On This Day 17/10/1992 Pulp

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On this day, 17 October 1992, rock band Pulp played Cardiff University on their Babies tour. Also playing the same night at another venue at the University were the Manic Street Preachers.

An NME article wrongly listed the October 17 show as the Manic Street Preachers headlining with Pulp as support, despite the fact they were playing different venues at the university.

Pulp had recently released their single Babies which is considered to have kickstarted their success.

Pulp were formed in 1978 at The City School in Sheffield by Jarvis Cocker, then 15 years old, and Peter Dalton, then 14. Cocker's original preference was to name the band after the film Pulp starring Michael Caine, though it was decided that this was too short. Instead, the two took inspiration from a copy of the Financial Times which listed the Arabicas coffee bean in its commodity index. Cocker and Dalton used this, with a slight spelling change, and the band became "Arabicus".

On This Day 09/10/1976 Climax Blues Band

On this day, 9 October 1976, blues, rock and pop band Climax Blues Band played Cardiff University.

The band had just found chart success with the song Couldn’t Get It Right taken from their eighth studio album Gold Plated.

The song was originally released by RCA Records in early 1976. Although the song did not make the UK Singles Chart until October 1976 it did manage to crack the top ten, entering at #47 and departing from #18 in early December 1976, having been at positions #10 and #11 the weeks before. It reached #8 in Canada and #29 in New Zealand.

Later on that year, the song was picked up by Sire Records and the following year it made #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Later that year, the song was ranked #32 on Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1977.

The band were formed in Stafford, Staffordshire, England in 1968 by vocalist, saxophonist, guitarist and harmonica player Colin Cooper (1939–2008), guitarist, bassist and vocalist Pete Haycock (1951–2013), guitarist Derek Holt (b. 1949), bassist and keyboardist Richard Jones (b. 1949), drummer George Newsome (b. 1947) and keyboardist Arthur Wood (1929–2005).[2]

Holt tells of their formation:

"When I left school, I went to work in a local grinding wheel factory as a laboratory assistant and attending college for a degree in Chemistry. Colin Cooper also worked there as a metallurgist, so that's how we met. He had already discovered a young Peter Haycock and had wanted to put a blues band together. He was already gigging with a jazz band on clarinet. We started doing local gigs with local drummer George Newsome and a keyboard player named Arthur Wood, who at the time was a school teacher. Our bass player then was Richard Jones, who also knew Pete from grammar school. I was rhythm guitarist. While playing local gigs we were "discovered" by a scout for the new EMI label Parlophone, who was on the look out for a young blues/rock outfit for their label. We signed up for two albums with them, though we still had day jobs, so had to take time off work to go and record in London. Our first album was recorded over two days in the infamous Abbey Road Studios in 1968. We were in Studio 1, The Beatles were in Studio 2 and Pink Floyd in Studio 3! I was just 19 years of age.”

On This Day 04/10/1976 The Runaways

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On this day, 4 October 1976, US rock band The Runaways played Cardiff University.

The Runaways were formed in August 1975[5] by drummer Sandy West and guitarist Joan Jett after they had separately introduced themselves to producer Kim Fowley, who gave Jett's phone number to West. Fowley then helped the girls find other members.

Two decades later he said, "I didn't put the Runaways together, I had an idea, they had ideas, we all met, there was combustion and out of five different versions of that group came the five girls who were the ones that people liked."

Starting as a power trio with singer/bassist Micki Steele, the Runaways began the party and club circuit around Los Angeles. They soon added lead guitarist Lita Ford and Jett switched to rhythm guitar. Steele was soon fired from the group, replaced by bassist Peggy Foster, who left after just one month. Lead singer Cherie Currie was recruited in a local teen nightclub called the Sugar Shack, followed by Jackie Fox on bass.

The Runaways were signed to Mercury Records in 1976 and their debut album, The Runaways, was released shortly afterward.

The band toured the U.S. in support of headlining groups such as Cheap Trick, Van Halen, Talking Heads, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

For their stage performance, the documentary Edgeplay: A Film About the Runaways (directed by former Runaway bassist Vicki Blue) revealed each girl patterned herself after their musical idol: Currie on David Bowie, Jett on Suzi Quatro, Ford on a cross between Jeff Beck and Ritchie Blackmore, West on Roger Taylor, and Fox on Gene Simmons.

On This Day 03/10/1978 Ramones

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On this day, 3 October 1978, NY Punk rock pioneers The Ramones played Cardiff University.

The band had just released Road to Ruin, their fourth studio album released on September 21, 1978, through Sire Records.

It was the first Ramones album to feature new drummer Marky Ramone, who replaced Tommy Ramone. Tommy left the band due to low sales of previous albums as well as stress he experienced while touring; however, he stayed with the band to produce the album with Ed Stasium.

The artwork's concept was designed by Ramones fan Gus MacDonald and later modified by John Holmstrom to include Marky instead of Tommy. The album includes the well-known track "I Wanna Be Sedated".

SETLIST

"Rockaway Beach"

"Teenage Lobotomy"

"Blitzkrieg Bop"

"I Don't Want You"

"Go Mental"

"Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment"

"You're Gonna Kill That Girl"

"Don't Come Close"

"I Just Want to Have Something to Do"

"Bad Brain"

"She's the One"

"Sheena Is a Punk Rocker"

"Havana Affair"

"Commando"

"Needles and Pins" (Jackie DeShannon cover)

"Surfin' Bird" (The Trashmen cover)

"Cretin Hop"

"Listen to My Heart"

"California Sun" (Joe Jones cover)

"I Don't Wanna Walk Around with You"

"Pinhead"

Encore:

"Do You Want to Dance" (Bobby Freeman cover)

"I Wanna Be Sedated"

"Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World"

Encore 2:

"Judy Is a Punk"

"Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue"

"We're a Happy Family"

On This Day 28/09/2004 The Music

On this day, 28 September 2004, alternative rock band The Music played Cardiff University on their Welcome To The North tour.

Formed in Kippax, Leeds in 1999. Comprising Robert Harvey (vocals, guitar), Adam Nutter (lead guitar), Stuart Coleman (bass) and Phil Jordan (drums), the band came to prominence with the release of their self-titled debut album in 2002. The band released two further studio albums, Welcome to the North (2004) and Strength in Numbers (2008), before parting ways in 2011.

Welcome to the North received mixed reviews from critics, some of whom commented on the production and song quality, while others highlighted the array of musical styles. The album reached number eight in the UK Albums Chart; it reached the top 30 in both Japan and Australia, as well as the lower reaches of the Irish and French charts. "Freedom Fighters" peaked within the top 20 of the UK, in addition to charting in the Netherlands and the US. "Breakin'" reached a similar position in the UK, alongside charting in Australia and the US. Welcome to the North was certified silver in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry a few days after release, and later went gold in early 2005.

On This Day 22/09/1995 Julian Cope

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On this day, 22 September 1995, Welsh-born singer-songwriter Julian Cope played Cardiff University in support of his latest album 20 Mothers.

Review South Wales Echo

Released in August 1995 by Echo. 20 Mothers was Cope’s the twelfth solo album. The album's sub-title is "Better to Light a Candle Than to Curse the Darkness".

It was well received by the critics and reached number 20 on the UK Albums Chart. The album revisits many of Cope's existing lyrical themes along with more personal and reflective material dealing with his own family. Cope described 20 Mothers as an album of "love songs and devotional songs" ranging from "pagan rock 'n' roll through sci-fi pop to bubblegum trance music".

The main Cope collaborators on the album include keyboard player and string arranger Thighpaulsandra, drummer Rooster Cosby and guitarist Michael "Moon-Eye" Watts in place of multi-instrumentalist Donald Ross Skinner, who only contributes omnichord on a few tracks. There are also contributions by old associates in the shape of bassist James Eller and producer Ed Stasium. The album was preceded by the single "Try, Try, Try", which reached number 24 in the UK Singles Chart.

On This Day 25/08/2011 Half Man Half Biscuit

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On this day, 25 August 2011, Birkenhead band Half Man Half Biscuit played Cardiff University.

Known for their satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs, the band comprises lead singer and guitarist Nigel Blackwell, bassist and singer Neil Crossley, drummer Carl Henry, and guitarist Karl Benson.

Their debut album, 1985's Back in the DHSS, topped the UK Indie Chart and reached number 60 in the UK Albums Chart. Its title was a play on The Beatles' "Back in the U.S.S.R." and also a reference to the DHSS, the government department that dealt with the unemployed, Nigel Blackwell having been on unemployment benefits since 1979.

The band's first single, "The Trumpton Riots", topped the UK Indies Singles Chart in 1986, and they went on to perform at Glastonbury Festival. The second single, "Dickie Davies Eyes", also topped the indie chart. In late 1986, the band split up, giving as reason "musical similarities". The album Back Again in the DHSS, containing previously issued, unreleased and live tracks, followed.

The band reformed in 1990, with a performance at the Reading Festival following, and a new single, "Let's Not", issued before the year was out, followed in 1991 by a collaboration with Margi Clarke on a version of Edith Piaf's "No Regrets". Half Man Half Biscuit were championed by DJ John Peel, for whom they recorded twelve sessions, and it was on his programme in 1990 that the band announced their return.

Half Man Half Biscuit turned down the chance to appear on The Tube, as Tranmere Rovers were playing that night, even though Channel Four offered to fly them by helicopter to the game. Blackwell has been a fan of the team since "sometime after the Coventry City cup win in 1968".

Andy Kershaw has described Half Man Half Biscuit as "England's greatest folk band"[16] and "the most authentic British folk band since The Clash".

Setlist

The Light at the End of the Tunnel (Is the Light of an Oncoming Train)

When the Evening Sun Goes Down

Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus

Play Video

Monmore, Hare's Running

Uffington Wassail

Petty Sessions

Bob Wilson - Anchorman

Surging Out of Convalescence

Running Order Squabble Fest

Turned Up Clocked On Laid Off

All I Want for Christmas Is a Dukla Prague Away Kit

Restless Legs

Tending the Wrong Grave for 23 Years

For What Is Chatteris...

Left Lyrics in the Practice Room

National Shite Day

Twenty Four Hour Garage People

Look Dad No Tunes

We Built This Village on a Trad. Arr. Tune

Them's the Vagaries

Vatican Broadside

(preceded by There Stands The Glass)

The Trumpton Riots

Joy Division Oven Gloves

Encore:

Tommy Walsh's Eco House

Calon Lan

([traditional] cover)

Help Me, Rhonda

(The Beach Boys cover)

Everything's A.O.R.

99% of Gargoyles Look Like Bob Todd

On This Day 14/08/2011 Kid In Glass Houses

On this day, 14 August 2011, Welsh pop/rock band Kid In Glass Houses played Cardiff University. Their third studio album In Gold Blood was released the following day.

In Gold Blood received critical acclaim upon its release. Many reviewers has stated In Gold Blood possesses a clear sign of progression and showing the band writing more album oriented rock. Rocksound gave it exceptional praise, saying "It's the absolute meeting point of a band's potential and their promise, and it has come at the perfect time in their career. Well done Kids in Glass Houses - you've surprised even us.

Tom Aylott from Punktastic.com said "The next big question for the band will be on how to progress next, but fortunately that's a question they won't have to answer for a while and they can rest easy knowing 'In Gold Blood' is everything they wanted to be, even if it rubs a few up the wrong way."[18] Sean Dyer of Media Essentials also commented on how the sound of the album will receive mixed opinion from Kids in Glass Houses' fanbase; saying: "No doubt this record will go over some of KIGH’s fans but most will appreciate this sound and drive to achieve something new and different."

The band's name is inspired by the lyrics "not throwing stones at you anymore" from the Glassjaw song "Tip Your Bartender".The quintet had a series of support slots during late 2006 and early 2007, playing alongside Thirty Seconds to Mars, Hundred Reasons, Manic Street Preachers and The Goo Goo Dolls and Fall Out Boy. In the band's early stages, they also shared the stage with the likes of Funeral for a Friend and The Used on the Taste of Chaos 2005 UK tour in Cardiff. They released their debut full-length EP E-Pocalypse! on 9 October 2006.

During their time as an unsigned band, the band garnered a rare and unprecedented amount of press and support from rock media, including Kerrang! and NME as well as BBC Radio 1 and XFM.

Setlist

Gold Blood

Youngblood (Let It Out)

Undercover Lover

For Better or Hearse

Animals

Artbreaker I

Hunt the Haunted

Sunshine

Saturday

Fire

Encore:

Not in This World

Give Me What I Want