STEVE MASON + CALEB HARRIS – CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON 6.5.23
Steve Mason first came to public attention in the late 1990s as the lead singer and a founder member of Scottish psychedelic folk and electronica experimentalists The Beta Band. Although the band’s three studio albums all made the Top 20, they never quite broke through to the wider acceptance that their strikingly inventive soundscapes seemed to merit. They are probably best known for a brief scene in the film version of Nick Hornby’s ‘High Fidelity’, where the record store owner puts on their track ‘Dry The Rain’ and confidently asserts, “I will now sell five copies of ‘The Three EPs’ by The Beta Band.”
After the band split in 2004, and despite some well-documented struggles with depression, Steve Mason embarked on a solo career that has subsequently produced five studio albums. The most recent, ‘Brothers And Sisters’ was released to considerable critical acclaim on 3rd March 2023. It is a stunning piece of work, a vibrant and uplifting rallying call against the ignorance and prejudice that tends to spring up during difficult and uncertain times. It incorporates elements of world music, including contributions from the highly-regarded Pakistani singer Javed Bashir, and blends them with gospel choirs, dance beats, and Steve’s distinctive and deeply emotive vocal style. A ten-date UK tour was announced in support of the album, and tonight’s show at Concorde 2, courtesy of Brighton promoters Joy, is the final stop.
Support comes from Caleb Harris, an indie-folk singer songwriter originally from Cornwall and now based in Brighton. He certainly looks like a folk singer as he takes the stage, bearded and wearing a comfy-looking sweater. Seated, he plays an electro-classical guitar fingerstyle, tapping a foot pad for an accompanying bass drum thud. His playing is immediately impressive, and rather beautiful, and his voice is warm and rich. As a crude comparison, imagine José González during his ‘Heartbeats’ era, and you won’t be far off.
For the opening number Caleb utilises two capos, with the bass string on a different fret to the rest. My mind is boggled. The second song, ‘Knew I’d Find You Here’, stands out with a lovely melody and some very effective use of harmonics. For ‘Darker Days’, the guitar has a flamenco feel, with fast flurries of arpeggios, and a separate lead line on the bottom strings.
Every song has a different tuning, so there’s time to fill with chat. Caleb had the support slot in Nottingham last night, and confides that it’s the furthest north he’s ever been. “I am Cornish, so anywhere above Plymouth is north for me.”
‘Banshee’ is another fine tune, with a satisfying pattern of descending chords, punctuated with percussive slaps on the side of the instrument. A well-executed cover of Paolo Nutini’s ‘Tricks Of The Trade’ concludes a very enjoyable set.
Caleb Harris setlist:
‘Through Amber’
‘Knew I’d Find you Here’
‘Darker Days’
‘I Forget Where We Were’ (Ben Howard cover)
‘Banshee’
‘Tricks Of The Trade’ (Paolo Nutini cover)
www.facebook.com/calebharrismusic
It’s time for the main event, and Steve Mason and his band take the stage, beginning with the haunting synth tones and shuffling beat of album opener ‘Mars Man’. The bass synth part is monstrously deep, with the speakers moving some serious air. Steve is front and centre, bashing a set of bongos and wearing a German army surplus tank suit. I’m amused to note that the “regimental patch” is an Atari computer logo. House left is regular keyboard player Darren Morris, seated at an Arturia Keylab 88 controller, driving sampled sounds that seem to live in the rack unit at his side. House right are backing vocalists Jayando Cole and Keshia Smith, and behind a Yamaha kit is Calie Hough, with a trigger pad and a set of congas to hand.
There’s a real Beta Band vibe for ‘I’m On My Way’, its dreamy vocals floating over a gently clanking beat, before ushering in a steadily building chorus topped off with a magnificent keyboard hook. Steve is getting busy with a tambourine, throwing some shapes. ‘Upon My Soul’ is another piece from the current collection, and another melodic triumph, its evocative “No poets in the trenches” lyrical figure driven along by groovily insistent keyboards. The effect is reminiscent of the Italian house piano that was so prevalent back in the days of rave. The massive drum sound is provided by Calie’s trigger pads.
I’m very pleased to hear ‘Planet Sizes’, from the 2016 ‘Meet The Humans’ album. Steve is playing his acoustic guitar, nicely decorated with the sticker set from ‘The Three EPs’. He switches to a red Telecaster for ‘Let It Go’, which lollops along on an echoing beat, accompanied by a shimmering throb of tremolo guitar and some utterly gorgeous chord changes.
Steve dedicates ‘Pieces Of Me’ to Brighton-based keyboard player Martin Duffy, formerly of Primal Scream and Felt, who sadly died last December. Martin was a friend of Steve’s who collaborated on a number of projects. The song, another from the current album, is reflective with an appropriately melancholic feel, the beat just supplied by piano chords, affording the chorus plenty of room to really soar.
Things are warming up, and Steve undoes his olive drab coverall and ties the top half around his waist, revealing a white T-shirt with a bold motif of “SOLIDARITY WITH STRIKING WORKERS”. We continue with ‘Fox On The Rooftop’, a gently intensifying number from 2019’s ‘About The Light’. It begins with twinkling keys vibing over a languid beat, and transitions to a playout of clanging guitar chords as Steve goes to work on the Telecaster.
There’s no escaping that today is Coronation Day, and Steve certainly isn’t letting it pass without comment: “…spending £200 million on… a little man with big ears and putting a golden f*cking hat on him.” He repeats the phrase “a golden hat” several times to underline his disbelief, in that incredulous tone that people with Scottish accents do so well. There is a loud cheer of agreement from the crowd.
“No one said it was gonna be easy,” goes the motif of ‘Travelling Hard’, as it skips over staccato handclaps and big stabs of synthesised horns. ‘No More’ was one of the lead singles from the album, notable for Javed Bashir’s vocals (presented here as samples) and an eye-catching 360 degree accompanying video. The rhythm’s South Asian feel is enhanced by Calie battering the rims of her rack toms.
It’s hard to keep still for the handclap rhythm and infectious groove of ‘Walking Away From Love’, a standout number from ‘About The Light’. The call-and-response flitting between lead and backing vocals is magnificent. There’s more air punching to the huge chorus of ‘Brothers And Sisters’, and Steve and Calie unleash a percussion storm on bongos and congas respectively.
Introducing ‘Squares’, from The Beta Band’s 2001 release ‘Hot Shots II’, Steve has a funny anecdote about coming in with the solo vocal introduction in the wrong key during a massive show supporting Radiohead in America. As if to emphasise the point, there’s a false start as he forgets the lyrics. It’s all good-natured fun though, and the lolloping progression of descending chords is as mesmeric and hypnotic as any music could reasonably be. The band members exit the stage, leaving Darren playing a stunning outro of solo piano.
The huge cheer from the crowd brooks no argument about returning for some encores. The foray into the back catalogue continues with the urgently guitar-driven ‘Inner Meet Me’, a Beta Band number from 1998. There’s also the massive treat of a rendition of ‘I Walk The Earth’, a 2000 track from Steve’s side project King Biscuit Time, whose name, in case you didn’t know, derives from a long-running American radio show that championed blues artists. If you were looking for a rousing number to conclude the evening’s entertainment, ‘The People Say’ is as infectiously anthemic as you could possibly wish for.
Steve expresses his gratitude to the audience for spending some of their hard-earned money to come out tonight. The general consensus from the audience is that they’re glad they did. ‘Brothers And Sisters’ is a magnificent album, and tonight’s performance was of the very highest quality.
Steve Mason band:
Steve Mason – vocals, guitars, percussion
Darren Morris – keyboards, percussion
Jayando Cole – backing vocals
Keshia Smith – backing vocals
Calie Hough – drums, percussion
Steve Mason setlist:
‘Mars Man’ (from ‘Brothers And Sisters’ 2023)
‘I’m On My Way’ (from ‘Brothers And Sisters’ 2023)
‘Upon My Soul’ (from ‘Brothers And Sisters’ 2023)
‘Planet Sizes’ (from ‘Meet The Humans’ 2016)
‘Let It Go’ (from ‘Brothers And Sisters’ 2023)
‘Pieces Of Me’ (from ‘Brothers And Sisters’ 2023)
‘Fox On The Rooftop’ (from ‘About The Light’ 2019)
‘Travelling Hard’ (from ‘Brothers And Sisters’ 2023)
‘No More’ (from ‘Brothers And Sisters’ 2023)
‘Walking Away From Love’ (from ‘About The Light’ 2019)
‘Brothers And Sisters’ (from ‘Brothers And Sisters’ 2023)
‘Squares’ (from ‘Hot Shots II’ by The Beta Band 2001)
‘Inner Meet Me’ (from ‘The Patty Patty Sound’ EP by The Beta Band 1998)
‘I Walk The Earth’ (from ‘No Style’ EP by King Biscuit Time 2000)
‘The People Say’ (from ‘Brothers And Sisters’ 2023)
