STEVE MASON | LIVE REVIEW
The Globe, Cardiff, Thurs 27 Oct
The Beta Band represented the best side of psychedelic British indie; the parka-donning Scottish rockers’ sound was soaked with woozy post-dance party vibes and emotionally heavy with layers of fuzzy harmonies. Most of the band re-formed The Aliens in 2004, with frontman Steve Mason going down his own path, which has led to ever more interesting places.
As you might guess from his past studio work with techno producer Jimmy Edgar, electropop mogul Richard X and dub wizard Dennis Bovell, Mason is not a cut-and-dried guitar man – he’s actually a keen electro and hip-hop head – and is always prone to touches of leftfield electronics. But his third solo album, last spring’s Meet The Humans, was produced by Elbow’s Craig Potter, and this tour sees him in a traditional setup with just a drummer, bassist and a few effects pedals augmenting his palely beautiful voice and strummed electric guitar.
Without all the twinkling extras, cuts from his three solo albums and a few from the Beta Band days get to be experienced as their raw ingredients – which proves to be plenty, showing his knack for gently compelling songs and coolly singalong lyrics. Opener Am I Just A Man from his 2010 debut provides instant pleasure in the pretty arc traced by his agile and husky voice. It’s not until his fourth song that he dips into the latest album with Another Day, beginning with footstepping rhythm section intro before floating into elated waves and careless, questioning words.
The second half of the set sees a few inclusions of Beta Band favourites Dog’s Got A Bone, Dr Bacon and a merciful encore performance of the all-together-now classic Dry The Rain. It’s nice that he doesn’t rely on his new material though, rather letting his whole solo discography shine softly in stripped down simplicity, letting his inventive twists on traditional song structure provide the extra intrigue. Planet Sizes, another ecstatically churning 2016 cut, shows that Mason is capable of even more creative songwriting than in the old days, and no one is expecting, or hoping for a throwback set when there are songs like these to hear.
The penultimate show of his tour finds him in a heartfelt, sincere mood, thanking the audience graciously for their support and making people laugh between songs too. It’s a pleasure to see him so comfortable; after some dark moments since the dissolution of the band he started out with, he seems to have found his happiest stride. You could feel the warmth this evening.
words GWYN THOMAS DE CHROUSTCHOFF photos NICK EVANS