Posted in Live Music by stephrowe on November 27, 2018
Written by Agathe Dijoud
Discovering an artist two weeks before the concert was my lucky moment of the month! Brian
Fennell is an American singer, who has been writing indie music for several years, first with the band
Barcelona, and then went solo in 2016. He is now Syml, which means ÔÇÿSimpleÔÇÖ in Welsh, due to his
roots before being adopted. He just ended his Where Did We Go tour around the US and Europe,
and had a show in Paris, at the Point ├ëph├®m├¿re concert venue on November 9th. And since French
trains are so fast now, I could get there from Bordeaux without missing my Friday lectures (it’s a big┬ádeal, trust me). The concert started with Harrison Storm as the opening act, who was great, with
only his guitar and voice. Then, Syml came to the stage, with another musician, and they started
playing beautiful music. It was both similar to the studio version, and very genuine at the same time.
Brian Fennell’s voice was on point to get the audience emotional when needed. He would let us ask
him questions in between songs, such as if he liked cheese (which he does), or if he was planning on
covering Britney Spears (which he was not). He also told us stories for some of his songs, such as
Girl, which he wrote for his daughter. He did not, however, sing any of his Christmas music, such as
Christmas lights. All in all, it was a great night, with an audience made of both teenagers and adults,
and a really authentic musician. I recommend listening to Fear of the water, Mr Sandman, or Hurt
for me. My personal favourite song is The War, which he sang because somebody from the audience
asked him. And he aced it, it was also my favourite part of the concert!
Nothing But Thieves at the Motorpoint Arena ÔÇô 19/11/18
By Tom Luton
Nothing But Thieves stratospheric rise over the last three years has been truly impressive to watch.
Since the release of their promising self-titled debut in 2015, the band have well and truly begun
their ascent into the upper echelons of UK rock music, playing to huge audiences across the world
whilst supporting the likes of Muse and Biffy Clyro and having their follow up album (2017ÔÇÖs
excellent ÔÇÿBroken MachineÔÇÖ) chart at number 2 on the UK album charts. The release of their 4-track
stop-gap EP last month, the blistering ÔÇÿWhat Did You Think When You Made Me This WayÔÇÖ, and the
commencement of this UK wide arena tour only further cement their status as one of the countryÔÇÖs
finest bands. Based off the performance I witnessed in Cardiff, the only way is up for the
precociously talented 5-piece.
However, the night got off to a fairly muted start, with the Brighton based trio Demob Happy failing
to truly ignite the Cardiff crowd. On record, there is much to admire about the bands hard-hitting
blend of the relentless stoner-rock of bands such as Queens of The Stone Age; the bass riffs off Royal
Blood, 90ÔÇÖs grunge, and 60ÔÇÖs psychedelia. However, live it largely fell flat, descending into a
monotonous, sluggish cacophony of guitar, drum and bass; that was devoid of melody, personality
or charm. They were followed by the Anglo-Australian surfer trio Sunset Sons, who despite the
inherent likeability of their laidback, keyboard-centric take on indie rock, once again failed to truly
connect with the crowd, their presence providing an awkward fit for the event and putting a damper
on the energy of the crowd.
However, any misgivings I had about the choice of support soon dissolved as the stage-obscuring
smoke evaporated and the headliners took the stage. From the opening kick beat of ÔÇÿI Was Just a
KidÔÇÖ to the closing synths of ÔÇÿAmsterdamÔÇÖ, the band held the crowd in the palm of their hand,
delivering an enrapturing and fierce performance with a strong setlist that drew tracks from both of
their studio albums, whilst also giving the more recent singles such as the thunderous ÔÇÿForever and
Ever MoreÔÇÖ and sweeping ÔÇÿTake This Lonely HeartÔÇÖ a chance to shine. The bandÔÇÖs unique ability to
distil their multiple influences (Jeff Buckley, early Muse, Radiohead, Hot Fuss era Killers, The Pixies,
Nirvana) into anthemic slices of modern rock without losing their own distinctive sound translates
perfectly in a live setting, the crowd screaming every word back to them. Connor MasonÔÇÖs
spellbinding vocals are somehow even more powerful in person, his voice as effective when belting
out the ferocious electro-rock anthem ÔÇÿLive Like AnimalsÔÇÖ( a searing take down of the rise of the
modern right wing, with Mason venomously spitting out lines such as ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre gonna make ÔÇÿem build
a wall/weÔÇÖre gonna live like animalsÔÇØ) as when stripped back for raw and deeply moving ballads such
as ÔÇÿParticlesÔÇÖ and the heart-breaking ÔÇÿIf I Get HighÔÇÖ. After a rapturous sing along to the soaring
ÔÇÿSorryÔÇÖ, the band briefly left the stage, making way for an encore that descends into a crowd
rendition of Bruce ChannelÔÇÖs party classic ÔÇÿHey BabyÔÇÖ. The band soon returned for a three-song
encore, closing with a heroic performance of ÔÇÿAmsterdamÔÇÖ, a song surely destined to be a set closer
for years to come, such is its visceral power and effectiveness as a crowd sing along. As the band left
the stage for the night, Cardiff was left buzzing with the realisation they had witnessed a band at the
height of their powers. Should Nothing But Thieves continue to develop their sound and reputation
as a live band, major festival headline slots and number 1 albums surely await.
Setlist:
1) I Was Just a Kid
2) Ban All the Music
3) Wake Up Call
4) Take This Lonely Heart
5) Soda
6) Broken Machine
7) IÔÇÖm Not Made by Design
8) Live Like Animals
9) Number 13
10) You Know Me Too Well
11) Particles
12) If I Get High
13) Trip Switch
14) Forever and Ever More
15) Sorry
Encore:
16) Afterlife
17) Itch
18) Amsterdam
With a distinct sound, crowd engagement like no other and theatrics that create a feel much like that of Bowie or other cult musicians, Bad Sounds are beginning to cement themselves as a firm jewel in the crown of up and coming UK Indie Music. Recently they performed in their home town of Bristol and Benny Wu and I were lucky enough to experience this instalment of their ÔÇÿGet Better MovementÔÇÖ.
The stage opened with two very talented warm up acts: Dylan Cartlidge and Indoor Pets and once both of their sets had finished, we were left eagerly awaiting the main show. Bad Sounds set opened with a very minimalist sketch of a lone light bulb flashing on stage accompanied by a voice booming through the speakers explaining how we would leave the gig as ÔÇÿgood peopleÔÇÖ and it was their aim to help us ÔÇÿget betterÔÇÖ. This was very in keeping with the general essence and charm of their debut album ÔÇ£Get BetterÔÇÖ and so the show started.
Opening with such a well-loved song like ÔÇÿWagesÔÇÖ was the perfect choice as the crowd cheered and danced throughout, when it comes to this band, the audience atmosphere seems just as important as the set they are playing. Dressed in their classic ÔÇÿGet BetterÔÇÖ overalls the band continued reeling off hit after hit from their album with songs such as ÔÇÿEvil PowersÔÇÖ and ÔÇÿCouldnÔÇÖt Give It AwayÔÇÖ among others. We were then treated with a short interval with another get better speech as well as a costume change for the band, this time losing the overalls and donning clothes from an array of their music videos.
The fans screamed as Bad Sounds treated the second half playing one of their older hits ÔÇÿMeat on My BonesÔÇÖ. They continued with an incredible set eventually ending with the perfect final song ÔÇÿNo LuckÔÇÖ and, as the front runner brothers Ewan and Callum wrestled around on-stage, confetti and balloons covered the crowd and the show came to a triumphant close. This might have been the best gig IÔÇÖve ever been to and anyone that cares at all about this band would be greatly missing out if they did not see them live.
The bastions of middle class youth disillusionment return for a shorter, more consolidated and more heartfelt third outing, delivering what is without question their best record to date. AOFAL drops the Speakers Corner-shoutiness of their previous work in favour of something far more personal and emapthisable, dealing with themes of social media, self image, boredom, hate and good old fashioned break-ups too. Suddenly you’re not just screaming along with them, you’re in the same boat as them thematically too.
AOFAL also sees a welcome change in direction in sound. It’s more post-punky and original, though they haven’t lost their rough edge, which pokes its way through the album at all the right moments. The big punches come, however, when Slaves go off kilter and go quieter; ‘Daddy’ stands out in this regard. Though ‘Photo Opportunity’ kills it with the Weezer-esque structure and is anthemic chorus, which so effortlessly sums up life in the south east of England. Slaves arenÔÇÖt just moving on; moreover, theyÔÇÖre becoming cleverer with their sound, and wielding it with the same ferocity and dexterity as their lyrics.
A prominent online reviewer – whose opinion I’ve always respected but on this occasion I thoroughly disagree with – said that Slaves are a band who “just use punk as a fashionable veneer to make somewhat edgy, substance-free pop rock”. I’ll give him pop rock in regards to AOFAL given that it’s got plenty of singles potential and is far less abrasive sound-wise than previous Slaves records (just listen to ‘Cut And Run)’, but to call them “substance free” is an insult to the fact that Slaves have cornered a niche of the UK music scene and turned it into some of the best records of the last 5 years.
When you’ve grown up in the same sort of placer as Slaves have, Acts Of Fear And Love comes across as a record that just speaks your language. It’s personal not just in terms of its tone, but because it knows exactly what you’re going from. Oh, and it absolutely rocks at some points.
Posted in Blog by Keiran Manetta-Jones on May 9, 2018
Reviewed by Agathe Dijoud
Cardiff Uni’s drama society Act One played ‘Closer’ by Patrick Marber last week, and it was a really great experience! A dozen scenes take us on the decade-long love journey of a quartet. Anna (Miriam Hopkins), Alice (Michaela Minkin), Dan (Alec Cook) and Larry (Luke Merchant) experience love, marriage and heartbreak with each other, with nothing ever feeling fully right, and with their personal backgrounds always catching up.
I don’t know if the comedians study drama, but all four are really talented, and got the audience into the play easily, making us forget the stage set hardly changes in between scenes. The set was by the way pretty well done, with the bed in the middle of four walls filled with pictures of people. There were details reminding us of all four characters in each scene. A really inventive and funny moment in the play is the online conversation between Dan and Larry, projected on the wall behind them.
Special shout-out to whoever made the screen actually look like the late 1990’s; it got us even more into the context of the play! I would recommend everyone to check out Act One’s plays, because there are probably other talented comedians, directors and else in the society!
Posted in Blog by Xpress Radio on February 26, 2018
Reviewed by James Evans
The last Act One production I watched was A Midsummer NightÔÇÖs Dream. Considering I had seen several adaptations of the Shakespearean play I was slightly concerned about being bored, but Act One did not disappoint with a unique and exceptional take on the classic love story. Fast forward two years and theyÔÇÖve taken on the challenge of Laura WadeÔÇÖs satirical play about the obnoxious and frankly brutal ten members of the infamous Riot Club.
ItÔÇÖs a play about the arrogant nature of a group of entitled individuals that believe they have the right to special treatment and are willing to fight to reassert themselves. The comedy is played off their ridiculous egos and snobbery and whilst itÔÇÖs not a particularly complex comedy, itÔÇÖs impossible not to find yourself laughing most of the way through. Posh is a play that makes you think and gets you talking afterwards. At the end of the first act you find yourself arguing with the potential facts that people of this class actually believed the opinions voiced by the characters in the play. It becomes all too apparent the evil undertones that run through this play, when youÔÇÖre laughing at the ridicule of the victims and supporting the barbarity of the villains. Posh makes you feel sorry for a group of Toffs that beat up a landlord and ransack his property, and as the last scene reveals, are also going to get away with it.
The cast were fantastic, arguably perfect at relaying the message of the play. Every character was distinctive in their role and drew you into the chaos that was unfolding. The ten members of the Riot Club were especially entertaining with their varied and hilarious outbursts of snobbery, their brilliant performances quickly made you fall into the trap of loving them. The comedy was punchy and comedic timing was faultless. There were a few moments of dialogue that were lost due to the background noise of other actors, but it didnÔÇÖt do much to detract from the overall performance. Special mention has to go to Jack Kelly (Alistair Ryle) for his fierce and gripping monologue that marked the tipping point in the play and also Jake OÔÇÖNeill (Guy Bellingfield) who was hilarious throughout. Benjamin Southgate (Harry Villiers) and Chris Brunskill (Dimitri Mitropoulos) were also a pleasure to watch. Even someone irreverent to politics would be able to understand the message of the play and this is all thanks to a brilliant cast and director.
The lighting, set and sound all worked to further the production and were appropriate for the play. I particularly enjoyed the use of lighting and sound during small segments that acted as scene changes. The music and sound effects were especially effective with pinpoint execution from the team during certain scenes. The choice to have a mixed gender cast was interesting but didnÔÇÖt really do anything to further the message of the play.
Act OneÔÇÖs production of Posh was extremely fun and surprisingly thought provoking to watch. There were a couple of breaks in the pace, but the cast and crew led you effectively to a climatic finale that was shocking and didnÔÇÖt disappoint. I canÔÇÖt wait to see what Act One does next.
This play by Act One has to be one of the most dynamic performance I’ve witnessed. It could make you laugh, gasp and┬áeven shed a tear. Like a metaphorical aftertaste, it really made you think and question yourself when the play had ended.
It starts off quite strange. We are introduced to a scared looking girl, Lisa, in a strange place, it turns out to be her apartment, but the audience know its not a warm, cosy place.
The set design and lighting were really good, very simplistic as always but it was easy to distinguish between different environments and some very small details, like the CDs hung up in decoration gave the stage an eery feel, I felt a hint of ‘The Mighty Boosh’ in the set and lighting design. (that’s a compliment)
The first scene can only be described as bonkers. Characters that are comical and controversial. From ‘Insecurity guards’ (This was an excellent pun), to a ‘scape-goat’ who attempts┬áto rape our main character (I did find this rather distasteful, perhaps not my sort of humour). And the lost property office which was bizarre but really was laugh-out-loud comedy.
The second scene is a country mile away from the humour and absurdity of the first. Curtains open to a hospital bed setting, Lisa is the patient and we soon find out she is and has been suffering with some kind of mental health disorder and that Dissocia is a made up place in her imagination. We are never told explicitly what her condition is but we get the impression it is serious and affects others around her.
I thought that perhaps the characters in ‘Dissocia’ may have been based on the numerous hospital staff that we see treating her and giving her medicine, I’m not sure if this was deliberate because of course the Act One cast played numerous characters in all their plays, but if so, its a very subtly and clever ploy.
I am a huge fan of comedy, especially the slapstick and silly stuff. I found myself laughing so much at the first scene (especially the lost property office with Elis Williams playing such a funny character). This meant the second scene, with it being such a long way from the first, made me initially very confused and I didn’t really appreciate the tone. When the play ended, I looked back and realised that actually the contrast between the first and second plays paints a powerful picture of the intense struggle Lisa faces and the severity of this type of illness has on people.
I must say this play has stuck with me, hats off to the Director, Han and your wonderful cast.
This is my final review of Act One for the Xpress Radio blog, I have seen such powerful┬áand diverse performances┬ácome from this society and I can’t wait to see what the future has to offer.
With thanks to James Cole-Ezen for this opportunity
Set 350 years after our most recent Act One rendition of Jacobean Theatre, we experienced the 1950ÔÇÖs exploration of mental health in Rhian Peake depiction of Find Me.
Rather uniquely, the main characters were played by multiple cast members, this worked well, the consistent yet simplistic costumes, and character direction, meant the audience always knew who was portraying each character.  The first scene saw a brief overview of the main character and her evident difficult behaviour, Verity Taylor.
The play goes on to explore the painfully difficult upbringing of Verity and, at times, made for acutely uncomfortable viewing for the audience. Particular credit must be given to the cast and director for scenes such as the social struggle in public restaurants, a notably toe-curling moment.
Humour is cleverly, yet subtly, implemented throughout the play to give a much needed respite from the harsh issues being tackled.
The most harrowing message from this play, was the vast contrast between social services and mental health care back then. Today we benefit from a much greater and increasing understanding of these issues and ‘Find Me’ is a reminder of the need to continue this pursuit.
A highlight of this play, and a particularly moving scene, was the monologue by Elizabeth Clements, playing VerityÔÇÖs mother. Her tear-filled meltdown was a glimpse into the arduous job of being a mother, especially with the care of such a challenging daughter.┬á Her monologue expressed the pain she was going through, her battle between wanting to mother and care for Verity, fighting the urge to just pack her bags and leave, turn to alcohol, or just commit suicide.
A lot of the plays value came after viewing and from reflection on the issues presented by the play. ÔÇÿFind MeÔÇÖ starkly highlights the issue of mental health, and the lack of provision for people affected by these issues in the past.
This past Sunday, I did something I never thought I would, yet have always had this fascination with; I went to watch an Opera. What in my head has always been contained to the stuffy up classes to enjoy was actually a gripping and enthralling experience as we followed the story of Carlisle FloydÔÇÖs Susannah. Written and set within the 1950ÔÇÖs in the heart of Tennessee, true Bible belt country and the tale of Susannah Polk, an innocent girl who is targeted as a sinner, and claimed to be possessed by the devil by the local village elders. This comes after the three village elders, upon spying her bathing naked in a stream in the valley, accuse her of these things to cover their own lustful thoughts, as well as their wives jealousy. We then get to experience her breaking down slowly throughout the production, as being ostracised slowly drives her insane. Backed up by a full orchestra it was certainly a sight to behold.
Whilst I did have my issues with some of the sound balancing, it was difficult to understand what was going on a lot of time in the first act, but by the second act the actors seemed to get into the flow of things and we saw a lot more of a stronger performance.
The use of reds within this production was a personal highlight. In the beginning the lighting and colours (especially of Susannah who wore whites and light blues as costume) was heavy on the muted blue tones, and slowly changed to reds through purple as we watched the descent into madness of this village. This even included a very clever costume change after Susannah was raped by the visiting preacher, when she then wore a red top for the rest of the production. I love little notes like that! It brings to light (pardon the pun) a whole new level to any production.
Specific shout out to Act 2 Scene 2 in the church with the whole cast, which was the stand out of the whole night. It seems I will be going back to the opera more often, well done CUOS!
Posted in Review by Charlie Knights on March 6, 2017
By Jordan Martin
Wiley was headlining what might have been one of Cardiff’s biggest ever grime nights, but he was not the only legend on the bill. Supporting him was Meridian Crew Alumnus and fellow old school don, President T.
I got the call from Duane, one of President T’s people, during the Astroid Boys set as they performed Rinsa. I was told the President had landed and I could go and interview him now. After negotiating the Students Union security I was lead to the dressing rooms where I met the President armoured in a red jacket, hood up, with the confidence of a man who knew he was about to shutdown the show. The dressing table littered with fine spirits and plastic cups. He welcomed me with a handshake and then the interview began. The interview finished with President T rushing off to take a photo with Benji from the Astroid Boys before heading upstairs to take to the stage, as I hurriedly fetched the Courvoisier he left in his dressing room
Due to the loud nature of the dressing room the interview was mostly rerecorded in the hallway and this can be found here [Link to the audio].
Having seen President T tweet that he ÔÇ£Ain’t touched Cardiff in a minute,ÔÇØ I asked him about the last time he was in Cardiff.
I was last in Cardiff about ten, eleven years ago with a few mates from Manchester. They drove down from Cardiff. Went to a few bars, I can’t tell you what bars they were , but then we drove home, very briefly. But this is the first time I’m in Cardiff performing.
Did you have a good time when you were here last though?
Oh yeah, it was very brief, I was a bit drunk, always the case.
As long as you weren’t driving!
Na, I wasn’t driving.
Are you going out tonight maybe?
Umm, after I’m gonna keep it short and sweet but if there is anything that can entice me, maybe so.
You’re sharing the bill with the Astroid Boys. Cardiff’s very own. Are you familiar with them?
That’s right. Astroid Boys, I am yeah.
I saw you talking to Benji just now as we were walking out.
Yeah, I’ve listened to some of their bits. Watched their videos and that and they’re very exciting for me personally and I know they’re going far.
They’ve worked a lot with Manga from Roll Deep, I know you’ve worked with him. You, JME and Manga on Different Patterns
Yeah, Different Patterns is a massive song and it’s getting bigger and bigger each year, so it’s great.
The video for that is really interesting as well
Yeah it’s a good idea he came up with for the video. I know it’s set a lot of people back like ‘What’s going on here?’ but I’ve watched it many a time and I love it. It keeps up the variety of what you can actually get out of grime.
Both you and Astroid Boys are releasing albums this year. Any potential for any collabs with them?
Oh, most definitely. I’m looking forward to collabing with Astroid Boys. I’ve listened to them myself and I’m very picky and choosy about what I do but I’ve heard their stuff and it’s like ‘Yeah, I can work with that’
I’m a big fan too, speaking of your own album Stranger Returns, any release date or anything?
There’s no release date at this given time but possibly in the future. Definitely before summer. It’s the final time, I’m making the final promise, because I’ve been promising it for years but Stranger Returns will definitely be out before the summer this year, 2017.
We’re all looking forward to it, can you give us any inklings of what might feature on it?
It’s all the Stranger Returning! It’s got other artists on there but the element of it is a bit of a surprise element so I’m gonna keep like that for now.
In the past year we’ve had top ten albums from Bugzy, Kano, Skepta, Wiley and soon, Stormzy probably. Could you be joining that club as well?
I’m in the club of top fives bro, top fives.
I’m sure we’ll see it fly up the charts. With all this new success, grime has attracted a lot of new fans, including ten year olds and eleven year olds who you hear rapping ‘That’s Not Me’ as you walk down the street, what are your thoughts on that, because I know some people aren’t really fans of the new people coming?
It’s great, there’s more people listening to it, there’s a lot more people involved and there’s gonna be a lot more people in the future that are gonna take it on. So it’s great stuff, it’s brilliant and it’s exciting for artists like me that have been in the game for a long time.
I must admit I came to grime quite late and your verse in the That’s Not Me remix was one of the things that made me properly look into it and start following it.
I’m honoured, I’m truly honoured and as long as people keep being willing to take in what I’m putting out then I’ll keep going.
You’re known for your punchlines, so what’s your favourite punchline of your whole career
It would be… ÔÇ£He woulda thought!ÔÇØ
And my last question. When you first started out in the game you were the only President T. Now, across the pond, in the USA, we’ve got another President T, President Trump, what are your thoughts on him?
All I’m gonna say is I’m the original President T and when he’s out of office, I’ll still be in office.
