MASON HILL // GLASGOW GARAGE, GLASGOW
MASON HILL RETURN TO THEIR HOME CITY WITH SOLD-OUT SHOW AT GLASGOW’S GARAGE.
★★★★★ (5/5)
MASON HILL PERFORMING AT GLASGOW’S GARAGE - 3.09.2021
PICTURE BY: | GAVIN ROSS PHOTOGRAPHY
A warm Glasgow evening makes the queue for entry to Mason Hill’s sold-out gig at the Garage in Glasgow a far more pleasing experience than expected after 18 months of no live music. As the queue rapidly lengthens, old gig going friends who have clearly not seen each other during the intervening time greet each other and then pick up from exactly where they left off the last time they spoke.
There was some chatter amongst the crowd in the queue as to how many would actually turn up as they had heard rumours that many were still apprehensive about being crammed in at a gig but, as the queue grew in length, any fears of a lower than expected attendance were soon dispelled - this was indeed a sold out gig and the fans had turned out in numbers to hear the new music from Mason Hill’s long awaited debut album Against The Wall.
Entering the venue, it was reassuring to see that little had changed and the familiarity of the Garage made for a welcome bonus on what was sure to be a triumphant return to the Glasgow stage for Mason Hill, this being their local gig.
Support band Hollowstar took to the stage on time and, having previously played with Mason Hill at this venue back in 2018, were not unfamiliar with the Glasgow crowd who welcomed them as if they had never been away.
Hollowstar’s 45-minute set was jam packed with solid rock music taken from their self-titled 2019 album. The standout track of the set was “Let You Down” which rocks from start to finish.
It is also worth mentioning the very short version of of the Proclaimers “I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)” prior to launching into the one cover track of the evening in the Free track “Wishing Well”. This lead towards the end of the set but not before Hollowstar had paid tribute to those lost to covid who would have normally been with us in the crowd with the aptly named track “Good Man Gone”.
Leaving us wanting more with the excellent “All I Gotta Say”, Hollowstar proved again that they have what it takes to be an amazing live act and hopefully we seen them as headliners in their own right very soon.
HOLLOWSTAR // SETLIST:
TAKE IT ALL
DOWN BY THE RIVER
LET YOU DOWN
INVINCIBLE
MONEY
WISHING WELL
OVERRATED
GOOD MAN GONE
ALL I GOTTA SAY
The anticipation rose rapidly to fever pitch as the stage was made ready for the arrival of Mason Hill. This gig has been a long time in the making and the fans were out in force, clad in the bands merchandise and more than up for what was about to be unleashed on them.
Mason Hill are made up of firm friends Scott Taylor (vocals), James Bird (lead guitar), Marc Montgomery (guitars), Matthew Ward (bass) and Craig McFetridge (drums) and they took to the stage with applause and cheers that would have lifted the roof off many a larger venue and its surprising the the Garage still has a roof after the welcome the band received.
As Craig McFetridge took his place behind his elevated drum kit, standing hands aloft in appreciation the band opened their 80-minute set with “Reborn” before launching into “No Regret”. The crowd, already under the spell of the band’s presence, went wild and the love clearly flowed both ways with the band, and in particular vocalist Scott Taylor, looking very emotional at the energy that was flooding over the barrier at them.
As the set progressed each band member made their presence felt with Matthew Ward on bass giving the crowd plenty of his trademark long hair head tosses and lead guitarist James Bird effortlessly commanding attention from the crowd when his turn came to take the spotlight.
Guitarist Marc Montgomery is as solid a player as any band could wish for and, together with James Bird, makes the perfect partnership for Mason Hills brand of music.
The ever-smiling Craig McFetridge holds the beating heart of the band from the back of the stage but is never lost in the mix. Quite the opposite is apparent, and his presence is felt on each and every track, particularly in the opening of “DNA” which has the crowd reaching new levels of excitement.
There are no gimmicks with Mason Hill and what you see is what you get - 5 friends who clearly know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and who feed off each other’s energy in a live performance in a way that some bands seem to lack. No one could ever say that Mason Hill lacks anything and it is clear that they are giving 100% in everything they are doing.
The absolutely perfect placement in the set of “Who We Are” allows the crowd to draw breath and also allows for an amazing solo from James Bird prior to launching into “Find My Way” and “Broken Son” and causes the crowd to go absolutely wild.
I doubt there was anyone in the Garage that did not own a copy of the band’s debut album “Against The Wall” but if there was then now was the time to go to the mercy stall and immediately buy a copy - this was a masterclass performance from Mason Hill.
The addition of “Now You See Me” from the band’s self-titled EP was a very welcome addition to the set and led perfectly into the title track of their debut album “Against The Wall”
However, the standout track of the evening was yet to come and was right at the end of the set. It really could only be the track “Where I Belong”. A slow balled to start this track soon build into a crescendo of absolute brilliance with the most blistering and heartfelt guitar solo from James Bird, ably backed by Marc Montgomery, which left not a dry eye in the house. It is quite rightly met with the recognition it deserves from the crowd.
What a way to bring a gig to a close and the crowd were screaming for more. The band were just about as emotional as the crowd as they bid their farewells from the stage, and this had clearly been an absolute highlight for them.
It’s without doubt that Mason Hill are headed in the right direction and the hard work this band have put in over the last 5 years or so is now paying off for them in spades. Don’t forget the names Scott Taylor, James Bird, Marc Montgomery, Matthew Ward and Craig McFetridge as I have a feeling that collectively as Mason Hill they will be around for a long time to come.