Willy Mason Review

I have now seen Willy Mason twice: when he was supporting Ben Howard  and Mumford & Sons.

Willy Mason is a folk singer/songwriter from Massachusetts, USA. Although I was not very familiar with this artist before I saw him support Ben Howard, he has toured with the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, Damien Rice, and Radiohead, and has even performed at a number of festivals including glastonbury.

Mason to date has released two albums "Where the Humans Eat" and "If the Ocean Gets Rough." My favorite song from his set was "Save Myself" (see live performance below).

When Willy Mason supported Ben Howard I felt he did an overall great performance. He had strong vocals and as a the support act he did a great job of warming the crowd up. Despite this however I would say he didn't do as good of a job when supporting Mumford & Sons at the Roundhouse in Camden, London for the iTunes Festival. Don't get me wrong, Willy Mason's vocals were still strong however there just seemed to be something missing. There was no connection between the crowd and him, proven sadly by the constant low chatter that took place while he performed his entire set. Its a shame as Willy Mason is really a great country/folk singer.

 Since Mason is yet to truly establish himself as a folk singer, his gigs are prominently held at quite small venues. This is by no means a bad thing however, as the intimacy of the venues fit his performance style perfectly. I would say if country is not your thing than this is a gig you should avoid. For those however who do enjoy country/folk music this would be a good choice for a quiet/mellow evening listening to live music.

Tour Dates:

Supporting Ben Howard
2nd Nov. Brighton Dome - Brighton
3rd Nov. Plymouth Pavilions - Plymouth
4th Nov. Cardiff University - Cardiff
5th Nov. Colston Hall - Bristol
7th Nov. Olympia Theatre - Dublin
9th Nov. Waterfront Hall Auditorium & Studio - Belfast
10th Nov. O2 Academy - Glasgow
12th Nov. O2 Apollo - Manchester
14th Nov. O2 Academy - Leeds
16th Nov. O2 Academy - Newcastle Upon Tyne
17th Nov. Aberdeen Music Hall - Aberdeen
19th Nov. Cambridge Corn Exchange - Cambridge
20th Nov. The Engine Shed - Lincoln
21st Nov. O2 Academy - Leicester
22nd Nov. Rock City - Nottingham
24th Nov. O2 Academy - Birmingham
25th Nov. O2 Academy - Bournemouth
26th Nov. Southampton Guildhall - Southampton
28th Nov. O2 Academy Brixton - London
29th Nov. O2 Academy Brixton - London
30th Nov. O2 Academy Brixton - London

1st Dec. King Tut's Wah Hut - Glasgow
2nd Dec. The Ruby Lounge - Manchester
3rd Dec. The Glee Club @ The Arcadian - Birmingham
5th Dec. Scala - London
6th Dec. Thekla - Briston

For more tour dates and information regarding tickets check out: http://www.ents24.com/web/artist/76925/Willy_Mason.html