Deaf Havanna - Tramshed - 8/11/22

Deaf Havana kicked off their 2022 UK tour in Cardiff’s Tramshed, on the 8th of November. This was to sing new songs from their 6th studio album, ‘The present is a foreign land.’ 

Originally a band of 8, only 2 remain of this alternative rock band. Brothers, James and Matthew Veck-Gilodi from Norfolk were brought back together during the pandemic as they ‘felt the urge’ to start writing songs again and so that’s exactly what they did. Preforming 9 songs from their new album and 16 from the rest, they brought a good stage presence and a whole load of talent. 

But before their 95-minute set two support acts took to the stage. The first one was, an alternative and indie band ‘Jaws the Shark’, with lead vocalists and guitarist, Olly Bailey, successfully hyping up the crowd between preforming his new releases. And ‘KHAZALI’ brough a whole new vibe to the stage, the lights were lowered, and he performed his indie pop songs, alongside his striking dance moves. 

But the lights were lowered for long, as the room flooded with adoring fans, Deaf Havana’s set was about to begin. At 9:15pm the crowd went wild as they ran on stage catching everyone’s attention. ‘Pocari Sweat’ was the first song they performed and the fans knew it word for word, their vocals filled the room. They also went on to sing, ‘Trigger’, ‘England’ (which was accompanied with an English chant), ‘Worship’, ‘Evil’ and ‘Nevermind’. The crowd then sang happy birthday to Deaf Havana’s own, Mathew, who responded with ‘Wow thanks guys, I am so happy to be here.’ 

And you could really tell the brothers were, not to mention the crowd as well. Repeatedly   screaming ‘I love you’ one fan showed her dedication as James even recognised her as he jokingly said, ‘oh no not her again.’ The crowd then laughed, and the band carried on playing a couple more songs, such as ‘Kids’, ‘On the wire’ and ‘Sinner’.

‘One more song’, ‘one more song’ gradually got louder as the crowd begged for another as it got towards the end of their set. And to the fans delight they got an encore of 5! – at this moment the atmosphere was unbeatable. And I can say, I have never been to a concert where the fans are in such awe of the artist, and this was really warming to see. 

This was the first night of the tour, and Deaf Havana commented on Instagram the success of the night. “Thankyou for last night Cardiff, what an unbelievable crowd.”

They have 5 tour dates left around the UK and tickets are still on sale. 

Boston Manor Review - Great Hall 14/10/22

Boston Manor are back and better than ever with their newest release ‘Datura’ which will

serve as part one of two releases. The Blackpool five piece saw themselves shoot even

further into the limelight in 2020 with mammoth ‘GLUE’, it was going to be hard to top an

album like this. Earlier this year they were finally able to tour ‘GLUE’, bringing alongside

them Movements and Jools.

‘Datura’ was released on October 14th 2022, when the band were in the heart of Cardiff

ready to perform an acoustic show and a supporting role for Alexisonfire. I was able to catch

both sets, solidifying for me that Boston Manor are simply one of the best live bands of

modern times. The album opens to title track ‘Datura (Dusk)’ which is a very Boston Manor

way to open the album; the lyrics ‘we’re scared and we’re alone’ haunting their way through

the track. We then move onto my personal favourite from the record ‘Floodlights on the

square’ in which we get a further glimpse into vocalist Henry Cox’s wonderful vocals. The

two powerhouse singles of the album are next with ‘Foxglove’ and ‘Passenger’ with catchy

choruses and hooks that will become staples at live shows. Whilst I found ‘Crocus’ to be my

least favourite on the album it is still a memorable, catchy track. Ending the album is ballad

‘Inertia’, meaning ‘to remain unchanged’, tells the tale of coming back to the same thing each

time, no matter how far he goes ‘Inertia,you are still my home’.

You can catch Boston Manor on their short UK run in December in which they are

performing at the likes of Blackpool, Bournemouth or Leicester and at 2023’s Slam Dunk

Festival.

As Everything Unfolds – Throwfest Review

Picture this. There’s a buzz in the air. A sea of thick black eyeliner and Halloween costumes. The stomp of Doc Martens on the cobbled pavements of Womanby Street. The sound of heavy guitar and cheers waft through the doors of Clwb Ifor Bach and the Moon.

Saturday 29 th October saw the 2022 return of Throwfest, Cardiff’s favourite heavy music festival. This year’s line-up featured an impressive roster of bands and music acts, including headlining act As Everything Unfolds returning to Clwb Ifor Bach immediately following the release of their new single, Felt Like Home.

As Everything Unfolds have been my favourite band since the first time I saw them live, so as you may imagine I was thrilled to hear that they were returning to Cardiff before the end of the year.

Based in Buckinghamshire, England, As Everything Unfolds have been on the scene since 2013, but shot into popularity following the release of their 2018 EP, Closure, which had overwhelmingly positive reviews. However, it was their 2021 album, Within Each Lies The Other, that solidified As Everything Unfolds as a well of potential in the alternative scene. Incorporating elements of progressive metal and post-hardcore, the band have garnered a diverse following of die-hard fans.

As Everything Unfolds featured on the downstairs ‘Tiny Rebel’ stage at Clwb Ifor Bach as the headlining act, gathering a decently sized crowd when considering the format of the festival and the overlap of acts. However, while the crowd may have lacked in number when compared to an exclusive gig, they made up for it in their enthusiasm, screaming the lyrics to each and every song, including the brand-new single, Felt Like Home. An impressive feat, considering it had only been released just over a week prior! The intimacy of the venue also meant that we, as fans, could interact with the band before, during and after the performance, creating an atmosphere that you really don’t get with larger spaces. I had the opportunity to chat to multiple members of the band one-on-one after the show, which was a wonderful experience as I was able to express my love for their music personally – and receiving a signed copy of my favourite album was also a plus!

A highlight for me was my personal favourite song, Greyscale – a softer, slower song seemingly, from my perspective, detailing the experience of living with depression and finding the beauty in smaller things. Greyscale, being less heavy, gives lead singer Charlie Rolfe the chance to show off her voice, which has been likened by critics to fellow alternative singers Hayley Williams (Paramore), Amy Lee (Evanescence), and Becca Macintyre (Marmozets). Greyscale is a standout amongst the heavier songs of the album, in my opinion, a breath of fresh air amongst a plethora of loud, energetic beats. I found as well that it was a total people pleaser, the crowd knowing every word almost as well as Rolfe herself.

Rolfe got the chance to display her impressive range with the performance of one of my personal favourite songs, Wallow – perhaps the song that made me first fall in love with the band when I saw them first as an opener for Holding Absence. This passionate, raw depiction of the feeling of love and betrayal features the juxtaposition of Rolfe’s guttural metal scream set alongside her soft, ethereal melodies, backed against a soundtrack of heavy guitar and percussion.

The energy in the room changed when the crowd heard the distinctive opening scream, a mosh pit immediately opening in the centre as fans chanted along. What followed was an intense performance of jumping, pushing, and overall fun – the sort of high-powered energy that any experienced gig-goer knows and lives for.

The feeling of being in amongst this crowd was incredible, creating a buzz that can’t be recreated by any other experience.

It was a true display of how amazing it is to be in an intimate crowd of like-minded individuals, caught up in nothing but music.

Perhaps one of the best parts of the show was the live premiere of the new single, Felt Like Home. I had personally avoided listening to the song in the week leading up to Throwfest, finding myself a big fan of experiencing new music for the first time live. However, I can safely say that the single has been playing on repeat in my head ever since.

Speaking on the song, Rolfe says “This song is a more personal story. It’s about embracing those most vulnerable moments in your life and making yourself feel comfortable in them, making them feel like home. Don’t ignore things that have made you who you are, leave those worlds open ever so slightly and learn to grow from it,” Felt Like Home is the first insight into their highly-anticipated second studio album, which is slated for a 2023 release – if we can wait that long!

Two things are for certain – firstly, wherever they bring the sound next, it’s sure to be amazing. Finally, they sure know how to put on a show!

Chrissie Hynde The Globe 18/10/22

On Monday night the ex-Punks were treated to a great Billy Idol set in the International Arena with his polished Las Vegas style Punk Rock greatest hits show.  There were no greatest hits in evidence at the Globe on Tuesday night with Chrissie Hynde.  Instead, we were treated to a non-stop barrage of old-fashioned Rock n Roll fused with Punk Rock edge and Akron, Ohio chutzpah.

Fresh(ish) from the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at Wembley - Chrissie had set expectations beforehand that these intimate dates would not go down the well-trodden path of Pretenders hits, but instead the short set would be littered with tracks from the later (but lesser known) Pretenders albums, her 2014 solo album “Stockholm” but still with treats like the “Adulteress” from Pretenders II slotted in for good measure.   Nobody looked in the least bit disappointed and Chrissie herself (in contrast to her last Cardiff appearance at St David’s Hall) looked like she was enjoying herself.

The band were tight, the newer songs still had the hooks, the voice was spot on and the sound was fantastic. In particular, James Walbourne on the guitar made the men in the audience want to be him and the ladies to be with him.  The night belonged to Chrissie Hynde though.  If anyone deserves legend status – it’s her.  From the days in the in the 70s working in SEX with Malcolm McLaren, hanging out with the embryonic Sex Pistols (see Disney Channel) cementing her status in the Rock n Roll hall of fame, fighting for Animal Rights and being able to call a Beatle a friend – she’s seen (and probably done) it all.-  

Album Review - Sour - Olivia Rodrigo

Over the past few years Olivia Rodrigo has taken pop culture by a storm, from ‘Drivers Licence’ to her appearance in Disney’s ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’, the 18-year-old actress/songwriters debut album combines elements of the pop punk era to Taylor Swift’s heartbreak anthems. 

Reflecting on the young singer’s debut album ‘Sour’, this is probably one of my most listened to albums in a single time period, so much so that my ‘2021 Spotify Rewind’ was entirely her songs in order!

We begin with arguably the album with the most angsty teen song she’s written - ‘brutal’. Throughout this song, and the album, she pays reference to early 2000’s pop idols such as Paramore’s Haley Williams and Avril Lavigne. Although my least favourite of the album, the catchy chorus does become an earworm.

Just before its release, many fans speculated, predominantly on TikTok, that each song on the album reflected each stage of a break-up. However, Rodrigo manages to not follow the same musical tone throughout the album, which was something she was keen to achieve by not having the entire album sound like ‘drivers license’, the first song of the album that was released as a single in January 2020. 

On the release of the album, there was much controversy with Rodrigo’s writing style and some audiences questioned her song writing ability. However, the young artist has truly taken the pop industry by a storm and lyrically takes influence from her personal idols such as Taylor Swift. Miss Swift even makes an appearance on the album itself by contributing to writing of ‘1 step forward, 3 steps back’. The song also includes the melody from one of Swift’s songs, ‘New Years Day’ (Mcneal, 2021).

Moving on to discuss arguably her most popular song of the album – ‘good 4 u’. The influences of the early 2000’s idols are even more evident in this single, which no doubt has added to its success. In comparison to songs such as ‘traitor’ and ‘happier’, ‘good 4 u’ is the hard-hitting rock anthem of break up songs for everyone to scream their lungs out to. Briefly, an honourable mention is one of my personal favourites of the album – ‘happier’. The entire song feels as if you’re on a carousel with a sweet, dream like melody. 

Overall, Rodrigo has created an album that is sure to both cure and bring back some of the most heart wrenching experiences young people go through. As a result, her album almost creates a therapeutic way of helping audiences understand and come to terms with their feelings. I wish I could go back and listen to this album for the first time again because the grip it had on me was insane. I look forward to what the future holds for Miss Rodrigo and how her talent is sure to grow!

John Peel Favorites 'Derrero' share captivating new 'High Side' single via Recordiau Prin

Celebrated Welsh band Derrero continue an unstoppable 26-year trajectory with their new album Curvy Lines.

Recorded back in Nov 2021 the album sees Derrero exploring new ways of working to expand upon their sonic palette and distinctive use of cut and paste song writing. Many ideas were traded across the web and new material was rapidly realised during 4 days of marathon studio sessions.

Maintaining a resolutely DIY approach to music making Curvy Lines demonstrates a strident and confident band who remain steadfastly unafraid to swim against the tide and self-produce and self-release uncompromising music outside of the mainstream

The members of Derrero all met at Falmouth Art college in 1993: after studies, they evolved in Brighton before settling in Newport, Wales. There they released their debut single Tiny Shoes on Size 8 Records in 1997 and also their debut LP later that same year after signing to Big Noise records in Cardiff.

Since the bands foundation Derrero have released 4 critically acclaimed albums and toured with the likes of Super Furry Animals, Catatonia, Sebadoh and Granddaddy as well as collaborating on the film ‘Beautiful Mistake’ with John Cale.

The band also recorded three sessions for the legendary John Peel

Curvy Lines is released on 30.10.22 and will be preceded by two digital singles, 'Morning Star' on the 07.09.22 & 02.10.22

Curvy Lines Album Tracklisting

1. Ancient Names
2. Internal Dialogue
3. Leaves on the Wing
4. Crease in the Flex
5. Morning Star
6. Numbahh Wahnn
7. High Side
8. Destinations Unknown
9. Long are the Days
10. Salamander
11. Kelp
12. Sign of Life

'Curvy Lines' Album will be available to pre-order from 26.08.22

Liam Gallagher - Cardiff Bay - 15/9/2022

Liam Gallagher preformed at Alexandra Head, Cardiff Bay on the 15th of September 2022. This was to perform songs from his 3rd studio album “C’MON YOU KNOW, which was released back in May. 

Fans of all ages flooded into the sold-out arena where 10,000 of us waited for his set to begin. But before he came on to sing his new bangers and some of his old ones from his time in Oasis, The Charlatans took to the stage as Liam’s support act. 

This is an English rock band with 3 remaining members Martin Blunt, Jon Brookes and Tim Burgess. They started of the concert with a bang, preforming for around 45 minutes and this set list included their most popular songs, “the only one I know” and “one to another”.

After this the stage crew got ready for Liam’s set, which started at 9. So, whilst waiting for his arrival the crowd roared chants of ‘Liam, Liam, Liam’ which were probably heard for miles. But then as ‘F*cking in the bushes’ blared out as his first song, the astonished and in awe audience began following his every lyric, and he had the whole crowd in the palm of his hand. 

Liam was great with the crowd with my favourite line of his being ‘you’re going to see 2 kings this week and I am one of them, c’mon Cardiff, you know!’ And you can probably guess which song he sang next… yes, it was ‘C’mon you know’. This was then followed by more tracks from his new album, ‘Better days’, ‘Diamond in the dark’, ‘Everything’s electric’ and my personal favourite, ‘More power’. But he didn’t forget his classics from the start of his solo career and his days from Oasis. 

As he impressed the crowd with ‘Roll it over’, ‘Once’, ‘Cigarettes and alcohol’ and ‘Wonderwall’. (I would pay the full price of the ticket just to see that song live again… it was amazing!) And then just when we thought it was all over, Liam came out for an encore singing classics such as, ‘Live forever’ and ‘Champagne Supernova’.

So, overall, this was a great concert with a good mix of his new and old songs, the crowd were well involved, and the fact the concert was outside made it 10x better. So, I would defiantly see Liam again, even though the ticket was quite pricey at 75 pound, I think it was worth every penny.

Retro Review - 5 Seconds of Summer

‘Hold My Hand’ Tour Review 

Image Katherine Witts ©

After 2 long years of lockdown causing the original ‘Youngblood’ tour to be rescheduled more than once, Cardiff finally welcomed the Australian band to one of its most well known arenas. Due to the band having released more music during the pandemic the tours name was now changed the ‘Hold my hand’ tour after their new single. 

To begin, it’s important to mention how the hype the band created while fans waited for the show to begin made the experience that much better. Every now and again a small prerecorded sketch of the band would appear on the screens; from an advert detailing their ‘worst’ songs to a comedic press interview. 

Having only heard rumours of who their opening act would be through TikTok, we were pleasantly surprised to see Tennessee’s Coin. Personally I only knew their one hit single ‘Crash My Car’, so I was excited to hear more of their songs. Coin have an almost summer feeling to their songs, ones where you play on repeat in the car with the windows down with all your friends. Two of their songs I absolutely loved that gave the same energy as ‘Crash My Car’ was ‘Talk Too Much’ and ‘Brad Pitt’. Both of these songs are a must for your summer playlists! 

As performers I also highly rate them, their stage presence is both lively and entertaining. If you want a new band to listen to this summer I highly recommend them, maybe even try catching them at a show?! As quoting them “it’s their first time in Wales… but not their last”!*

After just under an hour set of Coin, the band opened with some absolute bangers. 

As I am writing this a few months later it’s hard to remember the exact lineup however the band played a mix of both their early and newer songs.

Personally the highlights of their sets would hands down have to be ‘Ghost of You’, from their 2018 album ‘Youngblood’, and ‘Teeth’ which was featured on Netflix’s ‘13 Reasons Why’. These songs alone are able to show the range the band has and how one minute they can be bringing fans to tears and the next creating this insanely hyped reaction.

Briefly mentioning the stage and lighting design of the set, this was something I deeply appreciated. They managed to create a capturing and mesmerising set that complemented each song perfectly!

Overall, the wait for this tour was most certainly worth it and I would happily sell my soul to see them live again. 

Katherine Witts