The singer-songwriter will lay everything bare when he performs at the intimate Chapel Summer Sessions.
After taking a well-deserved ten-day break over Christmas, Reece Mastin is firing up the band for what he promises to be the biggest and best year yet.
It’s the longest holiday break since his time on the X-Factor nine years ago – during the downtime, he’s been back at the pub living out his rockstar lifestyle on the stage with beer in hand.
“With the boys that I have in my band now,” Mastin begins, “we’ve been playing together now – well me and my drummer have been playing together for at least six
years. They’re my best mates as well which makes it a lot easier on stage because they’re great musicians and great singers.
“I don’t care as much when I’m on stage and I don’t feel embarrassed or guilty or happy or sad, I just feel in the moment. I love it. It’s one thing over the last two or three years that has kind of saved me a little bit because I went through a lull about three years ago.
“I didn’t play many live shows and I wasn’t at my best, I wasn’t looking after myself either which probably wasn’t helping but being up there the last couple of years and being with this band has reiterated where I want to be.”
Mastin will be stepping out of the pub setting for a more heavenly one as he takes part in Chapel Off Chapel’s Summer Sessions series on Saturday February 1, showcasing a different side to the rock‘n’roller. The show promises an in-depth dive into Mastin’s world with storytelling, laughter and even some tears.
“I love playing the pubs and the clubs but a lot of the time I don’t get to play the other half of my music which is the ballad side of things or the darker side of things that you don’t get to play in pubs.
“People don’t want to hear me pour my heart out at two o’clock in the morning. That’s the cool thing about this Chapel set, is there are those fun songs that I will reimagine. I have a double bass player and a grand piano at this gig so it’s going to be pretty cool and pretty different from everything else. It will be a challenge for me but I think it will be fun to get into another head space for one night,” he explains.
For Mastin, the intimacy of Chapel Summer Sessions will allow him to express another side of his music.
“Getting to speak and tell the stories of the songs. There are some funny stories I can tell but the beautiful part of this show are the songs that are quite innocent and I’m going to do a song for my grandparents that is an old Irish song, called ‘Fields of Athenry’.
“It’s one of my favourite songs but a hard song because of the story behind it. Even some of the personal stuff – I don’t mind telling the stories of my past relationships … At the end of the day, the set is just a collection of the last nine years of music and it does go up and down. But it does end on a bit of laughter so people don’t go home sobbing into their hands.”
Following on from the show, Mastin will certainly be living his biggest and best year yet. He has plans to release an EP, has a hectic schedule of shows booked in waiting to be announced and will be looking to split his touring time between Australia and the UK. Keep your eyes peeled.
Reece Mastin hits Chapel Summer Sessions on Saturday February 1. Grab your tix here.
