On This Day 08/11/1987 Freddie McGregor

On this day, 8 November 1987, Jamaican singer, musician and record producer Freddie McGregor played Cardiff’s Ritzy Night Club. His music career began when he was seven years old.

In 1963 he joined with Ernest Wilson and Peter Austin to form The Clarendonians, and began to record for the Studio One label. He was only seven years old at the time and was known as 'Little Freddie'.[2][3] He was also a member of the Generation Gap.

McGregor converted to Rastafari in 1975. He is a member of the Twelve Tribes organisation.

McGregor worked with producer Niney the Observer during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and in the same period was part of the resurgence of Studio One. His popularity soared in the early 1980s with the release of "Bobby Babylon". Other popular hits of McGregor's include "Big Ship", "Push Comes to Shove", "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely" (a top ten hit in the UK), and "I Was Born a Winner"; as well as cover versions of many early reggae standards.

He has also worked with producers Junjo Lawes, Linval Thompson, and Gussie Clarke. McGregor has also recorded as a drummer with artists such as Sugar Minott and Judy Mowatt.

McGregor has also toured extensively for many years. He secured a licensing agreement with RAS Records in US and released Come on Over in 1983.

McGregor's albums in the 2000s were Signature and Anything for You, which received a Grammy nomination.

He established the Big Ship label in 1983, and has produced many artists including Papa San, Lieutenant Stitchie, Tiger, Luciano and Mikey Spice.

On This Day 30/10/1988 The Flatmates

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On this day, 30 October 1988, Bristol indie pop band The Flatmates played Cardiff’s Ritzy.

Following the group's formation in 1985, singles such as "I Could Be in Heaven", "Happy All the Time" and "Shimmer" established the band as a successful indie band but The Flatmates disbanded in April 1989 before releasing a proper studio album.

The group's core members were Martin Whitehead (guitar) and Debbie Haynes (vocals). Initially, the band also included Kath Beach (bass guitar) and Rocker (drums). Prior to recording their first single, Beach left the band and was replaced by Sarah Fletcher.

The line-up of Haynes, Whitehead, Fletcher and Rocker recorded the first two Flatmates singles, 1986's "I Could Be in Heaven" and 1987's "Happy All the Time", both Whitehead compositions.

Rocker left the band prior to their third single, November 1987's "You're Gonna Cry", and was replaced by Joel O'Bierne.[2] Ironically, "You're Gonna Cry" was a Rocker composition, the only A-side he would pen for the band.

"Shimmer", released in March 1988 as the fourth Flatmates single, was the band's biggest hit, produced by Chris Allison reaching No. 2 on the UK Indie Chart. Shortly after the single was released, Tim Rippington was added as a second guitarist. Bassist Fletcher then left The Flatmates prior to their fifth and final single "Heaven Knows". She was eventually replaced by Jackie Carrera; however it was Whitehead who played bass on "Heaven Knows", while Rippington handled all the guitar.

The group split up in 1989, with Carrera joining The Caretaker Race and Whitehead and O'Bierne forming The Sweet Young Things. Whitehead later formed the short-lived band Shrimptractor in 1992.

On This Day 11/07/1988 Voice of the Beehive

On this day, 11 July 1988, Alternative pop band Voice of the Beehive played The Ritzy, Cardiff.

Formed in London in 1986, the group featured Californian lead vocalist sisters Tracey Bryn and Melissa Brooke Belland (daughters of The Four Preps singer Bruce Belland). They teamed with British musicians Mike Jones, Martin Brett, Mark Bedford and Daniel Woodgate, the latter two of whom were former members of Madness.

Bedford left after making formative contributions to the band and did not feature again, while Woodgate stayed for most of the band's main period of activity. The band took their name from the Greek meaning of the name Melissa, meaning honey bee.

The band had five Top 40 singles from two albums in the UK. Their biggest commercial success came with the singles "I Say Nothing", "Don't Call Me Baby", "Monsters and Angels" and "I Think I Love You", taken from albums Let It Bee and Honey Lingers. Sex & Misery, a third album, was released in 1996; by this point sisters Tracey and Melissa were the sole group members.

The band reformed in 2003 to play a two-week UK tour.

On this day Zodiac Mindwarp 1/7/1987

On this day, 1 July 1987, British Hard Rockers Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction played Cardiff’s Ritzy. Support was provided by Beki Bondage and the Bombshells.

The band is the brainchild of Mark Manning, a former graphic artist and art editor of the now defunct Flexipop! magazine.

The magazine folded back in 1982 but the hedonistic lifestyle of the frequenting rock and pop stars to the magazine' offices fueled his desire to experience the debauchery of life as a decadent rock star.

He joined another music publication called Metal Fury as a graphic designer but assumed the alter ego 'Zodiac Mindwarp' at night.

'Zodiac Mindwarp' was the namesake of a series of underground comics written and illustrated by Spain Rodriquez.

Zodiac soon left Metal Fury and formed the Love Reaction in 1985 with Jimmy Cauty (who later formed The Orb, The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu and The KLF) on guitar; Kid Chaos (real name Stephen Harris) on bass; and Boom Boom Kaboomski on drums.

At various times, the band has also featured Evil Bastard (real name Robert Munro who co-penned and sang on two B-sides: "Hangover from Hell" and "Lager Woman from Hell"), Heavy Metal Bear (real name Alex Bradly), Trash D Garbage (real name Paul Bailey), Flash Bastard (real name Jan Cyrka), Suzi X (real name Richard Levy), Tex Diablo (real name Christopher Renshaw), and Robbie Vom (real name Rob Morris).