MAKE no bones about it, this record is going to divide listeners. A medieval concept album that brutally forces folk, avant-garde noise and outré lyrics into songs by a bearded Geordie is unlikely to make it into your nan's Christmas stocking.

Stick with it, though, and there is much to admire, not least in Dawson's gumption and some stirring stories and choruses.

Regularly compared to Captain Beefheart, Dawson's singing is often beyond his comfortable range while he rips at his nylon guitar strings. His sidekicks are intent on kicking up a storm too, resulting in much tension, sudden changes and unexpected shifts.

It is folk in its most adventurous form and a long way from the comforting sounds of BBC Radio 2 and York's Black Swan Folk Club. Masseuse is physical in its depiction of two men locked in combat expecting the sharp end of a point, and that is the overriding feeling listeners will have with Peasant. It’s a battle but the better for having those ears stretched.