On This Day 02/11/2001 Pitchshifter

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On this day, 11 February 2001, British industrial rock band Pitchshifter played Cardiff University University.

Pitchshifter was formed in 1989 (initially spelled Pitch Shifter) by guitarist and programmer Johnny Carter and bassist Mark Clayden, later joined by Stu Toolin, and then Jon "JS" Clayden (Mark Clayden's brother). During this time, the band played with local bands and soon gained attention of the Peaceville Records. During this time, JS went to live in France to sell paintings.

They have cited major influences as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Led Zeppelin, The Cure, The Doors, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, and Ministry.

During 1990, the band started recording their début album, Industrial, with the main vocalist being Mark Clayden instead of JS, who contributed with backing vocals. The band later went on a small tour with bands like Napalm Death.

In 2000, founder Johnny Carter and drummer D.J. Walters left the band, and the band hired guitarist Matt Grundy and drummer Jason Bowld. The band later released their fifth album Deviant, which had appearances from drummer John Stanier and Jello Biafra. The band played in that year's Ozzfest.

The cover used a picture of one of Gee Vaucher's Paintings, who did artwork for Crass and Carcass. The painting shows a cross between the Pope John Paul II and Queen Elizabeth II. Due to outrage over the use of a caricature of the Pope, the album was banned in Poland. The band apologized for the artwork and changed it.

On This Day 10/02/2011 Good Charlotte

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On this day, 10 February 2011, American rock band Good Charlotte played Cardiff University on the Kerrang! Relentless Energy Tour.

Formed in 1995. Since 2005, the band's lineup has consisted of Joel Madden (lead vocals), Benji Madden (guitar, vocals), Paul Thomas (bass), Billy Martin (guitar, keyboards), and Dean Butterworth (drums, percussion).

The band released their self-titled debut album in 2000. In 2002, they released their second album, The Young and the Hopeless. Featuring the singles "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", "The Anthem" and "Girls & Boys", The Young and the Hopeless sold 3.5 million copies in the US and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA, for a total of almost 5 million copies sold worldwide.

The band followed up with The Chronicles of Life and Death in 2004; a darker album, both musically and lyrically. Backed by the singles "Predictable" and "I Just Wanna Live", The Chronicles of Life and Death continued the band's success, and the album was certified platinum by the RIAA, selling over one million copies in the US alone. In 2007, they released the dance-punk inspired album Good Morning Revival before going back to their pop-punk-roots with the album Cardiology in 2010.

After a four-year-long hiatus, the band announced its comeback on November 3, 2015. The band released Youth Authority 2016, and in 2018 they released their latest album, Generation Rx. In addition, they released two compilations: Greatest Remixes in 2008 and Greatest Hits in 2010.

Setlist

Introduction to Cardiology

The Anthem

Girls & Boys

My Bloody Valentine

Silver Screen Romance

Riot Girl

Like It's Her Birthday

Keep Your Hands Off My Girl

Predictable

Little Things

The Chronicles of Life and Death

The Young and the Hopeless

The River

Dance Floor Anthem

I Just Wanna Live

Sex on the Radio

Play Video

Counting the Days

Play Video

Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous

On This Day 08/02/2003 The Polyphonic Spree

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On this day, 8 February 2003, American choral rock band The Polyphonic Spree played Cardiff University on the NME awards tour.

The band from Dallas, Texas was formed in 2000 by singer/songwriter Tim DeLaughter. The band's pop and rock songs are augmented by a large vocal choir, and instruments such as flute, trumpet, french horn, trombone, violin, viola, cello, percussion, piano, guitars, bass, drums, electronic keyboards, and EWI.

In early 2003, they were dropped by their record label, 679 Recordings, for "lack of record sales". About this time, the band began to break into pop culture. The song "Light and Day" was used in a joint Volkswagen Beetle/iPod tie-in advertising campaign, appearing on television commercials nationwide in 2004.

The same song was used in a tribute to Bill Walsh during an NFL football preseason special, in an episode of the TV series Scrubs, in Murderball, a documentary about the U.S. wheelchair rugby team, and as the end music for the first series of the BBC Radio 7 sci-fi comedy Undone; the song's video was adapted for the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (the DVD features a clip). Also during this time the band was invited to be an opening act for Bowie's Reality Tour and again performed at South by Southwest.

On This Day 07/02/1979 Radio Stars

On this day, 7 February 1979 punk rock Radio Stars played Newport’s Stowaway Club.

Radio Stars were formed by Sparks exile Martin Gordon[2] (bass, songwriter) and also included ex-John's Children vocalist Andy Ellison and Ian MacLeod (guitar) in 1977, following the end of their under-achieving glam supergroup, Jet, the previous year.

The band signed to Chiswick Records and released their debut single, "Dirty Pictures", in April 1977..

In January 1978, the band entered the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, with "Nervous Wreck", backed with "Horrible Breath". The single charted for three weeks and peaked at No. 39 on 4 February.

The band performed the song on BBC's Top of the Pops on 19 January 1978, with newsreader Kelly St John. The B-side, "Horrible Breath", was a song written by Marc Bolan from his time with John's Children.[

The debut album, Songs for Swinging Lovers, named in reference to the Frank Sinatra album, appeared in December 1977. The band toured with Eddie and the Hot Rods and Squeeze, and played the Reading Festival in 1978. The Radio Stars released their second album in 1978, entitled Holiday Album.

The album included their live favourite "Sex in Chains Blues", about the exploits of the so-called 'Mormon kidnapper' Joyce McKinney. The band undertook an extensive UK tour in 1978, which also featured Trevor White (a former member of Sparks) and Chris Gent (saxophone/backing vocals), but Gordon left soon after. The second album flopped, effectively ending the band,

On This Day 06/02/1975 Barclay James Harvest

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On this day, 6 February 1975, prog rock band Barclay James Harvest played Cardiff University.

After signing with EMI's Parlophone label in the UK for one single in early 1968 (entitled "Early Morning / Mr. Sunshine"), they moved to the more progressively inclined Harvest label.

The name of the band, according to The International Barclay James Harvest Fan Club, signifies nothing specifically. Having exhausted other possibilities, each of the band members wrote single words on pieces of paper which were drawn out of a hat one by one.

All were rejected until only three were left: James, a man who used to sing with the band, Harvest because they were living in a farmhouse, and Barclay after Barclays bank, because they aspired to make money. These were then rearranged to get the best-sounding name of Barclay James Harvest

On This Day 05/02/1980 The Pretenders

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On this day, 5 February 1980, rock band The Pretenders played Cardiff’s Top Rank promoting their debut album released the previous month. Support was provided by UB40.

The album debuted at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart in the week of its release and stayed there for four consecutive weeks.

Formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Martin Chambers (drums, backing vocals, percussion). Following the deaths of Honeyman-Scott and Farndon in 1982 and 1983, the band experienced numerous personnel changes; Hynde has been the band's only consistent member.

The band's first single, a cover of the Kinks song "Stop Your Sobbing" (produced by Nick Lowe and recorded at the July Regents Park sessions) was released in January 1979 and gained critical attention. It was followed by "Kid" in June 1979. In January 1980, the band reached No. 1 in the UK with "Brass in Pocket"

Setlist

"The Wait"

Precious

"Talk of the Town"

"Cuban Slide"

"Private Life"

"Brass in Pocket"

"Stop Your Sobbing"

"I Go to Sleep"

"Space Invader"

"The Phone Call"

Kid

"Tattooed Love Boys"

"Up the Neck"

On This Day 04/02/2005 Green Day

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On this day, 4 February 2005, American rock band Green Day played Cardiff International Arena on their American Idiot tour.

Formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their major-label debut Dookie, released through Reprise Records, became a breakout success and eventually shipped over 20 million copies in the U.S. Alongside fellow California punk bands Bad Religion, the Offspring, Rancid, NOFX, Pennywise and Social Distortion, Green Day is credited with re-popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the U.S.

American Idiot is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. As with their previous four albums, it was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for American Idiot took place at Studio 880 in Oakland and Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, both in California, between 2003 and 2004.

A concept album, dubbed a "punk rock opera" by the band members, American Idiot follows the story of Jesus of Suburbia, a lower-middle-class American adolescent anti-hero. The album expresses the disillusionment and dissent of a generation that came of age in a period shaped by tumultuous events such as 9/11 and the Iraq War. In order to accomplish this, the band used unconventional techniques for themselves, including transitions between connected songs and some long, chaptered, creative compositions presenting the album themes.

Setlist

Intro

American Idiot

Jesus of Suburbia

Holiday

Are We the Waiting

St. Jimmy

Longview

Hitchin' a Ride

Brain Stew

Jaded

Knowledge

(Operation Ivy cover)

Basket Case

She

King for a Day

Shout

(The Isley Brothers cover)

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Minority

Encore:

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

When I Come Around

We Are the Champions

(Queen cover)

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

On This Day 03/02/2002 The Hives

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On this day, 3 February 2002, Swedish rock band The Hives played Cardiff University.

Formed in Fagersta in 1993. After gaining traction in Sweden through the 1990s, they rose to worldwide prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival.

The band's line-up—consisting of Howlin' Pelle Almqvist (vocals), Nicholaus Arson (lead guitar, backing vocals), Vigilante Carlstroem (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Dr. Matt Destruction (bass), and Chris Dangerous (drums)—remained unchanged from 1993 until 2013, when Matt Destruction retired for health reasons and was replaced by The Johan and Only, the former Randy bassist.

Their mainstream success came with the release of Veni Vidi Vicious and its single "Hate to Say I Told You So", considered their signature song. They are known for always dressing in matching black-and-white tuxedos and for their energetic and eccentric live shows, with critics hailing them as one of the best live rock bands of the last two decades.