On This Day 29/06/1980 Steve Hackett

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On this day, 29 June 1980, former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett played Cardiff’s Top Rank on his Defector tour.

Stephen Richard Hackett (born 12 February 1950) came to prominence as a member of the British progressive rock group Genesis, which he joined in 1970. Hackett remained with the band for eight albums before leaving in 1977 to pursue a solo career.

Hackett's first post-Genesis album was Please Don't Touch, released in 1978. As with Voyage of the Acolyte, much of the material on the album was in the style of progressive rock. It did contain, however, much more vocal work. Hackett, who had never sung lead on a Genesis song, turned over most of the vocals to a number of singers, including folk singer Richie Havens, R&B singer Randy Crawford, and Steve Walsh of Kansas.

A pair of progressive rock albums followed—1979's Spectral Mornings and 1980's Defector. They were both Top 40 albums in the UK, while they charted #138 and #144 in the United States, respectively. Hackett toured Europe for the first time as a solo act in 1979, and in August performed at the Reading Festival. The Defector tour brought him to the United States for the first time since his last tour with Genesis.

Tour Setlist

Slogans

Every Day

The Red Flower of Tachai Blooms Everywhere

Tigermoth

Kim

Time to Get Out

The Steppes

The Toast

Narnia

Black Light / Blood on the Rooftops / Horizons

Sentimental Institution

Jacuzzi

Spectral Mornings

A Tower Struck Down

Clocks - The Angel of Mons

Please Don't Touch

The Show

It's Now or Never

(Elvis Presley cover)

Hercules Unchained

On This Day 21/06/1984 Siouxsie and the Banshees

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On this day 21 June 1984 punk originals Siouxsie and the Banshees played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall on their Hyæna Tour.

Hyæna was the band’s sixth studio album released earlier the same month. Hyæna is the only studio album that guitarist Robert Smith of the Cure composed and recorded with Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Hyæna was namechecked by Brett Anderson, the singer of Suede.James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers hired producer Hedges because he loved the sound on lead single "Swimming Horses".

Bradfield stated: "Swimming Horses' by the Banshees – what a fucking record that is! I remember thinking 'You really care about that record. I'm gonna have to chase that record down." He also mentioned the importance of the drums: "I loved Banshees records, where everything starts with the drums".

Setlist

Dazzle

Cascade

Running Town

Feathers

Desert Kisses

Pointing Bone

Red Over White

Melt!

Red Light

Christine

Bring Me the Head of the Preacher Man

Painted Bird

Arabian Knights

Spellbound

Monitor

Encore:

Helter Skelter

(The Beatles cover)

On This Day 10/06/1980 Toyah

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On this day, 10 June 1980, singer and actress Toyah played Cardiff’s Top Rank. She had just released her second album The Blue Meaning.

The album was recorded at the Parkgate Studios in Battle, East Sussex and mixed at the Marquee Studios in London. The album's title comes from blue being one of Toyah's favourite colours, which the singer finds deeply spiritual, with multiple cultural associations.

The album cover features a photo taken by Gered Mankowitz at night in front of a Gothic mansion Wykehurst Place, located in Bolney near Brighton. It pictures Toyah Willcox dressed in a maid outfit and wearing ballet shoes, tied to one of the entrance pillars. Other band members are pictured on the mansion's balconies

Between 1977 and 1983, Willcox fronted the eponymous band Toyah, before embarking on a solo career in the mid-1980s. At the 1982 Brit Awards, Willcox was nominated for British Breakthrough Act, and Best Female Solo Artist. She was nominated a further two times in this category in 1983, and in 1984. Her hit singles include "It's a Mystery", "Thunder in the Mountains" and "I Want to Be Free".

Relocating to London, Willcox lived in a place called "Mayhem", a converted British Rail warehouse serving as a studio.[citation needed] It was here the band Toyah recorded their first demos. For the lack of proper bed she slept for a while in a "second-hand" coffin, reportedly used by the French Red Cross to transport victims of fatal accidents.

Citing her role in Quadrophenia as a boost to her musical career, with growing audiences Toyah signed to Safari Records,[citation needed] releasing a debut single "Victims of the Riddle", which topped the UK Indie Chart. This was followed by the Sheep Farming in Barnet EP, produced by Steve James and Keith Hale. Initially released in Germany, in 1979 it was re-released as an LP, comprising the original six tracks, "Victims of the Riddle" A and B sides and three tracks that were previously unavailable on vinyl.

Her second album, The Blue Meaning, went to no. 40 in the UK Albums Chart in June 1980. By this time, she is reported as announcing she had severed all ties with punk aesthetics.

On This Day 04/06/1980 Iron Maiden

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On this day. 4 June 1980, heavy metal giants Iron Maiden played Cardiff’s Top Rank

The Iron Maiden Tour was in support of their eponymous debut album. The band's first solo headlining tour, it followed the co-headlined Metal for Muthas Tour from earlier in the same year.

Although Iron Maiden have since criticised the quality of the album's production, the release was met with critical and commercial success, peaking at number four on the UK Albums Chart and helping the band achieve prominence in mainland Europe.

The tour commenced with a British leg from 1 April to 23 August, although this included one concert in Finland, before the band supported Kiss on their Unmasked Tour from 24 August to 16 October, immediately following which guitarist Dennis Stratton was sacked and replaced with Adrian Smith.After Smith was hired, the band decided to undertake another British tour, taking place from 21 November to 21 December.

Setlist

The Ides of March

Sanctuary

Wrathchild

Prowler

Remember Tomorrow

Killers

Running Free

Another Life

Drum Solo

(Clive Burr)

Transylvania

Strange World

Charlotte the Harlot

Phantom of the Opera

Iron Maiden

Encore:

Drifter

On This Day 27/05/1977 The Stranglers

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On this day, 27 May 1977, Punk/New wave legends The Stranglers played Cardiff’s Top Rank on the band’s Rattus tour. The had just released their single Peaches, taken from their debut album Rattus, issued the previous month. Support was provided by punk band London.

The Stranglers' early sound was driven by Jean-Jacques Burnel's melodic bass, but also gave prominence to Dave Greenfield's keyboards. Their early music was also characterised by the growling vocals and sometimes misanthropic lyrics of both Burnel and Hugh Cornwell.

Over time, their output gradually grew more refined and sophisticated. Summing up their contribution to popular music, critic Dave Thompson later wrote: "From bad-mannered yobs to purveyors of supreme pop delicacies, the group was responsible for music that may have been ugly and might have been crude – but it was never, ever boring."

From 1976 the Stranglers became associated with the burgeoning punk rock movement, due in part to their opening for the first British tours of American punks the Ramones and Patti Smith. Notwithstanding this association, some of the movement's champions in the British musical press viewed the band with suspicion on account of their age and musical virtuosity and the intellectual bent of some of their lyrics. However, Burnel was quoted saying, "I thought of myself as part of punk at the time because we were inhabiting the same flora and fauna ... I would like to think the Stranglers were more punk plus and then some.

During their appearance at the University of Surrey on the BBC TV programme Rock Goes to College, on 11 October 1978, and aired on the 19 October, the group walked off stage because an agreement to make tickets available to non-university students had not been honoured.

On This Day 24/05/1977/ Subway Sect

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On this day, 24 May 1977, punk band The Subway Sect played Cardiff’s Top Rank supporting The Clash on their White Riot tour. Also on the bill were, The Slits and June Buzzcocks.

The core of the band was singer-songwriter, Vic Godard, plus assorted soul fans, who congregated around early gigs by the Sex Pistols until Malcolm McLaren suggested they form their own band.

Subway Sect were among the performers at the 100 Club Punk Festival on Monday, 21 September 1976 – sharing the bill with Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Clash and the Sex Pistols.

The first line-up of Godard on vocals, Paul Packham on drums, Paul Myers on bass and Rob Symmons on guitar lasted for four gigs before Mark Laff replaced Packham. Laff himself then left for fellow punk group Generation X after the White Riot tour.

A third drummer, Bob Ward, was recruited, and it is this line-up that can be heard on the band's first John Peel session and also on the single "Nobody's Scared". This was the first and only release on Braik Records, a label owned by Bernie Rhodes, who managed both Subway Sect and The Clash.

Rhodes subsequently supervised the recording of their debut album at Gooseberry Studios in London, with Clash sound man and producer Mickey Foote at the production helm. At that time the band toured extensively with The Clash and others.

Joe Strummer…..

“Number One for me at the moment are the Subway Sect. They've got some good ideas. The Slits are good, too. Palmolive on drums! She's the female Jerry Nolan. But like everyone, they need to do thirty gigs in thirty days and they would be a different group. Then they'd be great. The same with us.”

On This Day 18/05/1982 Altered Images

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On this day, 18 May 1982, Scottish pop band Altered Images played Cardiff’s Top Rank. The band had just released their second album Pinky Blue.

The album reached No. 12 on the UK Albums Chart, while the singles charted well, with "I Could Be Happy" peaking at No. 7, "See Those Eyes" at No. 11 and "Pinky Blue" at No. 35 on the official singles chart. This was to be their highest placed album in the charts

Their hits included "Happy Birthday", "I Could Be Happy", "See Those Eyes", and "Don't Talk to Me About Love". mainstream pop music, having six UK top 40 hit singles and three top 30 albums between 1981 and 1983. Their hits included "Happy Birthday", "I Could Be Happy", "See Those Eyes", and "Don't Talk to Me About Love".

Former schoolmates in Glasgow with a shared interest in the UK post-punk scene, Clare Grogan (vocals), Gerard "Caesar" McInulty (guitar), Michael "Tich" Anderson (drums), Tony McDaid (guitar), and Johnny McElhone (bass guitar), were all members of the Siouxsie and the Banshees official fan club.

When they learnt the Banshees were going to play in Scotland, they sent a demo tape to Billy Chainsaw, who managed the official Siouxsie fan club, with a note asking "can we support them on tour?" The Banshees gave the band a support slot on their Kaleidoscope British tour of 1980. Altered Images's name referred to a sleeve design on the Buzzcocks' single "Promises", and was inspired by Buzzcocks vocalist Pete Shelley's constant interfering with the initial sleeve designs.

Prior to finding fame with Altered Images, she had appeared in the 1981 film Gregory's Girl.
Bassist Johnny McElhone went on to perform with Hipsway and eventually Texas.

On This Day 22/04/1981 Tygers of Pan Tang

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On this day, 22 Apri 1981, heavy metal band The Tygers Of Pan Tang played Cardiff’s Top Rank. Also playing that night was rock band Magnum.

Part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. They formed in 1978 in Whitley Bay, England, and were active until 1987. The band reformed in 1999 and continue to record and perform. The name is derived from Pan Tang, a fictional archipelago in Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné fantasy series whose wizards keep tigers as pets.

The Tygers of Pan Tang were formed by guitarist Robb Weir (born Robert Mortimer Weir, 1958), Richard "Rocky" Laws (bass), Jess Cox (vocals) and Brian Dick (drums). They played in working men's clubs and were first signed by local independent label Neat Records before MCA gave them a major record deal. After several singles, they released their first album, Wild Cat, in 1980. The album reached No. 18 in the UK Album Chart in the first week of its release.

Subsequently John Sykes (formerly of Streetfighter, later in Badlands, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, and Blue Murder) was added as second guitarist. Jess Cox had a falling out with the others and quit, to be replaced by Persian Risk vocalist Jon Deverill.

This lineup released Spellbound on the 10 April 1981, their second album which peaked at 33 in the UK album charts.