Wolfstorm

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I recently spoke to Nia John, the lead singer of the South Wales rock cover band Wolf Storm. She explains what it was like being in a band through the pandemic, how music will change when concerts are allowed again, and venues prioritising "bigger" artists.

"When live music is allowed again, I think live music will change depending on the venues, and what government restrictions are in place. It will also affect how many people can go to a concert at one time, and the prices will be different too"

I asked Nia how she was affected as a music artist by the pandemic and her response was "We had to stop gigging. The band couldn't meet up to rehearse and we were quite uncertain about our future as a band when we lost two members. However, we adapted to meeting and rehearsing online"

"I think a lot will change when live music starts back up again, there will be more outdoor concerts to start but I think when everyone is vaccinated indoor concerts will be considered again"

"At the moment we only have three gigs booked from three venues who are excited to have us play when they are allowed. Venues have been good with communication and public social media posts. We messaged a few, some respond and some don't, but in all fairness they don't know when live music can recommence or what they can facilitate until it comes from the government"

The last question I asked Nia was her opinion on venues prioritising "Bigger" artists when live music is allowed.
"If it opens up doors for the rest of us and live music as a whole then great. However, in terms of cover bands on the South Wales circuit, there should be fair opportunities for all. I think that the public will struggle to afford the "bigger" artists concerts as I think prices will be more expensive so the venues can become stable again"

It was great speaking to Nia, and I can't wait to see Wolf Storm perform live!

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The Rotanas

The Rotanas are a gritpop group from Cardiff, South Wales. Much like many other music artists the pandemic has affected them in both positive and negative ways.

"We hugely benefited because it's given us a chance to slow down and write new material which we really needed. We needed time to discover ourselves and mature musically and the pandemic has given us time to do so.

"Hopefully attendance will go up across the board for bands at a grassroots level and not just for the first week that gigs are allowed back but at a sustained level for years to come. Going to gigs is really good for you too, so it's a no brainer!

I think gigs will be really emotional. Hopefully the industry as whole profits from people's newfound love and appreciation for the return of artists to techies to roadies to photographers"
Many artists have found it quite difficult to book gigs, especially as venues will look to prioritise the "bigger" acts and try to make their profits back.

"Not as such for us no because I think we had stuff that's carried over, but I can appreciate that it must be very difficult for bands just starting out because everything's getting rescheduled. If any bands that have started out during the pandemic and are finding it hard, drop us a message and we might be able to get some bands on support.

"The jealousy of seeing some bands get priority I think is firepower that should be used for good. Use that emotion to your advantage and punch above your weight. That's what we have always done"

Foxxglove

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Foxxglove is a singer/songwriter from Wales. She spoke to me about her experience as a music artist throughout the Pandemic and how she has been able to book gigs for when concerts are allowed to go ahead again.

"Like everyone else, the Pandemic had quite a negative impact on me as an artist. Before I was gigging at least once or twice a month which is the main source of income for many DIY artists like myself, playing gigs is one of the most effective ways of earning money and meeting new people in the industry and getting new fans.

I had to adjust being online more and making the best out of social media to help reach new people and create content that would keep people engaged.

I've learnt a lot from it all though and I think a lot of us adjusted quite quickly to this new way of living and there's been lots of support.

"I think the main thing will probably be the fact that it will still be sitting down and less people in the venues, at least for a little while. But overall, I think it's going to be so good and I can't wait to get back to it"
Throughout the pandemic many artists have found it difficult to book gigs due to the uncertainty and restrictions that has been put on concerts.

"I applied for a couple of festivals, one for which I'll be performing at in October if it can go ahead.

I haven't tried too much though as I just assumed that gigs weren't allowed to happen with the restrictions. I have been asked to play gigs though, some have been online and pre-recorded and others are for when venues are open again and gigs are able to go ahead"

New Music Feature

Bandicoot

Bandicoot are a band from South Wales. I interviewed them about their experience throughout the pandemic.
How were you affected as a music artist by the pandemic?

"We were quite lucky in many ways; the pandemic meant that we had a lot of time to write more songs, and we ended up coming out of lockdown with lots and lots of demos. We were also lucky in that we were already moving in together in August, which meant we could continue working together in the same space, which we're so grateful for.

Obviously, we've missed gigs like everybody, but it's been an amazing time for us in terms of finding our direction, finishing off our recordings, and planning ahead with our label"

What do you think will change with live music when concerts are allowed again?

"I personally will appreciate live music a lot more and never take it for granted! I think the live industry will come back with a lot of energy, and hopefully attention will have been drawn to important issues within the industry, like the problem of inclusivity, or sexual assault at live gigs- I hope those things are resigned to the past.

Has it been difficult to book gigs for when concerts open again?

"Thankfully our diaries are already filling up nicely for when things start back again! We're trying not to get our hopes up, but we've been invited to a showcase festival in Sweden, as well as headline shows closer to home in Le Pub, Newport in July"

What is your opinion on "bigger artists" being prioritised by venues?

"Whatever gigs are happening, big or small, that can only be a good thing. I think venues have to do what they need to do to bring crowds, sell tickets, make themselves financially secure. We've never personally had a problem with venues booking bigger artists, and if it means that smaller bands get support slots then that's even better.

As long as gigs are happening, then that's all that matters"

My First Music Memory

I can always remember listening to music. Whatever was on the radio was what I enjoyed listening to.

My earliest favourite song I can remember is "Move your Feet" by Junior Senior.

I loved that song so much that my brother went out and bought the single-disc from Woolworths at the time.

After that point the song was always on, any possible time I could play it, I would.

It is still on my playlist to this day just so every time I listen to it I can remember being a child and loving the song as much as I did when I was younger.

As I grew up I became more interested in rock and metal music rather than pop. I love bands such as Parkway Drive, Avenged Sevenfold, Crown the Empire, and Linkin Park.

I do still like pop music but I steer towards liking artists that go against the norm of pop such as Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Dua Lipa, and 5 seconds of summer.

WILL LIVE MUSIC GO BACK TO NORMAL?

Student Ffion Harris asks the question we are all thinking about regarding Live music.

What are your thoughts?

Drop us a line at infocardifflive@gmail.com or join in the conversation on Social Media.

The Corona Virus pandemic over the past year meant that people had to stay indoors and any live music event was canceled. Music artists and bands had to postpone their tours until either the end of this year or until next year.

​When concerts start again I think that it will take a lot of time until they go back to normal.

At first, I don't think there will be as many people in the audience but I think that even after a while, smaller venues will suffer as there won't be as many people allowed in.

I think that concerts will be the last thing that will be allowed to start up again because there will be so many people in one place.

I also think that smaller artists that play smaller venues will suffer at first because venues will be more interested in bigger artists.

Many of the smaller venues have suffered in the pandemic as they haven't been able to cope financially.

It will take a while before things get back to normal but I cannot wait to start going to concerts again soon as it is a completely different experience and atmosphere to just listening to music on a phone.

My Favourite Album

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Reverence by Parkway Drive is my favourite album at the moment. It is their sixth studio album and was released in 2015. Parkway drive is an Australian metal core band who formed in 2003.

It would have to be my favourite album for the reason of the emotion behind it. It is their heaviest album but the band suffered a lot of loss and tragedy whilst writing the album which is especially shown in the song "wishing wells".

I have two favourite songs on the album which are "Prey" and "The Void". These songs explain how they all dealt with depression and other mental health problems and how they overcame them. These songs often receive the most hype from the audience when they are played live.

I think that this album was quite risky for the band as it was very out of their normal sound and is a lot heavier than their other albums. It received a great response as many people started to understand the emotion behind the lyrics.

Since the release of this album, they headlined festivals such as "Wacken festival" in Germany and have released a documentary about how they formed to headlining festivals called "Viva the Underdogs"
I think that Parkway Drive are a very good metal band and anyone who likes bands such as Metallica, Slayer, and Killswitch Engage.