Live Review: Ben Howard, Willy Mason

It's a thankless job opening for a headliner that attracts such massively obsessed fans who only have ears for them and almost no one else. American singer-songwriter Willy Mason, who is reportedly related to novelist Henry James, approaches the difficult task of opening for Ben Howard with a no fuss, almost workman-like attitude. Going it solo, Mason accompanies himself with a gritty, bluesy, almost country-soul twang on his guitar. After releasing three albums, Mason has acquired a voice that sounds weathered and wise well beyond his years. He deals in fairly conventional songs that are delivered with the demeanour of a troubadour who has travelled many dusty roads with his trusty guitar. It's the evocative lonesome heartbroken mood he conjures that is spellbinding and those who are listening thrill to So Long and I Got Gold. In between songs Mason apologises for the cancellation of this gig from Saturday to Monday night on account of Ben Howard's illness and seems surprised that so many have rescheduled to attend tonight. It's kind of sad to see such an articulate songwriter only receive a lukewarm hand from the audience, but when they seem to realise that Mason won't be coming back for an encore everyone clapping starts to cheer just that little bit more loudly for him.

Despite the cancellation, the promise of Ben Howard's gig sees the Corner completely pack out. The crowd spans generations and there is a noticeable contingent of patriotic British expats mingling in the crowd. Almost anyone with a phone seems to be taking photos of their friends and later they will inevitably (and irritatingly) use those phones to document Howard's every move throughout the gig. The show opens on a low-key note with Everything and Black Flies offering introspective moments that showcase just how intensely finger-picking good Howard can be on an acoustic guitar. The gentle glow of his music at times recalls the once-hugely popular José González. Despite a relatively quiet opening it is difficult for the loudly cheering fans to contain their excitement. As the gig picks up momentum, Howard's three-piece band chime in with sparse arrangements that allow him to shine front and centre. It all sounds as smooth as his Mercury-nominated debut Every Kingdom. Occasionally, tunes such as Only Love find Howard sliding into a Grey's Anatomy-soundtrack zone with bittersweet good-to-be-alive vibes that have fans singing along to the choruses with an almost hymnal reverence. “We are going to play a couple of songs and then pretend to do an encore,” says Howard rather matter of factly as they launch into fierce versions of Keep Your Head Up and The Fear before coming back quickly to thrill fans with a three-song encore that features The Burren.