The Overtones

St David's Hall - 16/12/19

The Overtones are a resilient and remarkable four-man vocal group.
Resilient because last year they tragically lost their lead singer Timmy Matley who now has been replaced by Jay James from Saundersfoot, which means that thankfully the show is now back on the road.
Remarkable because they are in many ways unique. They all wear the same stylishly cut suits, move in a well-timed co-ordinated fashion, and interact superbly well with the crowd which gets things going. 

Drawing on a doo-wop style tradition and a using a range of different harmonies, while being supported by an excellent band, they present songs from several decades.
Last night at a well-attended St David’s Hall the concert was part of a Christmas tour and inevitably it featured several festive classics (one delivered by the singers from within the audience). Other songs such as ‘Pretty Woman’ ‘My Girl’, and ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ are drawn from the back catalogues of other artists but are delivered in a distinct manner. 

Their new version of ‘Walking In The Air’ was mesmerising.
The Overtones’ concert was greatly helped by the venue which is intimate enough to provide close-up engagement with both the group and the music, and this made for a spine-tingling and uplifting experience. 

It was a fun-filled evening because this was not really a concert but a ‘show’ in the best sense of the word.
Next year is the tenth anniversary of the setting up of The Overtones and there will be a celebratory tour which means they will soon be back in Cardiff. Be there!

Huw Bowen

Pete Tong and The Heritage Orchestra - Ibiza Classics

Cardiff Motorpoint Arena - 10/12/2019

Since its origins in the mid 1980s in the chicago and new york house scene, house music has come a very long way, becoming one of the biggest genres of music.

One of the main contributors of compilation albums was one Pete Tong, for house afficionados the essential collection and his long standing BBC radio program ‘the essential selection’ were a must listen, featuring some of the great hits of the era.

Tong received the order of the british empire in 2014, making him confirmed dance music royalty. Tong’s Ibiza connection is famous with his residence at both pasha & nightclubs, coupled with his links to the British dance scene including Cream Live cd’s & the release of one of the first collections ‘the annual’ back in 1995.

So where was there next to go for Pete Tong? The answer is an amazing live show of classic Ibiza tunes played by the impressive 65 member strong Heritage Orchestra, conducted by Jules Buckely, with their interpretation and arrangements of the finest dance tracks from the last 30 years.

Tong presides over the performance from a platform, his command resembling that of a pulpit as he delivers a sermon to stun and entertain. It is very easy to get into the vibe of Ibiza with cinematic visuals on large screens taking you to the clubs and the scene iconic of the island. The lasers and light show give the feeling of being in the superclubs during their heyday. The crowd react, hands in the air as they enjoy every second reliving their youth.

Some of the tunes include a brilliant version of Cafe Del Mar, Music Sounds Better With You, ATB’s 9pm til I come, Robert Miles Children & Moloko’s Sing It Back with surprise guest Beverly Knight. Other vocalists present on the night were Becky Hill  who performed a fantastic version of Robyn’s With Every Heartbeat, there was also a slower number sung by Roberts Owens, one of the originators of the Chicago House Music Scene. Impressive versions of the much loved classics Insomnia & God is a DJ by Faithless before a show stopping version of The Prodigy’s Outer Space with a tribute to the late Keith Flint.

As a concept Pete Tong and The Heritage Orchestra Ibiza Classics show works so well, in entertaining the packed Motorpoint Arena, the visuals, lighting, orchestral arrangements, great guest vocalists, coupled with the legendary Tong ensures a great nights entertainment.

On a wet and windy December night Pete Tong recreated the Ibiza experience, uplifting & enjoyable, it definitely didn’t go Pete Tong.

TC

Chris Difford (with Boo Hewerdine)

St Mary's Church, Barry - 28/11/2019

I wouldn’t say Chris Difford is a glutton for punishment, but hardly fresh from a gruelling USA/UK tour, he's back on the road with his 'Not only Chris Difford but also Chris Difford' tour described perfectly as 'A bit of sit down with a bit of stand up'.

Apart from being a co-founder of the band Squeeze, Difford is a Grammy nominated and double Ivor Novello Award winning lyricist, lyrics being his real forte and something he's excelled at since a very early age.

Not that he's any slouch when it comes to music and his solo work and collaborations with people such as Boo Hewerdine (The Bible) and Gary Clark (Danny Wilson) are at the very least equal to his Squeeze output, though more personal and seemingly from the heart.

Adding to the accomplishments listed above he's also become a bit of a raconteur, especially since the publication of his 'warts and all' book of his life in music 'Some Fantastic Place' a cracking read and difficult to put down.

Opening the evening with a bit of chat leading to questions from the audience, it was interesting to hear Difford's take on his career, big moments, and what was the inspiration behind some of his well-know songs.

Each song had a story, whether it be trying to get Cliff Richard to cover 'Another Nail In My Heart' and in doing so, some very welcome royalties in the process to how 'Cool For Cats' was inspired by watching Benny Hill on the television and a chance meeting in a London pub.

The evening's opener, 'Electric Trains' gives the audience insight to what he describes as a wonderful childhood of fun and games, and music. Who would have thought that the Sound of Music would be pivotal to his musical upbringing yet this to was added to the list of his sonic inspirations as he sings “From Julie Andrews to Jerry Garcia.”

Aided and abetted by the equally excellent Boo Hewerdine on guitar and backing vocals, who also provided the evening's support, it was a master-class of British song writing at its very best. Acoustic versions of Squeeze classics such as 'Tempted' 'Pulling Mussels From A Shell” and “Labelled With Love” interspersed with solo work like “Cowboys Are My Weakness” (rejected by KD Lang) and the sweetly nostalgic “Lamas Fayre”.

Songs take on a more soulful and charming uniqueness stripped down to just guitar and vocals and Difford's become quite an expert at spinning a good yarn whilst backing it up with songs of real quality.

It's shouldn’t be too long a wait for a return by the hardest working man in pop and certainly not one to be missed.

Gong and Steve Hillage Band

Tramshed - 22/11/2019

“Good evening sir…welcome to the Flying Teapot. Have you flown with us before? Of course, I can see you have. XXS size t-shirt with luminous asymmetric design…green felt pointy pixie hat.”

“Make yourself comfortable…something to make the trip special?  Coffee, alcohol…or something stronger?”

The sensational Gong have been supersonically flying since the late sixties and, as members of the “family” come and go, Gong’s most recent incarnation shows the journey has maintained all of its energy, enthusiasm and expertise. 

In fact, strange as it may seem, Gong’s relentless orbital psychedelic pathway seems to have now completed the circle and reconnected with the zeitgeist. In these days of fear and uncertainty, the calm atmosphere of Planet Gong has so many contemporary attractions that it seems highly likely that Richard Branson would pay a fortune to hire a Brexit escape rocket and visit it.

It was, of course, Branson who brought Gong to wider attention in 1974 by re-releasing the seminal Camembert Electrique album on his new Virgin label (a bargain at 59p at the time), shortly before he threw the hippies out of his Oxford Street shop and still quite a way before he discovered private islands. For those with lesser budgets, Gong’s music takes you to similar destinations for the price of a Tramshed ticket.

That’s where we were privileged to hitch a ride on Gong’s meditative magic carpet ride aboard the carefully, tight-woven fabric of Ched Nettles’ drumming and Dave Sturt’s bass. They provided the rocket fuel to visit the black holes of the long distant past (the former earthlings Daevid Allen and Gilli Smyth’s "Fohat Digs Holes in Space"/”You Can Do What You Want”) or enabling the more modern messaging, scribed on space stationery, of “Rejoice!” inspired, according to Sturt, “by the light, love and passing of our dear friend and inspiration, Daevid Allen.” 

Half way through, Kavus Torabi steps forwards and karma connects the more than willing crowds to pitch a single note together and feel the force of the joyous journey. Torabi is a fantastic and inspirational front man, whimsical, waspish, filled with woe and wonder, staring and smiling his way into our hearts and souls with his out-of-this-world urgings and chanting mantras. The projections and light show were stunning, the sound crisp and the atmosphere as light and heady as you just know it would be if you were to deeply inhale and step out onto Planet Gnome.

We have lost many great comedians in recent decades, some like Eric Morecombe and Tommy Cooper, at the stage where they were closing in on financially free, artistic independence and with the potential to follow those such as Bob Monkhouse and Frankie Howard into new, edgy and exciting chapters of performing.  

One such is Peter Sellers, and I couldn’t help thinking that if he was still around and able to star in and executively produce a film about a rock star who was an avant-guarde firecracker but who, fifty years on, had become an old-guard damp squib, he would have done so. And for his anti-hero, he’d have to look no further than Steve Hillage (who actually, these days looks a little like a Sellars’s Strangelove-style creation as, coiffed and assured, he smiles enigmatically from behind his stage shades.)

Look, I get it. Steve Hillage is a hero, of this there is no doubt. And if you were one of the capacity crowd with its fair share of south Wales rockers who doted on every twiddle and kerjang, I’m sorry but I didn’t get it. I slap my own wrists. I’m a lifelong fan of Hillage’s work in forming the futures of Gong, Caravan, Kevin Ayers et al and a fair bit of the eponymous great body of work that Steve Hillage has in his back catalogue. But whereas on the night, Gong was transcendental and trippy, Hillage seemed staid and static- in fact, bordering on the dreaded curse of the seventies, pomp rock. I felt that not even his great technique or the magnificent musicianship of the Gong family behind him could break the ennui. 

But the visuals were great. And Gong was fantastic…

Ghost w/ All Them Witches & Tribulation

Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff - 17/11/2019

Welcome to heaven, or is it hell?

The decor of the Motorpoint Arena stage is gothic and dark, the perfect setting for the first support provided by Tribulation and their brand of blackened gothic rock, a short but sweet set that contains songs such as ‘The Lament’ & ‘Nightbound’ from their excellent latest release ‘Down Below’.

Next to take the stage are All Them Witches, playing a heavy bluesy psychedelic rock that produced a sound far heavier than one might predict from the trio. Songs such as ‘3-5-7’ from the album Sleeping Through The War & latest single ‘1x1’ were particular highlights. Their style slightly out of place on the bill, but highly enjoyable none the less. The crowd head-banging slowly as the riffs resonate throughout the venue, their set ending to healthy applause before attention turned to the night’s headliner.

Cardinal Copia - Wacken Open Air 2018 - Andreas Lawen, Fotandi [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

For those of you that are unaware, Ghost are something of a phenomenon, creating a special brand of occult rock that has slowly evolved into a musical juggernaut, taking the band to venues that befit their new arena style rock. Their influences are many but none do it quite as well as Ghost in today’s music climate, led by the talented Tobias Forge he takes on the guise of a satanic pope, changing at each album cycle, current album Prequelle having the band helmed by the cool and confident Cardinal Copia.

The stage is transformed into a church, of Satan I might add, this is a show that celebrates individuality in the name of the prince of darkness, a pantomime hero in the universe Ghost have created, one that gives the band their identity and their charm.

Now on album 4, Cardinal Copia leads his band of Nameless Ghouls as they treat us to a setlist perfect for the arena environment. Lead single ‘Rats’ from their latest album Prequelle gets everybody in the mood, as if they needed any encouragement. There's a certain magnetism Ghost have that had the crowd eating out of the Cardinal’s hand as soon as he took the stage.

The hits kept coming as the band took us on a trip through their discography, anthemic sing a long choruses and riffs aplenty from the likes of ‘Absolution’, ‘Faith’ & ‘Cirice’ before we are captivated by the instrumental ‘Miasma’ complete with saxophone solo, sending the congregation wild.

Scattered through the performance the Cardinal perfectly executes several costume changes as well as skits that play to his character. Coupled with the various pyrotechnics and confetti cannons add to the spectacle, a complete show.

An encore of sorts takes place as the dear Cardinal attempts to leave the stage, sensing the crowd are not yet ready to leave, launches into fan favourite ‘Square Hammer’, the final chapter in a performance of the highest standard.

As far as live acts go, Ghost are flag bearers of modern rock music and seem to revel in that responsibility. I have heard stories of their live show, I left with a tale of my own to tell, about the time the devil came to Cardiff and blew us all away.

Mike Chapman

Tribulation

Tribulation

All Them Witches

All Them Witches

Ghost

Ghost

Ghost

Ghost

Ghost

Ghost

Squeeze (with Heaven 17)

St David's Hall – 14/11/2019

Billed as “The Difford and Tilbrook Songbook Tour 2019, the Squeeze machine wheeled into Cardiff as part of a UK nationwide tour with a recent highly successful tour of the US under their belts.

The consistency of both Difford and Tilbrook as songwriters, both together and apart is quite remarkable and they never fail to delight wherever they play such is the public's love for their brand of classic British pop, which they still continue to produce to this day.

Before hitting the stage each member of the band is introduced on a giant screen serving ice cream cornets from a van and the screen was to become an integral part of the performance with each song getting it's own mini film during a frenetic and fast-paced set.

Opening with the excellent Footprints from their Babylon and On album it was great to hear songs that they rarely play, if at all, though for fans of their greatest hits, they were not neglected as the famous songbook was dusted down and big favourites like Up The Junction, Pulling Mussels and Cool For Cats interspersed with album tracks Big Beng, King George St and Mumbo Jumbo.

Supported by a great band which included Squeeze regular and powerhouse that is drummer Simon Hanson plus the nice inclusion of Melvin Duffy on pedal steel guitar, amongst other instruments, with all providing backing vocals that helped the songs to another level.

Both Difford and Tilbrook looked in fine form and appeared thrilled by the response of their audience with Hourglass and Slap and Tickle especially, getting the desired feedback with everyone on their feet singing along in unison and quite a sight to witness.

Whilst it would difficult to single out highlights in a quite remarkable evening, their slimmed down version of Tempted was quite sublime, with Tilbrook taking the lead with just his guitar for backing and the song building gradually to stunning finish.

Coming back with an encore of Take Me I'm Yours and Black Coffee in Bed it was the perfect ending with Difford and Tilbrook paying each other touching and heartfelt tributes and a friendship that goes way back to their first meeting way back in 1973.

Special mention to support for the evening Heaven 17 with an impressive set of their own featuring hits like Temptation and the superb (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang.

Big Big Train

The Riverfront, Newport - 01/11/2019

There is a palpable excitement in the air, the crowd focussed on the stage before them, they know a night of progressive musical mastery awaits them.

First to occupy the stage are the excellent support act ‘Sweet Billy Pilgrim’, the duo warming up the crowd with a selection of charming, melancholic folk brimming with melody, ending their set with a rather excellent cover of Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer.

The time arrives for the main event.

Formed in 1990 initially as a studio project, Big Big Train are revered amongst their fanbase.

Embarking on only their first U.K. tour in support of their twelfth album they take to the stage, immediately flowing into ‘Alive’, the first track from their newest album ‘Grand Tour’. The audience was treated to a performance that consistently shifted between that of a Shakesperien drama and that of a sermon, the congregation in awe of the musical and visual spectacle immaculately executed before them.

Front man David Longdon becomes the embodiment of each song, moving about the stage with intensity and purpose. The 12 strong fellow bandmates in support, with violin and a 5 piece brass ensemble particular highlights, bringing a quintessential English charm to their music.

They move purposefully through a setlist filled with new album material and favourites from past releases with a passion and execution that has made them a name in the prog scene for over 20 years. ‘Winkie’, ‘Brave Captain’ and ‘Voyager’ were particularly well received.

The end of the set contain fan favourite ‘Wassail’ before leaving the stage. Shouts of encore are answered in the form of talented drummer Nick D'Virgilio and the brass ensemble for a wonderful interlude, prompting the rest of the collective to return in triumphant style, performing ‘East Coast Racer’, a monument of sonic theatre that leaves the crowd in raptures.

Take any and every opportunity you can to see Big Big Train live, it is an experience that will leave you breathless.

Mike Chapman

Lisa Stansfield

St David's Hall – 1/11/2019

It's been thirty years since Lisa Stansfield's solo debut album Affection was released and a recording that proved a career-defining moment in her life. The Affection album proved a world-wide hit and spawned a couple of hit singles with All Around The World hitting the top spot in several countries and becoming her signature, go to song. So, how best to celebrate than at a packed St David's Hall to witness the album played in its entirety.

Though she may be small in stature, Stansfield still possesses a big, big voice, and whether it be dance music or ballads, her voice still has a quality that is almost unrivalled amongst her peers.

Opening with the title track Affection, it set the stall out for a quite upbeat and danceable evening with songs sourced directly from this soulful classic, still very much held in high regard today as it was on it's release.

There is no denying her Northern roots, her warming, unmistakable Rochdale burr so noticeable as she introduces another song from a fast-paced 90 minute set, the last of her UK tour with the support of her quite stunning band akin to the unveiling of a classic.

It didn't take Stansfield long to get backsides off seats with This Is The Right Time leading to a surge to the front of the stage and a rather distracting period of selfies taken by fans enjoying their opportunity to get up close to their idol.

Dotted in for good measure were a songs that featured prominently in her career, hits The Real Thing and the much earlier People Hold On which helped bring the evening's proceedings to a quite stunning and delightful climax.