On This Day 10/04/1965 The Zombies

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On this day, 10 April 1965, rock band The Zombies played Sophia Gardens.

Also featured on the bill were, Dusty Springfield, The Searchers, Bobby Vee, Tony Jackson & The Vibrations, Heinz & The Wild Boys, Echoes & (compere) George Meaton).

Formed in the early 1960s in St Albans and led by keyboardist and vocalist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone The group had a British and American hit in 1964 with “She’s Not There” 

In the US, two further singles—"Tell Her No” in 1965 and "Time Of Season” in 1968—were also successful.

The day before the Cardiff concert, The Zombies released their debut album, Being Here.

The album was an interesting mixture of original songs and rhythm and blues cover versions.

Of the eight original tracks, Rod Argent supplied the album's biggest hit, "She's Not There", and the songs "Woman", "I Remember When I Loved Her", plus "The Way I Feel Inside" which was the shortest track on the album at 1:28.
It might have been shorter, had not their recording manager and producer Ken Jones added the sounds of footsteps and a coin dropping, which contributed to the feeling of alienation that the song projected. 

Bassist Chris White provided "I Can't Make Up My Mind", the quirky "I Don't Want to Know", plus the beaty "What More Can I Do" which, at 1:38, is the second-shortest cut on the album and contains a simple but distinctive drum riff. The final original was an instrumental written by Ken Jones, "Work 'n' Play".

The Zombies continued recording original songs through 1965 and 1966, trying to achieve chart success. There were enough tracks to have filled a follow-up album, but due to the band's lack of chart success, most of these tracks remained unissued at the time.

On This Day 09/04/1980 Genesis

On this day, 9 April 1980, rock giants Genesis played Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens on the band’s Duke tour.

The tour followed the release of their 1980 album, Duke, which was well received by both critics and fans alike.

The tour began in March of 1980 in Paignton, England and ended on June 30th the same year in Saratoga, New York.

It was the band's fourth tour since the departure of singer Peter Gabriel, the second tour since the departure of guitarist Steve Hackett.

Band

Tony Banks – Keyboards/Piano
Phil Collins – Vocals/Drums/Percussion
Mike Rutherford – Bass Guitar/Lead Guitar
Chester Thompson – Drums/Percussion
Daryl Steurmer – Lead Guitar/Bass Guitar

The Tour set list was mainly comprised of :

 Deep in the Motherlode, Dancing With The Moonlit Knight (intro)/Carpet Crawlers, Squonk, One for the Vine, Behind the Lines/Duchess/Guide Vocal, Turn it On Again, Duke’s Travels/Duke’s End, Say It’s Alright Joe, Ripples, The Lady Lies, Misunderstanding, In The Cage/Slippermen/Afterglow, Follow You Follow Me, Dance On A Volcano/Los Endos, I Know What I Like, The Knife, Back in NYC/The Musical Box (ending)

On This Day 05/04/1964 The Bachelors

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On this day, 5 April 1964, popular Irish musical group The Bachelors played Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens, with support provided by Bern Elliott & The Fenmen.

They formed their first band together in 1957: "The Harmonichords" (also seen as "The Harmony Chords"), a classically styled instrumental harmonica-act.

As the Harmonichords, they appeared on Hughie Green's Opportunity Knocks on Radio Luxembourg and on the 'Ed Sullivan' TV show St. Patrick's Day special (filmed in Dublin, broadcast 15 March 1959), where they played "Danny Boy".

They also played background music plus featured pieces in a 25-week radio comedy series called Odd Noises on Radio Éireann, which featured Eamonn Andrews.

In 1960, they changed their name to the Bachelors at the suggestion of Dick Rowe, A&R at Decca Records, who reportedly recommended the name "because that's the kind of boy a girl likes".

During the 1960s they had many successful songs in music charts in Europe, Australia, South Africa, South America, parts of the USSR, and the United States. Some of the most successful were "Charmaine" (1963); "Diane", "I Believe" (1964), "Ramona" and "I Wouldn't Trade You for the World" (1964).

The Bachelors appeared in a film in 1964 called Just for You, with Billy Fury. In 1965 they made I've Gotta Horse and in 1971 they starred in a TV situation comedy series called Under and Over playing three Irish navvies working on the London Underground. Six episodes were broadcast on BBC One.

On This Day 25/02/1970 Incredible String Band

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On this day, 25 February 1970, psychedelic folk band the Incredible String Band played Sophia Gardens Pavilion.

formed by Clive Palmer, Robin Williamson and Mike Heron in Edinburgh in 1966.

The band built a considerable following, especially in the British counterculture, notably with their albums The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion, The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, and Wee Tam and the Big Huge. They became pioneers in psychedelic folk and, through integrating a wide variety of traditional music forms and instruments, in the development of world music.

Following Palmer's early departure, Williamson and Heron performed as a duo, later augmented by other musicians. The band split up in 1974.

During 1969/70, the group lived communally at a farmhouse near Newport, in Pembrokeshire, Wales, where they developed ideas for mixed media experiments with Malcolm Le Maistre and other members of David Medalla's Exploding Galaxy troupe and the Leonard Halliwell Quartet.

There, a film was made about the ISB, Be Glad For the Song Has No Ending. Originally planned for BBC TV's arts programme Omnibus, it featured documentary footage and a fantasy sequence, 'The Pirate and the Crystal Ball', illustrating their attempt at an idyllic communal lifestyle. It made little impact at the time, but reissues on video and DVD have contributed to the recent revival of interest in the band.

On This Day 07/02/1957 Lonnie Donegan

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On this day, 7 February 1957, Skiffle legend Lonnie Donegan played Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens. Also on the bill were Alex Welsh's Dixielanders.

The concert was moved to Cardiff after the concert due to take place at Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall was cancelled by the local corporation with Donegan’s music described as “Unsuitable” for the Hall.

He recorded his debut album, Lonnie Donegan Showcase, in summer 1956, with songs by Lead Belly and Leroy Carr, plus "I'm a Ramblin' Man" and "Wabash Cannonball". The LP sold hundreds of thousands.

The skiffle style encouraged amateurs and one of many groups that followed was the Quarrymen, formed in March 1957 by John Lennon. Donegan's "Gamblin' Man"/"Puttin' On the Style" single was number one in the UK in July 1957, when Lennon first met Paul McCartney.

Donegan went on to successes such as "Cumberland Gap" and "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)", his biggest hit in the US, on Dot.

He turned to music hall style with "My Old Man's a Dustman" which was not well received by skiffle fans and unsuccessful in America on Atlantic in 1960, but it reached number one in the UK.

On this day 16/11/1981 The Stranglers

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On this day, 16 November 1981, punk new wavers The Stranglers played Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens on the band’s La Folie tour in support of their recently released La Folie album, their sixth studio album. Support was provided by Taxi Girl.

La folie was a conscious attempt to deliver a more commercial product. The band's record company, EMI, sent them into the studio with the record producer, Tony Visconti, giving him a brief to produce each song as a potential single.

Upon its release, La folie looked set to be the band's lowest-charting album, but, buoyed by the success of the album's second single, "Golden Brown", released 10 January 1982 and reaching No. 2 in the singles chart, the album eventually peaked at No. 11 in the UK Albums Chart, spending eighteen weeks in the chart.

The single would go on to become EMI's highest-selling single for many years.

16th November Cardiff Sophia Gardens - Fan site tour diary

Myself, Dean and Chris have booked the week off work as we’re travelling gig to gig. We set off nice and early. The venue’s a short walk from the centre, unfortunately we miss the band at the soundcheck. It might sound a bit cheeky but we try to get on the guest list whenever we can. If we can save money that way, it might mean we can make another gig. Luckily I manage to see JJ just before the gig and he gets the tour manager–Rob I think his name is, to get us in.

It’s a big hall and there’s a lot there, but the atmosphere isn’t like the night before. Nevertheless it’s still a good show. We walk back to the station, it’s a bit lively as there’s quite a few characters about but we make it safely. Catch the train to Bristol Temple Meads and spend the night in a waiting room that over the years becomes a regular bedroom for us.

Setlist

Intro (Waltzinblack)

Non Stop

Threatened

Just Like Nothing on Earth

Second Coming

Meninblack

Who Wants the World?

Baroque Bordello

Golden Brown

Tramp

Thrown Away

Tank

I Feel Like a Wog

The Man They Love to Hate

Let Me Introduce You to the Family

Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)

Genetix

Bring On the Nubiles

(cocktail version)

The Raven

Song played from tape

Outro (La Folie)

On this day 10/11/1980 The Jam

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On this day, 10 November 1980, mod/punk band The Jam played Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens on the group’s Sound Affects tour, with support provided by the ska- influenced Brighton band The Piranhas. It was to be the band’s last ever visit to Cardiff. The band did visit South Wales twice more with two visits to the Afan Lido, Port Talbot in March and November 1982.

Their fifth studio album Sound Affects was released in November 1980. Paul Weller said that he was influenced by The Beatles' Revolver and Michael Jackson's Off the Wall also.

Indeed, several of the songs recall Revolver-era swirling psychedelia, such as "Monday", "Man in the Corner Shop", and the acoustic "That's Entertainment". According to Weller he wrote "That's Entertainment", a bitter slice-of-life commentary on the drudgery of modern working-class life, in around 15 minutes upon returning inebriated from the pub.

To universal surprise, on 30 October 1982 Weller announced his intention to disband The Jam after a short concert tour of the UK had been completed. They also made their final appearances on Top of the Pops and The Tube to promote "Beat Surrender".

The tour included five consecutive nights at the Wembley Arena, all of which sold out within twenty minutes of tickets becoming available. The last date on the original itinerary had been scheduled for 9 December 1982 at Guildford Civic Hall, close to the band's hometown of Woking. However, due to ticket demand, an additional date was added at the Brighton Conference Centre on 11 December 1982 for their last performance.

On This Day 03/11/1979 Joy Division - The gig that never was !

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On this day, 3 October 1979, Manchester Punk Rock legends The Buzzcocks were due to play Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens.

Most notable about the event was that, in support were another soon to be iconic Manchester combo, Joy Division.

What would have been the band’s first (and only) visit to Cardiff, the disappointment was palpable for fans who would later come to embrace the work of Ian Curtis and the band that would later morph into New Order.

From the Joy Division website - “The South Wales Echo were still advertising tickets for sale on Thursday 1st November, but in Friday 2nd's edition there was a "CANCELLED" sign stamped across the advert.

Mark Anderson didn't see the paper ... he tells us "I turned up not knowing of the cancellation and was told by box office staff that it was cancelled due to poor ticket sales. I do not know if this is correct but am relating what I was informed at the time".

The cancellation may have been a relief to Joy Division as Ian had suffered a lengthy seizure at the Bournemouth concert the night before and this would have provided a much needed break.”