Mason Hill (w/ Empyre, Hollowstar) @ Nightrain (Bradford, UK) on September 22, 2021 [Photos & Show Review]

What better way to cheer up a dreary Wednesday, Autumnal evening than to head to the Nightrain in Bradford to be entertained by 3 bands.

First up on the bill were UK rock band Empyre. As a band, Empyre are fairly new, but are already making waves since their debut album Self Aware was released in 2019. The band played a selection of songs from this album and a couple from their new album The Other Side. Their short set was mesmerizing. Their songs are atmospherically dark and intense. It was a tempered way to kick off the evening.

With the venue filling up nicely, UK rockers Hollowstar hit the stage, taking the tempo up a notch or 3. They burst straight into “Take It All” from their debut album. It’s clear Hollowstar already have a loyal following of fans, most of which were down the front cheering and singing. A few more songs from their self titled album, before they played a rendition of Free‘s “Wishing Well”. The band were energetic and seemed delighted to be back on stage. Singer Joe Bonson paid tribute to those affected by Covid and thanked the crowd for coming out to support the band. “Good Man Gone” and “All I Gotta Say” brought their set to a close but not before the crowd were made to make as much noise as possible to let tomorrows venue in Blackpool know how loud the Nightrain fans could be. The set seemed to go by in a flash, I could’ve easily listened to them for a lot longer.

The venue, now full, had a real feel-good buzz about it. People really glad to be able to enjoy live music again. The lights dimmed and headliners Mason Hill exploded on to the stage, to a huge roar. Opening with “Reborn” the first track from their debut album “Against The Wall” Mason Hill may still be in their infancy but you would never know. They own the stage and are outstanding at their craft. Singer Scott Taylor bounding energetically all over the stage.

The band worked their way through tracks from the debut album, before playing a rendition of Foo Fighters “Best Of You”, which has been played before at their gigs and has had such a good reception they decided to keep it in as part of their set. Scott Taylor said a couple of times they were the luckiest band in the world, being up on stage doing what they love to a crowd that love and appreciate what they do. He also mentioned that for the first time tour t-shirts were available, of which lots of people were already wearing. Up next was “Against The Wall” definitely their crowd-pleaser song as the venue erupted in song. “Where I Belong” brought the evening to a close, and what a fantastic evening it was.