On This Day 12/02/1977 Bryan Ferry

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On this day, 12 February 1977, Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry played Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre on his In Your Mind tour, first World solo tour. Support in the UK was provided by illusion.

In Your Mind was Ferry’s fourth solo studio album and It was his first solo album of all original songs. It was released after Ferry's band Roxy Music went on a four-year hiatus, it was supported by an extensive tour.

His band included Roxy bandmates Phil Manzanera & Paul Thompson and performed mainly tracks from his solo albums and a few tracks from Roxy's catalouge.

Chris Spedding joined Bryan for this tour after making a deal with Bryan's management to help promote his next album 'Hurt'

One of the Japanese shows were captured on film and has been shown on Japanese TV

The Junior Walker song 'Roadrunner' was part of the live set though Ferry had never recorded it before and The Beatles 'Ticket To Ride' was performed at some USA shows.

Typical Set List

Let's Stick Together

Shame, Shame, Shame

Roadrunner

All Night Operator

Party Doll

You Go To My Head

Could It Happen To Me

In Your Mind

Casanova

Love Me Madly Again

Love Is The Drug

Tokyo Joe

This Is Tomorrow

The 'In' Crowd

A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

The Price Of Love

It's My Party (Selected Shows)

Tracks Of My Tears (Selected Shows)

Ticket To Ride (Selected Shows)

Tour Musicians & Credits

Bryan Ferry Vocals

Paul Thompson Drums

Phil Manzanera Guitars

Chris Spedding Guitars

Ann O'Dell Keyboards

John Wetton Bass

Dyan Birch Backing Vocals

Frank Collins Backing Vocals

Mel Collins Sax

Paddie McHugh Backing Vocals

Martin Drover Brass

Chris Mercer Brass

On This Day 11/02/1975 Medicine Head

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On this day, 11 February 1975, Blues/Rock band Medicine Head played Cardiff College of Technology.

Initially a duo – active in the 1970s their biggest single success was in 1973, with "One and One Is One," a Number 3-hit on the UK Singles Chart.

The group recorded six original albums; the opening trio of which were on John Peel's Dandelion label.

For most of its career, the group was a duo comprising:

John Fiddler (born 25 September 1947, the Moxley area of Darlaston, Staffordshire, England) – (vocalist, guitarist, pianist and drummer).

Peter Hope-Evans (born 28 September 1947, Brecon, Powys, Wales) – (harmonica, Jew's harp, guitarist, and mouthbow player).

At various stages, the band used the following musicians: Laurence Archer, Clive Edwards, Keith Relf, Tony Ashton, Roger Saunders, George Ford, John Davies, Rob Townsend and Morgan Fisher.

Despite consistent touring, often as a supporting act, Medicine Head failed to place an album on the UK Albums Chart.

For their final album, Two Man Band, recorded at Pete Townshend's Eel Pie Studios, they reverted to being a duo.

Medicine Head finally folded in 1977.

On This Day 10/02/1970 BadFinger

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On this day, 10 February 1970, Welsh rock band Badfinger played Cardiff University with support provided by Rainbow People.

The story of Badfinger is a sad one, with band leaders Pete Ham and Tommy Evans disillusioned by the sheer difficulty and stress of turning their musical talents into hard cash.

Originally signed to the Beatles' Apple Records as the Iveys, Pete Ham, vocals, Mike Gibbins, drums, Tommy Evans, guitar, and Ron Griffiths, changed their name following the release of two unsuccessful singles.

Swansea-born Griffiths left in September 1969 and was replaced by Joe Molland of Liverpool.

The new line-up had a transatlantic hit with Come And Get It, written by their famous label boss Paul McCartney.

Their song No Matter What was another Top 10 hit, followed by critically acclaimed albums No Dice and Straight Up.

By the beginning of the 1970s, Badfinger was something of an Apple house band and even appeared on three solo Beatle recordings (All Things Must Pass, It Don't Come Easy and Imagine) as well as appearing at George Harrison's Bangla Desh benefit concert.

In 1972 Harry Nilsson enjoyed a huge transatlantic chart topper with Without You.

But Pete Ham found it difficult to penetrate the financial jungle which surrounded the music business.

He found himself working in a factory to make ends meet, hearing his song Without You playing on the radio as he toiled away.

In 1975 personal and financial troubles got too much for him and Ham hanged himself.

In November 1983, history repeated itself in the most bizarre fashion when Tom Evans committed suicide by hanging at his Surrey home.

Like Pete Ham, he had been suffering from depression and financial worries.

Following the discovery of some home-recorded tapes, these were finally issued as two complete albums of Ham's songs in the late 1990s.

Although the quality of the tapes was poor, they indicated a great songwriter with a marvellous grasp of pop melody and compounded the tragedy of his early death.

On This Day 08/02/1994 Chuck Berry

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On this day, 8 February 1994, rock and 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.

Thus Berry, the songwriter, according to critic Jon Pareles, invented rock as "a music of teenage wishes fulfilled and good times (even with cops in pursuit)." Berry contributed three things to rock music: an irresistible swagger, a focus on the guitar riff as the primary melodic element and an emphasis on songwriting as storytelling.

His records are a rich storehouse of the essential lyrical, showmanship and musical components of rock and roll. In addition to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, a large number of significant popular-music performers have recorded Berry's songs

On This Day 07/02/2006 The Grates

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On this day, 7 February 2006, Australian indie pop band The Grates played Cardiff’s Coal Exchange.

The Grates were formed in 2002 in Brisbane by Patience Hodgson on lead vocals, John Patterson on guitars and backing vocals and Alana Skyring on drums. Patterson and Skyring had attended Alexandra Hills State High School.

In 1999, they met Cleveland District State High School student, Hodgson, in year 12 at a drama class, which all three attended at the local TAFE to avoid physical education classes. Hodgson discovered her singing voice at a karaoke bar, where she performed "A Whole New World" (from Aladdin). According to Patterson the rendition "was less than stellar".

In 2005, the band appeared at the Big Day Out, Meredith, Splendour in the Grass, Falls Festival and Homebake. They supported the Go! Team on their tour over late 2005 to early 2006.

In April 2006, the band released their debut album, Gravity Won't Get You High, which peaked at No. 9 on the ARIA Albums Chart.It was recorded in Chicago with Brian Deck (Holopaw, Iron and Wine, Josh Ritter) producing.

It was released in the UK and the United States in June. Nate Dorr of PopMatters opined that it provided "an infectious variety... At times, there's a sense of catchy frivolity to the proceedings, but it can easily be forgiven... sheer excitement of hearing such unbridled enthusiasm in an emerging talent. And they are talented." Pitchfork's Sean Fennessey felt "electric Hodgson, who sounds like she's riding a jet-fueled pogo on almost every song, is joined by guitarist John Patterson and drummer Alana Skyring,

On This Day 06/02/1965 P.J. Proby

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On this day, 6 February 1965, American singer PJ Proby played Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre, headling with Liverpool singer Cilla Black in a package that also featured Tommy Roe, The Fourmost, Mike Cotton Sound, Tommy Quickly, The Remo Four, Sounds Incorporated with Bob Bain (compere)..

During the tour, PJ Proby was banned from all ABC cinemas after his "pant splitting incident" at Croydon & Northampton when he was arrested.. He was replaced by Tom Jones & The Squires.

The incident scandalised the British press and public, causing Proby's career to lose momentum. Minor hits in 1966 were followed by flops, and in March 1968, "It's Your Day Today", gave Proby his last UK chart entry for nearly 30 years.

Proby was born James Marcus Smith on November 6, 1938 in Houston, Texas. He is a great-grandson of Old West outlaw John Wesley Hardin.

His father was an affluent banker; at nine, his parents divorced and as part of the custody deal, Proby was sent to military school. He began at San Marcos Military Academy, and followed with stints in Culver Naval Academy and Western Military Academy.

On This Day 05/02/1972 Stackridge

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On this day, 5 February 1972, prog/folk rock group Stackridge played Llandaff Technical College in Cardiff.

Stackridge Lemon were formed from the remains of a previous band, Grytpype Thynne, by Andy Davis and James "Crun" Walter during 1969 in the Bristol/Bath area of South West England. After initial experimentation, the word Lemon was dropped from the band's name.

The band played their first London gig at The Temple in Wardour Street on 6 February 1970. They were the opening and closing act at the first Glastonbury Festival between 19 September and 20 September 1970.

During 1970, the members of the band shared a communal flat as their headquarters at 32, West Mall in Clifton, Bristol, the address of which Davis and Warren later used as the title of a song, which appeared on the debut album, Stackridge.

During 1971, Stackridge began serious gigging, although Crun left to take up bricklaying. Davis, Warren, Bent, Evans, and Slater embarked on a UK tour supporting Wishbone Ash. Later in the year they signed to MCA Records and recorded their first album Stackridge, at De Lane Lea Studios, London. They toured the UK as headliners with Renaissance supporting and played their first John Peel session for the BBC, which included a version of The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)".

The group continued on a year of touring, again with Wishbone Ash and also Forever More. On 30 September they supported Lindisfarne at Newcastle City Hall. The second album Friendliness was quickly recorded in August 1972, and released in November with some songs that had started life in pre-Stackridge days. By this time Crun had rejoined the band which consisted of Davis, Warren, Slater, Evans, Walter and Billy Sparkle.

On This Day 04/02/1984 Gary Moore

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On this day, 4 February 1984, rock guitarist Gary Moore played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall on his Victims of the Future tour.

Influenced by Peter Green and Eric Clapton, Moore began his career in the late 1960s when he joined Skid Row, with whom he released two albums. After Moore left the group he joined Thin Lizzy, featuring his former Skid Row bandmate and frequent collaborator Phil Lynott.

Moore began his solo career in the 1970s and achieved major success with 1978's "Parisienne Walkways", which is considered his signature song. During the 1980s, Moore transitioned into playing hard rock and heavy metal with varying degrees of international success.

In 1983, Moore released the album Victims of the Future, which marked another musical change, this time towards hard rock and heavy metal.

The album also saw the addition of keyboardist Neil Carter, who would continue to push Moore in this new musical direction. For the supporting tour, they were joined by former Rainbow bassist Craig Gruber and drummer Bobby Chouinard, who were later replaced by Ozzy Osbourne bassist Bob Daisley and former Roxy Music drummer Paul Thompson, respectively.

Setlist

Majestuoso E Virtuoso

Rockin' Every Night

Wishing Well

(Free cover)

Murder in the Skies

Shapes of Things

(The Yardbirds cover)

Cold Hearted

Don't Take Me for a Loser

Victims of the Future

So Far Away

(Mo Foster cover)

Empty Rooms

Blinder

White Knuckles

(G-Force song)

End of the World

Back on the Streets

Encore:

Nuclear Attack

Rockin' and Rollin'

(G-Force song)