On This Day 14/02/2001 Texas

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On this day, 14 February 2001, Scottish band Texas played Cardiff International Arena.

founded in 1986 by Johnny McElhone (formerly of the bands Altered Images and Hipsway), Ally McErlaine, and Sharleen Spiteri (on lead vocals). Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at the University of Dundee. They took their name from the 1984 Wim Wenders movie Paris, Texas.

The band released their debut album Southside in 1989, along with the debut single "I Don't Want a Lover", which was a top-ten hit on the UK Singles Chart and peaked within the top ten of the charts in many other European countries.

In October 2000, Texas released their first compilation album, The Greatest Hits. The album featured tracks spanning their career, from their 1989 debut to the current day and included three new songs. A new single, "In Demand" was released on 2 October 2000 and reached No. 6 in the UK, with a video that featured the actor Alan Rickman.

When The Greatest Hits was released, it became the band's third consecutive album to debut at No. 1 in the UK. A second new single from the collection, "Inner Smile", was released at the end of 2000, also reaching No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart. The video for "Inner Smile" featured a homage to Elvis Presley (and specifically his '68 Comeback Special shows) with lead singer Spiteri dressed and made up to look like Elvis in his famous black leather suit. In July 2001, a remix of "I Don't Want A Lover" was released which made the UK top 20.

Setlist

Zero Zero

In Demand

Black Eyed Boy

Halo

In Our Lifetime

Guitar Song

Insane

Tired of Being Alone

(Al Green cover)

Pull Up to the Bumper

(Grace Jones cover)

Put Your Arms Around Me

Prayer for You

I Don't Want a Lover

When We Are Together

Summer Son

Encore:

Inner Smile

Suspicious Minds

(Mark James cover)

Encore 2:

Say What You Want

On This Day 13/02/1970 Deep Purple

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On this day, 13 February 1970, heavy rock band Deep Purple played Cardiff University as part of their European Tour.

The Deep Purple European Tour was a year-long successful concert tour lasting from July 1969 until June 1970. The band played mostly United Kingdom shows, also covering West Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium. It was the first tour to feature the classic Deep Purple line-up: Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord and Ian Paice. It is considered to be the pre-tour for the In Rock album, as the band mostly played songs from the upcoming album.

In 1969, cofounders Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord decided to replace vocalist Rod Evans with Ian Gillan. Gillan declined to join Purple without his former bandmate Roger Glover. Lord and Blackmore accepted and, in 1969, Gillan and Glover, replaced Evans and bassist Nick Simper. This new line-up, known as MKII, immediately went on tour throughout Europe and the United Kingdom.

"I remember back in 1969 when Roger and I did our first show with Purple at the Speakeasy," recalled Gillan. "There were only twelve people there; well, twenty if you counted Keith Moon. But I looked at Roger and said, 'Oh man, this is it.' It was the kind of band we had both been dreaming of."

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.