Imagine the Welsh Valleys in the early noughties. Two teenage brothers and their neighbour are playing Blink-182 covers in a cabin at the bottom of the garden. ÔÇ£ThatÔÇÖs basically how it all started,ÔÇØ says Morgan, one of said brothers, and nowadays a lead singer in the alt-pop quartet Safari Gold. Fast forward a couple of decades and the band has just released their second album, … Continue reading In Conversation with Safari Gold
Like many bands, The Bouncing Souls found themselves at a bit of a loose end at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stuck at home and unable to continue touring, they turned to online fan-communities, and began to work on new material in an exciting new way: connecting with fans via Zoom, hearing their stories, and drawing on these in their song-writing process. The result … Continue reading Album Review: Ten Stories High by The Bouncing Souls
Words by Emily Williams ItÔÇÖs a quiet Friday afternoon as I log onto Zoom to speak to Anchor Lane, who have just begun theirUK headline tour starting in Bradford. It is their first time touring an album after the scheduled tourfor their debut album Casino was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We chatted about influences, image, and intentions for their new album Call This … Continue reading In Conversation With Anchor Lane
Words by Laura Mae After an almost seven year long hiatus, American rock band Pierce The Veil have come stomping backonto the music scene with their new record Jaws of Life. This release is the bandÔÇÖs fifth studio albumsince they made their beginnings in 2006, and the first since their 2016 album Misadventures. Pierce TheVeil are a well known name in the alternative music scene, … Continue reading Album Review: Jaws of Life – Pierce The Veil
Words by Emily Williams Up-and-coming Glasgow rock band Anchor Lane released their second album entitled,┬áCall This A Reality? on 27th January 2023.┬áThe album follows their first successful album┬áCasino┬áwhich reached Number 9 on Official UK Rock Albums Chart in its 2020 release.┬áCall This A Reality?┬áembraces indie undertones and showcases heavy guitar work that complements the vocals from Conor Gaffney. The guitar work is really what stands … Continue reading Album Review: Call This A Reality? – Anchor Lane
Words by Charlotte Harris, photos by Alexa Price Kicking off their two-night stint in WalesÔÇÖ capital at Cardiff International Arena on Monday night, The 1975 treated us with the most recent performance of their tour, titled┬áThe 1975 At Their Very Best. A tour already spewing with media attention and internet interest, we were primed for a legendary evening. Would there be a guest star? Would … Continue reading Review: The 1975 @ CIA 16/01/23
Words by Elliot Morgan This year, compared its predecessors, has been remarkably strong in terms of new music releases. Iconic artists in the pop and hip-hop genres released critically acclaimed albums after hiatuses of nearly half a decade. Across the indie scene, new bands rose to prominence and released their debut records, meanwhile, old favourites continued to add to their accomplished discographies. Although difficult select … Continue reading The Best Albums of 2022
As deadline season of first semester swiftly approaches at Cardiff University, we asked some of our contributors what they listen to whilst typing away in the ASSL. Words by Alice Lumley As someone with ADHD, it is essential for me to have music playing whilst I attempt to study. It must be music without lyrics, or there may end up being accidents (like the time … Continue reading Study Soundtracks: What Gets You Through Deadline Season?
Words and photos by Maddie McCabe-Smith Kicking off the UK leg of their tour at CardiffÔÇÖs Great Hall, Pierce The Veil made their iconic return to the punk rock scene with new music releases for the first time since their 2016 album Misadventures. Even from the queue outside before doors had opened, I could sense just how excited fans, including myself, were to see one … Continue reading Pierce The Veil @ Great Hall 01/12/2022
Words and photos by Ashley Thieme Although The Aces have previously undertaken their own headline UK tours, this was their first time performing for a Welsh audience. Originally The Blue Aces ÔÇô releasing a few extended play releases under that name since 2012 ÔÇô the band have been playing shows as The Aces since changing their name in 2016. Hailing from Utah, United States, the … Continue reading The Aces @ CIA 01/12/2022
Words by Tabitha Murrell I was first introduced to Placebo by the┬áever-dramatic┬á1999┬áfilm┬áadaptation┬áof Pierre Choderlos de┬áLaclos’ 1782 novel┬áLes Liaisons┬ádangereuses. Cruel Intentions‘┬áopening scene streams┬áacross a graveyard and then up to the iconic┬áNew York┬ácity skyline. Ryan Phillipe (swoon) is seen driving over┬áBrooklyn┬áBridge in his┬ábeautifully┬árecognisable┬áblack┬ávintage┬áJaguar XK140 – the car is as much a plot device as the┬áfilm’s┬ásoundtrack, which of course begins with the blasting of Placebo’s┬áhit from the same … Continue reading Placebo @ CIA 24/11/2022
Words and photos by Alice Lumley On potentially one of the coldest and stormiest nights in Cardiff, I had the pleasure of going to see Spear of Destiny at a beloved Cardiff venue, The Globe. The Globe is one of my favourite venues in Cardiff as the staff are lovely, the venue is small and intimate but not too crowded and the drinks are cheap … Continue reading Spear of Destiny @ The Globe 23/11/2022
Words and photos by Rubie Barker On the night that Wales played their first World Cup game in 54 years, Jamie T took to CardiffÔÇÖs Great Hall. While some football fans were clearly torn about where to focus their attention as we waited, they still showed up in vast numbers to see the Indie Rock icon. 86TVs are supporting Jamie on this tour, formed this … Continue reading Jamie T @ Great Hall 21/11/2022
Words and photos by Poppy Atkinson Gibson The Great Hall of the SU was pretty full and getting fuller by the minute as Lauran Hibberd strode on stage with her statement pigtails and billowing pink dress. The crowd, who were steadily shuffling into position, were a mix of new out of the box fresher fans and clear long time lovers of Hibberd, which made for … Continue reading Lauran Hibberd and Sea Girls @ Great Hall 22/11/2022
Anticipating The Lightning Seeds’ return to Cardiff after what feels like a lifetime, the Tramshed was filled to capacity with fans of the 80s rock band. Kicking off the night was a delightfully calming set from indie musician Badly Drawn Boy, creating a chill vibe throughout the entire venue. He was alone onstage but his gorgeous voice filled the room and was a great choice … Continue reading Review: The Lightning Seeds @ Tramshed 18/11/2022
The ÔÇÿBitchÔÇÖ is a constant and repetitive figure within the music industry. Whether she is being denounced as a perpetrator of promiscuity, discarded as money-hungry and manipulative, or paving her way through life on her own terms, the message is clear: It always comes back to the Bitch. Listeners are now immune to a word that, may we remind ourselves, was originally used in the … Continue reading Last Night a DJ Ruined My Night: Profanity in Music
Molly Openshaw On the 16th of November, Florence and the Machine kick-started their U.K. portion of the third leg of the Dance Fever tour at Cardiff International Arena. This is FlorenceÔÇÖs first tour back since the pandemic with their last tour being the High as Hope tour in 2018. Florence and the Machine released their fifth studio album, Dance Fever, in May 2022.┬á Despite the … Continue reading Review: Florence and the Machine @ CIA 16/11/22
Words and photos by Ashley Thieme The last time English alternative rock band Deaf Havana played in Cardiff was 2019, before live shows came to a standstill. However, this time around the previously four-piece band is now fronted by two brothers, James and Matthew Veck-Gilodi. In a statement put out by the band in November 2021 they revealed uncertainty surrounding the future of the band, … Continue reading Review: Deaf Havana @ Tramshed 08/11/2022
British rock giants Kasabian made an explosive return to Cardiff International Arena (formerly Motorpoint Arena), touring their new album The Alchemist’s Euphoria. Despite the awful weather that greeted us, we left the venue absolutely elated. Supporting Kasabian on this tour is The Lathums, a relatively young indie band hailing from Wigan; they were one of the best support acts I’ve ever seen. Their set was … Continue reading Review: Kasabian @ CIA 02/11/2022
Written by Elliot Morgan 25/10/2022 It has been four years since Arctic Monkeys divided their fan base with the drastic left-turn that was Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino. Whilst some loved the record, which took influences from lounge pop and psychedelia, many were disappointed with the departure from the MonkeysÔÇÖ traditional guitar-driven music. Their newest record, The Car, is no different. Retaining some elements of … Continue reading Arctic Monkeys – The Car Album Review
