Willy Mason,Kid Carpet Live Review @ Academy [1, 2, 3 and Club Academy] (Manchester) - 17 Apr 2005

Willy Mason,Kid Carpet Live Review @ Academy [1, 2, 3 and Club Academy] (Manchester) - 17 Apr 2005

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Live Review

A Bristol born one man hybrid of System 7, Billy Bragg and hint of Underworld that is Kid Carpet brought social realism into the room, via his "Kiddy Disco Punk" sound and zapped it out like it were rays from an alien laser gun. The crashing guitar and searing synths melted together, producing sparks that ignited a fiery element to Kid Carpet's music. This was at its brightest in the darting 'Your Love' and a song towards the end of an intriguing set covering the mundane topic of signing on in Bristol.

With bands like the Kaiser Chiefs, Bloc Party and The Killers bringing pizzazz and glamour into music with their slick attire and Brit pop reviving riffs, there seems no place in this modern era for the earnest, endearing, down to earth minimalist music of the maudlin Massachusetts born 20 year old; Willy Mason. This is could not be further from the truth though, as the 700 plus gatherers in the Academy venue stretched and strained to get the best possible view of the down to earth Dylan replacement, as many critics are already labelling him. The success of selling over 70,000 copies of his debut album 'Where Humans Eat' meant that unlike his solo support slot for the 22-20s last year, Willy was able to afford to bring his drum playing younger brother; Sam over to give his set an added kick.

The drum beat of Sam helped to pound every note of longing, emotive and powerful tracks such as 'Fear No Pain' into the hearts of listeners, as he ably provided a foundation for Willy's commanding Adam Green covering Bob Dylan and a splash of Ian Mculloch vocal touch to take off and authoritatively glide around the room. The poetic and philosophical nature of Willy's work was illuminated in the emotive and proud 'Hard Hand To Hold', as the lyrics though uplifting and softly sung, seemed to fly around the captivated audience touching more nerves than a Ron Atkinson football commentary;

It becomes painfully clear
That as long as it's a fight, you'll never win,
And when you get to the door
You're still so busy fighting wars.

The anthemic Oxygen was the obvious crowd highlight of seventy minutes of music with heart and integrity. However, the track did not stand out that much, but that is purely and simply down to the fact that Willy has depth and integrity and plies that into whatever he does.

David Adair

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