As egalitarian – catholic even – as we are as a musical city, there are always going to be some acts that are somehow more Brighton than others. Amanda Palmer – whose divine commingling of politics and glam went down a storm earlier this year – is a perfect fit. The Levellers, likewise, not only made their home here, but even now remain avatars for anyone that’s ever wheedled a dog on a string down North Street or attended drum healing therapy.
Another artist who should probably count as an honourary Brightonian is ex-Beta Band member Steve Mason, who recently rocked up at Concorde2 to promote his ‘Monkey Minds In The Devil’s Time’ album. He is after all – the perennial Bragg aside – one of the few contemporary British musicians with the balls to wear his (apparently fairly militant) politics on his sleeve. His status as middle-aged-indie-icon-hoping-to-remain-relevant meanwhile also clearly chimes with a particular BTown demographic, with the evening’s crowd containing some of the oldest, beardiest, jumper-wearingist people I’ve ever seen at a gig.
The set began in crowd-pleasing style with a clutch of singles taken from his first two solo records, played one after the other. Of the three, which also included ‘Lost And Found’ and ‘Oh My Lord’, our pick would probably be the plaintive, folky ‘A Lot Of Love’. They all worked just fine though and provided a suitably grand opening while at the same time setting straight anyone expecting an evening of Beta Band soundalikes.
Audience warmed up, proceedings continued with more from ‘Monkey Minds…’, an album that, even without a Mercury nomination, still contains some of the best music of the year. While perhaps not quite capturing the nuance and groove of the record, the band still managed to pull off its more baroque moments such as ‘Seen It All Before’. The angry, government-baiting ‘Fire!’ meanwhile provided more poignancy than could probably have been expected on a cold Tuesday night in October. ‘Where do we go from here,’ he asks, before answering himself – with the kind of aimless provocation you can probably only get away with if you’re a rock musician – “stick ‘em in the fire!”
Steve Mason is one of the few post-Britpop acts still genuinely interesting enough to command your attention ten-odd years down the line. His songs are poignant, touching, subtle and smart; his live act’s a quietly seditious blast. He’s welcome back any time.
Concorde2, Tuesday 29th October 2013
Words by Phil Mason
Photos by Jon Southcoasting
