The Blockheads - Acapela Studios, Pentyrch, Cardiff

Images copyright Tony Woolway

There a few bands that could survive the demise of such a leading light and consummate performer such as Ian Dury, yet his backing band The Blockheads have survived and flourished despite such a catastrophic loss.

What The Blockheads provided for Dury was musicianship of the highest order and in particular, guitarist and keyboard player Chaz Jankel, Dury found someone who could embellish Dury’s witty and sardonic lyrics in a way never tried before in UK popular music.

A constant on the touring scene, and despite losing some unique talents on their journey, the latest version of this great band played the Acapela Studio on Friday evening, the first of two gigs planned at this splendid venue.

Featuring three of the original cast members, Chaz Jankel (guitar/keyboards), John Turnbull (guitar) and Mickey Gallagher (keyboards), the seven piece band set of in blistering fashion with their opener being one of the bands big fan favourites, the opening track on their classic debut album ‘New Boots And Panties - "Wake Up and Make Love with Me" with the excellent bassist Nathan King setting the pace, subbing for the band’s legendary Norman Watt Roy.

Stepping into the Dury role, Mike Bennett takes it all in his stride. Being the band’s main focal point, his performance was vaudevillian with great humour, connecting well with the audience and vocals uncannily Dury-like, most evidently in ‘What A Waste” and “There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards”.

Every tune played from the band’s stunning back catalogue got the full Blockhead treatment with Gallagher, Turnbull and Jankel in exceptional form whilst Dave Lewis (saxophones) and John Roberts (drums) provided great support with some screeching sax and thundering drums respectively.

Highlights in a quite special evening for this long-term Blockhead fan was a riveting “Sweet Gene Vincent” and the hit “Reasons To Be Cheerful” with the group’s anthemic “Blockheads” with it’s poke at Essex stereotypes completing the memorable evening.

They've got womanly breasts under pale mauve vests

Shoes like dead pigs' noses

Cornflake packet jacket, catalogue trousers

A mouth what never closes

- from "Blockheads" (1977)

Images copyright T Woolway/TCPhotography©

The 1975 - 16/1/2023 - Cardiff International Arena

The 1975 At Their Very Best

Watching an intoxicated man stumble around a stage eating raw steak for two hours was certainly a different way to spend a cold Monday evening in the middle of January. Cardiff International Arena was buzzing with The 1975 fans ready to see the band on the first of their two night stint in Cardiff. 

At 8:30 on the dot, the band opened their set with the self-titled track from their latest album 'Being Funny In A Foreign Language', and frontman Matty Healy appears in a brown suit, equipped with a bottle of wine and cigarette in hand. The first half of the show tells a story of the life of an arrogant rockstar, with the set designed to look like the inside of a house.

Healy mumbles incoherently between songs, staggering back and forth from a sofa to the front of stage as he performs a number of tracks from the latest album; the crowd singing along to every word. He takes a pause at his piano to ponder about method acting, changing the lighting on stage, and bringing out a group of people in white coats who replace the band members and stay 'frozen in time' during 'Be My Mistake', while Matty snaps into a more human tone, demonstrating that the 'drunk' persona was all an act, it's like watching two different shows at once.

The end of the first act saw an instrumental section, with television screens flashing through images of notable and controversial figures like former prime minister Liz Truss, Prince Andrew, and Andrew Tate. Healy has always been vocal about his political stance and reflects this in many of his lyrics.

Before climbing through a TV, signifying that the first act is over, one of the more unusual parts of the show takes place. Matty is seen kneeling on the floor in his drunken state whilst a raw steak is brought in front of him. He proceeds to take bites out of it, the crowd screaming with a mixture of excitement and horror.

After a minute or two, the band return to stage, Matty is his true self again, and they open with the energetic 'If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)', which brings the crowd to life. The second act of the show focuses on the band being 'At Their Very Best', performing an hour of back-to-back bangers from previous albums.

2023 marks a decade since the release of their debut self-titled album, and to honour this the band perform 'Chocolate', transporting the crowd back to 2013 for four minutes, bringing back memories of their early teen years. 

The crowd erupted into screams when the band performed 'their biggest hit' as Matty described; 'Somebody Else'. "I know you were all singing this in your bedrooms" he says before the synths filled the arena and 5000 voices chant the opening lyrics.

The band concluded the 2-hour 15-minute set with pop-punk hit 'Give Yourself a Try', before departing the stage, displaying end credits on the screens, almost like you just watched a movie, which is entirely what it felt like. The show took the crowd on a rollercoaster of emotions, immersing us into an alternate reality before sending us back into the real world.

The 1975 are no doubt one of the most entertaining, refreshing, and original bands around at the moment, and this tour definitely showcases them 'At Their Very Best'.

Chloe Mullis