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 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.

On This Day 08/06/1989 Elvis Costello

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On this day, 8 June 1989, singer/songwriting legend Elvis Costello played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall. Support was provided by Nick Lowe.

Costello had just released his 12th studio album Spike, his first since My Aim Is True without the Attractions. The album peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart. It also reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200 thanks to the single and his most notable American hit, "Veronica", which reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the US Modern Rock chart.

Costello had just released his 12th studio album Spike, his first since My Aim Is True without the Attractions. The album peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart. It also reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200 thanks to the single and his most notable American hit, "Veronica", which reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the US Modern Rock chart.

Review - Glamorgan Gazette

In 1987, Costello began writing with Paul McCartney for the latter's Flowers in the Dirt album. They composed a dozen songs together, which showed up on multiple albums by McCartney and Costello. Two of those songs appear on this album, "Pads, Paws and Claws" and the hit single "Veronica".

Review South Wales Argus

As his first album for a new label Warner Bros, in his own words Costello had the budget of "a small independent movie", and having in mind the blueprint for five different albums, decided to make all of them. He brought back his foil from King of America, T Bone Burnett, to facilitate the sessions and produce the album. Studio time was booked in four different locations: Ocean Way in Hollywood; Southlake Studios in New Orleans; Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin; and AIR Studios in London. Four different groups of musicians were assembled in each location. Writing credits on the album are given to both Elvis Costello and Declan MacManus, Costello's birth name.

Setlist

01. Accidents Will Happen

02. Brilliant Mistake

03. Deep Dark Truthful Mirror

04. Watching The Detectives

05. So Like Candy

06. Veronica

07. God's Comic - including Last Train To Clarksville and Love And Marriage

08. New Amsterdam / You've Got To Hide Your Love Away

09. American Without Tears

10. That Day Is Done - on piano

11. Pads, Paws And Claws

12. Leave My Kitten Alone

13. Radio Sweetheart / Jackie Wilson Said

14. Indoor Fireworks - with Nick Lowe

15. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding? - with Nick Lowe

Encore 1

16. Alison

17. Days

Encore 2

18. Let Him Dangle

19. Pump It Up - with beatbox - including I Feel Pretty instrumental

Encore 3

20. Shipbuilding - on piano

21. Pills And Soap - on piano

22. Tramp The Dirt Down

On This Day 30/05/2012 Mumford & Sons

On this day, 30 May 2012, folk rock band Mumford & Sons played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall on their Sigh No More tour.

Formed in London in 2007, the band consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums), Ted Dwane (vocals, double bass, bass guitar), and Ben Lovett (vocals, keyboards, synths, piano).

Mumford & Sons have released five studio albums: Sigh No More (2009), Babel (2012), Wilder Mind (2015), Delta (2018), and Rushmere (2025). Their debut Sigh No More peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and the Billboard 200 in the US, with Babel, Wilder Mind and Delta all debuting at number one in the US, the former becoming the fastest-selling rock album of the decade and leading to a headline performance at Glastonbury Festival in 2013.

The band has won music awards throughout their career, with Sigh No More earning the band the Brit Award for Best British Album in 2011, a Mercury Prize nomination and six overall Grammy Award nominations. The live performance at the 2011 Grammy ceremony with Bob Dylan and The Avett Brothers led to a surge in popularity for the band in the US. The band received eight total Grammy nominations for Babel and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The band also won the Brit Award for Best British Group in 2013 and an Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement in 2014.

Setlist

Lovers' Eyes

Roll Away Your Stone

Winter Winds

White Blank Page

Timshel

(off-mic at the front of the stage)

Below My Feet

Little Lion Man

Lover of the Light

Thistle & Weeds

Whispers in the Dark

Broken Crown

Ghosts That We Knew

Awake My Soul

Dust Bowl Dance

Encore:

Where Are You Now

The Cave

On This Day 29/05/1999 Mike and the Mechanics

On this day, 29 May 1999, rock super group Mike and the Mechanics played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall.

Formed in Dover in 1985 by Mike Rutherford, initially as a side project during a hiatus period for his other group Genesis. The band are known for the hit singles "Silent Running", "All I Need Is a Miracle", "Taken In", "The Living Years", "Word of Mouth", and "Over My Shoulder".

Initially, the band included Rutherford (the only constant member), vocalists Paul Carrack and Paul Young, keyboardist Adrian Lee, and drummer Peter Van Hooke. After a decade together, Lee and Van Hooke dropped out in 1995 and were not replaced. Following Young's death in 2000, Carrack became the band's sole lead vocalist until 2004 when the band (essentially a duo at this point) dissolved, with Rutherford and Carrack both agreeing the band had "run its course". In 2010, the band was revived with Rutherford headlining a completely new set of musicians, including vocalists Andrew Roachford and Tim Howar.

On His Day 24/05/1987 Tammy Wynette

On this day, 24 May 1987, American country music legend Tammy Wynette played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall. She was about to release her 27th album Higher Ground.

Wynette had a mezzo-soprano vocal range and was known for delivering singing performances with an emotional vulnerability that has been described as a "teardrop" vocal style. This delivery also helped her become billed as the "Heroine of Heartbreak".

Her original producer was the first to give Wynette the "teardrop" moniker. The Country Music Hall of Fame wrote, "Her gripping, teardrop-in-every-note vocal style seemed to weep with emotion, while she elaborated on the theme that suffering ennobles a woman."

Other publications described Wynette's emotional depth in other ways. Rolling Stone wrote, "Tammy could sustain power and complexity, whether whispering in your ear or shoving you up against a wall of sound."

The New York Times wrote, "When the songs moved toward honky-tonk or old-fashioned weepers, Ms. Wynette did more than navigate the melody dutifully; her voice showed the emotional depth that was smothered elsewhere." In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Wynette at number 127 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Wynette helped bring a female's perspective to country music. Her music spoke for rural and working-class women who previously lacked representation in the genre. Wynette's music also helped eliminate some of the male bias at country radio by expanding women into the record-buying public.

Along with Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, Wynette elevated the popularity of female country artists. In total, Wynette had 39 singles reach the Billboard country chart while 20 topped the same chart. She has been said to have sold roughly 30 million records worldwide.

On This Day 19/05/1995 Chuck Berry

On this day, 19 May 1995, rock ‘n’ roll legend Chuck Berry played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall.

A pioneer of rock and roll, Berry was a significant influence on the development of both the music and the attitude associated with the rock music lifestyle. With songs such as "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), "Rock and Roll Music" (1957) and "Johnny B. Goode" (1958), Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive, with lyrics successfully aimed to appeal to the early teenage market by using graphic and humorous descriptions of teen dances, fast cars, high school life, and consumer culture, and utilizing guitar solos and showmanship that would be a major influence on subsequent rock music.

Review - South Wales Echo

Review - South Wales Argus

On This Day 15/05/1983 Iron Maiden

On this day, 15 May 1983, heavy metal rock band Iron Maiden played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall on their World Piece tour in support of their fourth album, A Piece Of Mind.

The band were supported by Grand Prix.

review - South Wales Argus

In 1983, they released their fourth studio album, Piece of Mind, which reached the No. 3 spot in the UK, and No. 14 on the Billboard 200.

Piece of Mind features the successful singles "The Trooper" and "Flight of Icarus", the latter being notable as one of the band's few songs to gain substantial airplay in the US.

The other notable songs of the album are "Where Eagles Dare" (based on so same entitled movie with Clint Eastwood starring), "Revelations", "Die with Your Boots On" and an epic "To Tame a Land" based on Frank Herbert's novel titled "Dune".

Iron Maiden played 151 concerts in Europe and North America as a part of World Piece Tour. For the very the first time they booked a massive North America tour as headliners.

Nearly 90 shows took place in 10,000 + capacity arenas, and the band sold out Madison Square Garden with a crowd of 20,000.

In London, they played four consecutive nights at the Hammersmith Odeon, then toured many large venues across Western Europe, including an extensive German leg.

The World Piece Tour was summed up by two headlining performances at the Rock & Pop Festival at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund. The show was broadcast live to 300 million people with the exception of the song "Iron Maiden" due to the band's "violent behaviour on stage".

The final night of the tour in Dortmund saw the band "kill" their mascot Eddie after the song "Iron Maiden". Bruce Dickinson took the brain out of Eddie's head while the rest of the band kicked and pummelled the mascot, while guitarist Dave Murray smashed his Fender Stratocaster on Eddie's neck and a nearby amplifier.

Setlist

1 Intro – theme from Where Eagles Dare

2 "Where Eagles Dare" (from Piece of Mind, 1983)

3 "Wrathchild" (from Killers, 1981)

4 "The Trooper" (from Piece of Mind, 1983)

5 "Revelations" (from Piece of Mind, 1983)

6 "Flight of Icarus" (from Piece of Mind, 1983)

7 "Die with Your Boots On" (from Piece of Mind, 1983)

8 "22 Acacia Avenue" (from The Number of the Beast, 1982)

9 "The Number of the Beast" (from The Number of the Beast, 1982)

10 "Still Life" (from Piece of Mind, 1983) (Dropped after 12 June 1983)

11 "To Tame a Land" (from Piece of Mind, 1983)

12 "Phantom of the Opera" (from Iron Maiden, 1980) (Dropped after 12 June 1983)

13 "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (from The Number of the Beast, 1982)

14 "Iron Maiden" (from Iron Maiden, 1980)

15 "Run to the Hills" (from The Number of the Beast, 1982)

16 "Sanctuary" (from Iron Maiden, 1980)

17 "Drifter" (from Killers, 1981)

18 "Prowler" (from Iron Maiden, 1980)