Words by Rubie Barker London born rapper, Stormzy starts his 2022 tour Heavy is the Head this month which will see him play 3 back to back nights at London’s O2. But the tour will be getting its kick-start at CardiffÔÇÖs own Motorpoint Arena on March 13th. Stormzy made his breakthrough in 2014 after his single ÔÇ£Shut UpÔÇØ hit the UK singles charts in a … Continue reading Stormzy: Tour Preview
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 by Francesca Manenti In December of 2021, Little Mix broke the news of their planned hiatus through an Instagram post published just a little over a year after former bandmate Jesy Nelson had left the band. Similarly, to Nelson, the group cited a desire to work on other projects as the reason behind their decision, yet they reassured their fans that this was not … Continue reading The Breaking up of the Band
Words and Images by Hope Docherty T.W: mention of sexual harassment, drug culture. The Snuts, a band of few words declaredÔÇÖ: ÔÇ£itÔÇÖs a f*cking WednesdayÔÇØ, whilst playing their second sold-out show of their tour at ÔÇÿThe GlobeÔÇÖ in Cardiff. Not that they had to say much to get the crowd ready, the music did that for itself. After an eager wait for the band to … Continue reading The Snuts @ The Globe – Live Review (03/ 11/21)
Words and Images by Octavia Graham Header Image by Elijah M Henderson The soft, or sometimes not-so-soft, lull of music accompanies each and every memory I hold close. Every essential encounter and every experience. From the CDÔÇÖs spinning around my stereo at night to the slight sound of lessons taking place downstairs. The gigs of parents and friends of parents or busking in the street. … Continue reading For the love of instruments
Words Anonymous As we access our favourite songs through YouTube or streaming services such as Spotify, it is very hard to avoid songs associated with the themes of love, heartbreak, desire or passion. Love songs have sold millions of copies worldwide over the decades, and even today, the most popular songs in the charts often explore what it means to be in love, or at … Continue reading ‘If Music be the food of Love, play on’
Thinkin Bout You by Frank Ocean Words by Suraya Rumbold-Kazzuz Considering his relative ostracization and avoidance of the spotlight, it feels all the more important to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Frank OceanÔÇÖs album Channel Orange and perhaps the most well-known song from the album: Thinkin Bout You. The song has become one of OceanÔÇÖs most well-known and the album itself is now a staple … Continue reading A decade on: The songs that turn ten in 2022
Words by Billy Edwards Images from Ian Cheek PR Lockdown is an opportunity too good to miss for rock stars. Miles Kane is one of the busiest: a member of the Last Shadow Puppets, formerly of The Rascals, and a frequent co-writer with Lana Del Rey, he has naturally borne a fourth-solo album out of his unexpected free time. Taking a step back to look … Continue reading Album Review: ‘Change the Show’ by Miles Kane
Words by Rowan Davies. I wanted to start by saying welcome back! How does it feel to be back with a brand-new album? It feels uh, yeah it feels good. At the moment weÔÇÖre still doing everything at home you know, and we havenÔÇÖt played yet so weÔÇÖre promoting everything mostly on Zoom. We did rehearsals about a month ago for the tour. IÔÇÖm pretty … Continue reading A Conversation with Alt-J’s Thom Sonny Green.
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)
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 Interview by Rubie Barker ItÔÇÖs 6 pm in a slightly dingy and drizzly Cardiff for me as I log on to a zoom call with Pale WavesÔÇÖ Heather Baron-Gracie, who is in a far brighter and warmer LA. ÔÇ£The weather is great!ÔÇØ she tells me, ÔÇ£different to Northern England, so that is a massive appeal to me.ÔÇØ Having announced back in July on … Continue reading An Interview with Pale Waves
By Jasmine Jones. After a six-year hiatus from music and the public eye, Adele is finally back with her new, highly anticipated album 30, and it certainly delivered. Arguably AdeleÔÇÖs most powerful album to date, 30 is an ambitious and ferocious creation centred around ÔÇ£divorce, babe, divorceÔÇØ and the roller-coaster of emotions that came with ending her 8-year relationship to Simon Konecki. That being said, … Continue reading The Return of Adele: 30 Review.
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)
December is looming. Tesco have brought out their festive meal deal options, the tree is up outside Cardiff Castle and every shop has begun to play those same old Christmas tunes. But when is the right time to start playing Christmas music? We asked some of our contributors one of the most controversial Christmas questions. Time to pick a side. By Phoebe Williams┬á An opinion … Continue reading Opinion: Is it ever too early for Christmas music?
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 Pui Kuan Cheah Illustration by Shafia Motaleb (@artsyfifi) One of the biggest news that engulfed the music industry, and subsequently transformed the way musicians dealt with their records and labels, was the dispute between Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun over the master rights to her first six albums (recap: thatÔÇÖs 2006ÔÇÖs Taylor Swift all the way to 2017ÔÇÖs Reputation). This was in fact … Continue reading Taylor’s Version: How Taylor Swift is reclaiming her art.
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)
