Words by Aidan Mc Namee Header Image by Vishnu R Nair on Unsplash Not many bands from the early 2000s heyday of indie rock can still hit the mark, often delivering a variety of middling newer songs before getting to the classics we all know and love. However, this couldnÔÇÖt be further from the truth for The Wombats who, hot off the heels of their … Continue reading The Wombats @ Motorpoint Arena Cardiff – Live Review (16/04/22)
Written by Octavia Graham ÔÇ£Noswaith dda CaerdyddÔÇØ echoed through a sold-out Motorpoint arena as The Amazons began the unmistakable riff to ÔÇÿIn My MindÔÇÖ; kicking off what would be an evening filled to the brim with some of the best rock music there is today. Before the band stepped out onto the iconic stage, anticipation built through the ever-growing crowd. So much so, I could … Continue reading The Amazons @ Motorpoint Arena – Live Review (27/03/22)
Words and Header Image by Francesca Ionescu My friend and I get to the venue early, got our good places, over-priced beer in hand, already taking off sweaty layers in the anticipating crowd. We offer to take a picture of this bunch of Northern Irish boys, and the rubber duck they bring with them to gigs, whose name gets lost in the noisy hall. TheyÔÇÖve … Continue reading Slowthai @ The Great Hall, Cardiff Student Union – Live Review (27/03/22)
Written by Rubie Barker It is fair to say that the Live Music Society of Cardiff University knows how to present a night of good live music. With three very different but all incredible bands, the talent on display, from the voices, songwriting and knowledge of their instruments meant the judges had a very difficult decision to make. Each band had won their heats over … Continue reading Cardiff’s Battle of the Bands @ Clwb Ifor Bach (08/04/22)
by Eve Davies ÔÇ£Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,Men were deceivers ever,-One foot in sea and one on shore,To one thing constant never.ÔÇØ┬á ÔÇ£I can see he’s not in your good books,’ said the messenger.‘No, and if he were I would burn my library.ÔÇØ┬á ÔÇ£Let me be that I am and seek not to alter me.ÔÇØ Here are just a few of my favourite … Continue reading Much Ado About Nothing Review
Words and Header Image by Billy Edwards Dream WifeÔÇÖs performance in Clwb Ifor Bach was electric; they zipped around like lazer beams, as bright as the jagged neon sign of their logo behind them. In little over an hour on a blustery Monday evening, the trio tore through the highlights of their two records ÔÇô 2018ÔÇÖs Dream Wife and So When You GonnaÔǪ, which followed … Continue reading Dream Wife @ Clwb Ifor Bach – Live Review (28/03/22)
Written by Rubie Barker It has been two years since Jake Bugg last performed in the Great Hall at Cardiff Students Union, back in March of 2020. A concert which for me marked the end of life as I knew it. While much has changed in that time, being back in the very same room, with some of the same people, waiting for the 28-year-old … Continue reading Jake Bugg @ The Great Hall, Cardiff Student Union – Live Review (31/03/22)
Words by Maddie Balcombe. ÔÇ£WhatÔÇÖs good on a Tuesday, Cardiff?ÔÇØ was the question that Yard ActÔÇÖs frontman James Smith posed to an energetic audience as he first took to the stage in CardiffÔÇÖs iconic Clwb Ifor Bach. The answer seemed obviousÔǪ ÔÇ£Yard Act!ÔÇØ shouted the audience, almost in unison. This answer was not only obvious, but it was also extremely true. Both Yard Act, and … Continue reading Yard Act @ Clwb Ifor Bach
by Maddie Balcombe In the run-up to International WomenÔÇÖs Day, I had the pleasure of attending Act OneÔÇÖs fourth Variety Night showcase, set in the grand hall of Cardiff UniversityÔÇÖs music department. The show was a moving and empowering event, with the purpose of celebrating women in theatre. Complete with poetry recitals, full-out musical numbers, and comedic quips from hosts Ciara Whelan and Joe Lloyd-Perks, … Continue reading Act One Variety Night Review
Words by Sophie Revell and Jasmine Jones (@jasminee_mae and @sophiethejourno) For Echo & The Bunnymen, their comeback tour has been a long time coming- even more so for their strong cult fanbase who have followed them for decades. Since their last Cardiff gig at the old student union in 2014, Echo & The Bunnymen have released 2 studio albums and performed countless highly anticipated festivals, … Continue reading Echo & The Bunnymen @ St Davids Hall – Live Review (05/02/22)
Words and Images by Rubie Barker For Sam Fender, his band and fans in the room, this concert had been a long time coming. He was initially meant to perform in Cardiff in March 2020 but like so many other artists had to reschedule this show several times. Tickets had been sold out for months and resale tickets disappeared within minutes. Since he last performed … Continue reading Sam Fender @ Motorpoint Arena- Live Review (25/11/21)
by Laura Hughes ItÔÇÖs Panto season (oh, yes it is!), and what better way to spend your evening than in the magical land of Oz? The curtain went up on Act OneÔÇÖs production of The Yellow Brick Road in early December, set in the dazzlingly-appropriate downstairs area of the Pulse nightclub. Audience members are told upon arrival that this pantomime is aimed exclusively at adult … Continue reading Act One Panto Review
Words and Images by Billy Edwards Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark showed little nerves in their first show in Cardiff in twelve years, commanding an eager audience of devoted fans through a breathless flurry of pioneering eighties synth-pop. The showÔÇÖs dramatic opening event matched the weather outside with a chillingly-steely video of clanging shipyards and metalworks to the tune of Architecture and Morality, the title … Continue reading OMD @ Motorpoint Arena- Live Review (10/11/21)
Words and Images by Francesca Ionescu Stepping through the door of Clwb Ifor Bach, the light suddenly disappears and is replaced by a dark pink hue and pink neon accents reminding you of who youÔÇÖre about to see. The crowd is young and chatty, itÔÇÖs full of pink hair, pink shirts, fishnets, and an amazing t-shirt that asks the age-old question: ÔÇÿWhy canÔÇÖt I be … Continue reading Girli @ Clwb Ifor Bach- Live Review (8/11/21)
Words and Image by Craig Strachan A frosty evening on Womanby street brings in a subdued crowd made quiet by the cold. Holly Humberstone soon expelled such frigidity, the natural warmth of her vocals seemingly bringing this room back to life. The 21-year-old is embarking on her first headline tour, originally scheduled for pre-Covid but (as with everything) was postponed. If anything that has played … Continue reading Holly Humberstone @ Clwb Ifor Bach- Live Review (4/11/21)
Words by Rowan Davies I just wanted to give a pleasant reminder that we did once used to be saner than we are nowÔÇÖ; Paloma Faith addresses her crowd as she takes to the stage for her Cardiff gig, a delightful conclusion to a gloomy Monday in October and a refreshing way to start the week. When we were offered the opportunity to attend Paloma … Continue reading Paloma Faith @ Motorpoint Arena Cardiff- Live Review (18/10/21)
Words by Will Jones The August bank holiday marked the return of PortsmouthÔÇÖs Victorious Festival ÔÇô the UKÔÇÖs largest metropolitan festival. More importantly, for myself at least, it marked my return to weekend music events, something that I was unreservedly excited for. Victorious prides itself on sculpting a music experience that remains central to the community that hosts it. In an attempt to reflect the … Continue reading Victorious Festival 2021- Concert Review
Words and Images by Rubie Barker It has been a whole 18 months since I last attended a gig, at this very same venue and I couldnÔÇÖt be more excited that this was my first concert back. Unsurprisingly to some, I am running late but as I run up the stairs I can hear the roar of the crowd as McKenna takes to the stage. … Continue reading Declan McKenna @ The Great Hall, Cardiff Student Union – Live review (10/09/21)
Words by Maja MeteraImage courtesy of Getty Images People miss clubbing, traveling, wearing bright lipstick and not having to worry that itÔÇÖll smudge because of the mask ÔÇô I miss concerts more than anything in the world. ThereÔÇÖs a whole ritual of going to a concert if you are a hardcore fan. ÔÇ£The thing I miss about playinÔÇÖ shows is the individuality of every nightÔÇØ … Continue reading Live Review: Yungblud’s Virtual Tour
Words by Alex PayneImage courtesy of Green Ribbon Arts Festival If thereÔÇÖs two things that are certain in these very uncertain times, itÔÇÖs that both music and mental health have suffered this year. One leading charity, Mind, estimates that almost half of young people have experienced loneliness this year, but thatÔÇÖs almost belabouring a point thatÔÇÖs painfully obvious to most of us. Mind and Avant … Continue reading Virtual Event Review: Hip-hop for Better Mental Health, 29/10/20
