Killing Joke- The Tramshed - 28/3/2022

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Support Act - The Imbeciles

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Hailing from New York, The Imbeciles  play Americana infused rock music, with a psychedelic element. Built around three guitars, bass, drums and harmony vocals there's a hint of another band called Howlin Rain, whom I'm very familiar with, there's even some Tom Petty influences too. Though with a dirty NY punk edge too. Having originally been a punk band, they have evolved into the pub rock style which as I've said also incorporates those fleeting touches of Americana and psych. They have had a working relationship with Youth producing their second record 

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Killing Joke

With the throbbing pulse between the bands building, it was time for Killing Joke (7), who came to the stage assuming their positions on stage. Vocalist Jaz Coleman, drummer Paul Ferguson, guitarist Geordie Walker and bassist Youth, with keyboardist Roi Robertson (who was relegated to the side of stage) then dove straight into the classic double tap of Love Like Blood and Wardance.

The now full room jumping and chanting in unison, the heavy bass throb and drumbeats of Youth and Paul Ferguson massively overpowering everything else on stage. That meant the guitars were sidelined to a distorted fuzz and Coleman's wild vocals and sneering lyrical prowess was barely audible. It seems as if Coleman himself was having some difficulty as well constantly trying to hear himself when he was singing.

Performance wise Killing Joke are great to watch Jaz shifting around the stage like he's possessed, imbued by the spirit of their music. Paul's drumming both primal and tribal, Youth takes lead bass with lots of pedal work and fuzzing low end that's throbbing and distorted as Geordie's guitar playing has an animalistic bite, the keys doing some layering that was Gothic, harsh and menacing.

Originally a post-punk outfit, their sound has adapted in recent years adding more industrial metal influences, leading to them being a much heavier prospect live.

There were moments of brilliance, that showed why they are such an influential band to acts such as Metallica, Faith No More, Nirvana etc but in the Tramshed, they were perhaps a little too loud, I know I sound old but there is a point where volume becomes noise. 

Not that the faithful Killing Joke fans cared as they were bouncing throughout the entire set. Even when it drew to a close quite abruptly due to going over the time allowed for their set. Influential, experimental and unique in their position as a band.

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Review Courtesy of Matt Bladen

Check out Matt’s Blog site

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.

The Undertones/Hugh Cornwell 19/3/22

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Cardiff University is one of my favourite venues  having seen many great artists  there and this

gig didn’t disappoint.

The evening started with Special guest Hugh Cornwell taking to the stage.

Cornwall retains the essential sneer and edginess he possessed when in The Stranglers.

Tonight’s show was a mixture from Cornwell’s solo career and his days in The Stranglers, a

number of songs were taken from his latest album called Monster which were well received by

the audience.

The highlights of the set for me were Stranglers classics Duchess and Strange little girl, Always

the sun and Five Minutes. Cornwall and his band provided an excellent start to the evening.

The Undertones were formed in 1974 and the band may have been going 48 years but their

bouncy tunes  and boyish charm made them all seem like they were all still in their teens!

Paul Mcloome is a natural frontman both he and the band quickly engage with the crowd and

there was lots of inter-song banter which went down  brilliantly with the audience.

The Undertones specialise in hammering tunes that rarely last more than three minutes and that

works fantastically well for me!

Setlist highlights were Jump Boy, It’s gonna happen, Jimmy Jimmy, You've got my number and

the inevitable, Teenage kicks.

The Undertones were and still are a great live band if you get the chance to see them I would

certainly recommended you buying a ticket.

Review Steven Davies Photos TC Photography

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Ryan Mark Elliott releases new single ‘Until the Stars Align’.

Until the Stars Align’ is the new single from Ryan Mark Elliott. It is the first single to be released from his upcoming solo album which is scheduled for release later this year. 

Known for his role as the guitarist in rock jazz fusion trio Kinky Wizzards, Elliott’s solo work shows a different side of his creativity: one which focuses on songwriting that uses dense layers of atmospheric textures and music that is cinematic and grand in its overall scope, drawing from influences including art rock, new wave and dream pop. 

About the song

Until the Stars Align is about moments or circumstances where we are forcibly separated from loved ones. The song is very much about maintaining connections through phone and video conversations but hoping for the time when we can reunite in person again. 

RME - Guitars, Vocals, Keys, Mixing engineer

Aled Lloyd - Drums and Percussion 

Dan Nelson - Bass Guitar 

Emma Davidson - Vocals 

Daniel Soley and Niamh O'Donnell - Voice 

Andrew Bishop - Co-Producer, Recording and Mixing Engineer 

Artwork by Darlee Urbiztondo 

Photography by Bethan Miller 

You can keep up to date via his website.

The Undertones Gig Preview 19/3/22 Mickey Bradley Interview

Prior to their gig at The Great Hall, Cardiff University this Saturday 19/3/2022 (Supported by Hugh Cornwell), Steve Johnson of Keep Cardiff Live had a chat with Mickey Bradley, Bass Player, founding member, and Undertone.

The Undertones emerged from Derry in 1976, the result of five friends (John O’Neill, Damian O’Neill, Fergal Sharkey, Billy Doherty and Michael Bradley) learning how to play basic rock and roll.

Even by the standards of that decade Derry was not the rock and roll capital of anywhere. With no live bands worth watching, they learned by listening to mail order records, reading one of the few copies of NME that made it to Derry but most of all from listening to John Peel’s wonderful show on BBC Radio One. Practicing in their bedrooms eventually led to the band recording John O’Neill’s ‘Teenage Kicks’ in 1978 on Terri Hooley's Good Vibrations label in Belfast. The legendary DJ John Peel received a copy and liked it so much he played it twice in a row on his radio show.

The Undertones signed with Sire Records and ‘Teenage Kicks’ was re-released, resulting in the band's first appearance on Top Of The Pops. Over the next five years, John O Neill, crafted further pop gems such as `Here Comes The Summer`, ‘Jimmy Jimmy`, `You’ve Got My Number (Why Don’t You Use It)’ and ‘Wednesday Week’ whilst Damian O’Neill and Michael Bradley contributed ‘My Perfect Cousin. They also recorded four highly acclaimed LPs. Indeed, they almost enjoyed the life of professional musicians. In 1983 Feargal Sharkey left the band to pursue a solo career and the remaining members decided to call it a day. The Undertones were to remain silent for the next sixteen years.

In 1999 The Undertones reconvened, without Fergal Sharkey, to once again perform their two-minute, three and a half chord songs to a new generation of fans in Derry. Fellow Derryman Paul McLoone replaced Sharkey on vocals and his vocal prowess and electric onstage presence soon convinced any doubters that he was more than capable of doing the job.

After much consideration the band released an LP of new songs called `Get What You Need', which was critically acclaimed by Q magazine, Uncut, Rolling Stone and Hot Press. Songs like ‘Thrill Me’, ‘I Need Your Love The Way It Used To Be’ and ‘Everything But You' showed that the art of writing short, sharp songs had not been lost over the previous two decades.

In 2003 ‘Thrill Me’ was released as a limited edition 7” vinyl single and found its way to John Peel’s turntable. He introduced it on his show commenting, “And these are words I thought I would never be saying on radio again, a new single from The Undertones”. He liked it so much he played it twice, just as he did with ‘Teenage Kicks’ in 1978.

The band marked Record Store Day 2013 with a 7” vinyl only release, recorded in the famous Toe Rag studio in London. A return to their punk roots, 'Much Too Late' sold out the 1,000 copies before the day was out.

In 2016 the Band released vinyl remasters of their first two LPs; ‘The Undertones – The Undertones’ and ‘The Undertones – Hypnotised’ along with a 7” vinyl remix of the 1979 single ‘Get Over You’. Remixed by Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine/Primal Scream). Michael Bradley also published his book Teenage Kicks: My Life As An Undertone’.

2018 marked the 40th Anniversary of the release of their most influential and famous song, ’Teenage Kicks’. On 21st April for Record Store Day 2018 the band released a Vinyl Singles Box Set containing the 13 x 7” original Undertones singles from the classic early period: 1978-1983.

Funeral For a Friend Cardiff University 1/03/22

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Bridgend based alternative legends Funeral For a Friend take the stage once again after their 2019 reunion shows. The band reached a ‘natural end’ in 2015, playing a handful of shows the next year as a send off to fans.

After reuniting to play three shows in honour of a terminally ill fan the band decided to announce a headline tour for 2021. Due to the uncertain environment surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic the tour was rescheduled for February/ March 2022.

I attended the second night of the Cardiff shows, on the 1st of March after managing to find resale tickets. The tour consists of 12 shows across the United Kingdom with support from Static Dress and Holding Absence. Leeds based metal/ punk band Static Dress opened the evening with an intense and energy filled set. After just releasing new album ‘such.a.shame’ on February 24th they were able to showcase their talent and promote their new release.

The great stage presence of all members was also something to note. Then Cardiff rock band Holding Absence came on playing hits from their two album releases self titled and 2021 release ‘The Greatest Mistake of My Life’. Never failing to impress a crowd they performed some of their biggest tracks such as ‘Afterlife’ and ‘Like A Shadow’ whilst finishing their set with the heartbreaking ballad ‘Wilt’ throughout their roughly 40 minute set. The band paid their thanks to Funeral For A Friend multiple times throughout.

It was then time for the legendary Funeral For A Friend, performing songs that spanned their 20 year long career. Opening to 2005’s ‘All The Rage’ from iconic album ‘Hours’. Pretty much every song they played was a full crowd sing-a-long, for many of the fans in that room it would have been the first time seeing them since before their hiatus. Emotions were running high in unison throughout as tracks such as ‘Juneau’ and ‘Streetcar’. For me personally, it was a really great moment to be able to see the band who inspired all of my favourite artists live.

Bethan Stewart

Rex Orange County "Who Cares" Album released today

Rex Orange County (Alex O’Connor) has released his 4th studio album. And with his unique sounding voice and relatable and upbeat lyrics I am sure it will go down a treat, for all his fans!

But for those who don’t know him, he is a 23 year old from the UK, his genre is indie pop and alternative and he has been associated with incredible artists such as Tyler, the creator, Benny Sings and Cosmo Pyke.

Ellie Spark Writes about her experience seeing him live.

November 28 th , 2019, my last concert before the coronavirus put everything on hold… And I went to see him in the O2 academy, in Brixton London. A vibrant and packed venue, with a captivity of 5,000.

We lined up for just under an hour and then followed the excited crowd into the fully sold- out venue, for the ‘Pony Tour.’

Once inside, we had our tickets scanned, the security did swift checks and we all hurriedly followed each other like penguins in a huddle, to get the best space. A little bit squashed, but in a good spot, us devoted fans started chanting his most popular songs before he came on stage. These included ‘Best friend’, ‘Loving is easy’ and ‘Sunflower”.

And after a huge cheer and clap, we were all stunned to silence as he stood on stage, and the sea of fans stood in awe at the beauty and unique tone of his voice. (Which sounded exactly like it did on the album.)

Twenty songs later, including 10 from his album ‘Pony’, 5 from ‘Apricot Princess’ and 5 others, including covers, he gave his fans a really impressive and varied show.

I liked this because I had been a fan for some time, so including songs from older albums was a great surprise. But, for newer fans it was perfect as well because if you weren’t familiar with the lyrics Rex made you feel included by interacting with all the crowd.

If you didn’t know the songs, you were about to learn them. The atmosphere was also breath-taking. So many adoring eyes fixated on one (then) 21year year old, taking in every high and low note. There was also changing lights according to the vibe the song portrayed. For example, dimmed lights for a slow song and multi coloured, flashing lights, for an upbeat song.

This was an experience I couldn’t recommend enough to someone, a fan or not. And with tickets for only £30, why not?

Ellie Spark

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The next biggest thing: Bleach Lab review Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach 3/03/22

Copyright Bethan Stewart

Bleach Lab are a South London based dream pop quarter who released their first single ‘Heartache of The Season’  in 2019. In 2021 GigWise named them as part of their ‘Artists To Watch’ Bleach Lab currently have four EPs under their belt with the most recent being titled ‘Nothing Feels Real’, released in 2021, the EP includes ‘Real Thing’ and ‘Talk It Out’. The band recently completed their first UK headline tour which consisted of eight shows across the country. 

  Opening the night was Cardiff based 90’s inspired four piece Big Thing who put on a beautiful performance. Big Thing currently have six singles out on Spotify with their most recent being 2021 release ‘Say When/ Eye To Eye’ that are 100% worth checking out. 

   Shortly after South London based multi instrumentalist HUSSY took to the stage to showcase her talent through releases such as self released ‘HUSSY’ (2021) and Slayer (2019). Her DIY dream pop style genre is showcased throughout the performance in unique ways and had a clear good response from the crowd. 

   Then it was time for Bleach Lab who really are marking themselves up to be the next big thing with catchy hooks and incredible vocals from frontwoman Julia Jacklin. There was so much clear passion put into the performance with sing-a-longs in tracks ‘Real Thing’ and ‘Old Ways’. 

  Bleach Lab return to Clwb Ifor Bach in June alongside Stephen Fretwell and Later Youth and are performing at iconic Steventon event Truck Festival in July. 

Bethan Stewart