On This Day 16/10/1974 Badfinger

On this day 16 October 1974, Welsh band Badfinger played Cardiff’s Top Rank supporting another Welsh band Man.

formed in Swansea in 1961. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). Initially known as the Iveys, the band renamed themselves Badfinger, after the working title for the Beatles' 1967 song "With a Little Help from My Friends" ("Bad Finger Boogie"). From 1968 to 1973, Badfinger recorded five albums for Apple Records and toured extensively, before they became embroiled in the chaos of Apple's dissolution.

Crises in band management, money, and band leadership were creating growing frictions within Badfinger. Guitarist Joey Molland's wife, Kathie, had been taking a more assertive role in the band's politics, which did not endear her to the rest of the band, particularly Ham.

Just before the start of rehearsals for an October 1974 UK tour, Ham suddenly quit Badfinger during a management meeting, standing up and shouting "I don't want Kathie managing the band! I'm leaving". He found a cottage in Wales, where he hoped to build a studio. He was quickly replaced by guitarist/keyboardist Bob Jackson, who was then idle after previous involvement with the Fortunes.

During Ham's three-week hiatus from the band, Polley tried to interest record companies in Ham as a solo act, but under pressure from Warner Brothers, Ham rejoined the band in time for the tour, as the company made it clear that it would have little to no interest in promoting Badfinger if Ham was not a part of it. Jackson remained as full-time keyboardist, making the band a quintet. After the UK tour, Molland quit of his own accord to pursue a solo career in December 1974.

On This Day 23/12/2000 Andy Fairweather Low, Man, Racing Cars

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On this day, 23 December 2000, Welsh rockers Andy Fairweather Low, Man and Racing Cars played Cardiff’s Coal Exchange venue.

Andrew Fairweather Low was a founding member and lead singer of 1960s pop band Amen Corner, and in recent years has toured extensively with Roger Waters, Eric Clapton and Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings.

Man were formed in November 1968 by Micky Jones (guitar and vocals), Deke Leonard (guitar and vocals), Clive John (keyboards and vocals), Ray Williams (bass guitar) and Jeff Jones (drums), in Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, out of previous local band The Bystanders. They were active through to 1976 with an ever-changing personnel, the last line-up consisting of Jones and Leonard with John McKenzie (bass), Terry Williams (drums) and Phil Ryan (keyboards). Amongst others, Martin Ace (guitar and bass) had a significant spell with group. They released 9 studio albums including the UK charting albums Back into the Future Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics and the live album Maximum Darkness. Their musical style is rock encompassing elements of psychedelia and progressive, and they are noted for their extended live improvisations.

Racing Cars was a Welsh pop band, formed in the Rhondda Valley, Wales in 1973. The only hit single was "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?", which peaked at number fourteen in the UK Singles Chart in 1977, and was inspired by the film, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Touring included dates supporting Bad Company in 1976.

On This Day 16/08/2005 Man

On this day 16 August 2005, legendary Welsh rock band Man played the Coal Exchange, Cardiff as part of the Titch Gwillym Foundation Concert. Also included were, Racing Cars, Sassafrass, Snatch it Back, Geraint Watkins, The Boogiemen and Mrs Huggett.

Formed in November 1968 as a reincarnation of the Welsh vocal group the Bystanders, Man is renowned for the extended jams during their live performances.

Man's style combined elements of psychedelia, space rock and progressive music.. With their debut album, Revelation, Man "positioned themselves between the space prog of Nektar and the acid-fried rock of Quicksilver Messenger Service".

According to AllMusic, "Man were one of the most promising rock bands to come out of Wales in the early '70s. Along with Brinsley Schwarz, they helped establish the core of the pub rock sound, but they played louder and also had a progressive component to their work that separated them from many of their rivals."

Member Martin Ace has denied that Man is a pub rock band, saying, "We ended up playing in pubs, but it would be completely false to lump us in with that scene. Dire Straits were a pub rock band, not us. Terry [Williams, a former member of Man] went on to join Rockpile, who were the definitive pub rock band, but we sounded nothing like them.”

The BBC called Man a progressive rock band and "psych-prog titans". Classic Rock magazine called Man a jam band.[44] Frank Zappa was an admirer of Man's music, and once described Man guitarist Micky Jones as "one of the 10 best guitarists in the world".

On this day 29th July 1971 Van Der Graaf Generator/Man

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On this day, 29 July 1971, English prog-rock band played Barry Memorial Hall with support provided by Welsh rockers Man.

Formed in 1967 in Manchester by singer-songwriters Peter Hammill and Chris Judge Smith they were the first act signed by Charisma Records.

They did not experience much commercial success in the UK, but became popular in Italy during the 1970s.

In 2005 the band reformed, and are still musically active with a line-up of Hammill, organist Hugh Banton and drummer Guy Evans.

The band had released their third album, H to He, Who Am the Only One, the previous December. To promote the album, the band went on Charisma's "Six Bob Tour" with Genesis and Lindisfarne. As Van der Graaf Generator had been signed to Charisma the longest, they were the headline act.

During the Summer months the band had been busy touring whilst also recording the follow-up album Pawn Hearts, released October 1971.

Welsh band Man had recently released their self-titled third studio album in March 1971.

It was the first album to feature drummerTerry Williams having replaced Jeff Jones on drums, while Martin Ace replaced Ray Williams on bass.