On This Day 27/11/1980 Sad Café

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On this day, 27 November 1980, rock band Sad Café played Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens.

Formed in Manchester in 1976, who achieved their peak of popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They are best known for the UK Top 40 singles "Every Day Hurts", "Strange Little Girl", "My Oh My" and "I'm in Love Again", the first of which was their biggest hit, reaching number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1979.

In October 1980 the band released their fourth studio album titled Sad Café, produced by Eric Stewart of 10cc fame.

The album failed to continue the success of the band's previous album and it charted at number 46 on the UK Album Charts. It was also certified silver by the BPI in February 1981.

In the UK, two singles were released, "La-Di-Da" and "I'm in Love Again" both of which charted on the UK Singles Chart.

Sad Café split up in 1990.

Band

Paul Young – lead vocals

Ashley Mulford – lead guitar, backing vocals

Ian Wilson – rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Vic Emerson – keyboards

Dave Irving – drums

Lenni – saxophone

Des Tong – bass, backing vocals

On This Day 28/09/1981 Nazareth

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On this day, 28 September 1981, Scottish hard rock band Nazareth played Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens on their The Fool Circle tour.

Formed in Dunfermline in 1968 that had several hits in the United Kingdom, as well as in several other Western European countries in the early 1970s.

They established an international audience with their 1975 album Hair of the Dog, which featured their hits "Hair of the Dog" and a cover of the ballad "Love Hurts".

Inspired by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Nazareth took their name from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, which is cited in the first line of The Band's classic song "The Weight" ("I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin' about half past dead...").

Tour Setlist

Telegram

Big Boy

(The Sensational Alex Harvey Band cover)

Hair of the Dog

Expect No Mercy

Shapes of Things

(The Yardbirds cover)

Love Hurts

(The Everly Brothers cover)

Tush

(ZZ Top cover)

Razamanaz

I Want To (Do Everything for You)

(Joe Tex cover)

Holiday

Heart's Grown Cold

Cocaine

(J.J. Cale cover)

Let Me Be Your Leader

Encore:

Dressed to Kill

Pop the Silo

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On This Day 30/08/1965 The Who

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On this day, 30 August 1965, legendary British rock band The Who, playe Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens.

The Cardiff show is the first for The Who placed by their new booking agent, Australian Robert Stigwood. Two Stigwood acts, The Merseybeats and The Graham Bond Organization, open for The Who.

In early 1965, The Who made their first appearance on the television music show, Top of the Pops, at the BBC's Dickenson Road Studios in Manchester, with "I Can't Explain".

The follow-up single, "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere", by Townshend and Daltrey, features guitar noises such as pick sliding, toggle switching and feedback, which was so unconventional that it was initially rejected by the US arm of Decca. The single reached the top 10 in the UK and was used as the theme song to Ready Steady Go!

The transition to a hit-making band with original material, encouraged by manager Kit Lambert, did not sit well with Daltrey, and a recording session of R&B covers went unreleased.

The next single, "My Generation", followed in October. Townshend had written it as a slow blues, but after several abortive attempts, it was turned into a more powerful song with a bass solo from Entwistle. The song used gimmicks such as a vocal stutter to simulate the speech of a mod on amphetamines, and two key changes.

The debut album My Generation was released in late 1965. Among original material by Townshend, including the title track and "The Kids Are Alright", the album has several James Brown covers from the session earlier that year that Daltrey favoured.

On This Day 15/06/1980 Thin Lizzy

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On this day, 15 June 1980, Irish rockers Thin Lizzy played Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens.

It introduced guitarist Snowy White who would also perform on the next album as well as tour with Thin Lizzy between 1980 and 1982; he replaced Gary Moore as permanent guitarist.

White had previously worked with Cliff Richard, Peter Green and Pink Floyd.

Midge Ure was still acting as a temporary keyboard player at gigs during early 1980, but was replaced by Darren Wharton in April, shortly after White joined the band.

Wharton was only 18 at the time and was initially hired on a temporary basis.

This new line-up completed the Chinatown album between short tours, and two singles were released from it. The first, "Chinatown", reached No. 21 in the UK, but the second, "Killer on the Loose", reached the top 10 amid much adverse publicity due to the ongoing activities of serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, known as "The Yorkshire Ripper".

On This Day 13/065/1979 Status Quo

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On this day, 13 June 1979, rock legends Status Quo played the first of two nights at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens on their, If You Can’t Stand The Heat tour..

If You Can't Stand the Heat was the band’s eleventh studio album.

Recorded at Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Holland, and produced by Pip Williams, it was released in October 1978 and reached #3 in the UK album chart.

The sleeve notes that Aphex Aural Exciter was used in the recording process, thus contributing to a more atmospheric sound than its predecessor, "Rockin' All Over The World".

Unusually for a Status Quo record, a brass section, The David Katz Horns, was used, as well as a backing vocal trio: Jacquie Sullivan, Stevie Lange, and Joy Yates.

Formed in 1962 under the name The Scorpions by Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster at Sedgehill Comprehensive School, Catford, London, along with classmates Jess Jaworski (keyboards) and Alan Key (drums).

Rossi and Lancaster played their first gig at the Samuel Jones Sports Club in Dulwich, London.

In 1963, Key was replaced by John Coghlan and the band changed their name to The Spectres. After changing their name, Lancaster's father arranged for the group to perform weekly at a venue called the Samuel Jones Sports Club, where they were noticed by Pat Barlow, a gasfitter and budding pop music manager.

Barlow became the group's manager and secured them spots at venues around London, such as El Partido in Lewisham and Café des Artistes in Chelsea. In 1965, when Rossi, Lancaster and Jaworski left school, Jaworski opted to leave the band and was replaced by Roy Lynes.

They began writing their own material, and later that year met Rick Parfitt who was playing with a cabaret band called The Highlights. By the end of 1965, Rossi and Parfitt – who had become close friends after meeting at Butlins – made a commitment to continue working together.

Band members: Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Alan Lancaster, John Coghlan

Additional Musician: Bob Young (harmonica), Andy Bown (Keyboards)

Setlist

Caroline

Roll Over Lay Down

Backwater

Rockers Rollin'

Is There a Better Way

Hold You Back

Little Lady

Rockin' All Over the World

(John Fogerty cover)

Oh, What a Night

Dirty Water

Forty-Five Hundred Times

Big Fat Mama

Don't Waste My Time

Roadhouse Blues

(The Doors cover)

Encore:

Rain

Down Down

Drum Solo

Bye Bye Johnny

(Chuck Berry cover)

On This Day 11/05/1963 Del Shannon

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On this day, 11 May 1963 American rock and roll country musician, singer and songwriter Del Shannon played Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens.

Also on the bill were, The Eagles, Peppi, Kenny Lynch, Johnny Tillotson, The Springfields (featuring Dusty Springfield) and Ret Anton.

Shannon was born Charles Weedon Westover on December 30, 1934, in Grand Rapids, Michigan

He came up with the name "Del Shannon", combining Mark Shannon—a wrestling pseudonym used by a regular at the Hi-Lo Club—with Del, derived from the Cadillac Coupe de Ville, his favorite car.

Shannon's career slowed down greatly in the 1970s, owing in part to his alcoholism. The Welsh rock singer Dave Edmunds produced the single "And the Music Plays On" in 1974.

In 1978 Shannon stopped drinking and began work on "Sea of Love", released in 1982 on his album Drop Down and Get Me, produced by Tom Petty.

The album took two years to record and featured Petty's band, the Heartbreakers, backing Shannon. However, RSO Records, to which Shannon was signed, folded.

On This Day 26/04/1969 Fleetwood Mac

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On this day, 26 April 1969, legendary rock band Fleetwood Mac, played Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens supporting B.B. King, with Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee & Duster Bennett.

Formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their self-titled debut album. Danny Kirwan joined as a third guitarist in 1968. Keyboardist and vocalist Christine Perfect, who contributed as a session musician from the second album, married McVie and joined in 1970.

Primarily a British blues band at first, Fleetwood Mac scored a UK number one with "Albatross",and had other hits such as the singles "Oh Well" and "Man of the World".

LINE UP

Peter Green - vocals, guitar, harmonica

Jeremy Spencer - vocal, guitar

Danny Kirwan - vocal, guitar

John McVie - bass

Mick Fleetwood - drums

SETLIST

Before the Beginning 


Coming Your Way 


My Baby's Sweet 
(Homesick James cover)


Jumping at Shadows 
(Duster Bennett cover) 


Tallahassee Lassie 
(Freddy Cannon cover) 


Like Crying 


Something Inside of Me 


Talk to Me Baby 
(Elmore James cover) 


Long Tall Sally 
(Little Richard cover) 


Albatross

On This Day 10/04/1965 The Zombies

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On this day, 10 April 1965, rock band The Zombies played Sophia Gardens.

Also featured on the bill were, Dusty Springfield, The Searchers, Bobby Vee, Tony Jackson & The Vibrations, Heinz & The Wild Boys, Echoes & (compere) George Meaton).

Formed in the early 1960s in St Albans and led by keyboardist and vocalist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone The group had a British and American hit in 1964 with “She’s Not There” 

In the US, two further singles—"Tell Her No” in 1965 and "Time Of Season” in 1968—were also successful.

The day before the Cardiff concert, The Zombies released their debut album, Being Here.

The album was an interesting mixture of original songs and rhythm and blues cover versions.

Of the eight original tracks, Rod Argent supplied the album's biggest hit, "She's Not There", and the songs "Woman", "I Remember When I Loved Her", plus "The Way I Feel Inside" which was the shortest track on the album at 1:28.
It might have been shorter, had not their recording manager and producer Ken Jones added the sounds of footsteps and a coin dropping, which contributed to the feeling of alienation that the song projected. 

Bassist Chris White provided "I Can't Make Up My Mind", the quirky "I Don't Want to Know", plus the beaty "What More Can I Do" which, at 1:38, is the second-shortest cut on the album and contains a simple but distinctive drum riff. The final original was an instrumental written by Ken Jones, "Work 'n' Play".

The Zombies continued recording original songs through 1965 and 1966, trying to achieve chart success. There were enough tracks to have filled a follow-up album, but due to the band's lack of chart success, most of these tracks remained unissued at the time.