On This Day 25/07/1999 Simply Red

On this day, 25 July 1999, British soul and pop band Simply Red played Cardiff Castle

Formed in Manchester in 1985 The band is led by singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left.

Since the release of their debut studio album Picture Book (1985), they have had ten songs reach top 10 in the UK Singles Chart, including "Holding Back the Years" and "If You Don't Know Me by Now", both of which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. They have had five number one albums in the UK, with their 1991 album, Stars, being one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history.

Simply Red Review - Guardian

The first surprise is that Mick Hucknall's speaking voice is at the exact high pitch of his singing one. Finishing 'A New Flame' at the second of Simply Red's shows at Cardiff Castle, he says: 'That's the first time I've played that in a long time,' and it is as if the stage has been invaded by a castrated Mancunian choirboy, wearing his testicles as cuff links.

Not that the two women next to me seem to mind. Possibly inspired by Hucknall's past romance with 'Welsh lovely', Catherine Zeta Jones, they keep up a robust, drunken display of appreciation for his none-too-obvious physical charms. 'Get down off that stage, come over here, and fuck me!' hollers the first, slopping beer over her open-toe sandals. Her friend says little, merely lifting her top occasionally to solemnly flash her bra at the thankfully oblivious Hucknall. All of which goes to prove that there's someone for everyone. Even for Mick Hucknall, voted the Ugliest Man in Pop 240 years running by the Great British Public.

Why do we all hate Mick Hucknall so much? Could it be his Pomagne Socialism, that relentless schmoozing of New Labour in general, and Tony Blair in particular? It's all very well hearing that Blair plays Simply Red's music when travelling, but you suspect Hucknall listens, gooey-eyed, to Blair's speeches in his own car. (While it is accepted that politics and music occasionally get into bed together, Mick, dear boy, no one expects them to actually shag.)

All that apart, there are no serious grounds for disliking Hucknall. Even at his egomaniacal worst (the video for 1991's 'Stars', where Hucknall, carrot locks flowing majestically, runs through space dressed in one of God's old nighties), there were just enough tunes to see him through. Simply Red have made their share of deeply dull stadium music, but there was always the odd original gem ('Holding Back the Years', 'For Your Babies'), or well realised cover ('Money's Too Tight To Mention', 'If You Don't Know Me By Now'), to keep even the most cynical pop fan interested.

However, if Simply Red are surprisingly good at Cardiff, the crowd are better. As Hucknall is introducing his ridiculously huge band (I stopped counting after about 11), some wag shouts: 'What's the singer called then?' And, while I've seen people hold lighters in the air in silent homage, I have never seen a crowd hold their cigarettes in the air before.

As the set unfolds, it becomes clear that Hucknall intends to play it safe, sticking to old hits. And quite right too. At one point, he squeakily asks the crowd if they want to hear some new numbers, and it is a credit to their manners that no one shouts back: 'No, of course not.' In the end, Simply Red play quite a few new numbers, all of which send everyone racing off for a fortifying lager or Fab ice lolly.

This thirtysomething crowd, part noisy hen party, part lairy stag night, haven't paid a disgracefully inflated £27.50 a head to act as guinea pigs for completely fresh material, or even relatively recent material. They want to hear the stuff from Picture Book and Stars, songs which, for them, were first-date soundtracks or marriage-proposal anthems.

And they want to hear Hucknall's voice of course, which is better than any white guy's deserves to be. If it is true that, to be convincing, white male soul singers, should aim to sound like black female soul singers, then Hucknall is blessed indeed. At Cardiff, his voice soars into the high notes, dips seamlessly back down into the low ones, and goes for riffing little walks when it feels like it. All without him breaking into a sweat.

People are technically incorrect when they go on about Hucknall's great voice. He hasn't got a great voice, he's got seven great voices. Fashionable he will never be again, but, long after the snobbery and childish sneering have faded, Mick Hucknall's voice will probably be remembered as one of Britain's best.

Setlist

Mellow My Mind

(Neil Young cover)

Never Never Love

Man Made the Gun

It's Only Love Doing Its Thing

(Barry White cover)

A New Flame

Thrill Me

For Your Babies

If You Don't Know Me by Now

(Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes cover)

So Beautiful

Thank You

Look Into Your Eyes

Night Nurse

(Gregory Isaacs cover)

Stars

Come to My Aid

I Won't Feel Bad

Infidelity

The Right Thing

Money's Too Tight (To Mention)

(The Valentine Brothers cover)

Holding Back the Years

(The Frantic Elevators cover)

Something Got Me Started

Fairground

On This Day 24/07/1976 Status Quo

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On this day, 24 July 1976, rock band Status Quo played Cardiff Castle, headlining a package that included Strawbs, Curved Air, Hawkwind and Welsh rock band Budgie, compered by DJ John Peel.

The concert was part of the group’s Blue For You tour, promoting their Blue For You Album. The band had played two concerts at the City’s Capitol Theatre earlier in the year before returning for their prestigious Cardiff Castle gig.

Blue for You was their ninth studio album and was released in March 1976, and was the band’s last album until 1980's Just Supposin' that they produced themselves, which resulted in subsequent albums having a noticeably lighter, more pop oriented sound.

Rick Parfitt's "Rain", the first single from the album, reached No. 7 in the UK charts after its release in February 1976. Its B-side was the non-album track "You Lost the Love", written by Francis Rossi and Bob Young.

The album was released the following month. It entered the British album chart at No. 1 and stayed there for three weeks, making it one of their most successful long players.

Setlist

Junior's Wailing

(Steamhammer cover)

Backwater

Just Take Me

Is There a Better Way

In My Chair

Little Lady

Most of the Time

Rain

Forty-Five Hundred Times

Roll Over Lay Down

Big Fat Mama

Don't Waste My Time

Roadhouse Blues

(The Doors cover)

Mystery Song

Caroline

Bye Bye Johnny

(Chuck Berry cover)

On This Day 23/07/2000 Steps

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On this day, 23 July 2000, dance/pop group Steps played Cardiff Castle.

The Summer 2000 Arena Tour was Steps' third tour, complementing their 2000 album Steptacular. The tour also premiered some tracks from their next album Buzz. Following the success of the tour, five additional open-air concerts with the same set list were scheduled.

Steps were formed in May 1997 and achieved a series of charting singles between 1997 and 2001 including two number-one singles in the UK (one a double A-side), two number-one albums in the UK, 14 consecutive top 5 singles in the UK and a string of hits throughout Europe.

The group has sold over 22 million records worldwide in addition to acquiring a BRIT Award nomination in 1999 for Best Newcomer while supporting Britney Spears on tour the same year.

The group consisted of Lee Latchford-Evans, Claire Richards, Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer and Ian "H" Watkins.

Set list

Deeper Shade Of Blue [Sleazesisters Anthem Mix]

One For Sorrow [Tony Moran Remix]

Say You'll Be Mine

I Know Him So Well (Girls only)

Come On Get Together (Lee's solo)

After The Love Has Gone / Last Thing On My Mind

5, 6, 7, 8

R Dancing (Faye's solo)

Lay All Your Love On Me (Ian's solo)

Heartbeat

When I Said Goodbye

I Surrender (Claire's solo)

Things Can Only Get Better (Boys only)

Never Get Over You (Lisa's solo)

Better The Devil You Know

Summer Of Love

Love's Got A Hold On My Heart

Tragedy

On this day 10/09/1976 Queen

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On this day 10 September 1976, legendary British rock band Queen played Cardiff Castle. Also on the bill was Cardiff’s Andy Fairweather-Low, Frankie Miller's Full House and Manfred Mann.

Richie Blackmore & Rainbow were originally part of the package but refused to play Cardiff Castle because they couldn't get onstage their 35-foot high artificial rainbow which they regarded as an "essential part of their act". Probably they weren't allowed to put it up due to upstaging Queen.

Roger Taylor wrote about the show in the autumn '76 fan club magazine, describing the weather as "virtually a monsoon." He adds, "The sight of the rain pouring down through the spotlights on everybody, and of Freddie splashing his way through pools of water at the front of the stage will remain indelibly printed on our memories forever. The fact that people stayed on and enjoyed themselves right to the end made it quite a moving occasion for us. In fact, I was so overcome I just had to wreck me drum kit at the end, which reduced 'Crystal' my roadie to floods of tears rivalling the rain (it was a brand new kit too!). Anyway if you were there thanks for being our bravest audience ever and I hope the pneumonia cleared up."

This is assumingly the final performance of Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon.

In his Queen Live book, Queen archivist Greg Brooks alleges there is a bootleg of this show called "Queen At The Castle," but no such release ever occurred. There are no known recordings of this show.

Setlist

A Day At the Races Intro

Bohemian Rhapsody

(Rock Section)

Ogre Battle

Sweet Lady

White Queen (As It Began)

Flick of the Wrist

You're My Best Friend

Bohemian Rhapsody

Killer Queen

The March of the Black Queen

Bohemian Rhapsody

(Reprise)

Bring Back That Leroy Brown

Brighton Rock

Son and Daughter

'39

You Take My Breath Away

The Prophet's Song

Stone Cold Crazy

Doing All Right

Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon

Tie Your Mother Down

Keep Yourself Alive

Liar

In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited

Encore:

Now I'm Here

Big Spender

(Cy Coleman cover)

Jailhouse Rock

(Elvis Presley cover)

God Save the Queen

([traditional] cover)

When Sting stormed the Castle

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This proved to be an eventful weekend back in 2001, Twenty years ago, but, feels like yesterday.

Former Police frontman Sting played Cardiff Castle, with support provided by legendary guitarist Jeff Beck and Nitin Sawhney, was on his Brand New Day tour, a day later, it was the mighty Tom Jones turn (https://www.keepcardifflive.com/news/2021/7/26/on-this-day-28072001-tom-jones)

Review - Western Mail

Sting causes buzz at Cardiff Castle...

Since leaving the Police in 1983 at the height of their fame Sting's solo career has been maddeningly patchy, swinging from the creative highs of 'Ten Summoners Tales' to the comparative lows of 'Mercury Falling'.

Indeed it almost seems as if Sting has gone into a musical reverse gear as he has moved away from the power-pop leanings of the Police back to the jazz/blues eclectisism of his previous band, Last Exit.

Fortunately, current album 'Brand New Day' is very much a return to form.

The irony is that, as the songs have become more intimate, the venues have become larger and more impersonal. Thankfully, Cardiff Castle proved a much more sympathetic venue for his music. Sting took the stage looking far cooler than any 48-year-old has a right to.

Openers, 'A Thousand Years' and 'If You Love Someone (Set Them Free)', set the tone for most of the gig; always threatening to boil over into greatness, but never quite managing it.

On 'Seven Days' Sting still manages to give the band that look when notes are not quite reached or beats are missed.

This insistence on perfection that gave the Police their edge is also what keeps Sting's current band sharp, particularly on 'Moon Over Bourbon Street' where the nimble interplay of Chris Botti's trumpet, with Sting's vocals lifts a song that in other hands would sound mediocre.

Biggest cheers of the night were of course saved for the Police songs, but unlike Bon Jovi a few weeks ago no one can accuse the man of simply playing to the crowd as he also threw in lesser-known tracks such as ''hen the World is Running Down'.

The appearance of Andy Summers or Stewart Copeland that most people hoped for never happened and the gig did lack a certain raw energy, but in the sedate surroundings of the castle this was the perfect musical accompaniment to a balmy summer's evening.

(c) The Western Mail by Andy Johnston

Review -South Wales Echo

Every little thing Sting does is magic...

He may not be Tom Jones, he may not be Robbie Williams, he may not even be Bon Jovi, but Sting still made a big impression on Cardiff concertgoers last night. The former Police man, turned jazz rocker, turned acoustic balladeer opened Cardiff Castle's weekend of concerts in fine style.

In balmy temperatures and under a clear, perfect sky, more than 4,000 - mostly thirtysomethings and older - shimmied the night away, having first marvelled at the pyrotechnics of guitar legend Jeff Beck. More Glyndebourne than Glastonbury, the atmosphere throughout the night was respectful rather than rip-roaring, partly down to the majestic surroundings and partly down to the over-zealous stewards who were anxious to prevent anyone getting carried away in the aisles.

There was never any danger of that with Jeff Beck. By some distance the flashiest guitarist in the world, he suffers from his refusal to compromise. Legend has it he could have been the replacement for Mick Taylor in the Stones (Ron Wood eventually got the job) but he was always too much of a maverick for that. For someone who's been a star since the mid-1960s (he must be 54 at least by my reckoning) he looks no different to when he was terrifying audiences in the Yardbirds, although he does bear an uncanny resemblance to Nigel from Spinal Tap, complete with silver crucifix.

While more innovative than Eric Clapton, his brand of fusion jazz is never going to appeal to a mainstream audience. Although you have to admire him for his dogged refusal to even acknowledge 'Hi Ho Silver Lining' (his big, uncharacteristic party hit from the Sixties). A blast of this would have brought the house down but we had to settle for a sensational instrumental version of the Beatles' 'A Day in the Life'.

After that, Sting chose to open his set with some of his low-key world music - guaranteed to keep the audience glued to their seats. A rousing 'If You Love Somebody' reconnected him to the vast majority of the audience but it wasn't until 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic', his first Police hit of the night, that the audience leapt to their feet and got their yah-yahs out.

Once animated, the audience was never going to sit still, despite some ill -advised adventures in freeform jazz. They sang along to 'Englishman in New York' (not something that happens every day in Cardiff), loved 'Fields of Gold', 'Seven Days' and 'Brand New Day', were amazed by a blistering 'When the World is Running Down' but cheered loudest for 'Every Breath You Take' (by a mile the best song he's ever written), the solo acoustic encore 'Message in a Bottle' and a 10 minute audience participation version of 'Roxanne'.

It was a great night, made even better by the weather.

What's the betting, though, that Tom Jones really makes the place rock when he takes to the stage for his three concerts this weekend?

(c) The South Wales Echo by Martin Wells

On this day 28th July 2001 Tom Jones

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On this day. 28 July 2001, Welsh Singing legend Tom Jones played Cardiff Castle to a sell-out crowd.

Jones had been enjoying somewhat of a resurgance with the release of his Reload album in September 1999, some of which featured in his Cardiff Castle set.

Reload became the highest seller of Jones' career, reaching number one on the British charts in 1999 and again in 2000. Its biggest single was the collaboration with Mousse T, "Sex Bomb", which reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, and was later used in a 2003 episode of The Simpsons (a show Jones had guest starred on in 1992). The album has sold more than four million copies worldwide.

In 2000, Jones garnered a number of honours for his work, including a BRIT Award for Best British Male.

Setlist

Ain't That a Lot of Love

(Homer Banks cover)

Hard to Handle

(Otis Redding cover)

Help Yourself

Never Tear Us Apart

(INXS cover)

I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone

.M<(Elvis Presley cover)

Burning Down the House

(Talking Heads cover)

Delilah

(Les Reed cover)

She's a Lady

(Paul Anka cover)

Without Love (There Is Nothing)

(Clyde McPhatter cover)

Sometimes We Cry

(Van Morrison cover)

Crapped Out Again

(Keb’ Mo’ cover)

Venus

(Shocking Blue cover)

If I Only Knew

You Need Love Like I Do

Mama Told Me Not to Come

(Randy Newman cover)

Give Me One Reason

(Tracy Chapman cover)

Am I Wrong

(Keb’ Mo’ cover)

A Boy From Nowhere

(Mike Leander cover)

I'll Never Fall in Love Again

(Lonnie Donegan cover)

Green, Green Grass of Home

(Johnny Darrell cover)

What's New Pussycat?

(Burt Bacharach cover)

You Can Leave Your Hat On

(Randy Newman cover)

Sex Bomb

It's Not Unusual

(Les Reed cover)

It's Your Thing

(The Isley Brothers cover)

Are You Gonna Go My Way

(Lenny Kravitz cover)

Kiss

(Prince cover)

On this day 24/07/1976 Status Quo

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On this day, 24 July 1976, rock band Status Quo played Cardiff Castle, headlining a package that included Strawbs, Curved Air, Hawkwind and Welsh rock band Budgie, compered by DJ John Peel.

The concert was part of the group’s Blue For You tour, promoting their Blue For You Album. The band had played two concerts at the City’s Capitol Theatre earlier in the year before returning for their prestigious Cardiff Castle gig.

Blue for You was their ninth studio album and was released in March 1976, and was the band’s last album until 1980's Just Supposin' that they produced themselves, which resulted in subsequent albums having a noticeably lighter, more pop oriented sound.

Rick Parfitt's "Rain", the first single from the album, reached No. 7 in the UK charts after its release in February 1976. Its B-side was the non-album track "You Lost the Love", written by Francis Rossi and Bob Young.

The album was released the following month. It entered the British album chart at No. 1 and stayed there for three weeks, making it one of their most successful long players.

Link to interview - https://youtu.be/rGFTR-1LCMc