The Undertones/Hugh Cornwell 19/3/22

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Cardiff University is one of my favourite venues  having seen many great artists  there and this

gig didn’t disappoint.

The evening started with Special guest Hugh Cornwell taking to the stage.

Cornwall retains the essential sneer and edginess he possessed when in The Stranglers.

Tonight’s show was a mixture from Cornwell’s solo career and his days in The Stranglers, a

number of songs were taken from his latest album called Monster which were well received by

the audience.

The highlights of the set for me were Stranglers classics Duchess and Strange little girl, Always

the sun and Five Minutes. Cornwall and his band provided an excellent start to the evening.

The Undertones were formed in 1974 and the band may have been going 48 years but their

bouncy tunes  and boyish charm made them all seem like they were all still in their teens!

Paul Mcloome is a natural frontman both he and the band quickly engage with the crowd and

there was lots of inter-song banter which went down  brilliantly with the audience.

The Undertones specialise in hammering tunes that rarely last more than three minutes and that

works fantastically well for me!

Setlist highlights were Jump Boy, It’s gonna happen, Jimmy Jimmy, You've got my number and

the inevitable, Teenage kicks.

The Undertones were and still are a great live band if you get the chance to see them I would

certainly recommended you buying a ticket.

Review Steven Davies Photos TC Photography

Image Copyright Keep Cardiff Live

Image Copyright Keep Cardiff Live

Image Copyright Keep Cardiff Live

Copyright Keep Cardiff Live

Ryan Mark Elliott releases new single ‘Until the Stars Align’.

Until the Stars Align’ is the new single from Ryan Mark Elliott. It is the first single to be released from his upcoming solo album which is scheduled for release later this year. 

Known for his role as the guitarist in rock jazz fusion trio Kinky Wizzards, Elliott’s solo work shows a different side of his creativity: one which focuses on songwriting that uses dense layers of atmospheric textures and music that is cinematic and grand in its overall scope, drawing from influences including art rock, new wave and dream pop. 

About the song

Until the Stars Align is about moments or circumstances where we are forcibly separated from loved ones. The song is very much about maintaining connections through phone and video conversations but hoping for the time when we can reunite in person again. 

RME - Guitars, Vocals, Keys, Mixing engineer

Aled Lloyd - Drums and Percussion 

Dan Nelson - Bass Guitar 

Emma Davidson - Vocals 

Daniel Soley and Niamh O'Donnell - Voice 

Andrew Bishop - Co-Producer, Recording and Mixing Engineer 

Artwork by Darlee Urbiztondo 

Photography by Bethan Miller 

You can keep up to date via his website.

The Undertones Gig Preview 19/3/22 Mickey Bradley Interview

Prior to their gig at The Great Hall, Cardiff University this Saturday 19/3/2022 (Supported by Hugh Cornwell), Steve Johnson of Keep Cardiff Live had a chat with Mickey Bradley, Bass Player, founding member, and Undertone.

The Undertones emerged from Derry in 1976, the result of five friends (John O’Neill, Damian O’Neill, Fergal Sharkey, Billy Doherty and Michael Bradley) learning how to play basic rock and roll.

Even by the standards of that decade Derry was not the rock and roll capital of anywhere. With no live bands worth watching, they learned by listening to mail order records, reading one of the few copies of NME that made it to Derry but most of all from listening to John Peel’s wonderful show on BBC Radio One. Practicing in their bedrooms eventually led to the band recording John O’Neill’s ‘Teenage Kicks’ in 1978 on Terri Hooley's Good Vibrations label in Belfast. The legendary DJ John Peel received a copy and liked it so much he played it twice in a row on his radio show.

The Undertones signed with Sire Records and ‘Teenage Kicks’ was re-released, resulting in the band's first appearance on Top Of The Pops. Over the next five years, John O Neill, crafted further pop gems such as `Here Comes The Summer`, ‘Jimmy Jimmy`, `You’ve Got My Number (Why Don’t You Use It)’ and ‘Wednesday Week’ whilst Damian O’Neill and Michael Bradley contributed ‘My Perfect Cousin. They also recorded four highly acclaimed LPs. Indeed, they almost enjoyed the life of professional musicians. In 1983 Feargal Sharkey left the band to pursue a solo career and the remaining members decided to call it a day. The Undertones were to remain silent for the next sixteen years.

In 1999 The Undertones reconvened, without Fergal Sharkey, to once again perform their two-minute, three and a half chord songs to a new generation of fans in Derry. Fellow Derryman Paul McLoone replaced Sharkey on vocals and his vocal prowess and electric onstage presence soon convinced any doubters that he was more than capable of doing the job.

After much consideration the band released an LP of new songs called `Get What You Need', which was critically acclaimed by Q magazine, Uncut, Rolling Stone and Hot Press. Songs like ‘Thrill Me’, ‘I Need Your Love The Way It Used To Be’ and ‘Everything But You' showed that the art of writing short, sharp songs had not been lost over the previous two decades.

In 2003 ‘Thrill Me’ was released as a limited edition 7” vinyl single and found its way to John Peel’s turntable. He introduced it on his show commenting, “And these are words I thought I would never be saying on radio again, a new single from The Undertones”. He liked it so much he played it twice, just as he did with ‘Teenage Kicks’ in 1978.

The band marked Record Store Day 2013 with a 7” vinyl only release, recorded in the famous Toe Rag studio in London. A return to their punk roots, 'Much Too Late' sold out the 1,000 copies before the day was out.

In 2016 the Band released vinyl remasters of their first two LPs; ‘The Undertones – The Undertones’ and ‘The Undertones – Hypnotised’ along with a 7” vinyl remix of the 1979 single ‘Get Over You’. Remixed by Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine/Primal Scream). Michael Bradley also published his book Teenage Kicks: My Life As An Undertone’.

2018 marked the 40th Anniversary of the release of their most influential and famous song, ’Teenage Kicks’. On 21st April for Record Store Day 2018 the band released a Vinyl Singles Box Set containing the 13 x 7” original Undertones singles from the classic early period: 1978-1983.

Funeral For a Friend Cardiff University 1/03/22

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Bridgend based alternative legends Funeral For a Friend take the stage once again after their 2019 reunion shows. The band reached a ‘natural end’ in 2015, playing a handful of shows the next year as a send off to fans.

After reuniting to play three shows in honour of a terminally ill fan the band decided to announce a headline tour for 2021. Due to the uncertain environment surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic the tour was rescheduled for February/ March 2022.

I attended the second night of the Cardiff shows, on the 1st of March after managing to find resale tickets. The tour consists of 12 shows across the United Kingdom with support from Static Dress and Holding Absence. Leeds based metal/ punk band Static Dress opened the evening with an intense and energy filled set. After just releasing new album ‘such.a.shame’ on February 24th they were able to showcase their talent and promote their new release.

The great stage presence of all members was also something to note. Then Cardiff rock band Holding Absence came on playing hits from their two album releases self titled and 2021 release ‘The Greatest Mistake of My Life’. Never failing to impress a crowd they performed some of their biggest tracks such as ‘Afterlife’ and ‘Like A Shadow’ whilst finishing their set with the heartbreaking ballad ‘Wilt’ throughout their roughly 40 minute set. The band paid their thanks to Funeral For A Friend multiple times throughout.

It was then time for the legendary Funeral For A Friend, performing songs that spanned their 20 year long career. Opening to 2005’s ‘All The Rage’ from iconic album ‘Hours’. Pretty much every song they played was a full crowd sing-a-long, for many of the fans in that room it would have been the first time seeing them since before their hiatus. Emotions were running high in unison throughout as tracks such as ‘Juneau’ and ‘Streetcar’. For me personally, it was a really great moment to be able to see the band who inspired all of my favourite artists live.

Bethan Stewart

Rex Orange County "Who Cares" Album released today

Rex Orange County (Alex O’Connor) has released his 4th studio album. And with his unique sounding voice and relatable and upbeat lyrics I am sure it will go down a treat, for all his fans!

But for those who don’t know him, he is a 23 year old from the UK, his genre is indie pop and alternative and he has been associated with incredible artists such as Tyler, the creator, Benny Sings and Cosmo Pyke.

Ellie Spark Writes about her experience seeing him live.

November 28 th , 2019, my last concert before the coronavirus put everything on hold… And I went to see him in the O2 academy, in Brixton London. A vibrant and packed venue, with a captivity of 5,000.

We lined up for just under an hour and then followed the excited crowd into the fully sold- out venue, for the ‘Pony Tour.’

Once inside, we had our tickets scanned, the security did swift checks and we all hurriedly followed each other like penguins in a huddle, to get the best space. A little bit squashed, but in a good spot, us devoted fans started chanting his most popular songs before he came on stage. These included ‘Best friend’, ‘Loving is easy’ and ‘Sunflower”.

And after a huge cheer and clap, we were all stunned to silence as he stood on stage, and the sea of fans stood in awe at the beauty and unique tone of his voice. (Which sounded exactly like it did on the album.)

Twenty songs later, including 10 from his album ‘Pony’, 5 from ‘Apricot Princess’ and 5 others, including covers, he gave his fans a really impressive and varied show.

I liked this because I had been a fan for some time, so including songs from older albums was a great surprise. But, for newer fans it was perfect as well because if you weren’t familiar with the lyrics Rex made you feel included by interacting with all the crowd.

If you didn’t know the songs, you were about to learn them. The atmosphere was also breath-taking. So many adoring eyes fixated on one (then) 21year year old, taking in every high and low note. There was also changing lights according to the vibe the song portrayed. For example, dimmed lights for a slow song and multi coloured, flashing lights, for an upbeat song.

This was an experience I couldn’t recommend enough to someone, a fan or not. And with tickets for only £30, why not?

Ellie Spark

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The next biggest thing: Bleach Lab review Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach 3/03/22

Copyright Bethan Stewart

Bleach Lab are a South London based dream pop quarter who released their first single ‘Heartache of The Season’  in 2019. In 2021 GigWise named them as part of their ‘Artists To Watch’ Bleach Lab currently have four EPs under their belt with the most recent being titled ‘Nothing Feels Real’, released in 2021, the EP includes ‘Real Thing’ and ‘Talk It Out’. The band recently completed their first UK headline tour which consisted of eight shows across the country. 

  Opening the night was Cardiff based 90’s inspired four piece Big Thing who put on a beautiful performance. Big Thing currently have six singles out on Spotify with their most recent being 2021 release ‘Say When/ Eye To Eye’ that are 100% worth checking out. 

   Shortly after South London based multi instrumentalist HUSSY took to the stage to showcase her talent through releases such as self released ‘HUSSY’ (2021) and Slayer (2019). Her DIY dream pop style genre is showcased throughout the performance in unique ways and had a clear good response from the crowd. 

   Then it was time for Bleach Lab who really are marking themselves up to be the next big thing with catchy hooks and incredible vocals from frontwoman Julia Jacklin. There was so much clear passion put into the performance with sing-a-longs in tracks ‘Real Thing’ and ‘Old Ways’. 

  Bleach Lab return to Clwb Ifor Bach in June alongside Stephen Fretwell and Later Youth and are performing at iconic Steventon event Truck Festival in July. 

Bethan Stewart

Henry Birt- The Crown, Bristol- 4th March 2022- Gig Review from a Performer Perspective

Photography subject to copyright from Thomas Pitt Photography

This review is an interesting one to write about given the fact that I was a member of the band on stage. I’ve known Henry since I was 5 years old, we’ve grown up together, performed multiple times together throughout secondary school in previous bands, and I had the honour of sharing the stage with him under his own name in our hometown again. 

There were 5 of us in the band; Henry Birt on vocals and rhythm guitar (having also written all of the songs), Billy Price on lead guitar, Addison Gordon-Evans on Bass, Harrison Pugh on drums, and me on keys. All of us brought a unique talent to the band, and it made for great sounding music. 

The venue of The Crown was great and different to anything I had performed in before. It was small, dimly lit and would make you feel as if you were in some sort of a shelter underneath the pub. The acoustics were great though with the curved ceiling, and after the soundcheck we were all itching to get on stage and perform. Despite the excitement there were also nerves, or at least on my behalf, perhaps because it was the first time I had performed for roughly 4 years or so.

When the cavern started to fill up of familiar and unfamiliar faces, the reality started to kick in and our hard rehearsals for the last couple of months was about to come down to a half an hour performance. 

When we were on stage, the dimly lit cavern seemed to be dim no more, with the bright lights shining in our faces and almost blocking the view of the audience to help settle the nerves! 

4 of the 5 songs were unreleased but all original material produced from Henry, and each one carried itself in different ways. ‘You’ll Show Me The Rest’ was a great opener- a catchy guitar and bass heavy song with some cool riffs from Addison in particular and is fast to get the audience moving straight away. 

‘Leave Here in the Morning’ is similar in terms of pace, and it is my personal favourite with a strong string synth throughout the song. Billy’s solo was also electric, as he presented his own slick skills to everyone there. 

‘Open My Eyes’ slowed down the set in a great way, and really showcased Henry’s incredible vocal ability, with the chorus stretching his range high and low, encapsulating the crowd. 

‘Hymns of Peace and Love’ is another slow and relaxing tune, that also sounded the best it had done over the couple of months of practice, giving off vibes similar to that of The Verve.

The big finish was Henry’s newly released single ‘Rainbows I Could Not See’ and was again the perfect song to end on, with its high energy and allowing all of us to showcase our talents. Harrison plays left handed with a right handed set up, allowing for some really unique fills to be heard in he live performance that isn’t heard on the recorded single. Some of the crowd even knew the words as all of us heard them singing their hearts out along with Henry.

Overall though it was an amazing night that many of the fans enjoyed thoroughly with their kind comments afterwards. The two other bands were great as well, Sub Cultures and Rosellas, so definitely give them a listen on Spotify if you get the chance. It gave Henry a great start to his solo career too, but also allowed us all to form an amazing chemistry that we will hopefully share again on stage in the near future. 

Socials: @Henrybirt, henrybirt.com, Henry Birt

Review Sam Haskins

Photography subject to copyright from Thomas Pitt Photography

Holding Absence Play Cardiff Tonight

Supporting Funeral For A Friend, Holding Absence Play Y Plas Tonight.

Here is a Retro Review of their previous Performance there back on 28/10/21.

Cardiff based post hardcore giants Holding Absence had a promising year in 2021; with the release of second studio album ‘The Greatest Mistake of My Life’ making its way to number 5 in the Kerrang! rock and metal best albums of the year. Earlier in 2021, Holding Absence were found performing at both the government trialled Download Festival and Reading and Leeds festival.

The tour was the direct follow on from the album release and was set to cover 8 shows within the United Kingdom.

Opening the tour at a hometown show in the capital of Wales with support from Australian pop punk band Yours Truly and Buckinghamshire rock band As Everything Unfolds. Kicking the night off with a bang was As Everything Unfolds who were definitely a highlight of the night for me. I had previously heard them but the concert definitely made me a fan. 2021 brought the release of debut studio album ‘Within Each Lies The Other’ they brought a mix of new and fan favourite; capturing the audience for their whole performance. I would recommend this band to fans of Dream State, VENUES and Holding Absence.

Continuing the night was a high energy performance from Yours Truly accompanied by the incredible vocals of frontwoman Mikaila Delago. Touring the release of their 2020 release ‘Self Care’ they are truly a force to be reckoned with. I would recommend this band to fans of Stand Atlantic, Between You and Me and Tonight Alive.

And then it was time for headline act Holding Absence, walking onto the first song of the night appropriately titled ‘Celebration Song’ with the haunting first line ‘I’m alive’ echoing around the room between fans. As the storm hits hard outside they lit up the room with fan favourites and brand new masterpieces crafted by the band.

Frontman Lucas Woodland never fails to impress the crowd with his powerful vocals, creating a plethora of emotions through his poetic lyricism on tracks such as ‘In Circles. The crowd singing back the words to every song showed to me how loved this band really is in the alternative music scene, this was witnessed the most during fan favourite tracks like ‘Afterlife’ and ‘Like A Shadow’. Later in the evening, Woodland brought on his sister to perform their duet in ‘Die Alone’ in which she displayed her amazing talent alongside his.

Closing the night Woodland warned the fans of an emotional goodbye as the iconic intro to ‘Wilt’ begins to linger around the room; by the end of the track, the crowd turned sombre and peaceful as the final lyric of the night ‘maybe I can be free to love you for an enternity’ plays out.

Holding Absence are set to perform with Welsh legends Funeral For a Friend beginning February 28th, before heading to the Valleys for a one off show at the Redhouse Cymru in Merthyr Tydfil and then taking to the States with a tour alongside DaySeeker.

Bethan Stewart