Steve Mason at the Hebden Bridge Trades Club

Steve Mason recently declared himself to be ‘dangerously close to being happy’. His hard-won emergence from a lifetime of depression has resulted in extraordinary solo career, with two strong releases: 2009’s Boys Outside, a hymn to survival against the odds, and Monkey Minds in The Devil’s Time, which the Independent considered his best release since early days with The Beta Band. The songs are elegant, wry and strong, kept taut by the edge of anger and grief.  He is songwriter in full control of his craft, drawing on a full range of styles from echoing dub bass to lilting pop, singing out his response to a chattering world, corrupt politics, violence and heartbreak. Perfect for a solo gig in the intimate setting of the Hebden Bridge Trades Club then.

Fri 25 Jul, Hebden Bridge Trades Club, Holme Street, Hebden Bridge HX7 8EE, Tel: 01422 845265, 8pm, £17 (£15 members), www.wegottickets.com