HENGE - Live at Clwb Ifor Bach Cardiff: A Cosmic Escape 12/10/23

All Photographs Copyright Emily Powell-Chandler

“This strange, beautiful planet in a place called Cardiff – Am I pronouncing that right?” intergalactic explorer Zpor jokes with the cheering crowd, before inviting them to join his team on a cosmic journey, experienced through their music and energetic stage presence.

As you enter Clwb Ifor Bach, enthusiasm for HENGE is clear as day, as fans decked in glittery head boppers, alien beanies, and full chromatic outfits, crowd the front of the room. The back of the room is draped in acid trip tie-dye t-shirts and extraterrestrial accessories, tempting newcomers to join in, with the alien dress-up.

Before HENGE, can take the stage, their warmup act Dogshow prepares the audience for an evening full of absurdity. A neon synthesiser rig is wheeled to the centre of the crowd by the two-piece act, dressed as dogs in sunglasses and costume jewellery. Their hypnotic synthesised loop tracks contrast with upbeat rave anthems, successfully exciting the crowd for the evening to come.

HENGE’s set opens with drama, as fog obscures the stage allowing for a smooth entrance for the intergalactic crew. Zpor (Matthew Whitaker) on electric guitar and vocals, decked out in plasma ball hat and light-up staff; Goo (Peter Turner) on bass and synth bass in full alien prosthetics; Grok (Roy Medhurst) on synth, the only human of the group matching the band in otherworldly robes; and Nom (Sam Draper) on the drums also in full alien prosthetics.

They break into their first song ‘Alpha Test 4’, the title track of the album they are currently touring since its release earlier this year in May. HENGE’s setlist dabbles in a variety of musical genres, the band themselves describing their genre as ‘Cosmic Dross’. The song ‘Get A Wriggle On’, is a cross between fast-tempo rap music and bouncy synth hooks, creating an irresistible groove. While the song is upbeat, it simultaneously warns of Earth’s climate crisis - the alien crew citing their own extinct planets as evidence of the issue, the band showing full commitment to their alien alter egos.

While they maintain the extraterrestrial narrative in their music, their other songs tend to centre around science and novelty for the most part. A less cautionary song focuses on the woes of a robot in ‘Self Repair Protocol’. The song keeps the emphasis on synthesised melodies but adds special effects to the vocals mimicking a classic robot voice and creates a catchy dance track, strobe lights adding to the techno atmosphere. Tapping into prog rock in a noticeable genre change, the song ‘New Planet’ from their second album slows down their set, with the rock anthem encouraging the audience to sway along and marvel at the elaborate and commanding performance before them.

For the final part of their journey, before the crowd “return to earth”, HENGE unify the crowd by singing ‘Demilitarise’ from their first album ‘Attention Earth!’, once again their humane wishes shining through their alien personas.

As Zpor walks through the crowd, embracing fans, a message of peace and inclusivity is evident, as all chant the chorus acapella, ending the show as an inclusive and optimistic community.

Crosshairs Interview

With a recent name change from Catch 22 to Crosshairs and a new release Long Way Home, we thought it would be great to have our star interviewer Jack Laidlow visit them for a chinwag.

Check out Jack’s Interview by clicking on our audio player below.

Anonymous Iconoclasts - Send in the Suits - Album Review

In April 2018, I received a 14-track album by the south Wales collective, Anonymous Iconoclasts (Think Kiss without the glamour or platforms!) entitled ‘A.I’. It was so good that I dusted down my under-used laptop and wrote a detailed review.  This week marks my return to live radio after a bit of a break and what was waiting for me but a brand-new album from those shadow-lurking musos! If I thought the 14 track ‘A.I.’ was ambitious, the new offering, ‘Send in the Suits’ is a hefty 20 songs long!  ‘A.I.’ offered a glimpse of the horrors that technology has to offer and ‘SITS’ with an image of the House of Commons emblazoned on the front cover, keeps up the story. Sine their last release we’ve had  lockdown, of course and our ‘Anonymous’ friends have had a lot of time on their hands…

Musically the Icons are almost impossible to pigeonhole, as each song is a different style, or genre from its predecessor. ‘A Real Situation’ kicks us off, in full Talking Heads mode with the first lyrical use of the word ‘egress’, to my knowledge. The deadpan delivery of most tracks leads to a comparison with David Byrne and co, especially the choppy guitar work. ‘Let’s take a Trip’ has more of a country feel and includes a few jabs at some guy called ‘Elon’ and his space tourism adventures (who could they possibly mean?).

‘Just Because’ is a tremendous ‘list’ song, in which not so anonymous iconoclasts such as Marilyn and Jimmy Dean get name checked, amongst other 20th century cornerstones. ‘Don’t change my Dear’ continues, in the Americana style. ‘Keep on Moving’ has a beautiful, simplistic guitar run and more deadpan delivery, accompanied by shuffling drums and percussion. I first heard the next track, ‘Our new Norm’ back in the heady days of lockdown and it has several wryly witty observations on those curious months that we spent on Zoom, clapping hands, two meters apart. This version, produced by Danny Chang, has added a flute, to the demo that I first heard and is a genuine highlight, of the first half of this behemoth.

The upbeat ‘Green Tree House’ follows next. This had me thinking of early R.E.M. with a few McCartney style yeah’s thrown in and some Bob Dylan harmonica (kitchen sink, et al). ‘Chill in the Air’, ‘You took away My’ and ‘Baby Don’t Cry’ capture this band, in a snapshot, country ballad juxtaposed with quirky, indie pop. ‘Fall like a Fool’ is again typical; jaunty music with dark, sinister lyrics, featuring Beatles-esque stabbing strings.

Country twang returns with ‘Let it all Out’ and then the tempo livens up with ‘Learn to Live’ a ‘weird way of listening’, indeed!.  References to fingers in ears and the sometimes vocally strained delivery make the song intriguing, as well as weird! ‘Swings and Roundabouts’ has a latter day, Johnny Cash feel to it whilst ‘Come by and See me’ channels the ghost of Leonard Cohen via Roger Waters.

‘What d’you think about that?’ highlights the drummer’s impressive abilities whilst ‘Safe at Home’ takes us back to our shared COVID memories with some Donovan style finger picking for good measure. The (instrumental) title track, ‘Send in the Suits’ is a jazz shuffle, complete with scat vocalising, bizarrely features the phrase ‘more tea, vicar?’ during the intro! The whole shebang finishes with ‘This way Up’, a simple whistled melody, over a lo-fi, almost Bontempi organ-sounding keyboard riff.

Phew and that’s your lot, a complete smorgasbord of styles which like Zappa works most of the time with very few missteps.  SITS is available via Spotify but why not support the band? £7 for such a strong, 20 track album, is some bargain!

Please don’t leave it another five years, lads, or the next one will be a 100 track, box set! This is really great stuff but now it’s time for me to find the egress…   

Chris Philips BGFM Radio

The Ultimate Classic Rock Show - The New Theatre - 3/8/2023

There are plenty of good tribute bands performing classic songs of the last few decades, many perform at local clubs and venues we have all seen and appreciated.

Taking it to the next level, touring bands such as The Australian Pink Floyd and The Bootleg Beatles to name two.

What is needed from the perfectly competent local tribute to playing Theatres and large venues?

The answer can be seen tonight at The New Theatre, Cardiff. A stunning venue requires stunning performances.

Yes, The Ultimate Classic Rock Show performs the crowd-pleasing Classics, but boy do they do it well!

The attention to detail of each song musically, Sound and lighting, screen graphics and video is just perfect.

Two numbers also contained a very lively performance from children of Cardiff and Vale Music Education Choir, just brilliant!

From the opening Dire Straits “Money for Nothing” to many classic bands of the 60’s through to 80’s from Queen, Eric Clapton, Wings,Led Zeppelin,Deep Purple and many many more.

This really is a trip of musical nostalgia perfectly performed on all levels. It is not a Surprise tonight as well as many other dates are sold out.

In terms of a review all I can say is this is a thoroughly enjoyable night if you like your classic Rock bands with a touch of the AOR classics from Fleetwood Mac, Toto, and The Eagles for good measure.

Next year the band is playing at The Millenium Centre on 31/3 24, Just be sure to get a ticket now as this will sell out, and deservedly so. This IS the Ultimate Classic Rock Show.

Interview With An Anonymous Iconoclast

In an exclusive for KCL, Will Gregory interviewed the singer of Cardiff's Anonymous Iconoclasts about their third album, 'Send In The Suits'. They chatted about songwriting, post-lockdown creativity, encouragement for the live music scene and some of the twenty tracks (20!!) on the brand new album. As the band are 'anonymous', Steve's face is not available but his opinions are!

'Send In The Suits' is released on July 30th, 2023 and is distributed through Distrokid.

Physical CD's are available from the band's website: https://www.anonymousiconoclasts.com/merchandise

LOVE - The Earl Haig Club - 12/7/2023

Legend Johnny Keeps Arthur’s LOVE Alive

All Images Barry Morris

Forever Changes by LOVE is a piece of work that escorts you, from the callow to the creaky, through the twists and turns of your life. 

Its haunting and poignant yet exuberant tracks cry of youth, death, optimism, negativity, paranoia, naivety, happiness, sadness, fear, loathing and loving. It is both unsettling and reassuring; it is surprisingly in the moment and yet prompts a wistful longing for a lost age.

Arthur Lee’s Los Angeles-based psychedelic band recorded Forever Changes as their third- and clearly best- effort of four top class albums in the mid-sixties. This was no breakthrough album; they had already torn up the Strip and won the laurels of Laurel Canyon. Love and Da Capo had sold six figures or more each. They had houses and cars and a rock star way of life. The band- Arthur Lee on guitar and vocals for all but two of the tracks; Johnny Echols on lead guitar; Bryan Maclean on guitar and the other vocals; drummer Michael Stuart and bassist Ken Forssi- were drifting and disjointed and nearly not good enough to play on the tracks Arthur had written. In fact, it seems co-producer Bruce Botnik had session musicians ready to go and he did put down a few tracks with them (He also had Neil Young ready to work with him but that’s another story).

Arthur, in turn, was beset by his own demons, convinced he was likely to join many contemporary talents of that time and die very young. Working in one of rock’s rare diverse bands, in a predominately white industry, and against a background of the Vietnam War, his experiences and his inner fears did not allow him to wholeheartedly follow the beckoning bourgeoise flower power movement that was already fuelling nearby San Francisco’s hedonistic counterculture. He refused to tour and the band lost vital opportunities to tighten up the sound and spread the word of their talent.

These internalised pushings and pullings vied with Arthur’s never-doubted musical strength and inner belief in the music and his determination to transfer it into sounds to share. It all fired up Forever Changes- and riding shotgun with him was his childhood friend, guitar man Johnny Echols. Well, what else do you become when you’re from Memphis Tennessee and your middle name is Marshall?

Behind the crisp and clipped vocals, Forever Changes is an album of exquisite supplementary sounds that combine, overlap and standout throughout the eleven tracks. Harpischord, Tijuana brass, lush strings, multiple rhythm changes, flexible bass patterns- it is an incredibly bold, mature and complex sound for a group of musicians that were barely out of their teens.

And perhaps the most significant contributor was Johnny Echols’ chopping, coaxing, piercing, howling crystal-clear guitar work, a sound that helped to spawn many successors in the school halls and back bedrooms of the world as the new rock generation unfurled their wings.

Arthur avoided the curse of the 27 Club and in fact it wasn’t until 2006, aged 61, that his prophetic fears of death eventually came true. But LOVE live on, and, led by Johnny Echols, they came to the UK and they came to Cardiff’s Earl Haig Club to put a spring in the arthritic step of their original fans while inducting younger ones into rock’s hall of fame.

Were they any good? You bet. 

Any fears were dispersed after a few bars of “A House Is Not A Motel”, Arthur’s anti-war opus “By the time that I’m through singing /the bells from the school of war will be ringing/more confusions/ blood transfusions” with a fab burst of Johnny’s timeless guitar setting the mood and the pace for the night. 

The three guitar line-up (This LOVE is administered by Johnny’s tour band, Baby Lemonade , who had played with Arthur Lee and are a fine collection of psychedelia-ridden lads- Rusty Squeezebox, Mike Randle, drummer David Green and Dave Chapple on bass) chimed and riffed and chugged and boogied and managed to replicate the distinctive vocals and also power their way past the classic fills that had been previously designated to strings and brass.

Live and Let Live ; the brilliant The Daily Planet- and then Johnny came alive on the classic The Red Telephone, reaching back into the mists of time to replicate and reaffirm his set-in-stone belief in freedom from the very depths of his heart.

The wonderful AndMoreAgain and Brian Macleans’ magical AloneAgainOr were heart rending moments that both recaptured the immediacy of teenage angst and yearning but also depicted for us older fans a closed-off time of innocence and uncertainty, of lost yet loved years.

Yes, there were other great tracks from the other three albums (Four Sail followed Forever Changes) including You Set the Scene, Neil’s Song, Singing Cowboy (and they’ll be a few older fans with painful sides after overdoing the Yoo Hoo-backed arm stretches) and Revelation.

But Forever Changes remains the pinnacle of LOVE’s creativity.

So good, I bought two tee-shirts.

Praise for Love’s ‘Forever Changes’ LP:

‘The Second Greatest Psychedelic Album of all Time’

‘One of the Best and Most Highly Regarded and Influential Rock Albums of All Time’

‘One of the Finest and Most Haunting Albums to come out of the Summer of Love’

‘The Best Record Ever’ – The Stone Roses.

Five stars out of five -AllMusic 

Five stars out of five- The Encyclopedia of Popular Music  

Five stars out of five -Rolling Stone Album Guide

Ten out of ten-NME 

All Images by Kind Permission Barry Morris

Boo Hewerdine - Penarth Pier Pavilion 01/07/2023

TC Photography

Described in his Wikipedia biog as "one of Britain's most consistently accomplished songwriters" this evening's gig is all the proof needed to fully endorse that description. Quite simply Boo Hewerdine is a British musical treasure.

Since his formative years as lead singer and creative force in the much acclaimed band The Bible, Hewerdine has consistently produced songs of such quality that he’s attracted quite a few high-profile stars, either keen to record his songs or write with the talented Boo.

TC Photography

It’s highly likely that you may have heard a Boo song, but not have noticed. What he describes his “big hit” the Ivor Novello nominated “Patience of Angels” a hit for singer Eddi Reader features regularly on TV and Radio. Hewerdine’s version this evening was particularly moving with his audience singing in unison.

Playing another song, “Bell, Book and Candle” a tune originally recorded by The Bible, Hewerdine tells how the song as become the ‘go to song of death’ for many TV shows with a character leaving a programme never to return.

It was certainly proving a quite exceptional and intimate evening with the venue (and it’s wonderful acoustics) playing its part as Hewerdine sang the soulful “Graceland” whilst proving quite the raconteur, keeping his audience entertained between songs.

Ending the evening, Hewerdine stepped away from the mic to perform his song “Sunset” just as the sun went down on a beautiful evening.

Boo aside, there can’t be many better venues in South Wales as the Penarth Pier Pavilion for intimate gigs such as these and long may they continue in such a wonderful environment

By Tony Woolway

What’s LOVE got to do with it? Well, just about Everything!

How would you like to hear one of the very best albums of all time- don’t rely on me, rely on Rolling Stone, NME, The Great Rock Discography and many others- played live in an intimate setting in Cardiff?

Well you can on Wednesday July 12th, when Johnny Echols’ LOVE, led by the co-founder, guitarist and songwriter, will perform a set of classic psychodelia tracks from the seminal San Francisco band’s flower-power soaked catalogue.

Johnny Echols set up the band in the mid-sixties with his childhood friend Arthur Lee and their first three albums Love, Da Capo and, of course, the aforementioned legendary LP Forever Changes, fired them into the counterculture superstructure.

Joining Johnny Echols on the Earl Haig stage will be Baby Lemonade, who from 1993 until Arthur’s death in 2006 had become an essential part of the renaissance of LOVE’s music. 

Forever Changes may not have created a revolution in society but it did in youth culture, merging new rock and guitar conventions with intricate horn and string arrangements and embracing bandleader Arthur Lee’s ahead of his time (Geddit?) skewed scepticism of the flower power movement of the time.

So get to the Earl Haig Club on July 12 and enjoy THE gig of Cardiff’s summer of LOVE. And make sure you wear a flower in your hair- that is, if you’re lucky enough to still have some….

Praise for Love’s ‘Forever Changes’ LP

‘The Second Greatest Psychedelic Album of all Time’

‘One of the Best and Most Highly Regarded and Influential Rock Albums of All Time’

‘One of the Finest and Most Haunting Albums to come out of the Summer of Love’

‘The Best Record Ever’ – The Stone Roses.

Five stars out of five -AllMusic 

Five stars out of five- The Encyclopedia of Popular Music  

Five stars out of five -Rolling Stone Album Guide

Ten out of ten-NME