John Peel Favorites 'Derrero' share captivating new 'High Side' single via Recordiau Prin

Celebrated Welsh band Derrero continue an unstoppable 26-year trajectory with their new album Curvy Lines.

Recorded back in Nov 2021 the album sees Derrero exploring new ways of working to expand upon their sonic palette and distinctive use of cut and paste song writing. Many ideas were traded across the web and new material was rapidly realised during 4 days of marathon studio sessions.

Maintaining a resolutely DIY approach to music making Curvy Lines demonstrates a strident and confident band who remain steadfastly unafraid to swim against the tide and self-produce and self-release uncompromising music outside of the mainstream

The members of Derrero all met at Falmouth Art college in 1993: after studies, they evolved in Brighton before settling in Newport, Wales. There they released their debut single Tiny Shoes on Size 8 Records in 1997 and also their debut LP later that same year after signing to Big Noise records in Cardiff.

Since the bands foundation Derrero have released 4 critically acclaimed albums and toured with the likes of Super Furry Animals, Catatonia, Sebadoh and Granddaddy as well as collaborating on the film ‘Beautiful Mistake’ with John Cale.

The band also recorded three sessions for the legendary John Peel

Curvy Lines is released on 30.10.22 and will be preceded by two digital singles, 'Morning Star' on the 07.09.22 & 02.10.22

Curvy Lines Album Tracklisting

1. Ancient Names
2. Internal Dialogue
3. Leaves on the Wing
4. Crease in the Flex
5. Morning Star
6. Numbahh Wahnn
7. High Side
8. Destinations Unknown
9. Long are the Days
10. Salamander
11. Kelp
12. Sign of Life

'Curvy Lines' Album will be available to pre-order from 26.08.22

Rachel Chinouriri Exclusive Interview

Rachel Chinouriri opens up about extra hurdles she faces as a black woman in the indie music scene, early memories around music & working with The Snuts.

Featured image: Alice Backham

indie-musician Rachel Chinouriri has opened up about being mislabelled as an ‘R&B and soul artist’ and how this has affected her career in an exclusive interview with Keep Cardiff Live. 

The 23-year-old from Croydon has taken to Twitter to voice the added hurdles she has faced in her music career as a black woman creating Alternative Indie Pop music. 

Chinouriri released her first single ‘What Have I Ever Done’ to Spotify in June 2018, and now has over 1.8 million monthly listeners on the streaming app. 

She is also a former student of the renowned Brit School of Performing Arts and Technology, whose past students include Adele, Amy Winehouse and Jessie J. 

While Chinouriri’s fans await her first album release, her latest EP ‘Better Off Without’ was released earlier this month.

Her collaboration with promising indie band ‘The Snuts’ has been praised by many music critics, while Chinouriri claims the collaboration has helped her in becoming identified correctly for the music she creates. 

Audio Interview and Words Lewis Sharpe

Mental Health Awareness Week - A Tribute to Chester Bennington & Linkin Park

Many artists have based their works on personal struggles but one of the most famous is Chester Bennington, an American singer/songwriter who was the leading man of rock band Linkin Park. The band have recently celebrated their 20th anniversary but tragically one member was missing from the celebration. Bennington passed away aged forty-one in 2017. In this article I will discuss Chester’s battles with depression, drug use, and how the man defied both to bring the world some of the best rock songs!

Chester Bennington was born in Phoenix, Arizona (USA) 1976. Chester expressed an interest in music from an early age idolising bands such as Depeche Mode and Stone Temple Pilots. Tragically, Chester’s childhood was not happy as he was sexually assaulted by an unknown person. The abuse lasted until Chester was thirteen years old, and it took years for Chester to tell anyone about the abuse he suffered. Not helping this fact, Chester’s parents also divorced when he was young, he was bullied in school, and the troubled young man turned to alcohol and drugs for comfort. Despite the horrific circumstances Chester maintained his aspiration about being a musician. In 1993, Chester founded his first band ‘Sean Dowell and his Friends’ with his friend Sean Dowell.

The band was not hugely successful but after changing the band name to ‘Grey Daze’ they managed to record at least two albums Wake Me (Re.1994) and No Sun Today (Re.1997). Chester ultimately left the band in 1997, but Dowell remembered his friend fondly and shared memories of Chester after his passing.

Back in 1997, Chester temporarily quit the music industry working as a digital service firm but returned joining a band named Xero. After signing a record deal with Warner Bros, the band released their debut album Hybrid Theory under the name Linkin Park in October 2000. The track ‘In the End’ resulted in a music video which currently has over a billion views on YouTube! It is obvious through the song lyrics that the track is inspired by suicidal thoughts and negative feelings. It resonates with audiences to this day with many siting the track as a coping mechanism for them during times of mental hardship. Chester did not deny the dark side of his personality and admitted the album Hybrid Theory was inspired by his own personal inner demons. The album was critically acclaimed and was followed by five more albums; Meteora (re.2003), Minutes to Midnight (re.2007), A Thousand Suns (re.2010), Living Things (re.2012), The Hunting Party (re.2014). All albums are currently available for purchase on EBay as well as retail shops. 

In 2017, the band released the album ‘One More Light’ which would be the last album Chester would release in his lifetime. Although Chester was now a father to six children and married to his 2nd wife  Talinda he still struggled horrifically with his mental health suffering severe bouts of depression. In an interview Chester discussed how he felt there was ‘another version of himself that wanted to destroy him’ but he tried to combat this ‘version’ of himself through his work. A portion of the interview where Chester discussed his mental health exists with the titled ‘Depression Explained Perfectly by Chester Bennington’ which currently has over three million YouTube views. 

Only two months before his own passing, Chester suffered one of the worst losses when his close friend Chris Cornell died after committing suicide aged only fifty-two. Cornell had a claim to fame being the lead vocalist/guitarist of bands such as Soundgarden, Audioslave, and Temple of the Dog. Chester and Chris became acquainted in the early 2000s and became close over frequent collaborations on their respective albums. The two were so close that Chester became a godfather to Cornell’s son. The loss of Chris devastated Chester but he managed to perform a moving performance for his friend on the Jimmy Kimmel show in which he sang the title song of the album ‘One More Light’ which was well-received by the audience. 

  Only two months later, whilst on holiday, Chester was found unresponsive by his housekeeper. The cause of death was suicide. The same day Chester died was also the day Chris Cornell would have turned fifty-three. 

Numerous artists from Coldplay’s Chris Martin to rapper Jay-Z, and the band Imagine Dragons paid tribute to Chester singing some of his songs, writing moving messages on their social media pages, and sending their condolences to his family. Chester’s funeral was held on July 29th with a stage being set up for performers to sing in celebration of the singer’s life and creativity. 

Chester is remembered fondly by musicians and fans alike for his humble personality, amazing musical ability, and bravery for battling with his inner demons. Another person who is continuously inspired by Chester is the writer of this tribute. My name is Phoebe Vaughan, and I have faced continuous battles with own mental health. To celebrate my love of Linkin Park and Chester, I have listed my top five Linkin Park songs. I hope you enjoy!

My Top 5 Linkin Park Songs

1. Leave Out All the Rest – A song from the album ‘Minutes to Midnight’ which was featured on the soundtrack to the 2007 Sci-Fi film ‘Sunshine’ which is one of my favourite films. Ironically, the song was not used in the film, but the video can be viewed here.

2. In the End – A song from the debut album ‘Hybrid Theory’ which has one of the best music videos I have ever seen with surprisingly brilliant CGI-animation espically for early 2000s standards. The video can be viewed here.

3. In My Remains – This song is one of the saddest songs in Linkin Parks discography at least in my opinion. It is a song about how hard you want to fight, but how easily it is to give up, something someone who suffers with depression can relate to deeply. The song can be listened to here.

4. Numb – This song is a true rock anthem even with dark lyrics the beat, the instruments, and vocals are almost impossible to not dance too! The music video can be viewed here.

5. One Step Closer – An almost metal/rock fusion where Chester’s vocals challenge Ozzy Osborne with fantastic guitars to accompany the song. I have only recently discovered this song, but I can tell its going to be stuck in my head for awhile after listening. The video can be viewed here.

I admire how Chester Bennington took some of the most painful topics to himself and turned them into amazing ballads, rock songs, and mental anthems for the world to enjoy! He is a fine example of how to turn something so tragic into something so beautiful. He is deeply missed.

Phoebe Vaughan

Chester Bennington 1976 - 2017

All images subject to copyright

How has the music industry come together in support of Ukraine?

It's been over a month since Russia invaded Ukraine, within that time there have been many casualties, and people have had to flee home for safety. However, during this awful time of crisis, one positive that has occurred is the unity across the world in support of Ukraine. Many musicians have been rallying support, using their status and fanbases to spread awareness and encourage them to donate to charities and campaigns that aim to help those in need during this time. 

There have been many concerts that have given all the funds raised to charities helping Ukraine such as the recent “Concert for Ukraine” that saw some of the biggest musicians like Ed Sheeran and Camilo Cabello perform. The winner of the Eurovision song contest in 2016, Ukrainian singer Jamala, also performed, having fled her home two weeks ago stating that her family and friends were still in bomb shelters back in Ukraine. 

The proceeds from the concert all went towards the Disasters Emergency Committee's Ukraine Humanitarian appeal which is helping to provide food, water and shelter for refugees in Ukraine. According to ITV, the concert raised over £13million as of 30th March. The concert for Ukraine was broadcast live on 29th March on ITV but is available on-demand via the ITV Hub. According to ITV, the concert raised over £13million as of 30th March. The concert for Ukraine was broadcast live on 29th March on ITV but is available on-demand via the ITV Hub. 

The support has continued across the globe from musicians to organisations, and campaigns, and we even saw this on one of music’s biggest nights, the annual Grammy Awards. The 64th edition of the Grammys occurred recently and they partnered with Stand Up For the Ukraine campaign to raise awareness about the country's current situation. They promised to feature a special segment dedicated to Ukraine which saw President Zelenskyy make an appearance in a pre-recorded video as he gave a powerful speech that began with, “what is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people”. He continued, "our musicians wear body armour instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals. Even to those who can't hear them. But the music will break through anyway." He ends his speech by pointing out the importance of music during difficult times and that we all must offer support. 

Zelensky's speech then led to John Legend's performing his new song "Free," during which he invited Ukrainian musicians and a poet to perform with him. Legend said on his Twitter he wrote the song “after a week of seeing the horrific images of the senseless, brutal invasion of Ukraine.” “I know I can't end any wars with a song,” he continued, “but I had to write this song as my prayer, my contribution to the chorus of voices calling for peace and freedom for all people.” After the performance, the audience was directed to ways to donate in support of Ukraine. 

During a difficult time, it has been heart-warming to see the music industry rallying together to raise funds for active organisations bringing relief to those in distress. Even during awful times like this, music can bring people together and offers comfort and creates hope for those who are desperately in need of it. Our support for those in need matters now more than ever. 

Nathan Sung

A Conversation With Lydia From Tribeless

Image may be subject to Copyright

Lydia McDonald is the vocalist of South Wales alternative quartet Tribeless, who have shared the stage with a plethora of bands including Those Damn Crows, Skindred and Florence Black.

Tribeless released brand new single ‘Solitude’ on April 1st 2022. In this interview we discussed the new track, how the pandemic hit them and how she is feeling about their brand new tour. Beginning on the 16th of April in Bristol, Tribeless will be the supporting act for UK based Led By Lanterns. This tour is a great opportunity to spread their music to a different audience. This is what Lydia had to say about the tour and what date she is the most excited for ‘I am incredibly looking forward to the tour!, the show that I am most looking forward to is the Manchester date as the venue looks absolutely amazing, the crows can see you from all angles as it’s in the middle of the room! it’s called Satan’s hollow, what a sick name too!’.

Tribless will also be performing at the Lincolnshire General Mayhem festival on April 22nd. New single ‘Solitude’ is the catchy new single by the band, Lydia describes what it’s like pushing the boundaries with their music and making something a bit different ‘ we’re still writing very punchy rock type of songs, but this song was purely to show people we have a vulnerable side to us, and a more softer side¡ We’re not always hard hitting all of the time (as much as it is awesome) we also want to show people that there variety in our music !). The new single is being produced by Romesh Dogangoda, who is known for working with Funeral For A Friend, Mötorhead and Holding Absence.

I discussed with her how it was to work with him ‘absolutely amazing, Romesh is so lovely to work with, he’s very motivating and is absolutely great overall, I did love working with him on vocals, he makes them sound amazing. He’s worked with so many successful artists, such as bring me the horizon, so that’s even cooler! The guy knows how to make a song sound INSANE’ The pandemic brought the music industry to its knees, pushing back projects and tours to leading bands to quit. Whilst some bands used the time away to have a break and come back refreshed or used it to write new material.

This is how the pandemic affected Tribeless ‘ when the pandemic hit in March 2020, we had just recently come back from your supporting Those Damn Crows, it was so awesome! We enjoyed every minute of it and started to see an increase with our followers the social media presence was getting better, but then the pandemic hit and we kinda lost momentum over time, things started to dwindle, but we got right back into it at the start of 2021 with new members and a new single ‘Formed By Us,’ which did incredibly well! Lydia describes Tribeless as ‘fearless, thrilling and filled with so much passion!’

Check out new single ‘Solitude’ here!

https://youtu.be/ucnahDfjBQ0

Check out ‘Formed by Here’!

https://youtu.be/R7oiQlEZies

Check out Tribeless’ Facebook here!

https://m.facebook.com/tribelessband/

KCL Festival Tips

Ellie Spark has come up with some great tips as we approach Festival Season.

Now, you’re at a festival you want to look the part, right? Bright clothes, those cool ‘ugly’ shirts, big hats, funky sunglasses, the lot. But my first tip may compromise the fashion side of things. (Even though I can never be convinced ‘ugly’ shirts are fashionable in the first place…) So, you may have the perfect festival outfit, but you can’t show it off if you can’t walk, so, my first tip is, to wear comfortable shoes! At one festival I actually thought it would be okay to wear sandals. Sandals. For all 5 days - I know, big mistake! But I learned my lesson and last year my feet remained intact. So, from a festival goer to another, comfy shoes are the way to go, even if it does ruin your outfit slightly. 

Losing your friends is inevitable. And losing them is a part of the festival culture. It’s like you haven’t really gone to a festival if you haven’t lost your friends. So, my next tip is to make a meeting point where you can all meet when you’ve got no service, your phones are dead, or you just can’t find them. I don’t recommend it being your tent though because finding your tent is harder than finding your friends… Try your favourite food stand or the festival entrance? Somewhere quiet but obvious. Me and my friends would text ‘MEET AT BIG ORANGE FLAG.’ And within minutes we would all be there. So, I would say this is an important tip, unless you’re going to a festival solo, you’ve got no worries!

And whether you’re hunting down your friends, watching an artist or in the toilet queue (which takes ages btw) you’ll probably be in the sun all day. So, pack lots of sun cream. Sounds boring and such a mum thing to say but you want to be looking your best tanned self, right? Just applying some before an artist will save you a lot of pain later. And *insert favourite artist here* would want you too as well. And I wouldn’t have thought of this as a top tip until one year my friend had to miss the last two days of the festival because she got so sunburnt. She was gutted and I know you would be as well. So, apply that sun cream! 

Staying hydrated is also a top tip, like the sun cream one. Because if you don’t keep hydrated, you can end up, obviously dehydrated. And I’m not doctor but I know it can lead to feeling dizzy, tired, and irritation, all feelings you don’t want to feel at a busy festival. So, drink water, easy as that. They sell it across the festival and even when you’re in the crowd, security guards give it out for free. So, you’ve got no excuses, keep hydrated! 

Now, absolutely everything is expensive at festivals. Car parking, clothes, blankets, tents and sun cream. You name it, it will be expensive. So, thank God for the free water, right! But one of the most expensive things is the food. It is super worth it, but not the most expensive items, on the first night. So, my tip is not to spend all your money, leaving you hungry for the rest of the weekend. Because we all have that one friend that spends all their money on the first day and is complaining about it the rest of the weekend. (Normally me actually) So, talking from a personal experience, save your pennies through out the weekend. 

And you can save your pennies for my final tip. And that is making sure your phone is always charged. So, a portable charger, will be a great buy. It is so important for finding friends, paying for stuff, taking photos, and videos, that you can keep forever. And you can also keep the portable charger for ever as well. So, a win win situation I would say, wouldn’t you?

So, these are my 6 top tips. Pretty simple right? And if you follow these, you’ll have a fab time. So, happy festivalling and hope you have an experience as good as mine! 

How Has Covid Affected Live Music?

 It was around early March 2020 when the whole world was put on hold as lockdowns and restrictions were introduced as a result of COVID. The pandemic affected everyone, causing people to lose their jobs and even friends and family. But arguably, one industry that was affected the most was the live music sector, with concerts, tours and festivals being put on hold and then inevitably cancelled.

This didn’t just affect the artists themselves, but also the venue staff, road crew and sound engineers just to name a few, many of these people lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. 

Many musicians particularly smaller independent ones became unemployed even with the help of funding from organisations and the government, it was still not enough. Unlike mainstream musicians such as Drake or Justin Bieber that have millions have fans worldwide, these smaller musicians could not solely depend on things like streaming services such as Spotify to generate money, as most of their revenue is generated by them doing concerts. Also, these independent musicians often can’t release singles and albums to generate revenue due to a lack of budget and support from record labels. 

There became this empty void for many people with the lack of live music in a time when it felt more necessary than ever with people stuck in isolation. Fans and musicians recognised this and spotted an opportunity where they could use social media to compensate for this which led to the emergence of virtual concerts and live streams on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok where musicians would perform remotely to their fans. An example of this was the One World: Together at Home which was a benefit concert organised by the World Health Organisation to support healthcare workers and promote social distancing to stay safe. The entire event was streamed on various online platforms for free and had many popular artists perform such as Lady Gaga and John Legend. 

These virtual concerts provided a good solution for the lack of live in-person music and benefitted fans who usually couldn't go to in-person concerts due to travel or cost. Virtual concerts were not only cheaper but also you could watch from your home and stay safe. Many musicians held their own virtual concerts with many turning out to be very extremely successful. An example is the band BTS who held a show in 2020 where just under 1 million tickets were sold to viewers from a total of 191 different countries. This virtual concert was good at making the most of the current situation by incorporating technology such as augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (XR) which enabled the band to interact with their fans. 

Independent artists also had to be innovative and find solutions to survive in a difficult climate. Even if they could not organise full-on virtual shows or concerts as we have seen with many mainstream artists, many took advantage of social media platforms where they live-streamed for free and performed to their fans from their own homes. However, even with these virtual concerts as an attempt to fill the void left by the lack of live music, the experience of going to a virtual concert does not compare to going to an in-person live event and therefore fans left fans longing for the return of concerts and festivals. 

Thankfully, in the past few months, we have seen the gradual return of live music with musicians releasing new concert and tour dates, whilst also festivals announcing their return. A lot of these tours and festivals have been rescheduled as a result of them being cancelled due to the pandemic. These tickets have been met with high demand with fans seemingly keener than ever to attend these live events after over a year of being stuck at home. Many festivals like Rolling Loud and Astro World sold out in record time according to Ticketmaster, which just goes to show the level of demand for the return of live music. Moreover, another positive is that musicians can once again put 

on concerts and tours which benefits independent musicians especially with this being a large part of how they generate their income. 

Madison Square Garden held its first concert since the pandemic began in June of 2021, which saw the Foo Fighters perform to over 15,000 people. But crucially all the fans that attended had to show proof that they were vaccinated before the show to gain access. While this is not always the case, some venues now require people to be vaccinated and give proof of a recent negative COVID test. Other new implementations that we have seen are socially distanced concerts and concerts where mask-wearing is required. These changes are to ensure that everyone attending live events is safe from COVID. 

There is an obvious desire for live music not just by fans but also the musicians themselves, amplified by the fact that we have been without it for over a year. But with the world's current state, it’s going to take time for things to completely go back to normal as we have seen with many restrictions being created to ensure the safety of everyone attending these live events. These are things that we must become accustomed to for the time being whilst we wait for the world situation to improve. 

Nathan Sang

Preview - The Ultimate Classic Rock Show Welsh Dates

Prior to their dates around Wales, we caught up with The Ultimate Classic Rock Show Guitarist and founder Luke Bradshaw and had a chat about being back on the road again.