reviews
LIVE REVIEW
STEREOPHONICS / TOM JONES Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Sat 18 June
In an evening bursting with Welsh spirit, Stereophonics headlined their mega-gig at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Saturday. Undoubtedly a long time coming – the concert was set back six months due to the pandemic – and despite it being the second night of playing a 27-song set to a packed-out stadium, the band showed no lack of energy.
The We’ll Keep A Welcome show kicked off with powerpop newcomers Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, followed by Gruff Rhys – whose talented balafon player N’famady Kouyate certainly stole the show. And Tom Jones defied age during his set, with the 82-year-old delivering impressive vocals whilst belting hits like What’s New Pussycat? and Delilah with a cheeky grin on his face the entire time.
By this point, the crowd had tripled in size, and the cheers grew more and more after each classic – particularly after Tom’s cover of Prince’s Kiss, which felt like the perfect track for his velvety voice. You wouldn’t be blamed for wondering if Stereophonics could even live up to the legend’s performance.
Luckily, this wasn’t the case. Before the Cwmaman band’s set began, an unexpected male choir boarded the stage, whose voices fused together beautifully for the national anthem. Spirits were high throughout the mostly Welsh crowd of a whopping 60,000, with not a seated person in sight at this point. With goosebumps still very much present, Stereophonics burst into the first song, C’est La Vie. Making immediate use of the runway, frontman Kelly Jones delivered his gravelly, distinctive vocals from within the sea of fans.
LIVE REVIEW MITSKI
The tempo slowed for songs like I Wanna Get Lost With You, but the crowd was whipped back into a frenzy when Tom Jones rejoined the stage to front their cover of Mama Told Me Not To Come. The blue and red lightshow was imposing, and there were towering pyrotechnics that mirrored the show’s explosiveness. At one point, the entire band were on the end of the runway immersed in the crowd, which was the height of audience interaction – Kelly wasn’t the most talkative of frontmen between songs.
Great Hall, Cardiff University Students Union Tue 21 June
Following a short run of shows supporting Harry Styles, Nashville’s Mitski headlined to mesmerising effect in Cardiff University. Her previous week had been spent in stadia – a night in Glasgow’s Ibrox, two at Old Trafford in Manchester and a weekend at Wembley – with a Glastonbury slot the following weekend. She downsized for the Welsh capital, of course, but the date had sold out well in advance.
Brooklyn indie-folk musician Cassandra Jenkins opened the show: sweet harmonies mixing with the soft-focused arrangements of saxophone, guitars and keyboard. Required to pause her set when a spate of overheated spectators needed assistance, she did a fine job keeping the crowd calm whilst security attended to the problems. Debuting tonight in Wales, Jenkins will return in August for a slot at the Green Man festival.
The crowd went mad the second that Mitski graced the stage, and her magnetic stage presence is apparent from the off too. You may have seen her Styles support slots attract minor TikTok controversy, commenters describing her dancing as “disturbing” and “traumatising”. To me, it felt intimate and personal, and ably conveyed her art. (There is, moreover, a wider point that could perhaps be unpacked regarding Westernised standards of performance art, Mitski’s Japanese heritage and who or what gets declared ‘inappropriate’.)
Latest album, February’s Laurel Hell, adds synths to Mitski’s primarily
Working For The Knife were among the selections from it tonight. This reviewer’s personal favourite – 2018’s {Be The Cowboy, her fifth LP and breakout hit – was recognised in the form of Washing Machine Heart, Me And My Husband, Old Friend} and set closer A Pearl. I Bet On Losing Dogs, from 2016’s Puberty 2, offered another standout; delving further back still, First Love/Late Spring was slower in tempo but so beautiful. Needless to say, and despite the sweltering room, lyrics were sung back at Mitski from her rapt fanbase all evening.
guitar-led production; Should’ve Been Me and
words MEGAN EVANS for BUZZ CULTURE photos HANNAH NICOLSON-TOTTLE
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In fairness, it was futile trying to get a word in edgeways through the constant screams from loyal fans. The set was a fulfilling blend of slow and upbeat songs, and the encore concluded on a high note with anthem Dakota. Stereophonics proved that, even after 30 years, they can still put on a hell of a show.
words INDIA MUNDAY for BUZZ CULTURE photos ALEX WILLIAMS
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