Richard Dawson won’t be a household name just yet – but he is one of the UK’s most gifted musicians. His unhinged ditties, as on his 2014 album Nothing Important, have been described by the Guardian’s Michael Hann as the “distinctly English folk equivalent of Captain Beefheart’s deconstruction of the blues” and are often-discordant takes on traditional 18th-century poems or 19th-century Tyneside yarns.
Dawson’s live performances, meanwhile, are a lo-fi marvel, intense – and hilarious – enough to make your jaw drop despite it being just one man, his guitar and his grandpa’s cap on stage. There’s a reason why he’s a Fat White Family favourite (the band expressed their desire to tour with him on last week’s show and played The Vile Stuff from Nothing Important).
For this week’s Guardian Radio Hour – our 10-week live radio series on east London radio station NTS – Dawson joined the Guide’s Kate Hutchinson to explore “the naked voice”. Richard delivered with some easy listening (OK, properly leftfield) choices from around the world, spanning Canadian bird calls, Laos love ballads, Tuvan throat singing, polyphonic choirs, jaw harps and much more.
Listen to the on-demand version of the show above or subscribe to our Music Weekly podcast, where can get an abridged version of the show, too.
There are more shows to explore and you can watch the behind-the-scenes video from the Guardian Radio Hour with Neneh Cherry below.
The Guardian Radio Hour is produced by Alannah Chance.
