As fitness booms throughout social media, Emma Giles questions the development of a new competitive lifestyle, its benefits and possible repercussions in ‘Survival of the #Fittest’ The season of New YearÔÇÖs resolutions and the surge of self-motivational Facebook statuses has (thankfully) well and truly gone. Whilst this is a welcome change to those who realise that they have already broken their resolutions, one thing … Continue reading Survival of the #Fittest
May 4th 2014 brings with it the inaugural Jealous Lovers Club Microfest. Taking place across two stages at CardiffÔÇÖs Gwdihw Caf├® Bar, the festival will be a showcase of Jealous Lovers ClubÔÇÖs musical mantra, with Playlounge, Nai Harvest, Radstewart, Woahnows, Olympians and a whole load more filling out the diverse bill, topped by the return of indie-popÔÇÖs best kept secret Tellison, in their first Cardiff … Continue reading Preview: Jealous Lovers Club & Juxtaposed Microfest, Gwdihw Caf├® Bar, 04.05.14
ÔÇ£MikeÔÇÖs on daytime radio, and John played Reading + Leeds, and IÔÇÖm still playing the Purple Turtle on New YearÔÇÖs EveÔÇØ. So goes the lyric on Deaf HavanaÔÇÖs folk-tinged lament ÔÇÿThe Past Six YearsÔÇÖ, referencing friends in Lower Than Atlantis and Young Guns. Penned at a time when the band was struggling for direction and for their future, tonight sees them return to Cardiff having … Continue reading Live Review: Deaf Havana, The Great Hall
ItÔÇÖs hard to know what to expect from a band like CHVRCHES. When the band consists of essentially two guys behind keyboards and a singer, one might not expect much of a performance from the live show. In some ways this is true, but at the same time they are somehow completely mesmerising. This probably has a lot to do with the combination of the … Continue reading Live Review: Chvrches, Cardiff Solus
Alec Evans chatted to bassist/vocalist Aaron Pauley from Californian metallers Of Mice & Men, ahead of their sold out GB Live show at Cardiff’s Great Hall. You are currently touring the USA with the UKÔÇÖs Bring Me the Horizon. Are they a good band to have as touring partners? Aaron Pauley (Bass, clean vocals): Oh, absolutely! ItÔÇÖs funny too, because weÔÇÖre from California so our … Continue reading Interview: Of Mice and Men
Spring is finally descending, the sun is beginning to shine; that means one thing, itÔÇÖs time for everyone to realise how much they love Bombay Bicycle Club again. Fitting then that they should pop down to the Great Hall to showcase their impressive new album, ÔÇÿSo Long, See You TomorrowÔÇÖ. The theme of the show is made immediately clear; ÔÇÿwe are not the same Bombay … Continue reading Live Review: Bombay Bicycle Club, The Great Hall – Cardiff
Eerie blue stage lights illuminate the Moon Club.┬áThe floor is sticky with its carpet of spilled lager. An audience clad in black overcoats and leather boots lie in wait, eagerly anticipating the werewolves of CardiffÔÇÖs rock scene. Howl breathe new life into a genre that has become somewhat stagnant in South Wales.┬áThe problem is not a lack of heavy rock bands; the problem is the … Continue reading Live Review: Howl and Birth of Joy, The Moon Club, 27.03.14
Solus is busy before Falling With Style even start.┬á Their sound is powerful, vocal driven, heavy rock ÔÇô not unlike Linkin Park ÔÇô and it definietly precedes their youth.┬á Singer Lucas Woodland performs confidently; itÔÇÖs refreshing to see a young band move on stage with such passion and energy (you can blame raging teenage hormones for that).┬á┬á Unfortunately, the band seem to have little understanding … Continue reading Live Review: Straight Lines, Solus, 09.03.14
The California-based groove metal band return to the UK in support of their new album, Winter Kills, released last summer. Without a doubt, Devildriver have now hit their stride, with six studio albums under their belt, and a dedicated following of fans, they are without doubt one of the biggest metal bands to come out of America in the past decade. With an unrelenting, brutal … Continue reading Preview: Devildriver / Sylosis / Bleed From Within, Cardiff Solus, 03.04.14
The word ÔÇÿelusiveÔÇÖ is often thrown about when discussing new, emerging bands, but in the case of Jungle, it couldnÔÇÖt be more appropriate. Despite revealing very little about themselves, the group have built up a large fanbase, including Radio 1ÔÇÖs Huw Stephens who called them, “One of the most intriguing and fresh sounding bands out there”. Further recognition for Jungle came when they found themselves … Continue reading Preview: Jungle at The Globe, Cardiff
It is truly remarkable that in a matter of years, CardiffÔÇÖs electronic music community has grown from one or two niche club nights, to a plethora of burgeoning events, each with their own sounds and styles, comfortably putting it as one of the most interesting in the country. The scope of size and breadth of the venues facilitating this kind of music is, also, remarkable. … Continue reading Feature: And The Beat Goes On – Cardiff and Underground Dance
Kirsty Fardell talks us through the best powders on the market for a student budget.┬á Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder – ┬ú3.99 at Boots This is a great product to keep a shiny face at bay. There is little worse than seeing club photos with a bright flash highlighting your oily face from the night before, so this saviour is a must-carry product. It doesnÔÇÖt … Continue reading Student-Friendly Beauty – Powders
Julien MacdonaldÔÇÖs Autumn/ Winter and Spring/Summer 2014 collections both featured many standout pieces. Unlike many other collections, which stuck to simple black and white, Julien injected nudes, gold, silver, green, blue and red tones to make distinctive pieces. He also incorporated longer hem lines with most dresses knee length or full length, with the sleeve length also following suit. The clothes are clearly not designed … Continue reading LFW 2014: Best Collection
The misery of a wet and windy Friday night in Cardiff is lost as you walk into The Globe, a small venue that you hope no one else has turned up to when you arrive – so you can grab a seat on the balcony and lord over those standing below. This night is a showcase of some very solid new bands out of Brighton, … Continue reading Live Review: Royal Blood, The Globe, 14.02.14
Eleanor Wilson chats to upcoming singer-songwriter George Ezra about what 2014 holds for him. YouÔÇÖre currently in the middle of your first UK headline tour. How has it been going so far and how have your audiences been? ItÔÇÖs been brilliant! ItÔÇÖs really interesting because a lot of the people coming to the gigs have just heard the first EP, so theyÔÇÖve heard a handful … Continue reading Interview: George Ezra
Louis Browne & Jack Glasscock spoke to Matt Healy of rising indie-pop sensations The 1975 before their sellout Cardiff show. (Photos: Louis Browne) Hey! Has the tour been cool so far? DidnÔÇÖt you smash up a guitar last night? [Laughs] No, that was an accident! It was AdamÔÇÖs guitar and he put it down with slightly too much vigour and itÔÇÖs a hollow-body so it … Continue reading Interview: The 1975
In the light of Independent Venue Week, Hannah Embleton-Smith finds out from industry insiders how Cardiff fares with small-time success in ‘Going It Alone’. The past few years have seen drastic changes for the dynamic of CardiffÔÇÖs independent music scene. With small venues becoming increasingly concentrated around ClwbÔÇÖs stomping ground, is the city seeing the revival of its independent culture or increasing marginalisation? As the … Continue reading Feature: Going It Alone
With the image of heads buried in their hand-held screens surrounding us, Andy Love examines the way smart phones have changed our social interactions in ‘Communication Problems’.┬á ÔÇ£This one has a better battery life, better definition screen, better camera…it’s also flatter,ÔÇØ says a girl wearing glasses to two of her peers who listen closely as if sheÔÇÖs a wizard telling a story. Smart-phones progress so … Continue reading Communication Problems
If the grass is perpetually greener on the other side, maybe itÔÇÖs time to build a fence and shield gloating neighbours from view, argues Aimee-Lee Abraham┬áin ‘Fear and Self Loathing’.┬á We used to lurk nervously in the self-help section, wary of the stigma housed in its pages, fearful of contagion. We would lie through our teeth to cashiers, improvising tales of the poor uncle who … Continue reading Fear and Self Loathing
Can blogging improve your mental health? Sophie Lodge┬áinvestigates in ‘The Internet Confessional’.┬á In October 2012 15 year old Tallulah Wilson was hit by a train after years of suffering from clinical depression. In January this year her mother condemned the poor censorship of harmful blogging websites like Tumblr that she believed had fuelled her daughterÔÇÖs death. However, the inquest revealed TallulahÔÇÖs Tumblr account was deleted … Continue reading The Internet Confessional
