On This Day 26/05/1978 The Adverts

On this day, 26 May 1978, punk rock band The Adverts played Cardiff’s Top Rank. Support was provided by The Nylonz.

The band were touring in support of their debut album Crossing the Red Sea with The Adverts released in February.

The album was preceded by the single "No Time to Be 21", which reached No. 34 on the UK Singles Chart. Crossing the Red Sea with the Adverts reached No. 38 on the UK Albums Chart.

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Dave Thompson called the album "a devastating debut" and "one of the finest albums not only of the punk era but of the 1970s as a whole". Trouser Press said that "in its own way", the album "is the equal of the first Sex Pistols or The Clash; a hasty statement that captures an exciting time".

T. V. Smith – vocals

Gaye Advert – bass guitar, vocals

Howard Pickup – guitar, vocals

Laurie Driver – drums

On This Day 18/04/1978 X Ray Spex

On this day, 18 April 1978, punk rockers X-Ray Spex played Cardiff’s Top Rank. The band had recently released The Day the World Turned Day-Glo" / "I Am a Poseur" which peaked at No. 23 UK singles chart.

Formed in 1976 in London. They were led by Poly Styrene, who formed the band after watching the Sex Pistols live. Styrene was one of the most distinctive personalities in the British punk movement, because of her singing style and atypical and unorthodox appearance, taking influences from reggae as well as punk. Her lyrics primarily dealt with anti-consumerism and anti-capitalism.

During their first incarnation (1976–1979), X-Ray Spex released five singles and one album. Their 1977 single "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" and 1978 debut album Germfree Adolescents are widely acclaimed as classic punk releases.

On This Day 17/04/1967 Bo Diddley

On this day, 17 April 1967, American blues rock ‘n’ roller Bo Diddley played Cardiff’s Top Rank. Support was provided by Creation.

Diddley’s use of African rhythms and a signature beat, a simple five-accent hambone rhythm, is a cornerstone of hip hop, rock, and pop music. In recognition of his achievements, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2003, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2017.

He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.Diddley is also recognized for his technical innovations, including his use of tremolo and reverb effects to enhance the sound of his distinctive rectangular guitars.

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 01/04/1981 The Spizzles, a.k.a. Athletico Spizz ‘80

On this day, 1 April 1981, punk/new wave band The Spizzles played Cardiff’s Top Rank. Support was provided by Department S.

They were a specific incarnation of the ever-changing group led by vocalist and guitarist Spizz (Kenneth Spiers), who famously changed the band's name every year to reflect new musical directions.

The band adopted the name The Spizzles in 1981 when Lu Edmonds (formerly of The Damned and later Public Image Ltd) joined the lineup. Under this name, they shifted toward a "science-fiction weirdo" sonic image, blending punk energy with post-punk experimentation.

Before and after their stint as The Spizzles (1981) the band operated under various other names:

Spizzoil (1978–1979): Early punk phase.

Spizzenergi (1979–1980): Famous for the hit "Where's Captain Kirk?", which topped the first-ever UK Indie Chart.

Athletico Spizz 80 (1980): Released the album Do a Runner.

Spizzenergi 2 (1982): The final iteration of the original 1980s run.

On This Day 29/03/1983 Tears For Fears

On this day, 29 March 1983 rock band Tears for Fears played Cardiff’s Top Rank. Support was provided by Verba Verba.

The tour was to promote their debut album The Hurting which had just been released which reached #1 on the UK album chart.

On This Day 25/10/1977 Fabulous Poodles

On This Day, 25 October 1977, pre-new wave rock band Fabulous Poodles played Cardiff’s Top Rank. The band had recently released their John Entwisle produced debut album Fabulous Poodles.

The Fabulous Poodles were a British pre-new wave band formed in 1975. Known for quirky stage antics, such as exploding ukuleles, as well as songs with funny lyrics, The Fabulous Poodles toured with Meat Loaf, Sha Na Na, Tom Petty, Bill Bruford and Chuck Berry (as backing band).

They appeared on the Old Grey Whistle Test and for a long time were music critic John Peel's favourite group. The band released three albums between 1977 and 1979 on Pye Records.One of more memorable acts to rise from the British new wave scene of the late '70s, the Fabulous Poodles combined a lean, rootsy sound (complete with fiddle) and bar band stomp with an insouciant energy and a very British sense of humor that won them a cult following in the U.K. and the U.S.

Originally a pub rock act known as the Poodles, they released their first album in 1977. While the debut and 1978's Unsuitable were only modestly successful at home, their American debut, Mirror Stars (featuring tracks from the first two albums) sold well thanks to heavy touring and radio play of the title track. While 1979's Think Pink was musically strong, it didn't match the success of Mirror Stars, and in 1980 the band folded, though occasional reissues of its catalog kept the group's legacy alive

The Fabulous Poodles began life simply as the Poodles, a band active on the U.K. pub rock circuit. Formed in London in 1974, the Poodles featured Tony de Meur on lead vocals and guitar; Jon Bentley on bass and vocals; Bob Suffolk on piano; Bobby Valentino on violin, mandolin, and vocals; and Gordon Coxon on drums. (John Parsons, while never a proper member of the Poodles, would contribute songwriting to the group throughout its career.)

The Poodles earned a reputation for their eccentric live shows, featuring a strong dose of comedy and the use of props on-stage, and they landed a one-off record deal with Private Stock Records, which issued "Chicago Boxcar (Boston Back)" b/w "Love and Sorrow" in early 1975. The single flopped, and Bentley, Suffolk, and Coxon left the group (Suffolk went on to a successful career designing recording studios).

Bringing aboard a new rhythm section -- bassist Richie Robertson and drummer Bryn Burrows -- the group soldiered on as the Fabulous Poodles, and as punk and new wave became the latest news in British rock, their offbeat style and quirky humor found a context where they fit in.

In 1977, they signed with Pye Records, and their debut album, simply titled The Fabulous Poodles and produced by John Entwistle of the Who, appeared later that year. While the album received a positive review from rock critic and DJ John Peel and earned the band a spot on the BBC music series The Old Grey Whistle Test (where the group's antics managed to outrage host Bob Harris), the album didn't fare well commercially, despite extensive touring in the U.K. and Europe.

On This Day 24/10/1978 Squeeze

On this day, 24 October 1978, rock band Squeeze played Cardiff’s Top Rank supporting Dr Feelgood.

The band's founding members in March 1974 were Chris Difford (guitar, vocals, lyrics), and Glenn Tilbrook (vocals, guitar, music). Difford claims that in 1973, he stole 50p from his mother's purse to put a card in a local sweetshop window to advertise for a guitarist to join his band, although he was not actually in a band at the time. Tilbrook was the only person who responded to the advertisement.

Difford and Tilbrook began writing songs together, and soon added Jools Holland (keyboards) and Paul Gunn (drums) to form an actual band. The group performed under several names, most frequently "Captain Trundlow's Sky Company" or "Skyco", before selecting the band name "Squeeze" as a facetious tribute to the Velvet Underground's oft-derided 1973 album Squeeze.

Gilson Lavis replaced Gunn on drums, and Harri Kakoulli joined on bass in 1975.

Squeeze's early career was spent around Deptford in south-east London, where they were part of a lively local music scene which included Alternative TV and Dire Straits. Though the group was initially signed to Miles Copeland III's BTM Records, the label went under in late 1976, and so their early singles and debut EP, 1977's Packet of Three, were released on the Deptford Fun City label.

Squeeze's first EP and most of their self-titled debut album (1978) were produced by John Cale for A&M Records. Cale had been a member of Velvet Underground from whose album Squeeze took their name. However, the debut album's two hit singles ("Take Me I'm Yours" and "Bang Bang") were produced by the band themselves, as the label found Cale's recordings uncommercial