On This Day 07/05/1968 Johnny Cash

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On this day, 7 May 1968, American country singing legend Johnny Cash played Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre. Also on the bill was Carl Perkins, June Carter, James Royal and The Tennessee Three.

Cash had recently married June Carter in March and had received a Grammy for their hit together “Jackson” and had just released his 26th album From Sea to Shining Sea.

Each track on the concept album was written by Cash; none of them were released as singles.

"The Walls of a Prison" reuses the melody of "Streets of Laredo” from Cash's 1965 album Sings the Ballads of the True West.

But most notable during this period. was his recording At Folsom Prison released 6 May and Cash’s first live album

It comprises recordings of performances by Cash and his band at Folsom State Prison, California, on January 13, 1968.

After his 1955 song "Folsom Prison Blues, Cash had been interested in recording a performance at a prison. His idea was put on hold until 1967, when personnel changes at Columbia Records put Bob Johnston in charge of producing Cash's material. Cash had controlled his drug abuse problems, and was looking to turn his career around after several years of limited success. Backed by June Carter, Carl Perkins and the Tennessee Three Cash performed two shows at Folsom State Prison.

On This Day 06/05/1989 Frank Sidebottom

On this day, 6 May 1989, English musician, comedian and artist Frank Sidebottom ( Chris Sievey), played Cardiff’s Venue.

The Frank Sidebottom character first appeared on an untitled 1984 EP by Chris Sievey & the Freshies, in a spoken-word track wherein Frank talks to Sievey.

The character was instantly recognisable by his large spheroidal head, styled like an early Max Fleischer cartoon. This was initially made from papier-mâché, but later of fibreglass. In the documentary Being Frank, Martin Sievey (Chris's brother) states this was made using plaster of Paris.

Frank, usually dressed in a 1950s-style sharp suit, was portrayed as an aspiring pop star from the small village of Timperley, near Altrincham. His character was cheerfully optimistic, enthusiastic, and seemingly oblivious to his own failings. Although supposedly 35 years old (the age always attributed to Frank irrespective of the passage of time), he still lived at home with his mother, to whom he made frequent references. His mother was apparently unaware of her son's popularity. Frank sometimes had a sidekick in the form of "Little Frank", a hand puppet who was otherwise a perfect copy of Frank.

His backing band, dubbed 'The Oh Blimey Band' consisted of Mike Doherty on drums, Rick Sarko on guitar (both formerly of the Freshies), Patrick Gallagher on bass, and later, Jon Ronson on keyboards.

In 1989, Sievey re-arranged the Oh Blimey Band, introducing Richard Jones from the recently broken up local band the Desert Wolves on bass guitar, along with a new guitarist and saxophonist. Chris wanted to give the band a more professional sound, and booked a 30 date tour, the longest the band had ever undertook. This new lineup was a source of tension between the members, with Richard Jones and Jon Ronson taking a near instant disliking for each other.

The tour and its new sound were panned by audience members and critics alike, leading to Sievey abandoning the new line-up in 1990, instead choosing to perform solo from then on.

On This Day 05/05/1986 Echo and the Bunnymen

On this day, 5 May 1986, rock band Echo And The Bunnymen played Cardiff’s Top Rank with support provided by the Blue Orchids.

Formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freitas joined as the band's drummer.

Their 1980 debut album Crocodiles went into the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart.

After releasing their second album Heaven Up Here in 1981, the band's cult status was followed by mainstream success in the UK in 1983 when they scored a UK Top 10 hit with "The Cutter", and the album which the song came from, Porcupine, hit number 2 in the UK.

Ocean Rain (1984), continued the band's UK chart success with its lead single "The Killing Moon" entering into the top 10.

After releasing a self-titled album in 1987, McCulloch left the band and was replaced by singer Noel Burke. In 1989, de Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident.

On This Day 04/05/1994 Deacon Blue

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On this day, 4 May 1994, Scottish rock band Deacon Blue played Wales National Ice Rink in Cardiff on their In Your Town tour. The support was provided by The Dreaming.

Original advert for the rescheduled concert

The 1994 tour was originally scheduled as 'In Your Town - Part 2' for November 1993. Tickets went on sale in July, with extra dates added in September. It wasn't long after the extra dates went on sale that ticket holders were informed that the tour was postponed due to 'recording commitments.'

Review - South Wales Echo

The tour eventually took place after the release of the Greatest Hits album. Early in the Tour, the news leaked out that the band were splitting up, and two extra shows were added at the Glasgow Barrowlands.

Setlist

Will We Be Lovers

Raintown

Bound To Love

Fergus Sings The Blues

Your Swaying Arms

Real Gone Kid

A Brighter Star

Love & Regret

Love's Great Fears

Still In The Mood

When Will You...

Your Town

Only Tender Love

The Day That Jackie Jumped The Jail

Bethlehem's Gate

Wages Day

Dignity

Goin' Back

Chocolate Girl/I'll Never Fall In Love Again

Queen Of The New Year

Twist and Shout/Twist and Shout Your Town

On This Day 03/05/1991 Bleach

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On this day, 3 May 1991, indie rock band Bleach played Cardiff University.

From Ipswich, the band is usually considered part of the shoegazing genre. The band was formed in 1989 by brothers Neil and Nick Singleton (guitar and bass, respectively) together with drummer Steve Scott and vocalist Salli Carson.

Their first release was the Eclipse EP in 1990, followed in 1991 by the Snag EP. The tracks from these two EPs were collected on an album in 1991.

They recorded two Peel sessions, in 1990 and 1991, which were broadcast on BBC Radio One.[3] 1992 saw the release of the full-length album Killing Time, and the single "Shotgun", a surprising mixture of shoegazing and rap.

In 1993 the band released two separate mini-albums, Hard and Fast. The group disbanded shortly thereafter.

On This Day 02/05/1962 Jerry Lee Lewis

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On this day, 2 May 1962, rock ‘n’ roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis played Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens supported by his backing band The Echoes. Also on the bill were, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, The Viscounts, The Bachelors, Vince Eager, Mark Eden, Danny Storm, Buddy Britten and Dave Reid (compere).

Often known by his nickname the Killer. He has been described as "rock n' roll's first great wild man and one of the most influential pianists of the twentieth century." A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made his first recordings in 1956 at Sun Records in Memphis.

Review South Wales Argus

"Crazy Arms" sold 300,000 copies in the South, but it was his 1957 hit "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" that shot Lewis to fame worldwide. He followed this with "Great Balls of Fire", "Breathless" and "High School Confidential". However, his rock and roll career faltered in the wake of his marriage to Myra Gale Brown, his 13-year-old cousin.

On This Day 01/04/2005 Tears For Fears

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On this day, 1 May 2005, rock band Tears For Fears played Cardiff International Arena on their Everybody Loves A Happy Ending Tour.

Everybody Loves a Happy Ending is the sixth studio album by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 14 September 2004 in the United States and on 7 March 2005 in the United Kingdom and Europe.

The album marked Tears for Fears' comeback following a hiatus in the late 1990s, as well as the return of founding member Curt Smith. However, it performed modestly on the UK and US music charts compared to the band's previous records. The band focused primarily on touring in the years following Everybody Loves a Happy Ending's release, with a follow-up album not being completed until nearly eighteen years later.

Setlist

Intro - Famous Last Words

Secret World

Call Me Mellow

Who You Are

Sowing the Seeds of Love

Who Killed Tangerine?

Pale Shelter

Everybody Loves a Happy Ending

The Devil

Mad World

Quiet Ones

Size of Sorrow

Snow Hill

(Curt Smith song)

Closest Thing to Heaven

Break It Down Again

Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Head Over Heels

Woman in Chains

Shout

On This Day 30/04/1989 Hue and Cry

On this day, 30 April 1989, Scottish pop duo Hue and Cry played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall.

Review - South Wales Echo

Review - South Wales Argus

Their first single "Here Comes Everybody" was released on a small Glasgow-based independent label, Stampede, in 1986. While not a hit, it attracted the interest of Virgin Records' subsidiary Circa who signed the duo in 1986. Their debut single for Circa was "I Refuse".

Their second single and biggest hit was "Labour of Love" from the debut album Seduced and Abandoned. Other hits included "Looking for Linda" and "Violently (Your Words Hit Me)" – both from their second album Remote.