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THE CITY
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BRISTOL Image by Jon Stone
Meet music industry ace Rachel Mason We moved from London when I was three so I grew up in the countryside just outside Bristol in a beautiful little village called Wrington. The band is booked to play Westonbirt Arboretum on 11 June next year
Forest-shaped future gig English alternative rock band Keane, who hail from from Battle, East Sussex and formed in 1995, have announced new gig dates as part of Forest Live, the summer concert series presented by Forestry England. After a six-year hiatus, the band made a return in 2019 with their latest studio album Cause and Effect and a sold-out UK tour. The release follows on from a succession of previous number-one albums that have accumulated over 13 million sales worldwide including Under The Iron Sea, Perfect Symmetry, Night Train, Strangeland and their big debut Hopes and Fears, which generated hit singles Somewhere Only We Know, Everybody’s Changing, This Is The Last Time and Bedshaped. Forest Live is a major outdoor live music series that introduces forests to new audiences in unique, natural woodland arenas around the country. Over 1.9 million people have attended a Forest Live gig in the last 20 years, cracking out the picnic blankets, deckchairs and strawberries and enjoying great music while supporting the nation’s forests through buying a ticket. Going to a concert helps Forestry England create beautiful places, run important conservation projects and keep growing trees. Every year they plant some eight million trees sustainably, caring for the nation’s 1,500 woods and forests, and sustainably supplying around half of the country’s home-grown timber. They manage the biggest and most diverse area of land in England, from forests to heathlands, mountains to moors, farmland to urban green spaces, and recently they have reintroduced sea eagles and pine martens back to the countryside. Keane, along with their special guest acts Flyte and Michael Ryan, are scheduled to play Westonbirt Arboretum, near Tetbury, on 11 June 2021. • forestryengland.uk/music; keanemusic.com
10 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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OCTOBER 2020
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No 193
Rachel has written for the likes of Dua Lipa and Olly Murs
I’ve written for Dua Lipa, Olly Murs, winners of The Voice UK, American Idol alumni and some fantastic BBC Introducing artists. I’m also the first person to have judged music contests on six continents in the same year. During lockdown I created Unlock Your Talent, an international arts festival to raise money for local mental health charity Vine Counselling Services. I’ve also written a song to raise money for postnatal depression support charity PANDAS which has just been released on my label. I struggled with postnatal depression after my children were born so I run a songwriting project called Lyrical Light where people who have had issues with their maternal mental health can get together and talk about their experiences. Then, as a group, we write a song to help with the healing process. Being one of the few women to run a record label can be tough as I feel there’s still a tendency to dismiss women as not being strong enough for the music industry. On the upside I have used my ‘mama bear’ supportive and gentle style of dealing with clients to set me apart from the more controlling labels. I can see music as colours and taste it. It’s a condition called synesthesia and people often refer to it as my ‘superpower’! My career highlight so far has been being called an inspiration by Harry and Meghan, for my work mentoring young musicians. Currently being mastered at Bare Wall Studios in Bristol is a song I’ve just written with my friend, Hamilton cast member Aaron Lee Lambert, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. It will be released to raise funds for BAME charities. I’m also writing a book about real life experiences with postnatal depression. It will include song lyrics written at Lyrical Light workshops. Along with amazing songwriter Riva Taylor I’m about to launch the brand new venture The Songwriters Circle. This will support upcoming songwriters and give them opportunities to perform at The Roundhouse in London and The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.
I’m part of an amazing Bristol networking group called Freelance Mum and the women there are the most amazing, creative, supportive people I’ve ever met. Bristol musicians including Massive Attack, Portishead, John Parrish and Beth Rowley have always inspired me and I love listening to their music. I’m loving listening to Amy Wadge’s new EP and we also have Radiohead and the Hamilton soundtrack on a lot at home as this is our toddlers’ favourite music! Our favourite place to eat and drink is Eden in Clifton. Everything is vegan and absolutely delicious! Ordinarily my husband and I go to music events in Bristol often and particularly love The Fleece and The Old Duke. We’ve seen some great performances at the bigger venues too – Colston Hall [now Bristol Beacon, St George’s and the Hippodrome. If I was mayor of Bristol, it would be hard to do a better job than Marvin Rees but I think I’d introduce a ‘mental healthcheck day’ where people would have the day off to reflect on their own mental health and there would be help available for anyone who needed it. n • rachelmasonmusic.com
