On This Day 04/11/1986 Moody Blues

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On this day, 4 December 1986, rock band Moody Blues played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall on their Other Side Of Life UK tour.

In 1986 they enjoyed renewed success with their album The Other Side of Life and in particular with the track "Your Wildest Dreams" – a US Top 10 hit (and No. 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary singles chart for two weeks).

The song's video garnered a Billboard Video of the Year award after being frequently featured on MTV. It was the first of three albums with producer Tony Visconti, best known for his extensive work with T. Rex and David Bowie, who together with synth programmer Barry Radman delivered a modern sound the Moodies had been seeking in order to remain competitive with their pop contemporaries.

Review -Phil Nifield - South Wales Echo

The Moody Blues performed live at the Birmingham Heart Beat Charity Concert 1986, which raised money for Birmingham Children's Hospital. The band played four songs, and later provided backup with Electric Light Orchestra for George Harrison. Other performers included Robert Plant and former Moodie Denny Laine (whose set included "Go Now").

On This Day 28/11/1989 Lyle Lovett

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On this day, 28 November 1989 American country singer Lyle Lovett played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall. He had earlier in the year released his third album, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band. Lovett won the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for the album.

He signed with MCA Records in 1986 and released his eponymous debut album. He sang harmony vocals on Nanci Griffith's The Last of the True Believers album (1986). While typically associated with the country genre, Lovett's compositions often incorporate folk, swing, blues, jazz and gospel music as well as more traditional country & western styling.

Review - Mick Tems - South Wales Echo

On This Day 11/11/1988 Chas 'n' Dave

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On this day, 11 November 1988, Cockney pop duo Chas 'n' Dave played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall.

They were most notable as creators and performers of a musical style labelled rockney (a portmanteau of rock and cockney), which mixes "pub singalong, music-hall humour, boogie-woogie piano and pre-Beatles rock 'n' roll".

For a time, Rockney was also the name of their record label, their major breakthrough being "Gertcha" in 1979, which peaked at No. 20 in the UK Singles Chart, and was the first of eight Top 40 hit singles the duo played on. They had their biggest success in the early 1980s with "Rabbit" and "Ain't No Pleasing You". They also had nine charting albums.

Charles Nicholas "Chas" Hodges and David Victor "Dave" Peacock met in 1963, but the duo only started writing songs together in 1972.[4] In the 1960s and 1970s, Hodges and Peacock were in various groups. Hodges was with The Outlaws and then Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers in the 1960s, while Dave Peacock was with a group called the Rolling Stones (formed before the more famous one), and The Tumbleweeds, and worked with Mick Greenwood and Jerry Donahue.

Hodges and Peacock were both part of Black Claw with Harvey Hinsley and Mick Burt, three of them (Hodges, Peacock and Burt) would later be in Chas & Dave. They recorded with Albert Lee, and released an EP called Country Pie. After Black Claw, Hodges joined Heads Hands & Feet in 1970.

Both Hodges and Peacock had worked as session musicians and in backing bands for a wide range of artists; Hodges as part of The Outlaws had worked with Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Bill Haley, and also supported the Beatles as the Rebel Rousers.The hook of the song on which Hodges and Peacock played guitar and bass in 1975, Labi Siffre's "I Got The...", was later sampled on Eminem's "My Name Is".

On This Day 04/11/1981 Bauhaus

On this day, 4 November 1981, gothic rock band Bahaus played Cardiff’s Top Rank on their Mask tour. The band had just released their second studio album Mask.

Bauhaus expanded their style a bit on Mask, particularly by incorporating keyboards and acoustic guitar on songs such as "The Passion of Lovers", and funk rhythms and saxophone on tracks like "Kick in the Eye", "Dancing" and "In Fear of Fear".

The album cover is a drawing by guitarist Daniel Ash.The original artwork for the album was a gatefold sleeve with blue text on the inside and a stark black-and-white image of the band. On later editions this inside was replaced with white text and a montage from the promotional video for the song "Mask".

Setlist

The Passion of Lovers

In the Flat Field

Silent Hedges

Terror Couple Kill Colonel

The Man With the X-Ray Eyes

(Slow version)

In Fear of Fear

Hair of the Dog

Mask

Rosegarden Funeral of Sores

(John Cale cover)

Dancing

Hollow Hills

Spy in the Cab

On This Day 26/05/1989 Tim Finn

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On this day, 26 May 1989, former Split Enz founder and singer/songwriter Tim Finn played Cardiff University. He had earlier in the day performed at the Our Price store in Cardiff.

In late 1988, Finn recording his eponymous third album, Tim Finn, for Capitol Records.

The album yielded strong reviews and the New Zealand hit "Parihaka", based on a Māori village known for its campaign of passive resistance to European occupiers.

In 1971 Finn commenced a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Auckland. There he jammed in music practice room 129 (later the name of a Split Enz song) with friends and future Split Enz bandmembers Mike Chunn, Robert Gillies, Philip Judd and Noel Crombie.

Music soon became more important to him than his studies. In 1972 he quit university. A few months later, Phil and Tim formed the group Split Ends, renamed Split Enz in 1975, shortly before they left New Zealand for Melbourne.

Between 1975 and 1984, the group released nine studio albums. Split Enz played its last show on 4 December 1984 in Auckland.

On This Day 05/10/1981 Hazel O’Connor

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On this day, 5 October 1981, British singer/songwriter and actress Hazel O’Connor played Cardiff University.

She became famous in the early 1980s with hit singles "Eighth Day", "D-Days" and "Will You?" She also starred in the 1980 film Breaking Glass.

O’Connor had just released her second studio album Close Plus, produced by legendary producer Tony Visconti, which reached #32 in the UK album charts. The album spawned 3 singles, most notably a version of The Stranglers “Hanging Around”.

O'Connor was born in Coventry, England. She is the daughter of a soldier from Galway who settled in England after the Second World War to work in a car plant. Her brother Neil later fronted the punk band The Flys, best known for their single "Love and a Molotov Cocktail", which she later covered.

Her film debut was in Girls Come First in 1975, where she was credited as Hazel Glyn. She became prominent as an actress and singer five years later in 1980 when playing the role of Kate in the film Breaking Glass. She also performed on the accompanying soundtrack.

On This Day 28/05/1989 W.A.S.P

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On this day, 28 May 1989, American heavy metal band W.A.S.P played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall on their 89 & Headless tour.

Formed in 1982. They emerged from the early 1980s Los Angeles heavy metal scene.

The band's popularity peaked that decade, yet they continue to record and tour, making them one of the most enduring of the West Coast heavy metal bands.

W.A.S.P. gained notoriety for their shock rock-themed image, lyrics and live performances. They are estimated to have sold over twelve million records worldwide,

W.A.S.P.'s fourth studio album, The Headless Children, was released on April 15, 1989, and was their first album without any overtly sexually explicit songs.

it was W.A.S.P.'s most critically acclaimed work up to that point and it is now the highest-selling W.A.S.P. album to date.

The drumming duties for the album were handled by former Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali.

It features two of the band's most highly acclaimed songs, the power ballad "Forever Free" and a cover of The Who's "The Real Me".

Setlist

The Heretic (The Lost Child) 


The Real Me 
(The Who cover)


L.O.V.E. Machine 


Wild Child 


The Headless Children 


The Neutron Bomber


Forever Free 


I Don't Need No Doctor 
(Nickolas Ashford cover)


Thunderhead

I Wanna Be Somebody 


Animal (Fuck Like a Beast) 


Mean Man 


Blind in Texas

On This Day 27/05/1988 House Of Love

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On this day, 27 May 1988, alternative rock band House of Love played Cardiff University.

Formed in London in 1986 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Guy Chadwick and co-founder and lead guitarist Terry Bickers.

They rose to prominence in 1987 with their first single "Shine On", released on the independent label Creation.

The following year, the band released their critically acclaimed eponymous debut album and built their reputation over the next few years through subsequent releases, constant touring and the support of English press.

They signed with Fontana Records in 1989 and met commercial success in 1990 with their second self-titled album, which peaked at number 8 in the UK albums chart.

Their third album, Babe Rainbow, was favourably met by the critics in 1992 and also reached the top 40 in the UK.

LINE UP

Guy Chadwick, Terry Bickers, Pete Evans, Chris Groothuizen

SETLIST

SALOME

DESTROY THE HEART

FISHERMAN’S TALE

MAN TO CHILD

CHRISTINE

PLASTIC

SULPHUR

SHINE ON

NOTHING TO ME

REAL ANIMAL

I WANNA BE YOUR DOG