What's On Weekly 18/10/21

Welcome to this week’s What’s on Weekly here at KCL, where we provide our readers with up-to date information on what’s going on in and around Cardiff every week.

From pop-up markets to gigs and outdoor attractions running as restrictions ease, there’s plenty to do in the Capital, you just may not know about it! But that’s where we’re here to help and will be listing all the what’s on and any need-to-know information you’ll need to plan your week ahead. 

So, without further ado, here’s what you can look forward to this week!

Monday 18th

o   Paloma Faith, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, 18:30

o   The Hunna, Cardiff University Student’s Union, 19:00

o   The Hollies, St David’s Hall, 19:00

o   Vukvoi, The Globe Cardiff, 20:00

o   Kerry Godliman, Unit 7a The Glee Club Cardiff, 19:30

o   The Skints, Tramshed Cardiff, 18:30

Tuesday 19th

o   John May, The Globe Cardiff, 21:00

o   Mode Tuesdays, Revolution Bar Cardiff, 22:00

Wednesday 20th

o   Ocean Wisdom, Tramshed Cardiff, 19:00

o   Nadia Sheikh, The Moon Cardiff, 19:00

o   Speed Dating in Cardiff for 20s and 30s, Peppermint Bar Cardiff, 19:30

Thursday 21st

o   Bad Boy Chiller Crew, Tramshed Tech, 19:00

o   Ross Noble, St David’s Hall, 20:00

o   Winterfylleth, Clwb Ifor Back, 19:00

o   Bokassa, Fuel Rock Club Cardiff, 19:30

o   Dennis Rollins & RWCMD Jazz, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Cardiff, 20:00

Friday 22nd

o   Sham 69, Tramshed Cardiff, 19:00

o   Clearwater Creedence Revival, Portland House Cardiff, 19:00

o   Bingo Lingo, Depot Cardiff, 18:00

o   Martin and Eliza Carthy, Acapela Studio Cardiff, 21:00

o   Britpop Acoustic, The Globe Cardiff, 20:00

Saturday 23rd

o   Belinda Carlisle, St David’s Hall, 19:30

o   Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, 19:30

o   Hard Generation 2021 Tour Presents Darren Styles, Tramshed Tech, 23:00

o   Dr Meaker Live, Frontal Lobe Warehouse Cardiff, 21:00

o   Hue and Cry, Acapela Studio, 21:00

Sunday 24th

o   Al Stewart, The New Theatre, 19:30

o   Black Marble, Clwb Ifor Bach, 19:30

o   Public Service Broadcasting, Cardiff Student’s Union, 19:00

o   Coco & The Butterfields, The Globe Cardiff, 19:30

o   Turin Brakes- 20th Anniversary Of ‘The Optimist LP’, Tramshed Cardiff, 19:30

Know of an event or activity on in Cardiff or the surrounding areas coming up? Let us know! If you’d like your event to be featured in our What’s on Weekly, then get in touch via: infocardifflive@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram @keepcardifflive, and for a £3 donation* via our website, we’ll include it on our list!

*All donations go towards running costs of the site which enables us to keep getting great content out for you to enjoy! If you’d like to support us, head over to the KCL website where you can find the donation box on the homepage. Thank you!

Prepping For a Haunting Halloween

Pumpkins, orange autumnal leaves and sugar rushes aplenty. Yes, it’s that time of year again, Halloween is creeping around the corner with only two weeks to go, meaning now’s about the right time to make sure everything’s in order for the spookiest day of the year!

Whether you’re planning a haunting Halloween gathering or a night in on the sofa with for a scary screening is more your thing, having an idea of what you’re doing is always the key to success. We here at KCL are here to help with your nightmare-ish plans to provide you with the perfect ghoulish inspiration you need for all things Halloween. 

Drinks

These will prove especially handy if you’re planning a Halloween party, as you’ll of course need some refreshing beverages for guests to sip on throughout the night, but they can also keep your solo-self or small group of friends refreshed when needed. 

·      Grasshopper Cocktail

·      Blood Beetroot Cocktails

·      The Witch’s Heart Cocktail

·      Halloween Mocktail Punch

·      Beastly Blackberry and Bay Lemonade Mocktail

·      Green Beer

·      Sparkling Ginger Sangria 

·      Zombie Brain Cocktail

·      Vampire Floats

·      Toxic Tonic

Food

Again, you don’t need to be having a party to enjoy some scary snacks, but if you are then it’s important to remember you can multiply recipes to cater for your crowd. Adjusting and experimenting with methods can tailor your food to your needs for your get-together perfectly- but we won’t tell if you chose to keep all the goods for yourself!

·      Easy Halloween Cookies

·      Eerie Eyeball Pops

·      Pumpkin Cheesecake

·      Witch Hats Cupcakes

·      Spider Pizza

·      Bloody Finger Hot Dogs

·      Rotten Devilled Eggs

·      Poison Apples

·      Bloody Mary Syringes

·      Halloweentown Marshmallow Spiders

Music

Now it’s all good having ‘Thriller’ on for the 100th time, but you’ll want to diversify your Halloween playlist a little, for fear of growing tired of the same music and to keep things fresh and new. As you may have guessed, music is very important to us here at KCL, and we feel it’s important to ensure you have a good idea of some spine-chilling songs so that you can make an informed decision when it comes to your playlist.

·      ‘Thriller’, Michael Jackson

·      ‘Monster Mash’, Bobby Pickett

·      ‘A Nightmare on My Street’, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

·      ‘Werewolves of London’, Warren Zevon 

·      ‘Somebody’s Watching Me’, Rockwell

·      ‘Superstition’, Stevie Wonder

·      ‘Psycho Killer’, Talking Heads

·      ‘Heads Will Roll’, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

·      ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’, Blue Oyster Cult

·      ‘Zombie’, The Cranberries

·      ‘Dead Man’s Party’, Oingo Boingo

·      ‘Witchy Woman’, The Beagles

·      ‘Monster’, Kanye West

·      ‘Black Magic’, Little Miz

·      ‘Black Magic Woman’, Santana

·      ‘Feed My Frankenstein’, Alice Cooper

·      ‘Dracula’s Wedding’, OutKast

·      ‘Red Right Hand’, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

·      ‘Bury a Friend’, Billie Eilish

·      ‘Howlin’ for You’, The Black Keys

·      ‘This is Halloween’, Marilyn Manson

·      ‘Sympathy for the Devil’, The Rolling Stones

·      ‘This is Halloween’, Michel Elias

·      ‘Disturbia’, Rhianna

·      ‘Highway to Hell’, AC/DC

·      ‘Dragular’, Rob Zombie

·      ‘The Monster’, Eminem 

·      ‘Runnin’ With the Devil’, Van Halen

·      ‘Ghostbusters’, Ray Parker Jr. 

·      ‘Halloween Theme’, John Carpenter

·      ‘Spooky Scary Skeletons’, Andrew Gold 

·      ‘Ghost Town’, The Specials

·      ‘Spooky’, Dusty Springfield

·      ‘I Was a Teenage Werewolf’, The Cramps

·      ‘I Put a Spell on You’, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 

Films

Maybe you’re hosting a frightening film night for friends or family, or perhaps you’re choosing to go it alone on Halloween eve, whichever you decide you’ll want some great films that will keep you on the edge of your seat. From classics to modern-day horrors and thrillers, there is no shortage when it comes to suitable Halloween films. 

·      Beetlejuice 

·      Adams Family 

·      Halloweentown

·      The Nightmare Before Christmas

·      Edward Scissorhands

·      Shaun of the Dead

·      Witches

·      Ghostbusters 1 & 2

·      The Rocky Horror Picture Show

·      Little Shop of Horrors 

·      Hocus Pocus

·      Gremlins

·      Hotel Transylvania 

·      Zombieland 1 & 2

·      Scream

·      Jennifer’s Body

·      Hubie Halloween

·      The Nun

·      The Conjuring 

·      Midsommar

·      Hereditary

·      Halloween film collection

·      It Follows

·      Insidious 

·      Carries

·      The Birds

·      Coraline

·      Corpse Bride

·      Casper

·      Donnie Darko

·      The Invisible Man

·      Heathers

·      Paranormal Activity

·      US

·      A Quiet Place 1 & 2

·      The Cabin in the Woods

·      The Babadook

·      The Omen

·      Poltergeist 

·      The Exorcist  

Now that you’re feeling inspired for what you can get up to this Halloween, all you need to do is decide what spook-tacular things you’ll be doing this October 31st.

REVIEW: A melodious marvel with angelic acoustics– Laura Marling is a master of her craft

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A sold-out venue is a very good sign with a concert, hence why I anticipatedly arrived with such eagerness to Cardiff’s Tramshed on the evening of Wednesday 13th.

I was excited with the hope of basking in an evening of sublime song and breath-taking vocals by one Laura Marling. I was not disappointed. 

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A newbie to Marling’s repertoire, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from her show. Some lovely acoustic songs from a small band on stage perhaps. But no, Marling carries her shows solo, and what a job she does.

Opening the set with a four-strong salvo of songs from her 2013 album ‘Once I Was An Eagle’, the 15-minute compilation, of which she playfully remarks to the audience “I thought I’d ease you in with a short 15 minute song”, set the tone for the rest of the evening, in that Marling has no problems with commanding a stage and playing as if she were joined by others.

Her soulful singing along with her exquisite guitar playing made for the most beautiful music. From a rampage of stumming with ‘Take the Night Off’s’ to the witty lyrics and biting from ‘I was An Eagle’, there was clearly a lot of thought behind starting with these songs. Setting a scene for the audience, the music established what many in the crowd already knew, that this was a show of spectacular intimacy with a very talented woman, taking us on her journey through song. 

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The faultless vocals and mesmerising music made you feel no loss by having no-one else on stage with her. You’re simply entranced by her presence. I couldn’t get my head around how quickly each song seemed to go by. Not due to their shortness, but simply because I found myself so positively lost in the music that nothing else in that moment seemed to matter, and I could immerse myself in the show.

‘Master Hunter’ was a personal favourite of mind, with the slightly edgier guitar and notes creating a darker and more haunting effect. ‘Song for Our Daughter’ was another that stood-out for me, with her lyrics written to a fictional daughter about, as Marling puts it herself, “all the confidences and affirmations I found so difficult to provide myself”, providing a striking and heartfelt setting.

 Laura’s stagehand deserves a special mention from the night, as she revealed herself that he had to lend an extra helping hand with putting her guitars over her shoulders due to an unfortunate fall in the woods days prior, which resulted in her putting her back out, making twisting for guitar straps an uncomfortable affair. 

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The blistering heat of the Tramshed seemed irrelevant, as no matter how hot and flustered I may have been getting, the distraction of Laura’s performance was enough to help me leave those troubles behind. How she kept so in time, so in tune and so consistent with her playing whilst making it seem simply like second nature to her boggles the mind and left me simply in awe- with a hint of jealousy that my 4-chord wonder songs would never amount to quite her level.  

A stage presence to capture a room, a talent that will leave you wondering how she does it and a sharp wit, it’s hard to find fault. Laura Marling is truly a master of her craft, with a painstakingly beautiful show, this is an artist you must try and see live at least once. 

 Review by Gabriela page for Keep Cardiff Live

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Setlist:

1.     Take the Night Off

2.     I Was an Eagle

3.     You Know

4.     Breathe

5.     Strange

6.     Master Hunter

7.     Hope In The Air

8.     What He Wrote

9.     Hope We Meet Again

10.  The End of the Affair

11.  Your Girl

12.  Sophia

13.  Salinas

14.  Once

15.  Daisy

16.  How Can I

17.  Held Down

18.  Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)

19.  Wild Fire

20.  Fortune

21.  Song for Our Daughter

22.  For You

REVIEW: Corsets, Charisma and Classics- Erasure Had It All

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Fans of Erasure will know they never do things by halves, with their first post-pandemic tour being no exception.

The British synth-pop duo, consisting of Andy Bell and Vince Clarke, landed at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on Tuesday 12th with their dazzling array of lights and dramatics to glitz-up the Welsh Capital, and they certainly made up for lost time.

Going into the show, I knew my 20-year-old self would likely bring down the average age of the audience, but with the 80’s being my favourite genre, this didn’t faze me in the slightest.

Myself and my boyfriend’s fabulous mother were ready for a dance, and as we surveyed the crowds around us, it looked like everyone else was as-well. My expectation of some dazzling outfits was met, with feather boas, sequins, light-up clothing and jewellery aplenty. We were in good company for a party. 

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When singer Andy Bell strutted out onto the stage, I think it’s safe to say I wasn’t the only one who had Rupert Bear spring to mind. His striking yellow chequered trousers remarkably resembled the cartoon characters’, although admittedly his bright blue compact corset made the complete look a little different. 

His below-the-nipple contraption looked about as comfortable as having a rock for a pillow, but comfort to Bell is likely his last thought when considering his wardrobe. Clarke on the other hand stuck to a more formal grey suit, pairing perfectly with his notorious deadpan expression, broken occasionally with a wry smile often caused by Bell.

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Striking lights graced the stage in reflection of the tour’s name: ‘The Neon’, with additional glows and graphics flashing to light up the arena. In true Erasure style, the techno-beats and electronic music were as lively as ever and kept audiences on their feet as they partied the night away to the dance anthems.  

Kicking off the 23-song setlist, the band opened with their 1991 hit ‘Chorus’ to set the upbeat tone for the evening. The duo were accompanied on stage by two brilliant backing singers, Valerie and Emma, who appeared in flamboyant fur coats before ditching them for neon dresses to cool down- their vivacious fashion very fitting for the show. 

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New songs from the album accompanied hits such as ‘Sometimes’, ‘A Little Respect’, and ‘Blue Savannah’ well, and was proof that this was more than a greatest hits tour. The superb new singles cemented Erasure’s status as being as fresh and current now as they were in the 80’s and 90’s. 

Ever the showman, Andy made sure to connect with his audience as well as perform for them, engaging in conversation with people in the front row as well as reaching out to the whole arena. The only problem I, and no doubt others, found with this was that often the sound didn’t balance out quite right, and his words were a little lost. 

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I think we all breathed a sigh of relief on Behalf of Andy, when Vince cut him free from his corset halfway through the show, breaking free from his restraint and opting for a cheeky yellow vest with a monkey on instead. ‘This is the monkey who took a selfie. I have him on a top’, he proudly informed the arena, with the cheeky photo perhaps reflecting his own personality. 

A show dazzled with lights, extravagant fashion and pop classics that just kept on coming, what wasn’t to love? A packed Motorpoint saw thousands dancing and singing the night away, loving every minute of the show. It’s safe to say we all enjoyed ourselves that night, and Erasure have still got it. 

Review by: Gabriela Page for KCL

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Setlist:

1.     Chorus

2.     Hey Now (Think I Got a Feeling)

3.     Fill Us With Fire

4.     Sacred

5.     The Circus

6.     Who Needs Love Like That

7.     Nerves of Steel

8.     Blue Savannah

9.     Chains of Love

10.  Turns the Love to Anger

11.  Careful What I Try To Do

12.  Sometimes

13.  Save Me Darling

14.  Shot A Satellite

15.  Love to Hate You

16.  Love Is a Stranger (Eurythmics cover)

17.  Drama!

18.  Always

19.  Stop!

20.  Push me Shove Me

21.  Victim of Love

Encore:

22.  Oh l’amour

23.  A Little Respect

Review - Groan Ups @ The New Theatre Cardiff.

Mischiefs theatre’s return to the stage was always going to have some rather large shoes to fill. With an impressive run of shows such as ‘The show that goes wrong’ theatregoers who know their work will be sat in their seats waiting with the anticipation that can only come from knowing you’re going to proper belly laugh for the next couple of hours.

It must be a huge relief then, that their new show about a group of kids growing up is as outstandingly hilarious as advertised. 

The show starts with the announcement that a group from year 2 (that’s around six years old) will be doing a presentation about their weekends. When an ensemble cast of adults make their way up onto the stage your mind is in two places, will this be great or will this be cringe-worthy adults playing children, the former is certainly true in this case. As soon as the cast begins, the auditorium is filled with contagious energy as they skip and bounce their way through the first scene of the play introducing us to the different characters. 

As the play goes on we are taken from one outrageous childhood scenario to another as the cast grows up through the various school years. Including awkward teen flirting and kissing. 

The cast is simply sublime, with comic timing that delivers each joke, punch line, and physical gag with the same expertise as expected from any world-class comedian. 

The dynamic this ensemble has is truly enchanting from start to finish, Matt Cavendish’s portrayal of the awkward and lonely Simon is definitely not one to miss. The same can be said of any of the cast as their energy carries you through the next two hours and twenty minutes, without once taking your eyes off of them. 

The stage design is spectacular with the perspective being manipulated to make the actors look like small toddlers and shrinking as the play travels through the years. 

As things come to a head, the characters have more emotional strings to pull at and when those moments are exquisitely delivered they affect you even more. 

A truly outstanding piece of theatre that I would be extremely happy to purchase tickets for again. 

Reviewed by - Robin Hannagan-Jones 

What's On Weekly 11/10/21

Welcome this week’s What’s on Weekly here at KCL, where we provide our readers with up-to date information on what’s going on in and around Cardiff every week.

From pop-up markets to gigs and outdoor attractions running as restrictions ease, there’s plenty to do in the Capital, you just may not know about it! But that’s where we’re here to help and will be listing all the what’s on and any need-to-know information you’ll need to plan your week ahead. 

So, without further ado, here’s what you can look forward to this week!

Tuesday 12th

o   Erasure, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, 18:30

o   The Hunna, Cardiff University Student’s Union, 19:00

o   Black Honey, Clwb Ifor Back, 19:30

o   Kerry Godliman, Unit 7a The Glee Club, 19:30

o   Queen Machine, St David’s Hall Cardiff, 19:00

o   The Book of Mormon, Wales Millennium Centre, 19:30

o   Jaxx Tuesdays at Dempsey’s, Dempseys Cardiff, 23:00

o   Groan Ups, The New Theatre, 19:30

Wednesday 13th

o   Laura Marling, Tramshed Cardiff, 20:30

o   Daniel O’Donnell, St David’s Hall, 19:00

o   The Book of Mormon, Wales Millennium Centre, 19:30

o   Martin Taylor and Martin Simpson, Acapela Studio Cardiff, 21:00

o   Groan Ups, The New Theatre, 19:30

Thursday 14th  

o   Fontaines D.C. The Great Hall, Cardiff

o   Karine Polwart, The Gate, 19:00

o   Garage Hotline- £1 Rave, Clwb Ifor Bach, 23:00

o   The Book of Mormon, Wales Millennium Centre, 19:30

o   Groan Ups, The New Theatre, 19:30

Friday 15th

o   Kasabian, Cardiff University Student’s Union, 19:00

o   Sŵn Festival, Clwb Ifor Bach, 17:00

o   Chris Ramsey, Grand Pavilion Esplanade Porthcawl, 19:30

o   P!NK By Vicky Jackson, The Globe, 19:00

o   The Book of Mormon, Wales Millennium Centre, 19:30

o   Bingo Lingo, Depot Cardiff, 18:00

o   The Friday Bandaoke Show, Porter’s Cardiff, 20:00

o   Groan Ups, The New Theatre, 19:30

Saturday 16th

o   Gemma Collins, St David’s Hall Cardiff, 20:00

o   Tribute Festival, Vale Sports Arena, 15:00

o   Look-A-Like Cardiff Tribute Festival, VSA Warehouse Ltd, 15:00

o   From The jam ‘Sound Affects’, Cardiff University Student’s Union, 19:00

o   Club Tropicana- The UK’s Biggest 80s Night, The Globe, 21:00

o   The Book of Mormon, Wales Millennium Centre, 19:30

o   Dirty Pop, Clwb Ifor Back, 22:30

o   Groan Ups, The New Theatre, 19:30

Sunday 17th

o   The Waterboys, St David’s Hall, 20:00

o   Jon Gomm, The Globe, 19:00

o   Barbara Dickson & Nick Holland, Acapela Studio Cardiff, 21:00

o   Beauty and the Beast, Wales Millennium Centre, 19:30

o   The Book of Mormon, Wales Millennium Centre, 19:30

o   The Goa Express, Clwb Ifor Back, 13:30

Know of an event or activity on in Cardiff or the surrounding areas coming up? Let us know! If you’d like your event to be featured in our What’s on Weekly, then get in touch via: infocardifflive@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram @keepcardifflive, and for a £3 donation* via our website, we’ll include it on our list!

*All donations go towards running costs of the site which enables us to keep getting great content out for you to enjoy! If you’d like to support us, head over to the KCL website where you can find the donation box on the homepage. Thank you!

Review: The last hurrah- Genesis rock their final tour

In a digital world where trends seemingly change every minute, new singers and bands coming onto the scene every day, it can be easy to have a short-lived career in the industry. Most artists can only dream of having a career that spans 54 years, Genesis have done just that though.
With over half a century of recording music and performing to crowds, it’s no surprise they wanted one final tour before ailing band members and old age gets in the way and they pack it in for good.

The Last Domino? Tour has seen the band tour for the first time in 14 years, covering North America, the UK and Ireland. The first in 14 years, the last forever, this tour carries significance in not only giving the band closure and the chance to play together once again, but for fans to experience them live one very last time. 

Phil Collins’ poor health is no secret and was evident as he walked out onto the stage, taking a seat in the centre with his visible frailty apparent to the 15,000-strong crowd. This didn’t stop him from bringing his talent and humour to the show though, as his vocals and dry wit rang out through the arena for all to enjoy.

As he perched on his chair, he was accompanied by the rest of the band, which included his 20-year-old-son Nicholas on drums. The show took off with the 1980 instrumental ‘Duke’s End’, transitioning into ‘Turn It on Again’, to build up the sound whilst luring the crowd into the performance.

If anyone was doubting Collins’s ability to front the band still, those doubts quickly melted away once he started singing. Sure, his vocal range wasn’t quite the same as it was in the 80’s, but the power projected from Collins voice and his sincereness from the singing, along with a natural charisma, entranced the crowd.

Arguably, things wouldn’t have sounded quite the same if Nicholas Collins hadn’t of inherited and practised the ability to play his dad’s parts with such precision. You’d be forgiven for thinking it was Phil himself. Clearly the natural talent running through his DNA along with years of hard work and dedication have paid off, as even Phil couldn’t help but look on with pride at his sons masterful drumming. 

Founding members Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, along with long-time touring guitarist Daryl Stuermer, all showed they’ve still got it, all carrying the weight of the show between their talented fingers. 

The band’s decision to also have two backup vocalists on stage was the right one. Daniel Pearce and Patrick Smyth aided Collins with some of the higher notes which aren’t quite as reachable in his is older age, whilst remaining unobtrusive and appearing infrequently, proving that Collins clearly doesn’t need much help.

When Collins promised at the start of the show that this tour, which was supposed to kick off in November 2020, was going to be a fun one, he wasn’t kidding. 

Bringing hits such as ‘Land of Confusion’ (my personal favourite), ‘Invisible Touch’ and ‘No Son of Mine’ to name a few, along with concert classics like ‘Home By the Sea’ and ‘Domino’, created a perfect setlist for fans to dance, sing and rightly have fun to. 

The bands acoustic diversion after their first set meant saying goodbye to the keyboard and anything else with a techno beat or vibe, even leaving Nicholas Collins with noticeably smaller drumming utensils. Stripping down ‘That’s All’, ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’ and ‘Follow You Follow Me’ was certainly a good choice and felt a rather personal touch from the band to the audience.

The almost sombre, thought-provoking tone reflected how this would be the band’s last string of live rendezvous together, with them wanting to create something magical to leave fans with.  

The on-stage graphics and designs were quite a marvel- nothing new as Genesis have long been renowned for their stage design since the Peter Gabriel days. A movable lighting rig imitating giant dominoes, large screens across stage and plenty of animations to accompany, but not intrude, on the songs was the icing on the cake for this show.

As Collins’ pointed out, a currently particularly topical song, ‘Land of Confusion’, was the perfect illustration of how the bands songs have moved with the times and are as current now as they were then. Masked animated figures patrolled over cities and land in graphics on screen- another sign perhaps of how Genesis’s songs will forever remain relevant. 

Should miracles be scarce, or Peter Gabriel have a sudden longing to perform with the group again, this is Genesis’ farewell. Collins has made it clear he has no intention of playing with the band after this tour, and that this would be goodbye.

For life-long fans and newbies alike, this tour provides the perfect farewell. A magnificent spectacle as the final curtain prepares to fall on Genesis performances forever.

Setlist:

Set 1:

Behind the Lines / Duke's End

Turn It On Again

Mama

Land of Confusion

Home by the Sea

Second Home by the Sea

Fading Lights

The Cinema Show

(second half; with "Riding The… more)

Afterglow

Acoustic

That's All

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

Follow You Follow Me

Set 2:

Duchess

No Son of Mine

Firth of Fifth

I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)

(with "Stagnation" snippet)

Domino

Throwing It All Away

Tonight, Tonight, Tonight

Invisible Touch

Encore:

I Can't Dance

Play Video

Dancing With the Moonlit Knight

(1st verse)

       The Carpet Crawlers

By Gabriela Page

Review - John Grant Supported By Teddy Thompson

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Wow, we did a thing! An actual, live music thing, a real live music gig in a crowded venue, surrounded by excited music lovers, right here, in the centre of Cardiff!  The four of us had all enjoyed seeing John Grant before, at various Welsh venues, including St David’s Hall and at the Greenman festival.  However, this was a bit special, the first full-on live gig that any of us had been to since Lockdown began, approximately 18 months back. 

Interestingly, a BBC film crew was on hand to film gig-goers, showing the new, obligatory Covid passes, proving double vaccination, in order to gain entry, to the New Theatre. I’d also not seen this sort of gig there before, having mostly witnessed other forms of more traditional entertainment at the theatre. but it turned out to be a wonderful setting for this event. It is a beautiful, ornate, cosy and atmospheric building, redolent of stage shows, musicals and panto performances gone by. From our seats in the stalls, I looked across, sentimentally, to one of the boxes where my mother had once sat with other family members, to watch Carmen Jones. I’d also sat, in nearby seats with my dad, always fascinated by drummers, to watch the inimitable Buddy Rich.  Memories of both of my late parents, drifted through my mind, as we took our seats and the lights went down.

A tall, distinguished and debonair figure strolled onto the stage with a very nice-looking guitar in hand.  We were to be treated to a stunning voice, personable nature and flair for writing poignant, well-crafted songs.  It was a delight to settle back, in the comfy, red, traditional theatre seats and be regaled by the highly talented and likable Teddy Thompson. Teddy, the son of Richard and Linda and sibling of Kamila, represented the Thompson family, in some style. As it turned out, this was the last night of this leg of the tour and Teddy was glowing in his praise of John Grant, hinting of a mutual respect and kinship that would be more overtly displayed later in the evening.

After another half-hour of soaking up the warm, theatre ambience, the lights once again dimmed, as the statuesque Mr Grant made a beeline for centre stage and his two (super-talented) moustachioed musicians headed for their workstations. We immediately entered a world of synth-driven electronica, as we were overcome by an immensely powerful and hypnotic array of Blade Runner-esque synth motifs.  Grant, of course, included a number of songs from the most recent ‘Boy from Michigan’ album. However, even if some of the new material was less familiar for some, the audience was totally captivated by the mesmerising stagecraft of Grant and his fabulous multi-talented, co-musicians.

I hadn’t expected the New Theatre setting to work so well for such a full-on performance but it was truly perfect, allowing for an enhanced level of intimacy, to enjoy the wonderful John Grant performance style. If you’ve not seen him, I’d heartily suggest that you do. He somehow mixes being ridiculously talented and ridiculously tall with being riotously entertaining!  Six foot, ten inches, in height, he certainly delivers bang for the buck! The former Czars frontman also comes across as self-effacing, caring and kind. He mentioned how much he’d enjoyed working with Teddy Thompson and that culminated in Teddy returning to the stage to join Grant for a glorious duet, on the powerful Sigourney Weaver. The warm hug between the two, as Teddy left the stage was touching to see. There is clearly a genuine warmth and mutual respect between these two fine performers.

Grant has an ongoing working relationship with Cate le Bon and had apparently been ‘learning Welsh but forgotten it all’. One delightful moment was when he asked the Cardiff audience to shout out the Welsh world for owl.  Dutifully, on the count of three, the word ‘Gwdihw’ resonated around the theatre, much to Grant’s obvious delight! Personal set highlights for me were ‘Glacier’, a painful acknowledgment of the painful times we are going through, urging his receptive listeners not to ‘listen to anyone, to get answers on your own’. Powerful, moving, sincere and unforgettable, just like the man himself. 

As an encore, he, of course, reminded anyone who might have needed a nudge that he is (as he says) the ‘greatest mother*cker that you are ever going to meet’. 

Thank you John (and Teddy). For one night only, Cardiff was a more special place to be… 

Steve Johnson