BBC Liverpool Unsigned Artist of the Month for December

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Play With Fire Reviews

The Folk Mag - April 2006

Mark Wilson has appeared in over 100 gigs throughout the country since going solo in 2003, attracting a standing ovation at Glastonbury, no less, on the way. This, his debut album, shows just why he is attracting so much attention.

The opening title track demonstrates his unique style superbly with Mark playing acoustic slide guitar, at the same time slapping the strings to provide his own percussive accompaniment - not easy, to say the least - while belting out the lyrics with a bluesy, gravelly voice from somewhere out in the American mid-west. Then he proceeds to blast out Escape - his fingers must be a blur - before changing the mood entirely for the gentle, bluesy Better Days.

The album is an astonishing mixture of moods and guitar styles, moving effortlessly from New Horizons - possibly the most amazing guitar percussion on the whole album and that's saying something - to the lilting Realise, more reminiscent of the Beach Boys! Then it's back to even more frenzied guitar action before he again slows the mood with my personal favourite track, Distant Sun. And then back up to full speed head before finishing with his gentle folk-blues Finale.

Personally, I preferred the slower more bluesy numbers but there's no denying that the whole album is simply an outstanding virtuoso performance. Mark is a bewildering one-man band of a performer - at times it's exhausting just listening to him. He's definitely one to look out for.

Words - Dave Emery

Vibrations Magazine – March 2006

We’re pretty blessed with extremely talented acoustic one man guitar maestros in this fair city of ours, so what makes Mark Wilson think he can compete? Well, it doesn’t take long listening to the first couple of tracks on this album to realise he’s up there with the best of them. Playing slide while producing a percussive beat simultaneously only using an acoustic guitar is no mean fear let me tell you. This guy also sings, very well, with a whiskey stained southern Americana drawl that shows Wilson isn’t just a guitar player. The songs are also equally good too and isn’t just material for the musos. There are enough songs here to draw in not just guitar disciples but those who like a good old fashioned tune. This is one man producing music exactly how it should be done, direct and straight from the heart.

Words: Tim Hann

BBC Liverpool - February 2006

Having always fostered a genuine distaste for any real degree of musical virtuosos Mark Wilson is simply the tipping point over the last eighteen months for people kicking that distaste somewhere, well, distasteful…

Like Joanna Newsom can really play the harp, Wilson can really play the guitar. An acoustic guitar is an endless supply of ideas for Wilson and he uses it that way within his song writing. The ability to play isn’t the point. The point is the songs demand the ability to play.

On his record Wilson has added a few other bits and bobs of studio production. A good move – as his fans know that what we can hear is simply one man and a guitar, the general public may not. Standards have to be higher and Wilson produces an Album, which accedes to those standards. When those who buy the album see him live then they will be blown away by the performance. Until then they have to be fans of the album.

It’s an album easy to get behind. Wilson’s songs shimmer in and out of Consciousness; Shade of Blue is a great example – it simply doesn’t overstay its welcome. The album isn’t a long one, too often the temptation for a debut, especially a debutant with Wilson’s ability. Instead it has emerged perfectly formed.

The songs have the same Americana tinge as they do live. A more musically dramatic Erin McKeown or a more aggressive Iron and Wine. Or somewhere in between. Somewhere in between is a good place to be. And Wilson is somewhere in between a terrific songwriter and a terrific musician. At his best he has feet in both camps.

Words: Greg Doyle and Whelan
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Americana – February 2006

This is a schizophrenic record with an abrasive confrontational side and another gentler more contemplative personality. At times he deals with the blues, deep blues that hurt and draw blood, the kind for which eternal suffering is a measure of relief, the kind that leads to shredded fingers and a shredded heart. There is a primitive quality, immediacy, not the raw scrape of Jawbone, but it certainly isn’t making any compromises. Then there are the other songs - ‘New Horizons’ sounds like Jack Johnson might if he hadn’t lived a charmed life, ‘Realise’ starts almost like a lost Beach Boys classic with a harp giving a ghostly feel. The only thing more dangerous than an obsessed fanatic is a schizophrenic fanatic, and here you never know what you are going to get. (In)sanity is restored: ‘End of the Line’ has only guitar and finger percussion as a blues riff circles nastily. By the time you get towards the end and you hit ‘Enemies,’ you realize that it has been a journey, you’ve travelled somewhere and arrived at Damien Jurado. A beautiful stark folk-pop song receives a touching fragile vocal and finally you’ve been drawn into this dual world - you can’t really want much more than that from a record.

Words: David Cowling
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Blues Matters – February 2006

This album is a good example of fusion between folk music and blues. The tracks alternate between folky songs and percussive blues influenced music. The guitar work is superb with bassey acoustic rhythms interspersed with clear and precise picking of the folk style. If you want an album to really listen to that will not bore you then I suggest that you have a look at this one. The CD’s strength is also its weakness in so far as it does not clearly fit into one music camp or another. Record stores will have a job to decide which shelf it sits on.

Words: Tony Nightingale

Sandman Magazine - January 2006

Merseyside singer-songwriter Mark Wilson's name should ring a few bells with anyone who has been keeping an eye on developments in the Leeds folk-rock scene over the last few years, his thrillingly kinetic take on the form having enlivened many an evening of dreary musical backwardness. Such is Wilson's mastery of the percussive as well as the melodic possibilities of the acoustic guitar that it is a little disconcerting to hear his songs adorned with a modest degree of studio trickery on Play With Fire, since his solo performances are never anything less than compelling and have hardly seemed to be crying out for flowery production touches. On the whole though, his songs are of sufficient quality not to be smothered overmuch by the inclusion of multi-tracked vocal lines or a greater diversity of instrumentation, elements which will probably be unfamiliar to fans of Wilson's live show but are in some cases highly effective in pushing numbers like 'No Place To Hide' on to new heights of dramatic intensity. Wilson's voice certainly has a lot to do with the urgency which characterises most of the songs here, appropriating the grizzled blues stylings of Bob Dylan and Tom Waits and filtering them through the soulful croon of Tim Buckley to create something admirably fresh-sounding on songs like the frantic 'Memories' and utterly beautiful closer 'Finale'. A kindred spirit of our own Jon Gomm, but with the tunes to match the consummate musicianship, Wilson should not go unnoticed.

Words: Greg Eliot
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Unpeeled Magazine – December 2005

One hell of a class act, dirt black n bruised blues, smoothly raw and effortlessly excellent guitars making for an irresistible mix. Mark Wilson is British, but the material, the delivery and influences roam the globe be it Spanish acoustic, American roadhouse blues or French jazz stylings. Listen out for the shit-kicking exuberance of ‘Lost’ and the sliding, skating guitar treat that is ‘End of the Line.’

Words: Shane
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Solo Live Reviews

Mixing Tin Review - 19/01/06

With the support acts done and dusted, it became the turn of Mark Wilson, a very talented musician from St Helens. He came on stage and placed the guitar on his lap, with the strings facing upwards, bizarre?! ... But when he slapped his hands across the guitar it seemed as if there was a full band behind him. Mark Wilson displayed some of the most competent guitar playing I have ever witnessed and he possesses a rare, yet brilliant voice that complements the up tempo of his guitar playing.
Just as his fast guitar playing was outstanding, Mark Wilson's range of songs was also tremendous as he incorporated some slow and moving songs that showed a gentler side to the artist's range. During every song the audience were entrapped by the amazing spectacle that is Mark Wilson, as he barraged his guitar with countless beats and riffs, ultimately culminating in an astonishing experience.
The upbeat flow and a constant tempo throughout proved that Mark Wilson is versatile and could break through into the mainstream given the right management and opportunities. For one man and his guitar, he brings a unique sound and one that I believe the public will like. Mark is definitely a spectacle for the right reasons and well worth paying good money to see and one day could be back in Leeds to perform for a bigger audience that he deserves.

Words: Ste Mon - Leeds Music Scene
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Mixing Tin Review - 19/01/06

Mark Wilson. Hmmm. How do I review his set without making reference to Leeds’ own Jon Gomm? Stylistically, they are like two strings on the same guitar (see what I did there?) and Jon is my only other reference point for this kind of playing. I’ll try very hard. He starts with his guitar across his knee bangs out a crazy one handed rhythm on the soundboard whilst knocking out some hard ass slide blues riffs with his left.
I’m stunned into silence.
At various points in the set I find my self open mouthed in amazement, making involuntary noises as he astounds me and shaking my head in disbelief. He’s the sort of guitarist that other guitarists love and hate in equal measure. This guy has got all the technical ability in the world. He’s basically playing blues, but treating it as it should be treated, slapping it around, treating it with no reverence.
He splits his set equally between dazzling you with his technical brilliance and soothing you with gorgeous, lilting quieter tunes. If I was going to be ultra picky, I’d say that his voice just lacks a little character, but his mastery of the acoustic guitar more than makes up for it.

Words: Darren Worth – Music Guru Magazine
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Album Launch Review – 19/11/05

Mark Wilson gathered together a suitably rag tag army of friends, family and fans at The View 2 Gallery in Liverpool, to celebrate the launch of his debut album ‘Play With Fire’.
The album is a fine reflection of his live persona, blistering percussive blues mixed with a hybrid of English rock ‘n’ folk styles that call into mind the likes of Nick Drake, Richard Thompson, Jimmy Page to name but three. The result is quite unique, eclectic, varied but with a sense of focus and always hugely entertaining.
Mark’s guitar style alone holds you riveted, trying to work out how he makes it sound the way he does. A one-man percussion unit, his hands, fingers, palms, thumbs all flail about the guitar’s body tapping out a relentless, driving rhythm that takes his Mersey Delta blues to other shores, far stranger, much darker and more menacing. He plays all the album and one is struck by just how varied the songs actually are.
The Blues songs are powerful whether hammering the notes from the fretboard (‘Play With Fire’) or grinding them out with a bottleneck (‘End Of The Line’, ‘Memories’). However it’s the other songs, those constructed around a gentler style, that really shine and enable you to see the true quality of his songwriting. ‘Lost’ and ‘Distant Sun’ are built around the kind of open guitar tunings that Jimmy Page used so effectively in his acoustic guitar work, the former being particularly reminiscent of Led Zepelin’s ‘Going To California’. ‘Realise’, tonight dedicated to his dad, is a beautifully picked folk tune with subtle melody lines while ‘Better Days’ has a slightly jazzy feel performed brilliantly, notes ‘popping’ and his vocals holding on to the songs melody, far stronger live than on the album.
It seems each song has it’s own tuning and despite Mark claiming to be “more nervous than ever” he copes superbly well. Final song ‘Finale’ is a lullaby that draws great cheers and an unrecorded instrumental as encore – an unnecessary token, the real work is completed, job well done!

Words: Chris Stevens – Whisperin and hollerin
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Album Launch Review – 19/11/05

In the hub of Matthew Street amid the amber atmosphere of The View Two Gallery; quality guitarist Mark Wilson casually introduced his debut album ‘Play With Fire’.
Mark explained, ‘It’s taken eight years to get to this point and it feels weirdly liberating. It’s like a journey has ended and now my next musical movement can begin.’ ‘Distant Sun’ was penned ten years ago and the singer songwriter overcame his fear of ‘gigging’ to step up to a welcoming stage.
His album is brilliant. There are echoes of Willy Mason in his title track and ‘Better Days’ catches potency of a young Paul Weller. Every harmony, rift and melody is like a soft rainbow comfort to the ears and because of its diversity it is anytime, any mood listening.

Words: Alicia Rose – Live Magazine

Bar Fresa – 28/07/05

A man who can lay claim to lapel-grabbing distinction is Mark Wilson. Marvellous Mark Wilson. Momentous Mark Wilson. My God! Mark Wilson.
Mark Wilson is an excellent singer songwriter. His songs are sketches, windows into emotions and instincts, fleeting glimpses at some truth. They are written for two guitars and percussion, yet Mark plays them alone. By playing both ends of
the guitar he creates his drum, bass and percussion. Within ten seconds of his arrival an inquisitive crowd gathered around him in an attempt to comprehend his magic. But Mark’s incredible abilility is much more than a novelty; his ability acts as servant to his songwriting craft. Mark’s songs are Erin Mckeown covering Lambchop, and to see them performed live is thrilling and bewildering. An encore was demanded.
It’s rather damning of the parlous state of British alternative music that the Razorlights of the world clutch record deals and quasi pretty boy fame for joining the dots when Mark Wilson is creating constellations by comparison.

Words: Greg Doyle and Whelan – BBC Liverpool
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Bar Fresa – 28/07/05

Mark Wilson provided astonishingly alternative guitar playing. With his own pioneering brand of ‘one man band’ he effortlessly spilled a set that can only be described as awesome.

Words: Alicia Rose – Live Magazine

Bar Fresa – 28/07/05

In all honesty, I wondered just how a sensible and mature looking Mark Wilson, armed with only an acoustic guitar, could follow the juvenile arrogance we’d just witnessed. The answer proved to be simple, with a style, panache and passion of his own delivered through his highly personalised brand of intense ‘percussive’ blues. His vocal delivery is rich and at times almost preacher like and I find myself thinking of 16 Horsepower’s hell ‘n’ damnation tales, perhaps not quite so bible black but you get the idea. His approach is particularly effective when he lays his guitar across his knees and employs a slide and accompanying rhythm beaten out simultaneously with fingers and palm – he does literally seem to become one with his instrument and the result is a veritable storm of frantic blues and insisant beats. For one song the beats resemble that of a tabla player and the slide imitates a sitar and we think of the more experimental moments of Jay Farrar’s more recent solo efforts. Then the guitar is tucked under his arm again and chords are flying from it with a Townsend like fervour and abandon. When this guy plays it’s like he possessed, there’s nothing else quite like him out there.

Words: Chris Stevens – WhisperinandHollerin.com
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Quiggins – 10/06/05

First on tonight is Mark Wilson, a singer songwriter who’s playing is incredibly rhythmic and infectious with his percussive style. When he started playing I was convinced it was a tribal fusion CD such was the enormity of the soundscape.

Words: Vinny Peculiar
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Bar Fresa – 24/03/05

Merseyside’s own Mark Wilson stirs the untouchable soul of Nick Drake from his grave with delicate, stirring folk vocals. His fingers weave a fine fabric of blues, rhythm as his guitar runs away with itself at dizzying speed, evoking the impression of a full band sound.

Words: Kate Horstead – Gigwise.com
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Bar Blu – 19/01/05

Mark Wilson sound checked whilst I was in mid conversation but I had to stop and listen as this percussive rhythm beat and guitar smacked me in the face. I leaned over to look for the drum box he was using and when I couldn’t find one, I assumed he was playing to a backing track. However before long I realised that Mark was creating the whole sound live from his acoustic guitar!!!
I kid you not, this guy’s act has to be seen to be believed. Mark Wilson plays drums, rhythm and lead, all at the same time on an ordinary acoustic guitar. During his set I found most people staring at his fingers, which were a blur from the speed of his playing.
How does anybody teach themselves to do that? Most people have an acoustic guitar lying around, and I bet tonight, there’s a few Mark Wilson fans dusting them down and looking at theirs in a different way.

Words: Steve Sync – Link2Wales.com
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Cardigan Arms – 16/01/05

The night finishes with Mark Wilson who is an amazingly talented guitarist, also using his guitar to great effect as percussion. He plays amazingly fast paced, bongo bashing (on the guitar) slide frenzies as I leave to cries of “encore”.

Words: Vibrations Magazine

Ormskirk Civic Hall – 22/10/04

Mark Wilson was absolutely fantastic, and conjured up some musical magic worthy of Merlin. I could have sat there for hours being hypnotised by this guy, making me feel useless at my instrument but ultimately making me feel good about it. I love guitars and people who can REALLY play them. The man’s fingerpicking is second to none, sometimes his hand just seemed to be possessed by some guitar playing demon. Everyone had their mouths wide open watching the stage and showing respect to the best guitarist to have graced the Lancashire Music Collective

Words: Gaz - Lancashire Music Collective

The Bedroom – 05/10/04

Mark Wilson has two things going for him. The first is that he is a great guitarist who plays like a tornado tearing up the fretboard. The second is that his voice is so emtional it could bring Mike Tyson to tears. A very different act that once around, you appreciate like a cold lager on a hot summer’s day. Very refreshing!

Words: Northern Uproar

The Cavern – 30/09/04

Mark Wilson will put the fear of God up every person who thinks they can play guitar. A few members of the audience asked if Mark was using backing tapes. Mark was not using anything other than his guitar, with no pedals. However he made it sound as though he had a full band accompanying him.

Words: Cazom Media

The Fenton – 19/09/04

Finishing things off was Mark Wilson and his magical guitar. Well, I assume it is in some magical, because that’s the only way to describe the multitude of sounds he somehow creates. Wilson creates basslines, melodies and drum beats all at the same time.
When you stick a brilliant voice and good songs on top of that, it is hard to do much more than sit and stare in awe as he works his way through perfect song after perfect song.

Words: Tom Goodhand – Sandman Leeds

The Wickerman Festival 2004

The acoustic stage plays host to the phenomenal Mark Wilson. Mark uses a loop unit to build up a full band sound. Starting with beats tapped out on the body of the guitar, he builds up multi-layered songs consisting of various loops, and then plays and sings over the top. He blew me away with infectious rhythm driven songs.

Words: Jon Wright – VirtualFestivals.com
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View Two Gallery – 3rd July 2004

Mark Wilson is an acoustic performer based in St Helens, who after a successful period with the support of a talented four-piece backing band, has now decided to go it alone. With folk and blues influences, Mark brings a combination of skill and eclecticism to the guitar, combining dexterous finger picking with brooding compositions.
They are beautiful songs with a deep running dark edge to them, depicting visions of failure, loneliness and melancholy, but driven forward with a chillingly simplistic beauty. Live favourite ‘Memories’ leaves you breathless with it’s thunderous railroad riffs that would have ‘Dueling Banjos’ running for cover. It’s songs like this that hint at what Mark Wilson is really capable of.

Words: Vicky Andrews – St Helens Star

Green Room – 01/07/2004

Mark Wilson performs tonight without the backing of his band, allowing his songs space to breath. At once energetic and driving within the band, the solo readings of these songs disclose an intimate beating heart. The performance sees Mark employing the use of an effects board to thump out and loop rhythms and motifs to accompany him on some songs. This demands great concentration and finesse but he carries it out in style. These songs showcase an amazingly mature talent.

Words: Martin Wills


Live @ The Green Room CD Review

His songs carry real sentiment and feeling; a combination of acoustic mastery, folk ballad lyricism and an expertly harnessed effects board providing background rhythms in this gem of a live record.

Words: Leeds Student Magazine


Demo Album Reviews

Mental Virus #2 magazine, June 04

The End of the Beginning
The Beginning of the End

Two albums from St Helens tunesmith Mark Wilson, The first starting with a loosening wave striding over the ears before a sabbatical beat and rhythm interrupts and takes over then fades into ‘Better Days’ in which we get a shuffling beat, piano and then that quiet, warm, melancholic voice that simmers, melts and sooths. The main thing about Mark is THAT voice. You know you are listening to the sound of an artist remarkably comfortable with his own sound. Songs such as ‘Lost’ and ‘Harlem’ shimmer with a vibrancy and vitality that shakes ones head, with eyes closed on every sunny afternoon.
These are introspective songs but not of the dull, sobering kind, rather, they seem celebratory despite their down hearted sentiment. On ‘Born Again’, he sings, “I’ll promise you the best time of your life” and in one way or another he backs this up with every song that follows.
Over two albums, it may be a little too much to take all this acoustic plucking and strumming, but Mark Wilson manages to keep the songs varied throughout, from tender picks to looser songs that drive on at a vibrant rhythm, these albums serve to establish Mark as a prominent singer songwriter.

Words: John Togher

S-Press Magazine, March 2004

The End of the Beginning
The Beginning of the End

These two albums reflect an exceptional body of work. The song writing is mature, finely tuned and backed up by cultured musicianship. The Beginning of the End begins with an ingenious, oriental instrumental, before spilling into the haunting ‘Better Days’. It is the superb tension between the keys and acoustic guitars that makes Mark’s sound so original and atmospheric. The beautiful ‘Distant Sun’ is marvelously constructed and totally uplifting. ‘Lost’ echoes Dylan in his ‘freewheelin’ period and ‘Harlem’ is a late night masterpiece. Other highlights include the Simon and Garfunkel-esque ‘Seasons’ and the bass driven ‘Losing Myself’.
There is a wealth of ability and vision hidden in these songs, and I truly believe it can only be a matter of time before some lucky record label realises this. There is a catalogue of songs here that would put a lot of famous artists to shame. There is a monster being created and I guess we are all going to come across it. If there was one word I would reserve for the future of this artist it is this: Exciting.

Words: Paul Mullen

Mark Wilson Band Reviews

The Tavern, Wigan - 15/ 05/ 04

Thank fuck for Mark Wilson and his band, who are the dons! Coming from the St Helens scene, with hints of Bob Dylan’s jaw dropping 70’s moneyspinner, the Rolling Thunder Revue, this is music with strong roots and reference points without being facsimiles of their heroes, rather, it’s forward looking, tuneful and memorable. Set closer ‘Memories’ is up there with anything performed at the venue this year, the rest of the set has a driving rhythmic punch, complimented by stabs of keys and Marks laconic, familiar voice. The Mark Wilson Band produce a joyous, affecting performance.

Words: Dan Thomas

Lux Club, Wigan - 14/ 04/ 04

Together is a term to describe The Mark Wilson Band. They are not just a bunch of individuals aiming for the spotlight each, they could be mistaken for The Traveling Wilburys. Made up of frantic percussion, railroad acoustics and whirling keys, added to a composed warm vocal, they exude a calm fury to what they do. ‘Touch’ is Stones blues fronted by Nick Drake with a, dare I say it, funky vibe. Most songs follow this jolly sounding traveling on open carriage railroads style, with melancholic musings about “dancing in the shadows” and the unrequited. The Mark Wilson Band possess obvious talent and a passion for the music. They are laid back and loose, yet tight and exciting and evoke Dylan’s Highway 61 rather than the A58.

Words: John Togher

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