The Moon Club feels like the queue for a Ryanair flight. ItÔÇÖs rammed, bursting at the seams with a mass of sweaty, excitable people. ThereÔÇÖs a lovely buzz; Rapper Skunkadelic and his DJ are warming up the Moon nicely as it waits for the self-proclaimed Black Shakespeare, Akala. This is, perhaps, the perfect setting. Psychedelic graffiti covers the walls, the stage is close enough to … Continue reading Live Review: Akala – The Moon Club – 5.12.13
SheffieldÔÇÖs emo-rock two-piece Nai Harvest popped in for a chat with Charlie Mock about their new record, Gnarwolves and Twin Peaks. Let’s start by getting down to the meaning behind your name. It’s a reference to the American band Saetia- have they been a big influence on your music?┬á Ben: Not really! When I first started writing stuff for this we didnÔÇÖt really have a … Continue reading Interview: Nai Harvest
If youÔÇÖre new to music in the mother tongue of Welsh then Gwenno is a great artist to begin and arguably end with, but letÔÇÖs not get ahead of ourselves. ÔÇÿChwyldroÔÇÖ, the first of three singles from the upcoming LP (Welsh for Revolution) is a beautifully relaxing infusion of synth and bass, topped by the angelic vocal acrobatics of CardiffÔÇÖs very own music producer, DJ, … Continue reading Single Review: Gwenno – ‘Chwyldro’
Indie rock quartet Wolf Alice popped in for a chat with Charlie Mock┬áto talk NME, touring and what they want for Christmas. Firstly, your name is a reference to an Angela Carter short story- do you particularly like the piece?┬á Ellie: Yeah, we copied it. Joel: We thought it sounded nice, but we donÔÇÖt like it now so much. Joff: I like it! Theo: … Continue reading Interview: Wolf Alice
You know those albums where every song is absolutely top notch? Those albums that you just canÔÇÖt stop listening to? Yeah? Well, this is one of them. ÔÇÿNo BluesÔÇÖ is the newest release from CardiffÔÇÖs very own sextet and itÔÇÖs a mighty good one, to say the least. DonÔÇÖt let the optimistic title get you too in the mood for the latest bubblegum pop though; … Continue reading Album Review: Los Campesinos!
Aled Rheon – The Hayes┬á Aled Rheon represents what S┼Án Fest is all about. Performing his carefully written songs in both Welsh and English, the musician broadly appeals to all while standing up for his heritage. Peaceful and soothing melodies filled The Hayes during his performance on the circular stage. Reminiscent of Dallas GreenÔÇÖs side-project, City and Colour; the artist demonstrated how minimal production can, … Continue reading S┼Án Festival – Sunday
Rhodri Brooks Rhodri BrooksÔÇÖ electric guitar remained muted and mellow as the inevitable rain hit The Hayes at the start of his set. However, the unassuming singer soon turned things around. The minute that ÔÇÿYour Head Was Full Of TroubleÔÇÖ and its finger-picking melodies floated to the crowd gathered beneath the trees, a smile flitted across the performerÔÇÖs face. Toe-tapping and head nodding, the audience … Continue reading S┼Án Festival – Saturday
Samoans┬á ThereÔÇÖs a sense of trepidation floating around Four Bars as the clock strikes 11. CardiffÔÇÖs prodigal sons Samoans have returned from an almost yearlong absence, bringing with them arguably the South Wales sceneÔÇÖs most anticipated debut album. As they shuffle onto the stage with all the nerves of someone introducing their new spouse to a gaggle of drunk mates, it soon becomes clear that … Continue reading S┼Án Festival – Friday
Chl├Âe Howl ÔÇô The Angel Hotel At just 18 years of age, Chl├Âe Howl writes the sort of brutally honest, cynical lyrics about what it is to be young that youÔÇÖd expect from someone whoÔÇÖs lived through it already. Her talent as a synth pop artist was clear from the outset, with opener Rumour from her EP of the same name: high energy and a … Continue reading S┼Án Festival: Thursday
Francesca Gardner┬ácaught up with Leeds’ Sky Larkin ahead of their S┼Án set.┬á How have you found the festival so far? Kate: Yeah itÔÇÖs a shame we have to leave because S┼Án is such a great festival and Cardiff is such a great city that itÔÇÖs a match made in heaven, really. We played the first year so itÔÇÖs really nice to come back, it felt … Continue reading Interview: Sky Larkin
Tom Connick┬ágot the lowdown on S┼Án from the Father of the festival, John Rostron.┬á For the uninitiated, can you explain what S┼Án Festival is and why they should take note? S┼Án is a 4-day multi-venue new music festival which takes place in Cardiff this year from Thursday 17th to Sunday 20th Oct. You buy either a day or a 4-day wristband, then go and see … Continue reading Interview: John Rostron
Charlie Mock caught up with Rob Damiani, lead vocalist of Don Broco ahead of their headline UK tour to chat trending on Twitter and new releases. If people havenÔÇÖt heard of Don Broco, how would you describe yourselves to them? A rock band! We like playing loud rock music, but weÔÇÖve got melodies too so youÔÇÖre going to find a tune in there. The best … Continue reading Interview: Don Broco
NorwichÔÇÖs Olympians popped in to the Quench base to catch up with Charlie Mock ahead of their S┼Án Festival set. Warning: contains puns.┬á First of all welcome to Cardiff! You’ve got a lot of live dates at the moment- how are they going for you? Dan: Totally mixed. WeÔÇÖve had some totally good ones. But, we played in Norwich with Focus and all … Continue reading Interview: Olympians
Amy Endacott┬ácaught up with Playlounge ahead of their main support set at Fuel on the Sunday of S┼Án Festival.┬á You describe your sound as noise pop and soft core punk, explain that a little more. What is it you want your fans to take away from your gigs?┬á Soft core punk is like a joke because we both love hard core punk but just arenÔÇÖt … Continue reading Interview: Playlounge
Jessie JÔÇÖs final stop on her ÔÇÿAliveÔÇÖ tour went out with a bang on Monday night at the Motorpoint Arena, however it did seem like a bittersweet farewell for the soloist who clearly thrives from performing live. Support act Lawson were a good choice for the pre-concert warm up and it was obvious that it wonÔÇÖt be long before theyÔÇÖre headlining their own shows. But … Continue reading Live Review: Jessie J ÔÇô Motorpoint Arena ÔÇô 11.11.13
Their first gig in Cardiff since opening the Cardiff City stadium to a sell-out 30,000 crowd, Stereophonics return on Sunday 24 November to begin a 3-night residency at the Motorpoint Arena. These shows will round off the successful worldwide arena tour of their latest album ‘Graffiti on the Train’ before a curtain call in London. While their new album didnÔÇÖt trouble the charts too much, … Continue reading Preview: Stereophonics – Motorpoint Arena – 24-26 November
Tommy Wright, lead vocalist of Cheltenham’s biggest indie-pop sestet and Made in Chelsea soundtrack regulars Young Kato, took some time out from the studio to chat Morrissey, whipped cream and Glastonbury with┬áCharlie Mock.┬á It’s been two years since you got together as a band- safe to say things have gone very much in your favour. Your gig at the Camden Barfly was featured in … Continue reading Interview: Young Kato
Chase & Status’ mixture of aggressive beats and influences from hip hop and reggae has enthralled audiences across the UK. The duo have gained a following that has rocketed them away from the genreÔÇÖs underground into arenas around the country. Fresh from the release of the Brand New Machine album last month, how would the Chase & Status live show translate to this arena environment? … Continue reading Live Review: Chase & Status – Motorpoint Arena – 7.11.13
ÔÇ£Come winter time, we will be getting into a bus and setting up equipment in some rooms up and down the British Isles, playing music songs for those who care to listen,ÔÇØ posted The Darkness rather cryptically on their Facebook page in June. The Suffolk band, whose combination of the hard rocking grooves of AC/DC and the multi-layered vocals of Queen took the rock world … Continue reading Preview: The Darkness – November 17th – Solus
With the Mercury and Welsh Music prizes both taking place this October, Joseph Ainscough takes a look at the relevance and intentions of music awards ceremonies, and who really benefits from them. The Mercury Prize – or The Barclaycard Mercury Prize to give it its full title – prides itself on recognising and rewarding the best of British music each year. Focussing on artists that … Continue reading Feature: And The Winner Is
