The rock and pop world has had its supergroups – Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and Cream spring to mind. And now the folk world has The Melsons, a vocal powerhouse supergroup, uniting two northern English harmony quartets – the Melrose Quartet and the Wilson Family.
The Melrose Quartet from Sheffield comprises two duos – Nancy Kerr and James Fagan and Jess and Richard Arrowsmith. On the Wilson side there’s Tom, Chris, Steve and Mike from the a cappella singing fraternity The Wilson Family, who hail from Billingham, Teeside.
The idea of amalgamating the two vocal groups came accidentally when all the performers were asked to step in for a finale to the 2018 Hartlepool Folk Festival. Mixing and matching their repertoires, the eight of them enjoyed the performance so much that despite their busy schedules, they still join forces for occasional concerts.
Such was the case at this year’s Sidmouth Folk Festival, where The Melsons performed two shows – the first in the large Ham Marquee with its modern PA system on Saturday and the second an acoustic concert at the smaller Methodist Church on the Sunday evening.
Steve Wilson explained that they’d had all the “electronic trickery” of the PA system at the Ham, but they wanted to perform at the much smaller Methodist Church because of the building’s natural acoustics.
And they used those acoustics to great effect. As the eight voices joined forces – often with intricate harmonies – they created a stirring, evocative sound that was magical. There was also plenty of humorous banter, the eight of them clearly enjoying each other’s company.
“Santa Georgia” – a tribute to multiculturalism – was an early highlight, along with Tony Rose’s “Little Fishes” and a sublime “April Morning”. Then the mood changed for a sombre take on “Bonnie Light Horseman”, before lifting again for a joyful “Bampton Fair”. Jess led them all on her powerful “All The Salt in the Sea”, before Nancy stepped forth to lead “Getting A Rise”. All too soon the show was over, but not before a rousing “John Ball” nearly took the roof off. It was a tremendous, unforgettable evening.
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