The Sweet, Tramshed, Cardiff, 17/12/2024

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The evening started well with a good set from the American Blues singer Sari Schoor.  I thought I should give the support act a mention!

I have to tell you the first single I ever bought was Blockbuster so I was really looking forward to this concert. Taking to the stage with what else but Action, as the set opener, the crowd in the packed Tramshed knew they were in for a great 90 minute set.

There are bona fide classics that original member Andy Scott knows that need to be played. These were all present. The band also played new material, such as Don't give me water and Changes from their forthcoming album Full Circle which were well received by the crowd.

Lead singer Paul Mansi delivers a fine vocal performance and the band's harmonies are spot on.  You can see this is a band that really enjoys playing together.

The last part of the set was filled with classics like Teenage Rampage, Love is like Oxygen and Blockbuster. The band  finished with what else but Ballroom Blitz, hands lapping and voices in unison, as The Sweet proved again why they are a class act.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a number of people in the crowd in their thirties, so the band are finding new fans all the time.

Try to catch these guys if you can!

Steve Davies YYFM

Beans on Toast: Live in The Globe 07/12/24

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With his new album ‘The Toothpaste and the Tube’, released December 1st , Beans on Toast plays Cardiff The Globe and is met with a dedicated crowd, many of who already know the lyrics for his new tracks.

His sixteenth album so far, Beans on Toast, aka Jay McAllister, has been performing since 2005 and therefore brings an established fanbase with a wide range of ages out to venues.

Warming up the crowd Tensheds play first, a one-man band playing elaborate bluesy piano, a synth beat pedal, and singing simultaneously. His rasping vocals are emotional, and the lyrics are melancholic, yet his improvisatory piano playing is joyful.

Next up, Bassie Gracie performs poetry for the audience, prefacing some of her work with her concern that music audiences do not want to hear poetry, and serious poets find her work trivial. However, her poetry was witty and empowering, moving between conversational sections to rapid rhymes, all while maintaining the audience’s attention.

Both Tensheds and Bassie Gracie – now playing bass – return to the stage, forming Beans on Toast’s band for the tour. He kicks the set off with ‘Work to do’ from the new album, signing about social problems such as plastic pollution, global conflict, and mental health. Between the upbeat folk-like melody, and focus on the work giving humanity purpose, the song manages to have a cheerful and optimistic character.

B.O.T succeeds in leading sing-a-longs without even trying, the entire audience swaying, cheering, and belting out lyrics to one of his more popular songs ‘Watching the World Go By’. The audience reaches such a volume, that McAllister shouts “F*ck Yeah Cardiff! See you are gonna try to make this the best night of the tour!”.

Many of his songs focus on social issues, and how as a community we can overcome them. An example of a song combining both light-hearted fun, and a serious message is the M.D.M. Amazing and ‘The Children of Bedford’ mashup. Halfway through the first song, he pauses to tell the tale of a young fan interaction, of how it shocked him and his band, and how it inspired him to write a song cautioning regular drug usage. After telling the story, he begins ‘The Children of Bedford’ before resuming ‘M.D.M. Amazing’ and imploring his crowd to listen to the message behind both tracks.

The communication between B.O.T. and the crowd is phenomenal. Just before he begins the song ‘The Greenwash’ he invites a member of his team as well as two people from the crowd to join the band and him on stage. They act as his backing singers, after being taught their line to chant, and he regularly runs over to prompt them to join with varying levels of success. Just like the rest of his act, his message is serious, and yet he is still able to create an unusual and entertaining way of performing, managing to get the crowd to laugh, listen, and dance – a skill that has had the crowds turning up for him for 18 years.

Review - The Blockheads - Acapela Studio - 08/12/2023

Images Tony Woolway

There are few bands that could survive the loss of such an iconic figure like Ian Dury but the Blockheads continued gigging is credit to how much the band were an integral part of the legend that their input helped create alongside Dury’s wonderfully descriptive lyrics.

The band are quite simply a creative force of nature and whilst the tendency nowadays is to play their quite distinguished back catalogue they are prone to occasionally surprise with the addition of a new song or album track with that telltale Blockheads sound.

With Mike Bennett providing the vocals and proving a very able deputy for the late Dury you can forgive the band playing on autopilot such is their years of experience playing such memorable and much loved tunes. But on this evening’s performance the band were certainly anything but laboured and played with great enthusiasm that was contagious.

Long time bandmates John Turnbull and Chaz Jankel were in top form trading guitar licks with Jankel the king of rhythm whilst fellow Blockhesd stalwart Mick Gallagher’s keyboard mastery was the brandy in very tasty Christmas pudding.

Nathan King on bass was easily proving that there’s more the one top class musician in the family ( brother is Level 42’s Mark King) and gave Norman Watt -Roy’s stand- out bass lines a fresh update and with drummer John Roberts solid drumming allowing the band to thrive, with Dave Lewis adding the icing with some sultry and punchy saxophone.

Classic Blockheads tune followed tune with the opening track on the brilliant New Boots and Panties, “ Wake Up And Make Love To Me” setting a high bar straight from the off. It was lovely to see old tunes like “Lullaby for Francies” and “Sink My Boats” getting an airing and quite refreshing it was to hear these two seldom played songs.

The massive selling “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” with its line, “In the dock of Tiger Bay” received cheers as did a raucous, full-on version of the band’s long held signature tune “Blockheads” which brought the evening to a successful and very satisfying conclusion.

The band return to the same venue in 2024, you’ll be sad to miss it.

Tony Woolway

Pet Needs: Live in Clwb Ifor Bach 24/11/2023

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Leaping across the stage, Pet Needs gets their crowd moshing to a unique blend of punk music.

Walking out to an onslaught of cheers, they make clear how much they appreciate their fanbase, a feeling that is reciprocated. The band has been able to support itself financially for two years now, and instead of discussing merch, the band chose to praise their warmup acts and their friends who helped make touring possible. The first warm-up act of the night was Private Party - a relatively new indie pop group, with bright guitar solos, and catchy melodies from their vocalist Violet.

The second support act was Glitchers - covered in duct tape and playing gritty hardcore punk music, they pull increasingly chaotic antic on stage while singing about their problems with the politicians and modern-day society. Pet Needs had one of the best setups I have seen in Clwb Ifor Bach, but that might be due to the sheer number of people that filled the venue. They used the booths for their merchandise, consequently forcing people to stand up patiently and wait for the acts to begin, creating an immediate crowd in front of the stage.

A refreshing take on punk music, Pet Needs switches between different intensities of the genre, keeping the set engaging and unpredictable. At times songs such as ‘Kayak’ appear to be heavy punk rock, with distorted guitar solos and full shouts – encouraging chaos in both the moshing audience and the lead singer jumping across the stage. Whereas songs like ‘Tracey Emin’s Bed’, while still punk, feel much more like early 2000s Blink 182, following a singable melody and anthemic choruses. Between songs the band makes sure to promote their third album ‘Intermittent Fast Living’, coming out next February 16th, even playing ‘Separation Anxiety’ a single off the album, building anticipation for the release.

Pet Needs made one thing very clear to their audience, that they expected enthusiasm and energy. At times they dare the audience to out-jump and sing their previous crowds, stating “Every show before this has been a warmup for Cardiff!” and encouraging them to put Bath (the previous night’s venue) to shame. Jack Lock on drums, Ryan Sharman playing bass, George Mariott playing guitar and lead singer Johnny Mariott finish off the show with the same high energy as they started it, being sure to thank the sound team and promising to play again with the new album next year.

Set List: 1. Separation Anxiety 2. Tracey Emin’s Bed 3. Ibiza in Winter 4. Fear for the Whole Damn World 5. Overcompensating 6. Tried and Failed 7. Primetime Entertainment 8. Kayak 9. Pavlovian 10. As the Spin Cycle Span 11. Scratch Card 12. Punk Isn’t Dead 13. Lost Again 14. Toothpaste 15. Get on the Roof

Review - Blow Monkeys - The Globe, Cardiff - 30/11/2023

All images Tony Woolway

Formed in 1981 and still going strong 41 years later The Blow Monkeys have enjoyed a successful and critically acclaimed career. Splitting up in the early nineties, a welcome return in the mid-2000’s with a clutch of well received recordings, there was no getting away from the very recognisable Blow Monkey sound and distinctive Dr Robert stylish vocals which proved there’s still plenty more to come from the band,

It was a good sized crowd that turned out at The Globe for the band’s return and they provided a quite stunning evening that induced a nostalgic yearning for many whilst any newbie’s in attendance couldn’t fail to be hooked by the sultry soul funk that’s become the band’s trademark sound over the years.

Quickly into there stride from the off, and with Dr Robert (Robert Howard) the obvious focal point, he charmed the crowd with good humour in between some classy Monkey’s tunes that both musically and lyrically have stood the test of time. A fierce critic of government wrongdoing through the decades there was certainly no let up and cooling of their opinions.

Great versions of the classic “Digging Your Scene” and "It Doesn't Have to Be This Way” were obviously fan favourites for the evening but equally, impressive was “Wait” and their cover of Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” (Recorded specifically for the film Dirty Dancing). All showcased a tight and talented band with longtime bassist Mick Anker leading the way and supplying the funk.

Rounding up the evening with the brilliant Curtis Mayfield classic “Superfly” the band left a crowd to go out into a chilly November evening warmed by a band who can still produce and relevant despite the years.

Ian Prowse and Nico

No review would be complete without special mention for the evening’s support, former Pele front man Ian Prowse. With just his guitar and violinist Nico he was the perfect accompaniment for the headline band. His songs, strong and direct, especially “My Name Is Dessie Warren” and “Does This Train Stop in Merseyside” were very emotive and thought provoking. But his staring down of noisy punters who chatted away oblivious to the those listening (trying to listen) made him a hero and helped set the tone for the rest of the night.

Tony Woolway

Funke and the Two Tone Baby Live in Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach - 15/11/2023

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The one-man band phenomenon blends blues melodies with electronic dance music for a night of celebration and joy.

Friendly chatter fills the inside of Clwb Ifor Bach, with Dan Turnbull the mastermind behind Funke and the Two Tone Baby, happily stood by the bar talking with fans before the show. His relaxed manner welcomed them over, allowing the concert to have a personal feeling, where each fan could dance and cheer along to his music as he matched their energy on stage.

Before his set could begin, Wet Paint warmed up the crowd with a folk-rock set. The four-piece band all sat on stools with their instruments, taking turns to announce which one of the singer-songwriters was responsible for the next tune and joking with each other on stage. They regularly switched who was the lead singer and joined together for soaring four-part harmonies in the choruses. From slower folk ballads to upbeat blues songs filled with guitar and harmonica solos, the group created a joyous sound filling the venue and getting the whole crowd to cheer and tap along.

F.T.T.B takes to the stage and swiftly builds his first song using a looping pedal. Layering guitar chords, drumbeats, and keyboard synths, he can freely sing the lyrics over the top of his song. His energy is infectious as he darts around his setup, making the show enjoyable for all, whether you are familiar with his music or not

. The tour supports his latest album ‘Reacclimate’, with yellow merchandise side of the stage available for the crowd to buy, many of which are already decked out in a variety of yellow items and accessories. He informs the crowd that he is going to play through the albums in its entirety, before playing a few of his previous hits. F.T.TB mixes a wide range of genres, with songs such as ‘Can’t Stop the Music’ having a blues tone, with raspy vocals, harmonica, and rhythmic guitar solos, adding to the piece’s groove.

As ‘One in a Million’ focuses more on electro dance music, with bouncy synth loops, vocal effects, and small beat drops before each chorus encouraging the crowd into a frenzy. He takes a break from the upbeat electro songs from his album to share a moving tribute to his late girlfriend, revealing the reason for the yellow album and tour theme as it was her favorite colour, going on to play ‘Ani’s Song’. Both the artist and much of the crowd are brought to tears by the end of the song, and Turnball is met with cheers as people wipe their eyes.

Resuming the upbeat electric dance music, F.T.T.B finishes up his album set and moves onto hits such as ‘Not Enough Bonobo’ to finish his performance, leaving his setup to march to the front of the stage and lead a sing-along, and getting the whole crowd jumping. Entering the swarming crowd, he is lifted by the fans as he continues to sing, a shock for all involved, yet the playful scene perfectly shows the appreciation of the crowd for Turnbull’s talent. A perfect ending for an emotional rollercoaster of a show.

Emily Powell-Chandler

Dekker in Clwb Ifor Bach Cardiff: 16/11/2023

Third night into the UK leg of his 2023 tour, Brookln Dekker arrives in Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach for an intimate show full of storytelling and reflection.

A simplistic stage setup is laid out before the audience, only instruments for both warm-up and Dekker on stage, and a singular prop of a hanging sign stating his name above.

The crowd files in, choosing to place themselves in booths, sitting on the venue steps or leaning around the room. All appear relaxed while anticipating the night of music to come.

Warming up the crowd, Low Girl walks onto the stage. Only half of the members are present, Toby on keyboard and effects, and Sarah on guitar and vocals, but despite the whole band not being on stage, their presence is undeniable. Their music is beautiful and, at times, has bright pop elements, yet it always has a sense of sorrow behind either the melodies or the lyrics, creating juxtaposing feelings for the crowd to wallow in.

Starting his set, Dekker appears wearing his signature oversized woven hat, almost entirely obscuring his face, adding an element of mystery to his performance. Acoustic guitar in hand he begins, plucking out intricate chords as Stefan Wittich joins him with a subtle rhythm on drums, keeping the momentum moving. Dekker’s vocal prowess is clear, as he regularly jumps into falsetto sections with control, capturing the audience’s attention for more passionate moments in his lyrics.

Songs such as ‘Let’s Pretend’ show off Dekker’s lower register yet still has talented runs and decorations scattered throughout the enchanting song. Addressing the crowd, Dekker asks, “Can I tell a few stories tonight?” and is met with a cheer of support.

He goes on to tell tales of his family and their influence on his life between songs, as well as lyrically transport the audience through struggles he has faced. ‘Maybe October’ addresses sobriety and responsibility, while still establishing a catchy hook getting the audience to sway along with the somber folk-pop music. His set is hypnotic, and the music seems to move between feeling soothing and haunting without warning.

He finishes the show while joking with a tiring Wittich, both playing with more passion and increasing ferocity on guitar and drums. The end is met with a wave of cheers, as they both nod and wave to the support crowd in front of them.

Review - Tom Robinson - Acapela Studio - 16/11/2023

One of the punk/new wave’s heroes made a return to the wonderful Acapela Studios and another sellout evening on a chilly Thursday evening.

Robinson is a real unsung icon of his generation and a devoted and very vocal opponent of everything wrong in this spiralling world. A pioneer for gay rights and a critic of the abuses of power, Robinson’s songs have been inspirational to many.

Whether it be with a full band in tow or like this evening, close and personal with just his guitar and keyboard to accompany himself, he never fails to entertain or inform in what can be extremely passionate performances of some of his era defining songs.

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It’s not that he’s rested on his laurels and still writes poignant songs that hit the nerve, sometimes uncomfortably so, but also with humour and occasional sadness. His last song of the evening, a newer song and a personal favourite of his, written for his children and about living in the moment called “Only The Now” demonstrates that at 73, he still has the musical chops and and still touch the heart of his listeners.

Just as his Radio Six presenting career will testify, Robinson is a good raconteur and during the performance tells candidly about his career, the ups and some depressingly downs, woven effortlessly through his songs.

Songs like “Too Good To Be True” a favourite of his band’s talented and sadly now passed away guitarist Danny Kurstow proved a lovely tribute whilst his ‘comeback’ song, the hit “War Baby” written after fleeing to Hamburg, Germany after the breakup of his band and heavily in dept allowed Robinson to return from what was undoubtedly a very tough period in his life.

Sadly it was over too quickly and Robinson left the stage to rapturous applause acknowledging the crowd and his love for the venue. Always a supporter and promoter of new music Robinson’s support for the evening was local Splott singer/songwrier Adjua who delighted the audience, and Tom Robinson, to some soulful and well-crafted songs and certainly one to watch for in the future. Well done Tom !

Tony Woolway