We’ve had a tip – Megan Dixon Hood should be on pinging regularly on our radar.
“Ethereal songs and stories that seep from dark enchanted woods,” says Megan’s Twitter profile. Brings a new meaning to the phrase if you go down to the woods today….
Confession time. I know the name but really need to dig a bit deeper. Here goes.
A graduate of BIMM, a regular on the small venues gig circuit in Manchester (and beyond) and with a self-confessed “tendency to write mournful songs.” Influenced by folk where the magical and mystical come together. If you’re looking to dip into her world, there’s no better place to start than the 2018 EP, Tales From The North. Six songs plus two reworked live with The Untold Orchestra (have to point out at this stage the end of Wolves is epic).
In fact, six atmospheric soundscapes with subtle arrangements push Megan’s vocal into the ether, soaring and sweeping. Whether she’s sat at a keyboard or freed into expressing her words in flowing movement there’s an eloquent presence about Megan Dixon Hood.
Skittering electronics and guitar straight from The Edge on Sea Of Ice is a bigger arrangement number alongside the initial starkness on Drown which gets increasingly frenetic. Alias Grace could easily be at home on a modern-day Fleetwood Mac album. The rhythm section lock in and set up a groove as Megan works round a “did you see me with your own eyes” vocal. The production values emphasise a vastness as well as a strident and bold quality. It’s a collection that emphasises the dynamics in her music showcased on With Time – perhaps the personal pick of the set. Some may favour the more intimate and starker arrangements evident in the opening of the track while some may prefer to wallow self indulgently in the gloriously sublime solo-with-an-orchestra occasions…
On the live circuit for the past couple of years, Megan has had a busy festival schedule. These include Rock the Farm, Great Escape Festival, Cornbury, Glass Butter Beach, Middlewich Folk Festival, Sidmouth Fringe Festival and also supported chart bothering Rag’N’Bone Man.
Although the likes of Manchester’s Castle Hotel are the perfect stage, bereft of any chance of playing to a room full of people, she’s embraced the online option with a series of regular live streams.
She’s just restarted her live on Friday series. Same time as always – 7.45pm. They’ve been a constant source of reliability when everything around us seems to have lapsed into chaos.
Love and light…
Catch the first 2021 live on Friday video here
Have a listen to Cloudwalker – THEN check out the HOOD remix on Megan’s Facebook page:
Megan Dixon Hood online: Website / Facebook / Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Twitter / Instagram / Youtube
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Categories: Opinion
Megan is utterly magnificent and her live shows on a friday evening makes my week complete….megan is destined to become a massive star one day soon…our generations stevie nicks
More or less all covered [what do I know!] but she played Congleton festival as well. No body stayed as England football team were kicked out of the World Cup previous hour!
We’ve been following MDH for many years now from the very early gigs to the now weekly live streams. Solo or with the band she never fails to provide a fantastic faultless performance.
I saw Megan for the first time at the Alsager music festival in 2019 where her energy and passion stopped me dead in my tracks. She writes such meaningful lyrics and conveys them with such emotion with her beautiful voice. I’m looking forward to her first album on disc with the band. The Friday night livestreams continue to spoil and engage us.