Music: Willy Mason

The talented American singer-songwriter comes to the Proud Brighton Ballroom

One of the finest American singer songwriters of recent years is a regular visitor to these shores where he has built up a sizeable following for his highly literate and melodic outpourings. Initially signed to Conor Oberst’s (Bright Eyes) label, his first album, Where The Humans Eat, was recorded in the Catskills Mountains of New York State; a relatively stripped back affair it featured one of the outstanding socio-political songs of the noughties, ‘Oxygen’, At age just 18 here was a raw yet mature talent that already sounded world weary and yet utterly inspiring to a new generation of singer songwriters.

His second album, If The Ocean Gets Rough, was a much more more polished affair, but every bit as good as his debut and cementing his reputation as an artist big of heart and big on talent. Every now and then he works with other artists such as The Chemical Brothers (providing vocals for ‘Battle Scars’) and more recently Lianne La Havas on her ‘No Room For Doubt’ track. But we’ve yet to see a follow up to his last album released five years ago. But the word is he’ll be showcasing some new material as well as dipping into his already rich repertoire.