Virtual Glastonbury Went Off With a Glitch

The evening of Saturday 22nd May, festival and music enthusiasts alike tuned in to partake in a little pandemic escapism and have the closest thing we could get to the Glastonbury experience- although without the inevitable wading in mud and instead embracing the comfort of your own home. ‘Live at Worthy Farm’ would be filmed at the ground of the world-renowned festival and available to watch all around the world. 

But just like with happenings this past year, things didn’t go quite to plan…

Instead of being able to watch a smoothly run special film shot at Worthy Farm, featuring artists such as Haim, Coldplay and George Ezra, technical glitches were afoot and tampered with the much-anticipated event. 

The problems with the link that ‘Glasthomebury’ goers paid £20 to access failed to work for anyone when it came to logging on for Wolf Alice at 7pm for the first setlist of the evening. Organisers worked quickly and non-stop in order to avoid disappointing those who had been anticipately waiting for a night of fun amongst a chaotic year, and eventually managed to fix it. A free link was released in the end so that it could be accessible for all, and those who had paid were emailed with the offer for a refund.

I have to say though, it didn’t spoil my home Glasto fun. 

Like with many events, it was most enjoyable with others around you, and dressing up to look the part is half the fun. 

Donning Hawaiian shirts and sporting glitter laden faces put me in festival mode, with all that was missing was a fashionable pair of wellies. Just being able to get together with others and have a laugh, a drink or two and have a nigh of distraction and fun was enough in itself. 

The fact that Eurovision was able to entertain in the meantime whilst Worthy Farm experienced difficulties was a huge bonus. There’s nothing that gets you in the party mood quite like some cheesy European anthems paired with eye-catching outfits. So, after some glitzy Eurovision fun, getting on to the Glastonbury livestream was still a joy.

It may not have been quite as upbeat and energetic as what was being streamed live from Rotterdam, but the film itself was beautiful. It was a very laid-back sort of affair, with Haim playing their chilliest, dreamiest songs and Damion Alburn taking a seat at a piano rather than riling up the virtual crowds.

Coldplay arguably brought the most concert-like performance of the evening, with their statement colourful bright lights and upbeat anthems being belted out in front of the structure of the famous Pyramid Stage. Chris Martin’s love for Glastonbury isn’t exactly a secret, so perhaps his passion and enthusiasm for the Somerset festival helped carry the performance across into viewers living rooms. 

There were many who were disappointed with what happened, but I chose to embrace the Glasto spirit and look at the positives. I had a good time with people, we had DIY Glastonbury decorations which cheered everyone up and we managed to watch it in the end and have a good time. It just shows that in this digital age we’re in now that even the giants encounter technicalities, and if over a year of Covid has taught us anything, it’s to have just a little more patience. 

Happy 80th Birthday Bob Dylan

All Images Subject to Copyright

One of the world’s most influential singer/songwriters American Bob Dylan celebrates a milestone today, his 80th birthday.

Robert Zimmerman, legally changed his to Dylan in the early Sixties.

The most commonly accepted version has long been that it was a tribute to Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Later, another theory posited that his pseudonym grew out of an early appreciation for the Matt Dillon character in the TV series Gunsmoke.

The ever-enigmatic Dylan – who told Playboy in 1978 that "I just chose the name and it stuck" – was typically of no help. Long after signing the first management contracts that finalized his new identity, he claimed that Dylan was his mother's maiden name (when it was actually Stone), that there was a Dillon Road in his hometown of Hibbing, Minn., that he took it from the name of a town in Oklahoma and that he had an uncle on his mom's side of the family with a similar name.

He even took shots at Thomas along the way. "Dylan Thomas' poetry is for people that aren't really satisfied in their bed – for people who dig masculine romance," Dylan told The New York Times in 1961. "I didn't change my name in honor of Dylan Thomas: That's just a story," he told Jules Siegel during a 1966 interview quoted in Bob Dylan: The Never Ending Star. "I've done more for Dylan Thomas than he's ever done for me."

Dylan’s been a regular visitor over the years since he first strolled onto the stage in Cardiff in 1966 and left many speechless with an electric set that tested the loyalty of his diehard folk living followers.
The set for his first visit included-

Tell Me,
MommaI Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)Baby,
Let Me Follow You Down
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
One Too Many Mornings
Ballard of a Thin Man
Like a Rolling Stone

It was March 1995 when Dylan next appeared in Cardiff playing the Cardiff International Arena, nearly 30 years later and the following setlist

Setlist

Down in the Flood
Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)
All Along the Watchtower
Play Video
Just Like a Woman
Tangled Up in Blue
Born in Time
Mr. Tambourine Man
(Acoustic)
Boots of Spanish Leather
(Acoustic)
Desolation Row
(Acoustic)
Dignity
She Belongs to Me
Maggie's Farm

Encore:
Like a Rolling Stone
It Ain't Me, Babe
(Acoustic)
Highway 61 Revisited

He returned again in 1997 to the same venue.

The 2000s saw Cardiff becoming a regular on Dylan’s tour schedule with an number of visits with the last being 3 May 2017, with the following setlist

Things Have Changed
To Ramona
Highway 61 Revisited
Beyond Here Lies Nothin'
I Could Have Told You
(Frank Sinatra cover)
Pay in Blood
Melancholy Mood
(Frank Sinatra cover)
Duquesne Whistle
Stormy Weather
(Harold Arlen cover)
Tangled Up in Blue
Early Roman Kings
Spirit on the Water
Love Sick
All or Nothing at All
(Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra cover)
Desolation Row
Soon After Midnight
That Old Black Magic
(Johnny Mercer cover)
Long and Wasted Years
Autumn Leaves
(Yves Montand cover)

Encore:
Blowin' in the Wind
Ballad of a Thin Man

Morgan Fisher Part 5 Available Tomorrow!

Image Subject to Copyright

This great series of Vodcasts continues with the Musician that has done everything.

Tomorrow Morgan will chat to Steve Johnson of KCL about his love of Japan, Travels, Meditation, and Spirituality.

All Previous Vodcasts are available on our Youtube channel.

Please Click the Button and Subscribe.

Venues - The Gaumont

The Gaumont

All Images Subject to Copyright

Next up in the series of famous Cardiff venues is The Gaumont. In the Fifties and Sixties it was the visiting place of the early rockers.

Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran visited whilst UK’s very first rock’n’roller Tommy Steele also made an appearance, whilst jazz legend Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald also performed together on the same bill.
Situated in Queen Street it was first a music hall, known as Levino’s Hall, which opened in 1887.

In 1889, it reopened as the Empire Theatre and later, in 1990, The Empire Palace Theatre.

Rebuilding work in 1915 increased the seating capacity from 1725 to 2820, operating as a major theatre on the Moss Empire Theatre circuit.

Having been taken over by the Gaumont British Theatres Corporation, it was converted to a cinema, though still able to provided live entertainment.

It became the Gaumont in 1954 when programmed by the Rank organisation and played back up to the larger Capitol Theatre.

With attendances dwindling, Rank decided to close the Gaumont on 30th December 1961. Live shows which had been ideally suited to the Gaumont’s large stage and backstage facilities were relocated to the Capitol Cinema where there were some stage facilities but larger seating capacity.

After demolition in 1962, a new building for the now-defunct C&A clothing business was built with a large ballroom in the basement initially bearing the "Top Rank" name. This has now been demolished and replaced by a new building for the clothing chain Primark, which by 2014 had become a Matalan store.

And We Have A Winner!

We Have been running a competition in conjunction with The Cardiff City Phone In To coincide with the recent appearance of City legend, Dave Carver on the Phone-In, we're giving away one of our lovely 'CCFC 1927' T Shirts.

The question was how many times Cardiff City won the Welsh Cup during Dave Carver's time with the Bluebirds (1968-1973).

The correct answer was Four

We have Selected a winner at random from the many answers we received.

We are very happy to announce our winner is Clive Lintern.

Clive, please email us at infocardifflive@gmail.com to arrange postage of your shirt.

We would like to say a Big,Big thanks to everyone who entered, Steve Johnson,The Cardiff City Phone In, and of course Dave Carver City Legend.

Please Check Out our Retrovybe store for more T-Shirts and Products.

All sales help us Run KCL

Please Click the Button Below for Link

Image Subject to Copyright

The Rotanas

The Rotanas are a gritpop group from Cardiff, South Wales. Much like many other music artists the pandemic has affected them in both positive and negative ways.

"We hugely benefited because it's given us a chance to slow down and write new material which we really needed. We needed time to discover ourselves and mature musically and the pandemic has given us time to do so.

"Hopefully attendance will go up across the board for bands at a grassroots level and not just for the first week that gigs are allowed back but at a sustained level for years to come. Going to gigs is really good for you too, so it's a no brainer!

I think gigs will be really emotional. Hopefully the industry as whole profits from people's newfound love and appreciation for the return of artists to techies to roadies to photographers"
Many artists have found it quite difficult to book gigs, especially as venues will look to prioritise the "bigger" acts and try to make their profits back.

"Not as such for us no because I think we had stuff that's carried over, but I can appreciate that it must be very difficult for bands just starting out because everything's getting rescheduled. If any bands that have started out during the pandemic and are finding it hard, drop us a message and we might be able to get some bands on support.

"The jealousy of seeing some bands get priority I think is firepower that should be used for good. Use that emotion to your advantage and punch above your weight. That's what we have always done"

Cardiff City Phone In Prize Giveaway!

Image and T Shirt Copyright©

We are running a competition in conjunction with The Cardiff City Phone In. To coincide with the recent appearance of City legend, Dave Carver on the Phone-In, we're giving away one of our lovely 'CCFC 1927' tee shirts, hurrah!

All you have to do, to be in with a chance to win, is

•Like our Facebook page

• Tell us how many times Cardiff City won the Welsh Cup during Dave Carver's time with the Bluebirds (1968-1973).

Just tell us the answer and like our page and you might win one of these shirts. Imagine how cool you'd be when you hit the beach! Go on, you know you want one...

Up the City!!

Please Check Out our Retrovybe store for more T-Shirts and Products.

All sales help us Run KCL

Please Click the Button Below for Link

The Dark Side of the Media

This week we’re mixing things up a bit and taking a look at a slightly different topic. but one that’s relevancy grows over the years.

Whilst the media can provide endless hours of entertainment as well as news, it can prove to have a dark side. Some of us forget that these stories we’re reading merely to entertain and distract ourselves from our own lives, are about real people, with real feelings and emotions.

The media can all too often forget about how negative press and intrusive stories can affect a person’s mental well-being, and there can be a lack of consideration for how mental health is portrayed in the news. 

It tends to start with media outlets wanting the most clickbait-worthy stories gracing the front pages, doing everything in their power to draw readers in, even if what they’re writing may not be 100% accurate.

This is the damage caused by sensationalist media, and ‘has been implicated in the rapid spread of rumour and misinformation online’, (Chen, Conroy, Rubin:15-19). Stories are exaggerated, people are made to look worse than they are and then come under the scrutiny of the public, who are left to judge.

This not only goes against a journalists duty to report truthful and accurate news, but leaves celebrities feeling used and deceived. Well, if you’ve read one of my previous blog posts *ahem* you’ll know my views on sensationalist media.

This issue was sadly brought into light when Caroline Flack took her own life in February 2020, after being bombarded by the media as she battled a court case.

For the public, a court battle is a private affair for a person or family to deal with, and it may get news coverage but that would be based on neutral grounds and would simply state facts. However, when it’s someone well know, it’s very different. 

She was under intense press scrutiny for around six months before she passed away due to an ongoing case regarding an incident with her boyfriend- something that was never our business to begin with, people forget.

An event that occurs in the privacy of someone’s house involving personal matters and issues is not something that should be spread blatantly across the front pages and morning headlines

A Guardian analysis showed that the Sun published the most articles about her, with a quarter of them taking a negative tone as they included graphic references to her alleged assault. 

However, it is hard to say for sure if the attention she received from the media and the negative press was to blame. There’s no denying that it didn’t help, and may have been the final straw, but the probability is that it can’t bear the sole blame. 

A lot can build up in a persons life that drives them to a place of such sadness and despair that we never truly know the reasons behind such tragic event. Even if the media aren’t solely to blame, they didn’t aide the situation. They were yet another weight mounting on her mind. 

Yes, the press should be allowed to publish that which is in the publics interest, but not when it is something which risks causing damage to someone mentally and lead them to such a dark place. It is a clear indication as to how one may be affected by a story, due to how they’ve been portrayed in the media.

Vilifying a person of half-truths and hurtful lies causes detrimental damage to a persons wellbeing, and surprise surprise, celebrities are people too!

The lesson that the media can take from this is to only publish facts, not speculation. Think about what damage a story can cause to a person, who may be vulnerable. Celebrities aren’t invincible, no matter what we think, they are still people, who can be left hurt by what is written about them. The ‘Be Kind’ message shared on social media after Caroline’s death is an important one, and the media should work on being fair and accurate, not just click-bait central.

It seems, however, that as time has gone on the media still hasn’t learned (will it ever?). 

The  Jonny Depp and Amber Heard court case has produced an uproar of outrage from many, after the UK courts declared him guilty of being a “wife-beater”. He was slandered all over the front pages of newspapers for allegedly abusing his ex-wife, with a media circus causing chaos outside the courts throughout the trial. 

Now it can only be judged through assumption that Depp’s state may be different to Flack’s, but how are any of us to know? Why when it comes to reporting we don’t just dictate the facts in which the publics interest lies and leave everyone to decipher it and judge for themselves how they feel?

Turning such a large audience against one person, especially before hard-evidence and facts are confirmed, is a perilous action that can result in the downfall of said person.