On This Day 12/05/1982 Boomtown Rats

On this day, 12 May 1982, Irish punk band the Boomtown Rats played Cardiff’s Top Rank on their V Deep tour.

V Deep is the Boomtown Rats's fifth album, and the first to be released as a five-piece band, following the departure of guitarist Gerry Cott. It includes the minor hit single "House on Fire".

The name of the album is pronounced "five deep", not "vee deep" referring to the roman numeral 5. It refers to the fact that it is the band's fifth album and also that they became a five-piece following the departure of Gerry Cott.

The Boomtown Rats

Bob Geldof – vocals, saxophone

Pete Briquette – bass, vocals

Johnnie Fingers – keyboards, vocals

Simon Crowe – drums, vocals

Garry Roberts – guitar, vocals

On This Day 10/05/1985 The Colourfield

On this day, 10 May 1985, pop/rock band The Colourfield played Cardiff University. Formed by frontman Terry Hall following his departure from The Specials and Fun Boy Three, the group pivoted towards a sophisticated "jangle pop" and acoustic-based sound. The band had just released their debut album Virgins and Philistines. The album peaked at #12 in the UK album charts.

Virgins and Philistines failed to gain a large audience due to difficulty in marketing an album with such a diverse sound—it mixes 1960’s and early 1970’s pop music with more acoustic based melodies and string arrangements. The album is often regarded as the direct musical predecessor to the later work of The Lightning Seeds in the 1990s, with whom singer Terry Hall would later collaborate in a songwriting role whilst providing occasional vocals.

Virgins and Philistines contained all original material except "The Hammond Song" (a cover of The Roches song), and "Can’t Get Enough of You Baby" (written by Linzer/Randell and originally recorded by ? & The Mysterians), which was the only track that received much airplay. The album was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport (near Manchester) and was produced by Hugh Jones and Jeremy Green, and engineered by Chris Jones.

Setlist

The Colourfield

Pushing Up the Daisies

Faint Hearts

Your Love Was Smashing

Cruel Circus

Yours Sincerely

Sorry

Hammond Song

Virgins and Philistines

Thinking of You

Can't Get Enough of You Baby

Armchair Theatre

Take

Castles in the Air

On This Day 13/04/1980 Sham 69

On this day, 13 April 1980, punk/Oi rock band Sham 69 played Cardiff’s Top Rank. The band had recently released their fourth and final album The Game. Their single taken from the album Tell The Children reached #45 in the UK singles chart when released in March.

Formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They changed their musical direction after seeing the Sex Pistols play live in early 1976. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, achieving five top 20 singles, including "If the Kids Are United" and "Hurry Up Harry".

The group's popularity saw them perform on the BBC’s Top of the Pops, and they appeared in the rockumentary film D.O.A.. The original unit broke up in 1980, with frontman Jimmy Pursey moving on to pursue a solo career.

On This Day The Shamen 26/02/1989

O this day, 26 February 1989, Scottish psychedelic band The Shamen played The Venue, Cardiff on the band’s Synergy Tour. Support was provided by Jesus Jones.

The band had just released their second album, In Gorbachev We Trust. It is an important landmark in The Shamen's transition from the psychedelic rock of Drop to the electronic dance music that would bring them chart success. The "Gorbachev" of the album's title is Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991.

1989 was a busy year, as they set out on their Synergy tour, a nightclub experience, combined with live music from the Shamen and others like Orbital, and with DJing from Paul Oakenfold, Mixmaster Morris, Mr C, and Evil Eddie Richards.

The tour was to last nearly two years. Synergy was innovative at the time, as a touring rock dance club introducing live bands to clubbers, and house, techno and ambient DJs to rock fans. The Shamen also released the Phorward mini album, produced by ex-Fiction Factory singer/songwriter Kevin Patterson.

On This Day 15/10/1984 Hanoi Rocks

On this day, 15 October 1984, Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks played Cardiff’s New Ocean Club on their Two Steps From The Move Tour. Support was provided by Johnny Thunders.

Formed in 1979, they were the first Finnish band to chart in the UK and popular in Japan.

By 1984, the band was considered to be on the verge of an international breakthrough when they released their first major label album for CBS and headed for their first US tour.

In early 1984, Hanoi Rocks and Bob Ezrin recorded Two Steps from the Move,in New York and Toronto. Ezrin had invited Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople to help with the songwriting, and Hunter brought Jack Bruce (formerly of Cream), who in turn brought Pete Brown, to the recording sessions. Brown wrote a lot of lyrics, but the only one the band used was "Smoked a lot of sky, drank a lot of rain", in "Million Miles Away".

By the end of April the new album was almost ready for release, but Ezrin and the label thought that the album was missing a hit, so they recorded Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Up Around the Bend",[8] which was already a favorite of Michael Monroe and Nasty Suicide.

In May 1984, Hanoi Rocks went on tour in Bombay and Japan. In Japan, excitement over the band led to sold-out concert halls and fans following the band everywhere. Even in Finland people were baffled by the extent of the band's popularity in Japan.

The Japanese tour was followed by a tour across England and Scotland. British magazines raved about the band, and were certain that the next record would be their breakthrough. In June, the single "Up Around The Bend / Until I Get You" was released, but it also appeared as a double single and as an EP. A music video for "Up Around the Bend" was also produced. At the time it was the most expensive music video for any Finnish band. The song climbed to number 61 on the UK singles chart,and got radio airplay in America.

After a July tour in England, Two Steps from the Move, whose title was changed from Silver Missiles and Nightingales at the last minute, was released. It was their most successful album in the UK Albums Chart, where it peaked at number 28. "Underwater World / Shakes" and "Two Steps From the Move" were released as singles in the UK, and right away the band went on tour with Johnny Thunders.

In November the single "Don't You Ever Leave Me / Oil And Gasoline" was released, by which time the new album had sold 200,000 copies—most of them in the U.S. (60,000), Britain (50,000), and Finland (20,000). In the US the album sold 44,000 copies in its first two weeks.

After a Swedish tour, the band toured America until Michael Monroe fractured his ankle onstage at USA Sam's in Syracuse, New York, on 29 November, resulting in some of the dates being canceled. Los Angeles shows were all sold out in less than half an hour.

Setlist

Two Steps From the Move

Back to Mystery City

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

I Can't Get It

Visitor

Underwater World

High School

Motorvatin'

Don't Never Leave Me

Tragedy

Malibu Beach Nightmare

Taxi Driver

Million Miles Away

(aka Never Get Enough)

Up Around the Bend

(Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)

The Train Kept A-Rollin'

(Tiny Bradshaw cover)

Lost in the City

Until I Get You

I Feel Alright

Pills

(Bo Diddley cover)

Gloria

(Them cover)

On This Day 06/10/1982 Dexys Midnight Runners

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On this day, 6 October 1982, Midlands band Dexys Midnight Runners played Cardiff St David’s Hall on "The Bridge" tour. The band were accompanied by new-recruits, Spike Edney on trombone and saxophonist Kevin Gilson.

Earlier in the month the band released "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)" following on from the tremendous success of "Come On Eileen" earlier in the Summer.

The band had recently recorded their second studio album Too-Rye-Ay .

Shortly before recording this album, Dexys' bandleader Kevin Rowland had decided to add a violin section to the band's existing horn section, which had contributed strings (viola and cello) to the band's previous single, "Liars A to E".

However, after violinists Helen O'Hara and Steve Brennan joined the band, the three members of the horn section, including Dexys' co-leader and album co-composer "Big" Jim Paterson, decided to leave Dexys and become an independent horn band (ultimately known as The TKO Horns).

Rowland convinced them to stay with the band long enough to record the album and to perform in a kick-off concert debuting the album on BBC Radio One in June 1982.

All the songs on the album were rearranged to add strings, which caused Dexys to re-record the 1981 singles "Plan B", "Liars A to E", and "Soon". During the rearrangement process,

"Soon" was revised into the opening section of "Plan B"; since both songs were written by Rowland and Paterson, the merged songs are credited on the album simply as "Plan B".

Setlist

Old

Geno

The Celtic Soul Brothers

Let's Get This Straight From the Start

All in All (This One Last Wild Waltz)

Tell Me When My Light Turns Green

Plan B

Let's Make This Precious

I Couldn't Help If I Tried

Until I Believe in My Soul

Kevin Rowland's 13th Time

Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)

(Van Morrison cover)

Respect

(Otis Redding cover)

There, There, My Dear

Come on Eileen

Show Me

I'll Show You

On This Day 30/09/1983 Depeche Mode

On this day, 30 September 1983, electro-rock band Depeche Mode played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall on the band’s Construction Time Again Tour.

Construction Time Again was the group’s third studio album and the first to feature Alan Wilder as a member, who wrote the songs "Two Minute Warning" and "The Landscape Is Changing". The album's title comes from the second line of the first verse of the track "Pipeline".

It was recorded at John Foxx's Garden Studios in London, and was supported by the Construction Time Again Tour.

Review - South Wales Echo

In January 1983, shortly before the release of the "Get the Balance Right!" single, songwriter Martin Gore attended an Einstürzende Neubauten concert, giving him the idea to experiment with the sounds of industrial music in the context of pop.

This album introduced a transition in lyrical content for the group. Construction Time Again would include a bevy of political themes, sparked by the poverty Gore had seen on a then-recent trip he had taken to Thailand.

The album also saw a dramatic shift in the group's sound, due in part to Wilder's introduction of the Synclavier and E-mu Emulator samplers. By sampling the noises of everyday objects, the band created an eclectic, industrial-influenced sound, with similarities to groups such as the Art of Noise and Einstürzende Neubauten (the latter becoming Mute labelmates in 1983)

Review - South Wales Argus

Setlist

Everything Counts

Now, This Is Fun

Two Minute Warning

Shame

See You

Get the Balance Right

Love, in Itself

Pipeline

The Landscape Is Changing

And Then...

Photographic

Told You So

New Life

More Than a Party

Encore:

The Meaning of Love

Just Can't Get Enough

Encore 2:

Boys Say Go!

On This Day 20/09/1983 Gloria Gaynor

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On This Day, 20 September 1983, American singer and disco diva Gloria Gaynor played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall.

In 1980 and again in 1981, Gaynor released two disco albums that were virtually ignored in the United States due to the backlash against disco, which began late in 1979. The album's singles barely registered on urban contemporary radio, where disco music remained popular. In 1982, having looked into a wide variety of faiths and religious movements, she became a Christian and began to distance herself from a past she considered to be sinful. That same year, she released an album of mid-tempo R&B and pop-style songs entitled Gloria Gaynor.

Gaynor would achieve her final success in the 1980s with the release of her album I Am Gloria Gaynor in 1984. This was mainly due to the song "I Am What I Am", which became a hit at dance clubs, and then on the Club Play chart in late 1983/early 1984. "I Am What I Am" became a gay anthem and made Gaynor a gay icon.