“I just wanted to explain why the King Biscuit Time tour has been cancelled ( after about 3 reschedules! ) because it’s not a decision any artist takes lightly. The tour was originally planned to celebrate the re-release of the King Biscuit Time album Black Gold, and also to buy me a little time before jumping into writing my next album. When the dates were booked they gave me time to re-set and figure out exactly what I wanted to do next. I don’t enjoy looking back, let alone actually GOING back, but re-visiting King Biscuit Time felt like a good way to help me move forward.
Then COVID happened and the tour was rescheduled and then re-scheduled again for October; after struggling to write anything at all during the pandemic I finally started writing again in December last year. I now have lots of new music and my mindset has completely changed, so going back to King Biscuit Time feels wrong. I apologise for pulling these dates after re-scheduling them but I’m hoping you will understand the reasons. We should go forward, not back.
I hope you and your friends and family are doing ok and we can see each other again as soon as possible. Only the best,
Steve Mason”
Scottish singer, songwriter, and producer Steve Mason rose to widespread critical acclaim in the late ’90s as a member of indie darlings . With their creative songscrap approach and maverick attitude, earned a somewhat notorious reputation among fans and the U.K. press during the post-Brit-pop era, thanks to releases like 1998’s The Three EP’s and 2001’s Hot Shots II. During ‘s heyday and following their 2004 breakup, Mason also recorded as and later set out on a proper solo career with albums like 2013’s Monkey Minds in the Devil’s Time and 2019’s About the Light.
Mason initially formed as a duo in the mid-’90s with fellow Fife native Gordon Anderson, although Anderson’s involvement proved to be short-lived. Following his departure, the group coalesced around Robin Jones on drums, John Maclean on keyboards, sampler, and turntables, and Richard Greentree on bass, with Mason serving as the group’s unofficial leader from that point onward. earned heaps of critical praise with an opening salvo of three EPs, all released on and leading up to the release of their acclaimed debut album, 1999’s The Beta Band. (Their fame only grew after they were name-dropped in the film High Fidelity by John Cusack, whose character claimed — and then proved — that he could immediately sell five copies of their EP collection The Three E.P.’s simply by playing one track.) The follow-up, Hot Shots II, earned greater praise, although shortly after their third release, 2004’s Heroes to Zeros, the band announced their breakup.
Mason had already debuted a solo project, late in 1998, and during the 18 months that followed the ‘s breakup, he released a pair of singles — including “C I AM 15,” which reached number 67 on the British charts — and a full album, 2006’s Black Gold. One year later, he launched an electronica project called , and a techno-influenced LP titled Pleasure Pressure Point appeared on in 2008. He subsequently returned to a format for his first album under his own name, a late 2009 single titled “All Come Down.” The expected full-length album, Boys Outside, with production help from , appeared in 2010 on , distributed by . Provided with polished production, Steve Mason’s poignant songwriting and powerful vocals were brought to the fore. The album was then given a dub reworking by Mason and . Ghosts Outside displayed the singer/songwriter’s effortless ability to span genres successfully, while remixing the likes of showed Mason’s hunger for creativity was not slowing down. In early 2013, his third album under his own name arrived. Among its sprawling 20 tracks, Monkey Minds in the Devil’s Time explored depression, politics, and human nature, bringing together many genres to create a mesmerizing experience. His next record focused purely on himself, wringing out personal emotions and experiences for 2016’s Meet the Humans, bringing aboard Craig Potter to produce the album. With a number of solo tours under his belt, Mason wished to re-create the same live energy on record; the resulting album, 2019’s About the Light, featured a live band throughout the recording process to capture the feeling of his shows. ~ John Bush, Rovi
