16th November 2021
Sometimes it is difficult to get a handle on how popular an artist is in the outside world. I loved Willy Mason pretty much immediately following the release of his exceptional debut album Where the Humans Eat. Some of my friends were only aware of his calling card Oxygen, but many more of us were Mason devotees, and in this period, the NYC singer/songwriter/bandleader/troubadour provided the soundtrack to many a poker night, many a drunken evening. They were halcyon days. I also loved If the Ocean Gets Rough, Mason’s more reflective sophomore effort. And while I was only a sporadic listener to his later efforts, I still revisit those first two albums regularly. It would have been ludicrous then to pass up the opportunity to catch Mason in York, a mere 30 miles from my hometown, on a balmy November night. Whilst I didn’t know what to expect, a 150 cap venue (thankfully almost full) wasn’t it. Why the hell isn’t Mason playing in venues two or three times the size? Well, ours is not to reason why. Instead, I took the opportunity to enjoy one of the most compelling artists of the last two decades up close and personal…
Never being one to look back, Mason runs through pretty much the entirety of his latest album Already Dead with Youth on a Spit, You’d Like to be Free and Outwit the Devil taking on an additional power with the backing of his incendiary band. Whilst I’d love to name his bassist and drummer, both of whom fucking rock, I can’t find their names anywhere on the internet. Maybe they turn into dust when the show finishes and simply materialise at the next venue when the time comes.
If the Ocean Gets Rough is represented by The End of the Race and a stunning rendition of We Can Be Strong, but perhaps what is most striking is Mason’s undoubted charisma. Despite rarely speaking between songs, when he does address the crowd, he really makes it count. When one lunatic attempts to have a conversation with Mason mid-song, he handles this situation like an utter pro (though he does look relieved when the man is deservedly led outside). Later, when a guitar string breaks halfway through a number, Mason barely flinches, instead re-tuning his guitar in an instant and soldiering on with just the five strings.
Oxygen provides another memorable moment with the audience singing back every word to Mason’s most well-known song, but it is the deep cuts that are really satisfying here, and a closing rendition of Feel No Pain is perhaps the highlight of what has been a stunning evening of music. Mere days after this show, Mason and his band are forced to cancel the rest of their European tour, adding to the sense of good fortune about seeing such a talented artist in such a small venue.
I’m old now. And driving all the way to York on a weekday night will have consequences in terms of the rest of the working week, but would I do it all again? In a heartbeat.