reviews
LIVE REVIEW
Fontaines DC Swansea Arena Sat 19 Nov
The ascent of Fontaines DC has been dizzyingly quick: formed in 2017, they already have three stellar albums to their name, including their classic debut Dogrel. The NME recently named them the ‘best band in the world’ – not bad for one who were cutting their teeth in the backrooms of pubs five years ago. With acclaim comes crowds, and they can now comfortably fill venues like Swansea Arena, where they played on Saturday night.
Support came from Wunderhorse, the solo project of former Dead Pretties frontman Jacob Slater, whose grunge-inspired indie was welcomed with some enthusiasm from the gathering crowd. Slater displayed strong musicianship, and has a heck of a voice, but a few of the songs felt like jam sessions rather than finished pieces of work – the more concise, melodic efforts worked much better.
Then, the main event, and a huge cheer as Fontaines DC strode onto the stage. The opening trio of A Hero’s Death, Sha Sha Sha and Television Screens were played with vim and vigour, but the crowd’s response was strangely subdued. This was partly due to sound issues during the early songs, but the larger problem was the room itself; its height gives the feel of a school gymnasium, and is not ideal for the concentrated noise of a rock gig.
LIVE REVIEW Spike
Fontaines frontman Grian Chatten seemed aware of this lack of energy, prowling the stage and trying to urge the crowd to life, but it wasn’t until a raucous rendition of Too Real that the gig took flight. Only then did the crowd’s reaction reflect the band’s performance, which was superb throughout. Chatten is an excellent frontman, charismatic and towering, with a voice perfectly suited to the dark, chaotic music that soundtracks his poetic lyricism.
New Theatre, Cardiff Tue 22 Nov
Paul Hart’s Spike takes the audience through the ascent, successes and troubles of 1950s radio hit The Goon Show, and its star cast member Spike Milligan. Its opening scene sets the tone: Margaret Cabourn-Smith, as Janet, introduces the audience to the BBC’s makeshift sound effects board, which features horseshoes, a hot water bottle, a leather handbag of nuts and bolts, and, most esoterically, a sock of custard.
The tormented Milligan, played tremendously by Robert Wilfort, is a hardworking, underpaid yet dedicated comedian. Constantly doubting his writing capabilities, he also battles imposter syndrome – portrayed in a brilliant mime scene where he types ferociously and throws out heaps of drafts. Milligan’s ‘war with the BBC’ in the 1950s is reciprocated: the comedian is frustrated by the corporation’s conventionality, they are tested by the Goon star’s farce. The persistence of his fight against the BBC’s uptight head of comedy eventually leads to a breakdown, yet comedy remains the default for Milligan, who cracks jokes from his hospital bed and with a noose around his neck.
In the background of The Goon Show’s journey lingers the relationship between Milligan and wife June Marlow – a love story, then a marital breakdown – and references to Milligan’s upbringing. The only thing his father taught him, we hear, was that the world is run by idiots, building upon his complex character.
Helped no doubt by movement director Anjali Mehra, Wilfort captures the capering energy of the 1950s comedy icon. Of his fellow Goons, Jeremy Lloyd’s take on Welshman Harry Secombe – with his tenor voice, signature giggle, and flamboyance – is admirable, and the mockery of his Welshness chimes with this Cardiff audience. Patrick Warner portrays Peter Sellers, dexterously showcasing his store of voices. Together Wilfort, Lloyd, and Warner play a believable tribute to the original Goon Show trio even if Milligan is the maverick star of the show, working himself “into an early grave to make Sellers famous”.
Doubtless my understanding of some jokes and intertextual references would have benefited from lived experience of 1950s Goon mania – but it’s clear the cast and crew of this production have done Ian Hislop and Nick Newman’s script proud.
words EVE DAVIES photo PAMELA RAITH PHOTOGRAPHY
76
The second half of the show was electric, and the crowd were re-energised. By the time we reached the anthemic encore – Big, Boys In The Better Land and I Love You – there was a sense the night had been another job well done for one of the best bands around.
words JOSHUA REES photo ANTHONY CONWAY
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