On This Day 23/08/2008 Madonna

Images may be subject to copyright

On this day, 23 August 2008, Pop icon Madonna played Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, the opening night of her Sticky & Sweet Tour, with support provided by trance DJ Paul Oakenfold.

In all, the tour started in Cardiff on August 23, 2008, and ended in Tel Aviv on September 2, 2009. The 2008 legs also marked Madonna's thirteen-year return to Mexico and the continent of South America, and the 2009 legs marked her first shows in Sweden in sixteen years and Israel in fourteen years.

Reviewed by the Independent, the start, despite the wait, certainly seemed worth it.

FIRST NIGHT: MADONNA, MILLENNIUM STADIUM, CARDIFF

WHAT WAS LACKING IN PUNCTUALITY SHE MADE UP FOR IN POMP

Well, she did arrive on stage an hour and a half late. And sure, ticket touts were rumoured to be flogging the £150 tickets at half price to fill the rows of empty seats.

But if those who took in this spectacular opening to Madonna's world tour on Saturday have seen anything as slick, innovative, and energetic in recent months then please point it out. For it is easy to feel spoiled when judging one of the most successful pop acts of all time. If the bar is high, it is her own fault, and you would be hard pressed to find any other 50-year-old pelting their way through two hours of back-breaking dance routines.

The tour, Sticky & Sweet, is named after Madonna's latest album, Hard Candy, which had a less-than-effervescent reception in April. Part of the problem seemed to be that pop's grande dame was just trying too hard; her collaborations with Pharrell, Kanye West, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake seemed to hanker after being "down with the kids". The artists in question appeared too scared to give her any criticism. In the end, the tracks on which they worked ("4 Minutes", "Beat Goes On") were less "collaborations" than Madonna shipping in the best talent money could buy to pay homage to her less-than-plugged-in greatness. Their talent was diluted accordingly.

 But if such a display of raw power and influence could not impress the reviewers, in a live setting, there was no such problem. The choreography, the visuals, the other live talent, were world class, and mind-blowingly well executed, intelligent, and witty.

While the show's producers might have bastardised the best elements of vintage acid house, Geisha culture, gypsy folk and burlesque, it was almost certainly worth the compromise.

The concert was loosely based around four themes – "Pimp", "Old School", "Gypsy" and "Rave" – that tellingly looked like they had been named by your Mum. And so, Mother Pop was unveiled sitting in a throne for the opening number; with her legs akimbo, she launched into "Candy Shop" then "Beat Goes On".

"Vogue" was remixed with "4 Minutes", her recent single with Timberlake, then dancers sparred as in a boxing match for a reimagining of her theme tune to the Bond film Die Another Day. There was a bit of an awkward "granny moment" when for "Into The Groove" she pole-danced around a 1980s Deejay booth, before Britney Spears appeared on a video screen for "Human Nature", which showed her in CCTV-style footage being characteristically strange inside a lift.

Madonna strummed on her guitar (is she playing it? isn't she?) which made several appearances during the evening, before the night built to its climax: Timberlake, projected on to a collection of 15ft screens for "4 Minutes". By sliding her leg erotically up and down his image, Madonna still managed to flirt with him.

For all her excesses, and the fact that she is musically relevant only in fits and starts, Madonna is a necessary tonic for those who remember with fondness a more impressive and talented time in pop. It is a desert out there. Long may her hubris continue.

'Sticky & Sweet' – by numbers 
*37 venues in four months 
*45 concerts 
*3,500 items of clothing 
*250 staff 
*36 designers 
*30 wardrobe trunks 
*16 dancers 
*16 caterers 
*12 musicians 
*12 seamstresses 
*9 wardrobe experts 
*4 freezers continually stocked with ice to soothe aches and pains 
*1 masseuse 
*1 personal trainer 
*1 chiropractor

Setlist:

1. Candy Shop

2. Beat Goes On

3. Human Nature

4. Vogue

5. Into The Groove

6. Heartbeat

7. Borderline

8. She’s Not Me

9. Music

10. Devil Wouldn’t Recognise You

11. Spanish Lesson

12. Miles Away

13. La Isla Bonita

14. You Must Love Me

15. 4 Minutes

16. Like A Prayer

17. Ray of Light

18. Express Yourself

19. Hung Up

20. Give It 2 Me

On This Day 22/08/2016 Citizen

Images may be subject to copyright

On this day, 22 August 2016, American rock band Citizen played Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach on their Everybody is going to Heaven tour.

Formed in 2009, the band currently consists of Mat Kerekes (vocals), brothers Nick (lead guitar) and Eric Hamm (bass), Mason Mercer (rhythm guitar), and Ben Russin (drums).

They are currently signed to Run for Cover Records, and have released five studio albums to date: Youth (2013), Everybody Is Going to Heaven (2015), As You Please (2017), Life in Your Glass World (2021), and Calling the Dogs (2023).

Considered a part of emo's fourth wave, Pitchfork have described Citizen as "a band their fans can grow up with rather than out of."

On April 26, 2015 Citizen announced plans to release their second full-length album, Everybody Is Going to Heaven, on June 23, 2015 via Run For Cover.

Before the release of the album, Citizen premiered a music video for their song Stain which appears on the album.

The album was made available for streaming via Run for Cover's Bandcamp page on June 9, 2015. The album charted at number 2 on the Billboard Vinyl Albums chart.

On This Day 21/08/2007 Pink

Images may be subject to copyright

On this day, 21 August 2007, American singer songwriter Pink played Cardiff. International Arena on her I’m Not Dead Tour.

The tour was in support of her fourth studio albums m I’m Not Dead, released the previous year. Commercially, I'm Not Dead peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States, and reached number one in several territories including Australia, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

I'm Not Dead has since been certified double platinum in the United States and certified gold in Finland, Denmark, and Sweden. The album received positive reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented the risks Pink took on the record as well as her experimentation with rock music.

"Stupid Girls" was released as the lead single from I'm Not Dead ahead of the album's release, which generated controversy for its lyrical content and music video, for which Pink received the MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video and a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Five additional singles were released from the album, with "Who Knew" and "U + Ur Hand" reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.

Pink promoted the album through radio and television interviews, media appearances, and the I'm Not Dead Tour.

Setlist

Cuz I Can

Trouble

Just Like a Pill

Who Knew

Stupid Girls

I'm Not Dead

Family Portrait

My Vietnam

Last to Know

Try Too Hard

Summertime

(George Gershwin cover)

Me and Bobby McGee

(Kris Kristofferson cover)

Piece of My Heart

(Erma Franklin cover)

Lonely Girl

Don't Let Me Get Me

18 Wheeler

Dear Mr. President

What's Up?

(4 Non Blondes cover)

Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)

Encore:

U + Ur Hand

Get the Party Started

On This Day 18/8/1993 Stereo MC’s

Images may be subject to copyright

On this day, 18 August 1993, hip hop and electronic dance band Stereo MC’s played Cardiff Arms Park supporting U2 on their Zoo TV tour.

Formed in Clapham, London, England, in 1985, they had an international top 20 hit with their single "Connected" and a UK top 20 hit with "Step It Up". After releasing eight albums for Island Records, K7, Graffiti Recordings, and Pias, they formed the label Connected with the band Terranova to release their own material and that of other artists within the house/techno/electronic genre.

Their live band included singers Andrea Bedassie and Verona Davis, and they were one of the few hip hop outfits to play at rock music festivals at the time.[5] 1992's mainstream breakthrough Connected, a number 2 success in the UK Albums Chart, contained the hit singles "Connected", "Step It Up", "Creation", and "Ground Level", and won them 1994 Brit Awards for Best Group and Best Album. Hallam and Birch then created the music-publishing firm Spirit Songs, which signed Finley Quaye.

However, the follow-up to Connected did not appear for almost a decade. Further remix duties for Madonna ("Frozen"), Tricky ("Makes Me Wanna Die" Weekend Mix), and the Jungle Brothers ("Jungle Brother") in 1998 kept the Stereo MCs' name in the limelight.[5] Madonna went on to use the "Frozen" remix on her 2001 Drowned World Tour.

On This Day 17/08/2002 The Darkness

images may be subject to copyright be subject to copyright

On this day, 17 August 2002, British rock band The Darkness played Cardiff’s Barfly.

The band had just released their debut recording the EP “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” but had not yet issued their debut album '“Permission To Land” released the following year.

"I Believe in a Thing Called Love" was originally issued as a 3-track EP in August 2002; however, as only a small number of copies were printed, it was ineligible to chart. The EP also included early versions of "Love on the Rocks With No Ice" and "Love Is Only a Feeling". When released as a single in September 2003, it was beaten to number one by The Black Eyed Peas' "Where Is the Love?".

The Darkness came to prominence with the release of their debut album, Permission to Land, in 2003. Backed by the singles "I Believe in a Thing Called Love", "Growing on Me", "Get Your Hands off My Woman", and "Love Is Only a Feeling", the album was certified quadruple platinum in the United Kingdom, with sales of over 1.3 million.

In 2004 the band won three Brit Awards: Best British Group, Best British Rock Act, and Best British Album.

The success of this album led to heavy touring for the band, including European portions of Metallica's Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003.

They then went on to headline the Carling Festival in 2004. The band won three BRIT Awards in 2004 in response to the album, Best Group, Best Rock Group and Best Album.

They also won two Kerrang! awards in 2004 for Best Live Act and Best British Band. The third single from the album, "I Believe in a Thing Called Love", was a substantial hit in the UK as was their tilt at the Christmas 2003 number 1, "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)", which only just fell short, both singles reaching number 2 in 2003.

On This Day 15/08/1966 The Troggs

Images may be subject to copyright

On this day, 15 August 1966, English rock band The Troggs (originally called the Troglodytes), played Cardiff’s Top Rank.

Formed in Andover, Hampshire in May 1964. They had a number of hits in the United Kingdom and the United States. Their most famous songs include the US chart-topper "Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You" and "Love Is All Around", all of which sold over 1 million copies and were awarded gold discs.

"Wild Thing" is ranked No. 257 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was an influence on garage rock and punk rock.

The Troggs are widely seen as a highly influential band whose sound was an inspiration for garage rock and punk rock. Influential American critic Lester Bangs "called the band the progenitors of punk", according to NPR.For example, the Troggs influenced artists such as Iggy Pop, and the early version of British pop-punk pioneers Buzzcocks featured "I Can't Control Myself" in their live repertoire.

The Ramones are also among the punk bands who cited the Troggs as an influence. "I Can't Control Myself" is perhaps the most enduring favourite of critics; it continues to be championed for its originality and lasting influence by radio hosts such as "Little" Steven Van Zandt.

An in-studio tape of band leader Reg Presley's running commentary on a recording session, filled with in-fighting and swearing (known as The Troggs Tapes), was widely circulated in the music underground, and was included in the Archaeology box set, as well as the compilation album, The Rhino Brothers Present the World's Worst Records.

The group infighting is believed to be the inspiration for a scene in the comedy film This Is Spinal Tap, where the band members are arguing. Some of this dialogue was sampled by the California punk band the Dwarves on their recording of a cover version of the Troggs song "Strange Movies".

On This Day 14/08/1970 The Kinks

Images may be subject to copyright

On this day, 14 Aug 1970, legendary pop band The Kinks played Cardiff’s Top Rank.

The band had released their seventh studio album in October 1969 Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) and were currently recording what would be Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One.

The album featured their hit Lola, released in June, a number 1 hit worldwide but peaking at number 2 in the UK charts. It proved to be a very important song for the band as in a 1970 interview, Dave Davies stated that, if "Lola" had been a failure, the band would have "gone on making records for another year or so and then drifted apart"

Written in April 1970, "Lola" was cited by Ray Davies as the first song he wrote following a break he took to act in the 1970 Play for Today film The Long Distance Piano Player. Davies said that he had initially struggled with writing an opening that would sell the song, but the rest of the song "came naturally". He noted that he knew the song would be successful when he heard his one-year-old daughter singing the chorus, stating, "She was crawling around singing 'la la, la la Lola.' I thought, 'If she can join in and sing, Kinks fans can do it.'"

Originally, "Lola" saw controversy for its lyrics. In a Record Mirror article entitled "Sex Change Record: Kink Speaks", Ray Davies addressed the matter, saying, "It really doesn't matter what sex Lola is, I think she's all right". Some radio stations faded the track out before implications of Lola's biological sex were revealed.

On 18 November 1970, "Lola" was banned from being played by several radio stations in Australia because of its "controversial subject matter", though some began playing "Lola" again after having made a crude edit, which sounded like the record had jumped a groove, to remove the line "I'm glad I'm a man and so's Lola".

The BBC banned the track for a different reason: the original stereo recording had the words "Coca-Cola" in the lyrics, but because of BBC Radio's policy against product placement, Ray Davies was forced to make a 6,000-mile (9,700 km) round-trip flight from New York to London and back on June 3, 1970, interrupting the band's American tour, to change those words to the generic "cherry cola" for the single release, which is included on various compilation albums as well.

On This Day 13/08/2014 Emily’s Army

Images may be subject to copyright

On this day, 13 August 2014, American punk band Emily’s Army played the Undertone, Cardiff.

The band was formed by Cole Becker and Joey Armstrong after watching School of Rock together in school. Becker's brother, Max Becker, later joined the band to play bass. The band was originally named the Raining Souls, but they briefly changed to the Clocks.

After realizing there were already many bands with the same name, they changed it to Emily's Army in honor to Becker's cousin Emily, who suffers from cystic fibrosis and was diagnosed in 1998. Their goal was to raise money and create more awareness for cystic fibrosis.[citation needed] In 2008, they released a set of songs on their MySpace page under the album name This Kid.[citation needed] Although This Kid is not an official studio album, a few of these songs appeared throughout their career, including "Burn Apollo" that was re-recorded on their debut album, Queens being played live in 2012, and "I Need to Be Fixed" played live during Warped Tour 2012.

The band played many small shows and festivals in California during this time. In 2009 the band added guitarist Travis Neumann whose first appearance was on the band's 2009 EP, Goody Two Shoes. that was followed by the release of two more EPs, Broadcast This and Regan MacNeil. The band spent all of 2010 working and recording their first studio album with Green Day frontman and Joey's father, Billie Joe Armstrong.[citation needed] In 2011, the band released their first full-length album, Don't Be a Dick, on June 14 through Adeline Records.[citation needed] The album featured six re-recorded songs from their earlier releases. The album was compared to Green Day's early work and had major punk influences. In support of the album the band went on an East and West Coast tour in 2011.

In 2013, the band once again worked with producer Billie Joe Armstrong, on their second record. Lost at Seventeen, was released on June 11, 2013 via Adeline Records and Rise Records. The band went on tour with Vans Warped Tour to support the album for the second time in their career. They also toured for the very first time in Great Britain.

In early 2014 the band started writing and recording new material. Travis Neumann officially left the band shortly after the release of their EP Swim, on July 18, 2014, consequently, bassist Sebastian Mueller joined the band while Max switched to lead guitar. In September 2014 the band officially changed their name to "Swimmers"

Setlist

Alien's Landing

Part Time Bum

Strictly for the Birds

Broadcast This

Lost at 17

The Kids Just Wanna Dance

(Fast Cars cover)

Avenue

War

High Wasted Shorts

Ammonia and Bleach

You Bit Me

Dancing on My Own

(Robyn cover)