On This Day 06/11/2006 Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

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On this day, 6 November 2006, the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall. Combining elements of music hall, trad jazz and psychedelia with surreal humour and avant-garde art, the Bonzos came to public attention through appearances in the Beatles' 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour and the 1968 ITV comedy show Do Not Adjust Your Set.

On 28 January 2006 most of the surviving members of the band played a concert at the London Astoria, to celebrate the band's official 40th anniversary. Neil Innes, "Legs" Larry Smith, Roger Ruskin Spear, Rodney Slater, Bob Kerr, Sam Spoons and Vernon Dudley Bowhay-Nowell appeared.

There were also a number of special guests attempting with various degrees of success to be Vivian Stanshall, one of two members of the band not still living (the other being bass player Dennis Cowan). The various Stanshall impersonators included Stephen Fry, Ade Edmondson, Phill Jupitus and Paul Merton (who needed to read the words to "Monster Mash" from cue cards at the show). The classic Bonzo stage antics were in evidence, including performances on the Theremin Leg and Trouser Press. The show was filmed and was broadcast on BBC Four and also released on DVD in May 2006.

A countrywide tour, with Ade Edmondson and Phill Jupitus, followed during November 2006, starting in Ipswich and ending with two nights at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, where Paul Merton and Bill Bailey joined in for a handful of songs. David Catlin-Birch (lead guitar and vocals) joined the band for the tour; Catlin-Birch has also been a member of World Party and The Bootleg Beatles.

Officially calling themselves The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band again, the group released a live double CD of the Astoria concert titled Wrestle Poodles... And Win! on 13 November 2006.

On This Day 02/11/1988 Helloween

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On this day, 2 November 1988, German power metal band played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall. The band had just released their third studio album Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II

The album sold well, and success bloomed all over Europe, Asia, and even the United States. The album went gold in Germany and reached No. 108 in the US.

Two singles were released from the album, "Dr. Stein" and "I Want Out". "Dr. Stein" has a very long and moody solo, played with a blues tinge, very unlike other solos on the album, as well as an organ solo. "I Want Out" remains the band's best-known song, and has been covered by several metal bands, such as Gamma Ray (which Kai Hansen formed after leaving Helloween itself), Unisonic, HammerFall, LORD and Sonata Arctica. It is their last album to feature Hansen until 2021's self-titled album.

Founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. It is said that the band is one of the most influential European heavy metal bands of the 1980s.

Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael Weikath and drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg.

On This Day 01/11/1995 Human League

On this day, 1 November 1995 pop band Human League played St David’s Hall on there greatest hits tour.

Formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album Dare in 1981 after restructuring their lineup.

The album contained four hit singles, including the UK/US number one hit "Don't You Want Me". The band received the Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough Act in 1982. Further hits followed throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, including "Mirror Man", "(Keep Feeling) Fascination", "The Lebanon", "Human" (a second US No. 1) and "Tell Me When".

The only constant band member since 1977 has been lead singer and songwriter Philip Oakey. Keyboard players Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh both left the band in 1980 to form Heaven 17, leaving Oakey and Adrian Wright to assemble a new line-up.

The Human League then evolved into a commercially successful new pop band,with the line-up comprising Oakey, Wright, vocalists Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley, bassist and keyboard player Ian Burden and guitarist and keyboard player Jo Callis. Wright, Burden and Callis all left the band by the end of the 1980s, since which time the band has essentially been a trio of Oakey, Catherall and Sulley with various sidemen.

LIVE LINE UP:

Philip Oakey - vocals

Joanne Catherall - vocals

Susan Sulley - vocals

Neil Sutton - synthesizer

Russel Dennett - synthesizer, guitar, vocals

Fergus Geronde - percussion

Phil Edwards - synthesizer

David Beevers - technica

Setlist

Being Boiled

These Are the Days

Love Action (I Believe in Love)

Filling Up With Heaven

A Doorway?

The Sound of the Crowd

Housefull of Nothing

Mirror Man

Blind Youth

Seconds

The Lebanon

The Stars Are Going Out

(Keep Feeling) Fascination

Stay With Me Tonight

One Man in My Heart

Human

Don't You Want Me

Tell Me When

Human Nature

(Gary Clail / On-U Sound System cover)

Encore:

Together in Electric Dreams

(Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder cover)

On This Day 31/10/1985 Madness

On this day, 31 October 1985, ska/pop band Madness played Cardiff University on their Mad Not Mad tour.

In 1985, the band released their sixth studio album, Mad Not Mad. Mike Barson’s usual keyboard parts were filled by an emphasis on synthesisers provided by Steve Nieve of the Attractions.

In later years, frontman Suggs has described the album as a "polished turd". The album reached number 16 in the UK charts, which is the band's lowest position on the album charts to date. Despite the poor chart showing, the album was listed as number 55 in NME's "All Time 100 Albums".

The singles for the album fared even worse, with "Yesterday's Men" peaking at number 18 in the UK charts. The subsequent singles, "Uncle Sam" and "Sweetest Girl", failed to make the top 20, which was a first for Madness singles.

Setlist

Keep Moving

Samantha

Take It or Leave It

Michael Caine

Mad Not Mad

Grey Day

My Girl

Tomorrow's Dream

House of Fun

4BF

(The Madness cover)

Yesterday's Men

Blue Skinned Beast

Night Boat to Cairo

Time

It Must Be Love

(Labi Siffre cover)

Burning the Boats

Shut Up

Madness

(Prince Buster cover)

Embarrassment

I'll Compete

Our House

Encore:

Uncle Sam

Baggy Trousers

Encore 2:

The Sweetest Girl

(Scritti Politti cover)

One Step Beyond

(Prince Buster cover)

On This Day 30/10/2014 Steve Hackett

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On this day, 30 October 2014, former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall on his Genesis Extended 2014 World Tour.

Hackett released his first solo album, Voyage of the Acolyte, while still a member of Genesis in 1975. After a series of further solo albums beginning in 1978, Hackett co-founded the supergroup GTR with Steve Howe in 1986. The group released the self-titled album GTR, which peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 in the United States and spawned the Top 20 single "When the Heart Rules the Mind".

When Hackett left GTR in 1987, the group disbanded. Hackett then resumed his solo career. He has released albums and toured worldwide on a regular basis since.

Hackett's body of work encompasses many styles; in addition to his work in progressive rock, he has explored pop, blues, world music and classical music on his solo recordings. According to Guitar World: "Hackett's early explorations of two-handed tapping and sweep picking were far ahead of their time, and influenced Eddie Van Halen and Brian May."

Setlist

Dance on a Volcano

(Genesis song)

Squonk

(Genesis song)

Dancing With the Moonlit Knight

(Genesis song)

The Return of the Giant Hogweed

(Genesis song)

Fly on a Windshield

(Genesis song)

Broadway Melody of 1974

(Genesis song)

The Fountain of Salmacis

(Genesis song)

The Musical Box

(Genesis song)

I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)

(Genesis song)

Horizons

(Genesis song)

Firth of Fifth

(Genesis song)

Lilywhite Lilith

(Genesis song)

The Knife

(Genesis song)

Supper's Ready

(Genesis song)

Encore:

Watcher of the Skies

(Genesis song)

Myopia / Slogans / Los Endos

On This Day 29/10/1988 Martin Stephenson and the Daintees

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On this day, 29 October 1988, rock/folk/pop band Martin Stephenson and the Daintees played Cardiff University. The band had earlier released their second album Gladsome, Humour & Blue.

The band was signed to a recording contract with Kitchenware Records and released their first single in 1982. Like other Kitchenware acts the group had its origins in the North East England.

The band enjoyed a high critical profile and some minor commercial success. Their best-selling and most acclaimed album is Boat to Bolivia released in 1986.

On This Day 28/10/1989 Ian McCulloch

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On this day, 28 October 1989, former Echo and the Bunnymen lead singer Ian McCulloch played Cardiff University on his Candleland tour.

In 1988, McCulloch left the group to pursue a solo career under the impression that the Bunnymen would be laid to rest, if only temporarily.

When the remaining Bunnymen continued using the name with new lead vocalist Noel Burke, the break-up became more permanent with McCulloch referring to the band as "Echo & the Bogusmen".

In 1989, McCulloch released his debut solo studio album Candleland which reflected a more mature outlook on the world, owing to the recent deaths of McCulloch's father and Pete de Freitas, and peaked at number 18 on the UK Albums Chart.

It yielded two Modern Rock Tracks hits, "Proud to Fall" (No. 1 for 4 weeks) and "Faith and Healing". McCulloch's second solo album Mysterio was released in 1992 as the public's interest in the former Bunnyman was waning and sold less than its predecessor. Shortly after, McCulloch left the public eye to devote more time to his family.

Setlist

The Flickering Wall

The White Hotel

Toad

Horse's Head

Rescue

(Echo & the Bunnymen song)

Faith and Healing

I Know You Well

Candleland

Fear of the Known

Rocket Ship

In Bloom

The Killing Moon

(Echo & the Bunnymen song)

The Cape

Pots of Gold

Proud to Fall

Damnation

Ceremony

(New Order cover)

On This day 27/10/1986 Andrés Segovia

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On this day, 27 October 1986, Spanish virtuoso classical guitarist Andrés Segovia played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall.

Many professional classical guitarists were either students of Segovia or students of Segovia's students. Segovia's contribution to the modern-romantic repertoire included not only commissions but also his own transcriptions of classical or baroque works.

He is remembered for his expressive performances: his wide palette of tone, and his distinctive musical personality, phrasing and style.

Segovia's first public performance was in Granada at the age of 16 in 1909.A few years later he played his first professional concert in Madrid, which included works by Francisco Tárrega and his own guitar transcriptions of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Despite the discouragement of his family, who wanted him to become a lawyer, and criticism by some of Tárrega's pupils for his idiosyncratic technique, he continued to pursue his studies of the guitar diligently.

Segovia viewed teaching as vital to his mission of propagating the guitar and gave master classes throughout his career. His most famous master classes took place at Música en Compostela, in the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela.

Segovia also taught at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena for numerous years, where he was aided by Alirio Díaz.

His teaching style is a source of controversy among some of his former students, who considered it to be dogmatically authoritarian. One of Segovia's most celebrated former students of the classical guitar, John Williams, has said that Segovia bullied students into playing only his style and stifled the development of their own styles. Williams has also said that Segovia was dismissive of music that did not have what Segovia considered the correct classical origins, such as South American music with popular roots. He was also critical of Williams' work with the group Sky for the same reasons.

Review - South Wales Echo