On This Day 24/11/1989 Clannad

On this day, 24 November 1989, Irish band Clannad played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall. The band were about to release their 13th studio album The Angel and the Soldier Boy.

Formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal, by siblings Ciarán, Pól and Moya Ui Bhraonáin (in English, Brennan) and their twin uncles Noel and Pádraig Ó Dúgáin (Duggan).

They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history. Beginning as an acoustic folk group mainly performing rearranged traditional Irish songs in Irish, they expanded their sound with original songs in English, vocal harmonies, electronic keyboards, and elements of rock, Celtic, new age, smooth jazz, and Gregorian chant.

Initially known as Clann as Dobhar ('Family from Dore') they shortened their name to Clannad in 1973. By 1979 they had released three albums and toured Europe and the US. From 1980 to 1982 they operated as a six-piece with their sister and niece Eithne (Enya). In 1982 they gained international attention with their single "Theme from Harry's Game".

In 1989, Pól Brennan left Clannad to work with Peter Gabriel as a producer for the WOMAD arts festival and as an acoustic specialist. The band continued as a four-piece and wrote, arranged and recorded their next album, Anam (Soul), in under three months, with Ciarán Brennan becoming their producer and primary songwriter.

On This Day 23/11/1988 The Snapdragons

On this day, 23 November 1988, alternative rock band The Snapdragons played Cardiff’s Square Club.

The band signed to Native Records, who released their first single, "The Things You Want", in 1988, and in February that year they recorded a session for Simon Mayo's BBC Radio 1 show.

"The Things You Want" was included on Volume VI of the Indie Top 20 series of albums (and later on Cherry Red Records' C88 compilation). The band's debut album, Dawn Raids on Morality, was produced by Pat Collier and released in 1989.

In 1989, they also recorded a session for the BBC Radio 1 DJ, John Peel. The band toured the UK and supported other Native Records acts, such as The Darling Buds and Richard Hawley's debut band, Treebound Story.

The band were amongst indie bands tipped to do well in 1990, alongside James, The Family Cat, Asia Fields and The Wood Children.However inconsistent performances by the band, and the departure of John Sullivan and later "Spike" Mullings, hindered the band's ability to reach a wider audience.

On This Day 22/11/1989 Bob Mould

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On this day, 22 November 1989 American musician Bob Mould principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock band Hüsker Dü, played Cardiff University.

The band dissolved after a show in Columbia, Missouri, on the band's 1987 tour. Grant Hart was trying to quit heroin using a supply of methadone, but the bottle had leaked. Hart still played the show, but Mould and Greg Norton were concerned he would be unable to play the remaining shows due to withdrawal.

While Hart insisted he could perform, Mould had already canceled the remaining dates. Hart quit the band four days later. Mould has said that the breakup was about "three people going their separate ways," referring to Hart's drug use and new relationship, Norton's recent marriage and new business, and Mould himself having just quit a lifelong drinking habit. Mould decided to officially end the band on January 26, 1988 during a discussion at Hart's parents' home.

Review - Adrian Colley - South Wales Echo

After Hüsker Dü broke up in 1988, Mould sequestered himself in a remote farmhouse in Pine City, Minnesota,having quit drinking and drugs, and wrote the songs that would make up his first solo album.

Signing to the newly formed Virgin Records America label, 1989's Workbook eschewed Mould's trademark wall-of-noise guitar for a lighter tone. Drummer Anton Fier (of The Feelies and later The Golden Palominos) and bassist Tony Maimone (of Pere Ubu) served as Mould's rhythm section.

The album peaked at number 127 on the Billboard 200 chart, and the single "See a Little Light" reached number 4 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

On This Day 21/11/1989 Rik Mayall

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On this day, 21 November 1989, actor, comedian and writer Rik Mayall played Cardiff’s St David’s on his Ton Up tour. Support was provided by Andy De La Tour.

He formed a close partnership with Ade Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University, and was a pioneer of alternative comedy in the 1980s.

Mayall starred in numerous successful comedy series throughout his career, including The Young Ones (1982–1984), The Comic Strip Presents... (1983–2012), Filthy Rich & Catflap (1987), The New Statesman (1987–1994), and man more.

Review - Steve Duffy - South Wales Echo

In the 1986, Mayall had a No. 1 hit in the UK Singles Chart, when he and his co-stars from The Young Ones teamed with Cliff Richard to record "Living Doll" for the inaugural Comic Relief campaign.

Mayall played Rick one last time in the Comic Relief stage-show and supported the Comic Relief cause for the rest of his life.

In the early 1990s, Mayall starred in humorous adverts for Nintendo games and consoles. With money from the ads, he bought his house in London which he called "Nintendo Towers".

On This Day 20/11/1988 Salt-N-Pepa

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On this day, 20 November 1988, American hip hop rap group Salt-N-Pepa played Cardiff University. The group had just released their second studio album A Salt with a Deadly Pepa.

The album spawned three singles, the top-10 R&B entry "Shake Your Thang"; the top-20 R&B entry "Get Up Everybody (Get Up)"; and "Twist and Shout", which peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart. The album's title is a play on "assault with a deadly weapon".

Formed in New York City in 1985, they comprised Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper).

Their debut album, Hot, Cool & Vicious (1986), sold more than 1 million copies in the US, making them the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The album included the single, "Push It", which was released in 1987 as the B-side to their single "Tramp", and peaked within the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

On This Day 18/11/1980 Hazel O’Connor

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On this day, 18 November 1980, new wave singer/songwriter and actress Hazel O’Connor played Cardiff’s Top Rank on her 1980 Megahype tour. Support for the tour was Duran Duran.

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.

“I ran away from my home in Coventry when I was 16, [...] made and sold clothes in Amsterdam, picked grapes in France, joined a dance troupe that went to Tokyo then onto Beirut (escaping the start of the civil war by one month!) travelled West Africa, crossed the Sahara, sang with a dreadful singing trio for the U.S. troops in Germany and came home to "settle down". Through all this experience of life and the world I realized that singing always cheered me up. I decided to be a singer. Through strange turns of fate I ended up in a film called 'Breaking Glass' I also ended up writing all the songs for the movie.”

— Hazel O'Connor, introduction note of the program for a gig at "At My Place" in Santa Monica, CA, 1989

Her performance as Kate won her the Variety Club of Great Britain Award for 'Best Film Actress'. She was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music. The film's soundtrack album featured songs written and performed by O'Connor and reached number 5 in the UK Albums Chart. It had a 38-week chart run and was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry.

Several tracks from the album were released as singles, the most successful being "Eighth Day" and "Will You" (with a notable saxophone solo by Wesley Magoogan which both reached the UK Top 10. When O'Connor toured the UK to promote the album, the opening act were a then-unknown group called Duran Duran. It was the band's first opportunity to play to large audiences throughout the UK and gave them the exposure they needed to secure a recording contract.

On This Day 16/11//1988 The Blow Monkeys

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On this day, 16 November 1988, rock band The Blow Monkeys played Cardiff University.

Formed in 1981 when lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, bassist, and piano player Dr. Robert (born Bruce Robert Howard, 2 May 1961, Haddington, Scotland) returned to the United Kingdom after having spent five years in Australia.

Dr. Robert is named after the Beatles song Doctor Robert. The other band members are Mick Anker on bass guitar, Neville Henry on saxophone and Tony Kiley (born 16 February 1962) or Crispin Taylor on drums.

Their first single, "Live Today Love Tomorrow", was released in 1982.They subsequently enjoyed a successful career with several hit singles and albums throughout the 1980s before splitting up at the beginning of the 1990s.

Their first hit song was "Digging Your Scene" which hit No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 1986. They had four albums and eleven singles in the UK charts between 1986 and 1990.

On This Day 13/11/1985 King

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On this day, 13 November 1985, new wave band King played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall.

The band was formed from the remnants of Coventry rock-ska band the Reluctant Stereotypes, along with producer Paul Sampson.

After the Reluctant Stereotypes, singer Paul King formed the Raw Screens, who perfected their act and style to what Paul King and his manager Perry Haines called "Multi Tone", a reference to "Two Tone", and then, in 1983, relaunched the group as band King from the surname of lead singer Paul King.

As lead singer, Paul King wore a mullet haircut and spray-painted Doc Marten's Boots– a look described "like the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang".

The band released two UK Top 20 albums on CBS, both produced and mixed by Richard James Burgess, who also played drums on most of the debut album Steps in Time (the second LP, Bitter Sweet, saw Adrian Lillywhite on drums).

Both albums were certified gold and produced five hit singles, the most successful being the UK No. 2 hit, "Love & Pride". "Love & Pride" was King's only single to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 which peaked at No. 55 in September 1985.

Despite a year of success, the band split up in 1986. In 1987, Paul King released a solo album entitled Joy,produced by American producer Dan Hartman. After that, he briefly worked as a VJ for MTV.