On This Day 12/08/1995 Hugh Cornwall

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On this day, 12 August 1995, former Stranglers vocalist/guitarist played Cardiff’s Big Weekend.

Cornwell grew up in Tufnell Park and Kentish Town and attended William Ellis School in Highgate, where he played bass in a band with Richard Thompson, later a member of folk rock band Fairport Convention. In the late 1960s, after earning a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Bristol, he embarked on post-graduate research at Lund University in Sweden. Not long after his arrival he formed the band Johnny Sox.

Cornwell returned to the UK in 1974 with Johnny Sox (minus Hans Wärmling). Drummer Jet Black then joined the band. At one stage it was just Cornwell and Black, who were then joined by bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel. Guitarist, keyboardist and saxophonist Hans Wärmling, on holiday from Sweden, joined the line-up towards the end of 1974. The Johnny Sox name was dropped, with the band adopting the name the Guildford Stranglers before settling on the Stranglers.

Wärmling was soon replaced by Dave Greenfield, who joined in 1975 after answering an advertisement placed in the Melody Maker magazine.

After leaving the Stranglers, Cornwell worked with Roger Cook and Andy West as CCW. Their self-titled studio album was released in 1992, with five of the ten tracks co-produced by Neil Davidge. Wired (1993), produced by Gary Langan (Art of Noise) with the exception of "Ain't It Strange", which was produced by Cornwell; Guilty (1997); Hi Fi (2000) (both produced by Laurie Latham). HiFi was released on 180g vinyl in 2020 through HIS Records Ltd with a new remix by Hugh Cornwell and a remaster. Footprints in the Desert released in 2002 is Cornwell's second "lost album" and compiles rare and unreleased tracks from the mid-1990s, that were not part of a record deal. It was recorded in Bath with James Kadsky, who engineered the album Wired (1993).

Beyond Elysian Fields (2004) was produced by Tony Visconti. MusicOMH described it as "something like a cross between [Bob] Dylan and Dire Straits at their best...with a dash of Travelling Wilburys for good measure". Beyond Elysian Fields was released on 180g vinyl in 2020 on HIS Records Ltd.

On This Day 11/08/1996 Gil Scott-Heron

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On this day, 11 August 1996, American jazz poet, singer, musician, and author Gil Scott-Heron played Cardiff’s Big Weekend.

Known for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s, his collaborative efforts with musician Brian Jackson fused jazz, blues, and soul with lyrics relative to social and political issues of the time, delivered in both rapping and melismatic vocal styles.

He referred to himself as a "bluesologist", his own term for "a scientist who is concerned with the origin of the blues". His poem "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", delivered over a jazz-soul beat, is considered a major influence on hip hop music.

Scott-Heron's music, most notably on the albums Pieces of a Man and Winter in America during the early 1970s, influenced and foreshadowed later African-American music genres, including hip hop and neo soul. His recording work received much critical acclaim, especially for "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised".

AllMusic's John Bush called him "one of the most important progenitors of rap music", stating that "his aggressive, no-nonsense street poetry inspired a legion of intelligent rappers while his engaging songwriting skills placed him square in the R&B charts later in his career.

On This Day 10/08/1995 60ft Dolls

On this day, 10 August 1995, Newport band the 60ft Dolls played Cardiff’s Big Weekend. Also playing that day was Dub War and Super Furry Animals.

Carl Bevan

The Welsh music scene was yesterday stunned by the news of the sad passing of drummer Carl Bevan, a talented musician, producer and artist who will be sadly missed.

Formed in Newport in 1992 by Richard J. Parfitt and Michael Cole, who met through Donna Matthews (later of Elastica), who was at the time dating Cole and working part-time in the same pizza restaurant as Parfitt.

After problems finding the right drummer, they eventually took on pastor's son Carl Bevan. Initially influenced by touring American hardcore bands that played in Newport (and in particular prominent local venue T. J.'s), the Dolls played noisy yet melodic rock, described by the NME as "grunge mod...proto-pub metal blues of the first order".

In 1993, Huw Williams of the Pooh Sticks became their manager and released the debut single "Happy Shopper", named after a British convenience store chain, on his own Townhill label.

In 1995 they joined the first 'BratBus' NME tour with Veruca Salt, Marion and Skunk Anansie. After support spots with Oasis, Elastica and Dinosaur Jr., 60 Ft. Dolls released their second single "White Knuckle Ride" on Rough Trade Records and then "Pig Valentine" on the RCA imprint Indolent Records.

These early singles were championed heavily by BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq, and as a consequence were picked up by influential American DJ Rodney Bingenheimer of KROQ-FM. This resulted in the band signing a deal with Geffen Records in the US. The New York Times listed "Pig Valentine" among its 1996 singles of the year.

The band broke into the UK Top 40 with their fourth single "Talk to Me" (Indolent, 1996), the video for which extensively featured the Newport Transporter Bridge. This was followed by their debut album, The Big 3, which was produced by Al Clay. Reviews called it "as close to soar-away rock perfection as it's possible to imagine" by the NME and "pure, unadulterated, no nonsense, emotional, tuneful, impassioned, purposeful, hedonistic rock 'n' roll" by Melody Maker.

The album was included in Select magazine's top 30 albums of 1996 and Mojo's 2003 retrospective feature "Top 12 Britpop albums of the 90s", which called it "a devilishly evocative document of the period".

The band toured extensively in the UK, Japan and Europe, including several summer festival appearances such as Glastonbury 1997 as well as opening for The Sex Pistols at their 1996 Finsbury Park reunion gig.

On This Day 08/08/1998 Audioweb

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On this day, 8 August 1998, indie rock band from Manchester, Audioweb, played Cardiff’s Big Weekend.

Audioweb scored two Top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart - "Policeman Skank...(The Story Of My Life)", and a cover version of The Clash's "Bankrobber".

Famous admirers of the group were U2 and Ian Brown. Audioweb supported U2 at Wembley Stadium in August 1997. Prior to this Stadium gig they supported Cast at Glasgow's Barrowlands in March 1997. They also supported Madness at Madstock '96 at Finsbury Park, London. Audioweb released their material on the Mother Records label.

The band went on an extended hiatus after 2000. Bassist McCann played for Ian Brown and Badly Drawn Boy and released his own music under the name Fellow Traveller; Maxfield has drummed for Ian Brown and Shed Seven; File has been working with the singer-songwriter Finley Quaye; while Merchant's 2007 - 2013 Manchester band, SupaJamma have released one mini album "That Was Then, This is Now" & four singles, "Madaboutit, It's Alright, Hope & Pray, We Run Tings" on Stereokill Recordings.

Merchant is also the vocalist on the theme tune for the BBC show Rastamouse.

Personnel

Martin "Sugar" Merchant (vocals)

Sean McCann (bass)

Robin File (guitar)

Robert "Maxi" Maxfield (drums)

On This Day 07/08/2011 Dodgy

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On this day, 7 August 2011, rock band Dodgy played Cardiff’s Big Weekend.

Formed in Hounslow in 1990. The band rose to prominence during the Britpop era of the 1990s. They are best known for their hits "Staying Out for the Summer", "If You're Thinking of Me", and "Good Enough".

"Good Enough" was their biggest hit, reaching No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart.

The band was formed by Nigel Clark, Mathew Priest, and Andy Miller. Relocating from Worcestershire to London in 1988, Clark and Priest played together in the trio Purple, with Frederic Colier [fr] on the bass. They recruited guitarist Ben Lurie, who left the band after one week to join The Jesus and Mary Chain and was replaced by Miller. After Colier's departure, the band renamed itself Dodgy.

The band played an eight-month residency at a wine bar in Kingston Upon Thames and created a following. In 1991, they signed a six-album deal with A&M Records and signed publishing with BMG.

Dodgy's debut album was produced by The Lightning Seeds' Ian Broudie. The band concerned themselves with social issues by supporting The Serious Road Trip, War Child, the Liverpool Dockers' Strike, Charter88 and youth democracy campaigns.

The band became the second UK act, after China Drum, to play in Sarajevo after the lifting of the siege, giving a concert at the Kuk club in August 1996. They returned to Bosnia in 1997, to film a programme with Kate Thornton in Mostar.

On This Day 06/08/1999 Big Leaves

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On this day, 6 August 2004, Welsh band Big Leaves played Cardiff’s Big Weekend.

The band was formed in 1988 as Beganifs by then 11- and 12-year-old school pupils Rhodri Sion (vocals), Meilir Gwynedd (guitar), Kevin Tame (bass guitar, trumpet), and Osian Gwynedd (drums, keyboards).

They initially recorded and sold home-recorded tapes, and released two seven-inch EPs as Beganifs, the first on their own label, the second on Ankst Records.

They changed the band name to Big Leaves after they were mistakenly billed as this by a concert promoter in the Netherlands who misheard their name. They were signed by Crai Records, releasing two EPs in 1998 and 1999, and contributed to the second album by Catatonia, with whom they later toured.

They also toured with Super Furry Animals, a band with which they have been compared. "Sly Alibi", released in 1999 on Adam Walton's Whipcord label, was the band's first English-language release.

Their 1999 single "Racing Birds" was so highly regarded by BBC Radio 1 DJ Mark Radcliffe that he played it twice in a row on his show. The band's debut album, Pwy Sy'n Galw? (Who's Calling?) was released in 2000, after which they were joined by drummer Matt Hobbs.

The band performed at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas in 2002, and were featured in a documentary on S4C.

They released a second album in 2003, after which the band split up. Meilir and Osian Gwynedd later formed Sibrydion.

On This Day 31/07/2004 Fun Lovin Criminals

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On this day, 31 July 2004, American rap rock band, Fun Lovin Criminals played Cardiff’s Bg Weekend. The band had recently released their greatest hits album The Ultra Selection.

They are best known for their hit "Scooby Snacks", which features samples from films by Quentin Tarantino, and the song "Love Unlimited", which recalls Barry White's backing vocal group. Their songs often focus on life in New York City, as well as urban life in general.

Their lyrics can be gritty or existentialist in nature, touching on topics such as organized crime and urban violence, but they are just as often humorous or satirical. The band gained a large following internationally, notably in Northwest Europe, around the release of their first two albums in the late 1990s.

The band was formed in 1993 by Huey Morgan, Brian "Fast" Leiser and Steve Borgovini after Leiser, who was already friends with Borgovini, met Morgan at the club where they both worked. They started playing together and would provide the entertainment for the club when a booked act failed to show up. It was during one of these stand-in gigs that they came to the attention of EMI and they were offered a record deal.

On This Day 03/08/2003 The Waterboys

On this day, 3 August 2003, British-Irish folk rock band The Waterboys played Cardiff’s Big Weekend. Also performing that day were, The Elephant is Gerald, Shod, King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys, La Bottine Souriante and The Proclaimers.

The band formed in London in 1983 by Scottish musician and songwriter Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England.

Mike Scott has remained the only constant member throughout the band's career. They have explored a number of different styles, but their music is mainly a mix of folk music with rock and roll.

By the summer of 2000, Scott had assembled a new Waterboys lineup – himself on voice and guitar, Richard Naiff on keyboards and organs, bass player Livingston Brown and drummer Jeremy Stacey. Wickham guested on fiddle at live dates in Dublin and Belfast on the resulting tour of late 2001, and rejoined the band permanently in January 2001.

Scott, Wickham and Naiff were the core of the Waterboys by 2003, when the group changed direction once again and released Universal Hall a mostly acoustic album with a return of some Celtic influences from the Fisherman's Blues era as well as aspects of New Age music and dance electronica.

The album was followed by a tour of the UK and then Europe. Their first official live album, Karma to Burn, was released in 2005 – with Carlos Hercules on drums, Steve Walters on bass and a guest appearance by Sharon Shannon on accordion – showing off the band's acoustic and electric sides.

Setlist

Setlist

Always Dancing, Never Getting Tired

This Light Is for the World

When Ye Go Away

Further Up, Further In

Peace of Iona

Strange Boat

Medicine Bow

The Pan Within

Bring 'Em All In

(Mike Scott song)

Long Way to the Light

Glastonbury Song

Fisherman's Blues

Encore:

The Whole of the Moon