listings
Cardiff. 7.30pm, £32.50 Info 029 2087 8444. Blues fella. Tom Mathias & Dominic Degavino The Tabernacle, Machynlleth. 7.30pm, £10. Info 01654 703355. Violin and piano duet. A Machynlleth Music Club event. Turbans Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda. 7.30pm, £12. Info 01248 208485. Balkan- ish uptempo folk combo. Will Varley Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff. 7-10pm, £17.50. Info 029 2023 2199. London folk-rock guy.
SATURDAY 21 MAY
Abertillery Rock & Blues The Met, Abertillery. 2pm, £18. Info 01495 355945. Featuring sets from Buck & Evans, Full Dark No Stars, Blind Mans Bluff, Ragged Union and the Red Hot Pokers. Charlie Parr Art Shop & Chapel, Abergavenny. 8pm, £19. Info 01873 736430. Americana fella from Duluth, has played Wales a fair few times over the last decade.
other musicians. In Llandrindod Wells tomorrow.
The Bohemians Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7.30pm, £33. Info 0345 2263510. Queen tribute. Treorchy Male Choir Torch Theatre, Milford Haven. 7.30pm, £20. Info 01646 695267. Rescheduled from May 2021. Walk Like A Man The Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen. 7.30pm, £22.50. Info 0345 2263510. Frankie Valli tribute.
SUNDAY 22 MAY
Children Of The Gravy Redhouse, Merthyr Tydfil. 7pm, £10. Info 01685 38411. Black Sabbath tribute band. Electric Circus UK Fuel Rock Club, Cardiff. 8pm, £7. Info 029 2064 4176. WASP tribute band. Fastlove The Riverfront, Newport. 7.30pm, £26. Info 01633 656757. George Michael tribute show. Fulu Miziki Kollektiv Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda. 7.30pm, £12. Info 01248 208485. Congolese DIY live rave group with an EP on Moshi Moshi and ties to the Ugandan Nyege Nyege scene too. Very high recommendation! (They’re also playing in Bristol if this venue is nowhere near you.) Good Grief + Bedford Falls + Fresh Specimen Le Public Space, Newport. 7.30pm, £5. Info 01633 221477. Indie/punk Scousers headline.
London Calling + The Ramonas The Globe, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £13. Info 07950 471888. Clash and Ramones tribute bands. Rescheduled from May 2021. Lvl1 + Rakky Ripper Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff. 7-10pm, £10. Info 029 2023 2199. Queer rap from Spain. Massive Wagons + These Wicked Rivers + Dig Lazarus Tivoli, Buckley. 7pm, £18. Info 01244 546201. UK hard rock band, originally scheduled for November 2020.
Mines + The Rusty Nutz + The Shunkos + Sludgecraft Bunkhouse, Swansea. 7pm, £5. Info 07716 767651. Swansea bands presented by Lavender Sweep Records.
Music For The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Newport Cathedral. 7pm, £12. Info 07933 627594. The Welsh Camerata and the Unicorn Singers Of Crickhowell perform Thomas Tallis’ Spem In Alium among other works. Natasha Watts Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan. 7.30pm, £20. Info 01239 621200. Soul vocalist, rescheduled from February 2022.Oye Santana Acapela, Cardiff. 8pm, £19. Info 029 2089 0862. How about Oi! Santana and it’s the music of Santana covered in the style of punk rock subgenre Oi!. Rather than this tribute show. Rescheduled from March 2021 and July 2021.
Rammlied + The Autumn Killers Hangar 18 Music Venue, Swansea. 7pm, £10. Info 07984 664008. Rammstein tribute band headline.
Ryders Creed + Liberty Lies + Black Tree Vultures The Patriot, Crumlin. 7.30pm, £10. Info 01495 247178. Hard rock.
Sendelica + Paradise 9 The Cellar, Cardigan. 7.30pm, £10. Info 07818 056599. Psychedelia. Smiling Tigers + Lazarus Moon + The January Dead + Calling All Stations The Dragonffli, Pontypool. 6pm, free. Info 01495 758597. Presented by Brass Knuckle. Some Guys Have All The Luck Grand Theatre, Swansea. 7.30pm, £26.50. Info 01792 475715. Rod Stewart tribute show. Steve Harley Acoustic Band Pontio, Bangor. 7.30pm, £28. Info 01248 382828. Mr Cockney Rebel with a group of three
An Acoustic Round Tramshed, Cardiff. 7pm, £25. Info 029 2023 5555. Singer- songwriters Jamie Lawson, Gemma Hayes, Richard Walters and Laura Zocca play the folkie equivalent of b2b DJ sets. Danni Nicholls Acapela, Cardiff. 8pm, £14. Info 029 2089 0862. Soulful Americana type stuff. Rescheduled from April 2021. Don’t Worry + Sleep Outside + Swan Hill The Moon, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £7. Info
info@themooncardiff.com. Punky indie stuff, the headliners being signed to the Specalist Subject label. Good Habits The Globe At Hay, Hay- On-Wye. 7.30pm, £10. Info 01497 821762. Alt-folk duo. Ladies No.1 Accordion Orchestra The Old Courthouse, Caernarfon. 2-4pm, £10. Info 01286 239010 Reverb & The Rabbits The Cellar, Cardigan. 7pm, £8. Info 07818 056599. Globally-drawn folk type stuff. Steve Harley Acoustic Band Pavilion Mid Wales, Llandrindod Wells. 7.30pm, £28. Info 01597 258118. The EZ Team Show Jac’s, Aberdare. 4pm, £4. Info 01685 882198. Pop/rap showcase.
The Harrisons The Queens Head, Monmouth. 8pm, free. Info 01600 712767. Folk trio. Welsh National Opera Orchestra St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 3pm, £10-£43. Info 029 2078 8444. Tomáš Hanus conducts a programme of Smetana, Shostakovich and Beethoven, with guest pianist Steven Osborne. Tickets: £10-£43.
MONDAY 23 MAY
Miles Kane Tramshed, Cardiff. 7pm, £22.50. Info 029 2023 5555. Retro UK indie fella who released an album in early 2022. See Upfront for an interview. The Script Motorpoint Arena Cardiff. 6.30pm, £28.50-£42.50. Info 029 2022 4488. Irish pop band who could very easily be international masters of espionage and/ or terror on account of no-one knowing what they look like. I’m not saying they are, merely that they could be. Welsh Chamber Orchestra Miners Institute, Blackwood. 7.30pm, £16. Info 01495 227206. Ensemble of over 35 years’ standing.
TUESDAY 24 MAY
Albert Lee Acapela, Cardiff. 8pm, £25. Info 029 2089 0862. Blues-rock fave. Baby Bushka Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7pm, £18. Info 0871 4720400. Kate Bush tribute show with the songs performed by a band of eight women. Gethin Liddington’s High Society Orchestra Whiteheads Sports & Social Club, Newport. 8pm, £10. Info 01633 893227. A South Wales Big Band Society night.
LIVE REVIEW
SIMPLE MINDS Motorpoint Arena Cardiff Thurs 14 Apr
When the band that released this reviewer’s favourite song of all time Don’t You Forget About Me comes to town, I question why I’d left it this long – most of my life – to see Simple Minds live. Don’t get me wrong: I knew the Glaswegian band would put on a performance. Lucky enough as I was to interview Jim Kerr for Buzz ahead of this tour, he, Charlie Burchill and the rest of the band were up for it more than ever – like most touring bands, they’ve not been able to do just that these last few years.
And a blast it was, if deceptively formal. We were told to arrive and be seated before 8pm, and that the group would be on stage promptly at that time; there would be no support act. None was needed! Accordingly, everyone was in their seats until the group kicked into life, whereupon they continued to stand for the entirety of the night.
Simple Minds’ set, allowing for a 15-minute interval, spanned around two and a half hours. Kerr had the audience in the palm of his hand, with the band treating us to extended versions of some songs. As for my favourite number? As the frontman pointed out to us, Don’t You Forget About Me may not have been written by them, but they did add “the best fucking bit” – its “la, la la la la, la la la, la...” refrain. The audience loved this, especially when Kerr had everyone in attendance doing that particular lyrical excerpt in French, Italian, Japanese, and Welsh. Turns out it’s the same no matter which language you sing it in.
All of which added to the atmosphere, making this gig feel more like a homecoming party for family members – 6,000 of them, to be exact. With a repertoire of hits as long as my arm, the Simple Minds setlist unfurled to the point that I was blindsided by their last song of the evening, Alive And Kicking – one of their biggest releases, after all. And having waited 37 years to see this band in the flesh, I was kicking myself for not doing it sooner…
words CARL MARSH photos JONATHAN HERRON
Mahalia + Ruti Tramshed, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £18.50. Info 029 2023 5555. New- ish soul type headlines. Pet Shop Boys Motorpoint Arena Cardiff. 6.30pm, £58. Info 029 2022 4488. Pretty sure this is sold out. Rescheduled from May 2021.
Peter Hewitt & Peter Fisher St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 1-2pm, £6.50. Info 029 2078 8444. Lunchtime violin and piano recital.
WEDNESDAY 25 MAY
Big Girls Don’t Cry St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £29. Info 029 2087 8444. Frankie Valli tribute. Rescheduled from June 2021.
Charlie Simpson Hangar 18 Music Venue, Swansea. 7pm, £20. Info 07984
57
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
