 

On tour until April 29. Info: laurelcanyonuk.com/megson.