PLUGGED IN Magazine Issue 7

THE MUSIC MAGAZINE FOR WALES

Issue 7

STUART CABLE Talks Demons And Cocktails

MANIC STREET PREACHERS Plague Lovers review

FUTURE OF THE LEFT Exclusive Interview

ASSOCIATED MINDS

Welsh Hip-Hop taking the lead

MIKE PETERS

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PLUS Stone Gods People In Planes Cancer Bats Patrick Jones The Maccabees Sierra Alpha In Case Of Fire Live Music & CD reviews

EE

A man who climbs mountains

Contents editorial@pluggedinmagazine.co.uk www.pluggedinmagazine.co.uk

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ELCOME to the latest issue of PLUGGED IN magazine. Yet again we bring you a bumper issue — 52 pages in fact — with a plethora of Exclusive Interviews featuring artists that we think you should know much more about. We also have more than a dozen pages of live music reviews, as well as seven pages of CD reviews. As you can see we’ve been a bit busy, so plan to take the summer months off. But keep an eye out for a PLUGGED IN T-shirt being worn at a gig near you. Until the next issue then — enjoy this one!

Gail & Darren

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Music News

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Rising Talent

10 Stuart Cable 14 Future Of The Left 16 Associated Minds

MANAGING EDITOR & PUBLISHER Gail Griffiths

18 Mike Peters

CREATIVE DIRECTOR & CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

20 Stone Gods

Darren Warner

CONTRIBUTORS Adam Perkins, Becca, Elizabeth Day, Emma Garland, Gary Bolsom, Joshua Isles, Kayleigh Edwards, Leah Evans, Liam Padfiled, Lisa Derrick, Maria Murphy, Nadine Ballantyne, Rob Jones, Scott Andrews, Siwan Davies, Stephanie McNicholas, Victoria Lyons, Victoria Turner & Stephen Lewis PLUGGED IN magazine is a not-for-profit social enterprise, run by unpaid volunteers.

Printed in Wales on recycled paper using vegetable inks.

22 People In Planes 24 Manic Street Preachers 26 Pull-Out Poster 28 Cancer Bats 30 Sierra Alpha 32 In Case Of Fire 34 The Maccabees 36 Live Reviews

We would like to thank the PRS Foundation and SONIG Youth Music for their financial support with this issue

45 CD Reviews

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All contributions to PLUGGED IN magazine must be original, not pre-published and not posted/printed anywhere until after publication in PLUGGED IN. Haul Fryn Publishing reserves the right to modify any material submitted for publication in PLUGGED IN magazine. Reproduction of any of the content of PLUGGED IN magazine, without prior permission, is strictly forbidden.

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FRIENDS ELECTRIC played at the SXSW festival in America — here’s a snippet from their diary

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Earlier this year PLUGGED IN favourites Futuretown (who featured on the free CD with Issue 4) signed a three-year publishing deal with Conexion Music, a major player who has published songs by Fat Boy Slim, The Prodigy, The Fugees, The Pet Shop Boys, Metallica, Tom Jones and Moby. We look forward to hearing about the Cardiff band’s album release sometime soon, but if you can’t wait until then you can listen to their music on www.myspace.com/futuretown

We’re very excited to announce that Cuba Cuba — another PLUGGED IN favourite band who featured on the free CD with Issue 4 — have signed to the Smalltown Records. For people unfamiliar to the label, the roster has included bands such as Flood Of Red, Data Select Party and This City. The local boys now sit next to some great bands such as Telegraphs, Fei Comodo, Failsafe, The Muscle Club, My Awesome Compilation and more. A debut mini album Tales From The Cabin, recorded and produced by Romesh Dodangoda (FFAF, Kids In Glass Houses, The Blackout) will be released on Smalltown Records at the end of July, followed by some UK touring by the boys. If you want to catch them in July they’ll be playing the Square Festival in Aberystwyth. For other dates check out www. myspace.com/cubacubamusic

And talking about Issue 4 — Scott Andrews of Exit International, who with his then band Midasuno graced our front cover (and had a track on the fabulous free CD!), has started writing music reviews for PLUGGED IN. Look out for his name in this issue!

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e had already been in New York for three days so weren’t too excited at the prospect of catching a flight to Texas at 5am.

We arrived in Austin, after a connecting flight from Chicago, at around noon and picked up our flight cases. After playing in New York a couple of hours before it was unreal to now be in a completely different part of the US, which also felt like a completely different country.

Our taxi ride to the hotel took around 40 minutes and it gave us a chance to see a part of Austin which wasn’t packed with hundreds of people. We were dropped at our hotel and even though it looked like a prison, our room was on the 25th floor so had a cool view overlooking the city. After a few Southern Comforts at the Fader Fort and a short rickshaw ride, we were able to catch Ladyhawke and Boys Noize before the night was out.

The next day was pretty warm so we headed over to the Kerrang party which was on the roof of a venue called The Wave. It was good to see some familiar faces in Attack! Attack!, who were on the bill that day alongside The Bronx and Enter Shikari. That night we stage invaded at NASA, probably one of the best shows ever. Think green girls in short skirts and body popping one eyed aliens in expensive suits and you’ll get the idea. Then we hit the Fools Gold party at the Palm Doors. It was hosted by A Trak, who is touring DJ to Kanye West. We were about to leave at 2am when we learned about some peculiar Texan law which states that any bar open at this hour becomes everyone’s favourite bar — a free one!

So day three of SXSW and we all started to feel the effects of jetlag and late nights.

We decided the best remedy would be to do nothing but lay in the sun for a couple of hours and see it out. So we headed over to the Fader party which was basically its own festival inside a festival. A free bar, hundreds of people and the point of it all, live music. We soaked it up, caught half a Miami Horror set then headed a little out of town to the ‘Tiniest Bar in Texas’.

It was nice to be away from the crowds for a while and just hanging out meeting new people. We met a guy who obsessed over Jack Sparrow. He would only speak with a very crude Cockney accent and dressed up every weekend without fail. If you’re going to do it, do it right! We caught a taxi back to 6th Street and decided to check out something new. A band called Shout Out Out Out Out were that something new and they blew our minds!

Saturday was the final day of SXSW and the day of our show. We stayed in our hotel rooms until around midday then headed over to a diner for a hearty all-American breakfast.

Load in wasn’t until early evening so it gave us a chance to hang out and watch a few more bands. The day before we heard a rumour that Kanye West was making a surprise appearance over at Fort Fader. Matthew was the only one who followed this rumour up and true enough, he was there and he played. Are the rest of us disappointed we missed that? Yes! Anyway we met at Latitude 30, our venue for the evening, at around 9pm and caught the tail end of The Whip’s set. We loaded in and watched Sam Isaac whose drummer coincidently was an old friend of ours. After a quick catch up we hit the stage at 12am. It was incredible, barely two years after forming we were on stage at one of the most prestigious festivals in the world. It was a moment we will never forget and can’t wait to do again.

Celtic folk group Allan Yn Y Fan have been going strong for over a decade.

On the release of their latest album Trosnant PLUGGED IN spoke to the five-piece about their passion for a very special kind of music.

What made you decide to follow this particular musical route?

There was no particular “decision” we just play the music that we enjoy. We also like to share decent Welsh music with a wider audience so they don’t think that Celtic music is just what comes out of Scotland and Ireland. We are proud of our Valleys connection, and like the idea of putting the area on the map, even though our style probably wouldn’t win us any Eisteddfod prizes!

Singer songwriter Karen Moore describes herself on myspace as, “an ageing hippie from Merthyr Tydfil who writes music!” The seven tracks on her debut album Dream certainly have a strong folksy feel, perhaps not surprising when you discover Karen’s main influence is Joni Mitchell. Memorable, sometimes melancholic lyrics combine with haunting vocals to create this unique blend of acoustic folk. Produced with the help of the Glamorgan GATES Project, in Merthyr, the album is the culmination of Karen’s guitar lessons with tutor Paul Jennings, who features on the track Too Many. All profits of the album will be donated to Cancer Aid Merthyr Tydfil — if you’d like to purchase one for £5, please drop into the GATES office at 121 High Street, Merthyr Tydfil.

Treorchy Male Voice Choir has recently released a single, The Liberation Hymn, in aid of the Help For Heroes Campaign. The Choir was approached by Vernon Hopkins, a former member of Tom Jones’s 1960s band, The Senators, and invited to record the single because as a registered charity the Choir has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for worthwhile causes since it was reformed in October 1946. The Choir told PLUGGED IN: “We were honoured to have been invited to record this single. Many of the founder members of the post-war Choir were exservicemen, home from the battlefields and they found a comfort in the camaraderie of joining the Treorchy Male Voice Choir. Since then we have worked closely with various military bands and have enjoyed a close association with many of the Sergeants Mess’ at Sandhurst, Pirbright and RAF Lyneham. Of course, many of our current choristers have served in the armed forces too, particularly the RAF and the Welsh Guards. We were approached by Vernon because, although Treorchy never worked with The Senators they have appeared many times with Tom Jones. They made three television specials with him during the This Is Tom Jones television programmes of the late 1960s and 70s and have continued to be associated with Tom up to the present day in some way or another. He’s actually an Honorary Member of the Choir!”

In the current climate dominated by commercial pop, how do you believe Allan Yn Y Fan fit into the music scene?

Er, we don’t! Although there are always people around who enjoy a good tune, it may be true that Welsh music is more appreciated outside Wales. We’ve made several tours to the European mainland where we’ve been very well received (complete with floral tributes and ridiculous rock star riders). Much as we love playing traditional Celtic tunes, we are also passionate about creating our own music and contributing to “the living tradition”. Our own tunes are often inspired by the people we meet and places we visit. Pieces such as Girl On A Rock, Amazing Grapes and Affordir Llydaw from our second CD Belonging reflect this trend.

Tell us about the influences and inspirations for your latest album?

Definitely the biggest influence this time has been the adoption of Meriel Field into the band, giving us a great vocalist as well as a fiddle player. This has inspired us all to sing — and the Welsh language traditional songs help consolidate our identify as a Welsh band. Our version of Ar Hyd Y Nos with the three girls singing in harmony together is quite unlike anything else we have done before (especially as it also features a string quartet in the arrangement). Another big influence was the wonderful cottage we stayed at while we were working up the material for the CD. It had a stunning view of the Brecon Beacons and we thought it deserved a tune of its own (Trosnant), becoming the CDs title track. It’s a big broad air that mirrors that amazing view. Some of the songs (such as Moliannwn and Deio I Dwyn) were deliberately chosen to cheer up our repertoire as some of our favourite songs tend to be a bit on the morbid side. It’s really not the done thing to sing Lisa Lan at a wedding, so we wanted to include something a bit more jolly. As ever, a lot of our own material is inspired by the people we have met — this new CD contains pieces commemorating our German friend Thomas Roth’s hospitality (Castell Thomas), Kate’s mum’s stint as Mayor of Teignmouth (Madam Mayor) and our friend Gina’s manic preparations for her forthcoming nuptials (Ms Gina Morgan’s Delight At The Prospect Of Matrimony). We’ve also borrowed some tunes from our favourite performers, with some offerings gathered from Brian McNeill, Emily Smith and Stephen Rees. And every time we record a CD we surprise ourselves with an unexpected musical encounter. On first album Off The Map it was a piece where we weaved two tunes together, playing them both simultaneously (Tipsy Butterfly). When we recorded new album Belonging it was the dreamy slowed down version of The Road To Lisdoonvarna. But the one that has crept in beneath the radar is Abergenni, a stately dance that sounds like something straight out of a Tudor great hall. It’s completely different from everything else on the album.

So what’s the next step for Allan Yn Y Fan? After our recent CD launch we have a tour of Germany and Ireland lined up, as well as some festivals to look forward to.

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Kadesha Kadesha Affrica Drija, a Cardiff born singer/ songwriter of Anglo/African parentage, first came to the attention of PLUGGED IN through the Make It project, a music video educational scheme run by SONIG here in our home town of Pontypridd. Then just 15, she showed a true sense of maturity that was confirmed at the project’s initial session by her just picking up a guitar and playing in front of a group of strangers — including myself.

“The Make It project was brilliant at the time because it introduced me to a whole world of new people and I was pushed forward to play at Ponty’s Big Weekend.” A true achievement!

Kadesha opened last year’s event that was headlined by X-Factor superstar Rhydian Roberts. “It was both exhilarating and nervewracking playing my hometown in front of 6,000 people — with half the pupils from my school, Hawthorn High, down the front of the stage. I was only allowed to play three songs but I didn’t want to get off. It was a turning point for me. I knew that singing and performing was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I loved the buzz.”

But it was at a recent performance in Ton Pentre in the Rhondda Valley that really wowed PLUGGED IN. Within the year Kadesha had made a massive leap into a bona-fide fledgling star in the making. The difference in her performance was amazing. This is partially due to her positive attitude, but also because she has teamed up with Len Arran — the song writing talent who released two albums with Skin, the voice of Skunk Anansie.

“At the Big Weekend I had the added pressure of knowing that Len had come to watch my performance. He was looking for someone to write with and by luck it worked out that he was driving to London that day so come to the event. Ever since we’ve been working together, writing songs and doing acoustic shows across the UK, including London. We have a good chemistry on stage and my confidence has grown. We plan to work on an EP before the end of the year taking on board some of the songs that have changed and developed during our live performances.”

With such emotive and reflective songs, it’s hard to believe that such a young girl would have the experiences to write such material — but this is a lady whose first gig was to see the blues legend BB King and not Boyzone.

“My mother has always taken me to gigs and I’ve grown up around older people, learning experiences from them. Len has helped me use those experiences to create music that you’d expect from someone twice my age.”

Quite right, if I didn’t know her myself, I’d never have believed that she is still only 16 and at school. So how does the balance between education and her music work for this young performer. “I’m currently studying for my A levels and know that passing these are important to me, but I’ll never turn down the opportunity of a good gig. It’s hard but I’ll make it work.”

Oozing such confidence you can have nothing but high regard for Kadesha. She has the looks and style to make it, but also a massive amount of talent. Believe me when I say that she WILL be a major artist one day, and that day will be sooner than you think. DARREN WARNER www.kadeshaaffrica.net Kadesha gives us her opinion on some of the latest releases — turn to page 45.

Showcase Wales is a radio show for ‘unsigned’ and ‘new music’, focusing on artists and events in South Wales. Broadcasting between 8-10pm, Wednesdays, on GTFM 107.9 (the first community radio station in Wales), Showcase Wales is the longest running show of its kind in the region. Produced by Adam Perkins, with fellow presenters Lee Wood, Mark Stanfield and Paul Williams, the show has featured hundreds of live sessions over the past 10 years.

PLUGGED IN’s Rising Talent features introduce you to some of these best bands from around South Wales at the moment.

Words by Adam Perkins

Nothing New Nothing New are a pop-punk-rock-style trio from Cardiff, who are moving and shaking in all the right places. Their upbeat tunes are lively and fun, generating plenty of passion and cool with their catchy riffs and lyrics.

Coining themselves as something of a love child between Finch and Blink 182, Nothing New were extremely young starters (2003 to be exact) but have developed no end since Mob joined on the drums in 2006, by adding more diversity to their catalogue. Energetic tracks Falling Down (for which there is also a video) and Moving On have been a staple part of the Nothing New set for years, and are included on the Thinking Ahead EP from early 2006. “We got bored of everyone else’s music so started off making music that we like.” Singer Mike’s voice carries great melody, helping to vibrantly swing between the heavier riffs and sing-a-long choruses which are backed up by vocals of Matt and Mob, demonstrated by the fabulous See In The Dark. “A lot of our older stuff is really poppy, but our newer stuff has got much more bite.” At the moment the boys are working hard, with gigs here, there and everywhere, which will continue with the self-release of their debut album When Bears Attack which is out soon. “We would like World Domination, but would be happy if more than 23 people bought our album! We’ve just looking to get signed, get loads of gigs, and get our name round and about!” www.myspace.com/nothingnewuk

Audiocalm Audiocalm are THE best acoustically led rock band in South Wales. Full of emotion, melody and adventure, Audiocalm are fantastic musically and fantastic lyrically. It was initially frontman Andy Huntley’s studio project with session musicians after coming home from travelling in Australia. Through growth and development the project matured into a full four-piece in 2005, helping to create soulful, heart stopping music with balls. “I was influenced by people like Ben Harper. My roots are in acoustic music and I still play the acoustic guitar when we play live. But it’s a lot more ballsy now we’re a band. It has a bit of an edge.” Now on 16th Groove Records The Gathering was written in a car at the beach at night and in a storm. It’s “one of the older songs, but we keep it in because it’s a strong one and a really good live track.” Currently working on a new album, self-released debut single Fall is a feisty heart-pounding piece and lead track, the astounding Too Much gets the hairs standing with pure emotion. It’s so good it came close to winning a music writer’s awards and people are starting to take notice: “We had a pleasant surprise to hear that we started to hit the Japanese market, which is really exciting for us.” As the name suggests, Audiocalm play chilled out music where the power of the lyrics and the pulsing blends of the music work in tandem to create beautiful harmony. www.myspace.com/audiocalm

Supergene

Carmarthen Rock quintet Supergene are at the top of their game. Rejuvenated and reinvented following major line-up changes after the cracking debut album Get Out, which was released in 2006. With their balladic electronica-style rock there are plenty of superlatives that could describe Supergene, and they’re certainly a band to watch in the near future. Supergene have a lot in their locker, with new tunes such as the fantastic piano led Russian Doll which beautifully floats along, and the euphoric tones of Under The Blue Sky which throws this instrument headlong into a splendid fusion of keys and a crushing crescendo of guitars to create great bouncing symphony that is also apparent on tracks like Ballad and Set The Town On Fire; whilst tracks like the popular Pulse is a great flux of guitars, keys and electronic sounds. You can’t get bored of what’s on offer here. “It’s in the ethos of the band to make one song sound totally different to the next. We’re proud that one of our strengths is that we don’t stick to a genre and we don’t sound like other bands.” It’s a great time to be a Supergene fan, with a new, limited edition, live EP, recorded in January, and an as yet untitled six-track studio EP set for release this summer, exclusively at the 10,000 capacity Celtic Blue Rock festival in Crymych. Supergene are about to set this place alight! www.myspace.com/supergene

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Bedford Falls Longknives Offering one hell of a ride, Longknives are a four-piece from the Valleys and Cardiff formed in 2006, aside from Adam who joined via an advert in 2008. Playing a hypo-grunge style rock there is a big place in the South Wales scene for Longknives. Think of fusion of the Muse and The Pixies and you get somewhere near what is on offer. A twisted version of Jeff Buckley. With very dark undertones and ravenous riffs, each element of the music pulses and flows bass, drums, and some killer lead guitar. And it’s perfect ammunition for Phil’s vocals which add extra instrumental fusion, tones moving between the deep and intense to melodic and mystical, heard on new tracks like Strain and Her Eyes. What you get with Longknives is an infusion from all areas of the stage, making them a band of epic proportions because every listen offers something new. “We will work around and develop an idea, and it’s always a four-way input. Each member brings something towards each song. It becomes stale otherwise.”

Longknives have a five-track demo available, but have been in the studio recently and are putting the final touches to a first EP. The demo includes the powerful Are You Human and No Man, two cool and dirty rock tracks. That pretty much sums them up!

Get the daggers out, because LongKinves are coming to a place near you! www.myspace.com/longknives

Weird Beard As the name suggests, Weird Beard are not your run-of-the-mill band. They are an angry and alternative three-piece from Cardiff, sharing the one loose screw that is left between them. Offering a dark and twisted indie-rock, Weird Beard can be found somewhere in between Nick Cave, The Pixies and Nirvana, playing angry, passionate and energetic tunes, that are short, sharp and to the point. “It’s evolved.

We’ve tried lots of different things, but realised that what we were good at was writing quick 2-3 minute songs. And that’s our slogan. It’s like being punched in the face with one sentence!” Early number Whore Complex is a dark, dark song, moving from a cool, slow grungy riff and launching into this insanely mesmerising folly of anguish. There is also a coolness to Weird Beard that is provided by a certain bounce that leads to the vigour. The rhythmic Trial

By Fire and Revenge Scars offer a jump into insanity, and if you follow, you’ll find the extremely short and catchy Obi-Wan, which has plenty of groove and bounce.

Weird Beard are doing this the way they want to: “We all like the music we play, and we play it because we enjoy it. We don’t really have this hunger to do anything with it other than just play. We’re primarily a good band to see live. We’re not that tight, but we’re really energetic, and we think that comes across in our recordings.” Try it, you might just like it! And you could see them supporting themselves sometime soon! Crazy? Of course! www.myspace.com/weirdbeardtheband

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Bedford Falls started gigging properly in 2003 and are now creating some of the best rock music to come out of South Wales — or Melancholic Punk Rock to be precise. This melancholy is driven by rather nifty all round guitar work that effortlessly drives towards the quirky and pleasant tones that make them so good and easy to listen to. Essentially Bedford Falls suggest they are “a product of the years 1992-1996” reminiscent to Early REM and Husker Du. The Cardiff four-piece have some great experience due to previous and current projects which lend to a blend of styles that affords some remarkable work to date. Fashioning their sound with such flair, elegance and grandieur, they layer tracks such as Paperbacks and Anodyne that appear on the debut album Savings and Loan,released on Boss Tuneage Records in April 2008. The album also includes the lead track Slowdancing that moulds together the cool riffs and harmonious melodies. “Everyone always screams for Sweetest Science”, which was their first of two split 7in singles. The sound produced by Bedford Falls, both on the recording, and in the live arena, works within a philosophy that if they “play like they feel it should be played, it comes out in the music.” Bedford Falls name was taken from the film It’s A Wonderful Life…and, damn, it’s wonderful music! Expect some new tunes very soon. www.myspace.com/bedfordfalls

Mudjack

Swansea-based blues rockers Mudjack are one class act.

There’s not much blues-rock about South Wales at the moment, which puts them in unique company. Forming in November 2006, the four-piece, named after famous blues musician Muddy Walters, have written some pretty cool sounding tunes that Tennessee would be proud of.

With four-track EP Follow Me, from November 2008, Mudjack are off to a good start. Title track Follow Me Down highlights the groovy and tidy bouncing blues, extravagantly building to an infusion of the harmonica, played by Sam. The trombone is also introduced on some tracks, adding a jazzy dimension to the ‘Jack. This is matched by the way they like to have fun: “We still do improv live on stage if we need to fill a little time.” With this style of music you often know what to expect, but Mudjack are in their element with standout track India, a rip-roaring goove-rock track that has that kind of funk that makes you want to get down! Reminiscent of The Black Keys, Mudjack are influenced by Cream and The Rolling Stones and that 60s and 70s vibe of where the blues meets rock ’n’ roll. “We are all into blues music, and how the blues progressed into rock coming over to the UK from America. It’s the history of it and learning from it. You find it much more interesting when there’s a story to it.”

With a new EP and album in the pipeline, to include the catchy, funky and dynamic number Little Misfortune Mudjack are ones to catch live sometime soon! myspace.com/mudjackuk

Mr Duke & The Hoodlum Circus North Walian David Duke (aka Mr Duke) is one gem of a songwriter. And with his band The Hoodlum Circus, which includes a Patagonian Bossa nova drummer known as Amigo, guitarist (Mr Crackpipe) and new bassist (Yoshi) whom he met in Cardiff, he creates a fascinating shoe-gaze and post-folk package. Full of flair and creativity, Mr Duke has been writing interesting and intelligent music for 10 years, with two previous albums, and now a plethora of bounce and ambience created by his new band. “The reason we write music is because of bands like Jesus & The Mary Chain and The Cramps.”

Tracks like Dirty Blonde Hair, Dirty Blue Jeans and Ivy The Whore are intrinsic and psychedelic masterpieces, Escape The Fear is a beautifully crafted acoustic number, and then the new Upon A Hill ascends into experimental chaos with layers of sound melding into the otherwise melodic acoustics, such is the exuberance created by Mr Duke. “We’re like the anti-folk Flaming Lips.” With use of harmonica and mandolin spicing up songs to make each track its own, whatever’s in Mr Duke’s head, they’ve created a masterful sound out of the basics of country and folk. They are even so daring as to introduce pulsating electro sounds with Delije. Mr Duke & The Hoodlum Circus are colourful and sometimes almost comical genius — and with a new album I Can’t Find My ‘Anti-Folk’ To Shoot At out on Earth Monkey Records, expect a live tour soon. www.myspace.com/mrdukeandthehoodlums

The Low Lights The Low Lights have bags of energy and charisma which really comes out in their catchy indie-funk style of music. The lads from Cardiff have been turning heads their way with their upbeat and lovable sound since the end of 2006, going very far very fast.

But they’ve worked hard for it: “We started off doing a load of busking with guitar and drums and once made £600 from five hours work.” The Low Lights have a new EP available (EP 5), and sees them developing towards their own unique sound. “At the moment we are moving towards a more indie-funk and epic-dance-style. We haven’t been trying to change ourselves enough. We just wrote songs that we like and thought were good at the time. I think our songs were original, but not our sound.” The tenacious You And I Should Go Dancing is a big one in the catalogue, summing up exactly what they want you to do — and you can’t help but do it! They’re a great live band, tight on stage, complimented by their funky and dancy style of indie rock with fuzzy, phasey base and electro drums pulsing and bouncing through tracks like Club X, Listen To Me and Little Fluffy Bunnies.

And all this is underpinned with an extrovert lead guitar, dancing between the music with all its electric groove and pazaz. Nat’s vocals are strong and work in perfect harmony with the cool dynamics produced by the band’s sound. The Low Lights really get your funk on! www.myspace.com/thelowlightsmusic

Last Partisan

The Dirty Youth

There isn’t much quite like Last Partisan.

Four nutters from Cardiff making rather insane punk rock, awaiting you for a night of beer, whisky and wall to wall rock action. Last Partisan are an uncompromisingly insane live act, fuelled by quick, fast and raunchy riffs, and some rather thrilling overexhuberance. This is heart stopping stuff. Heavily influenced by their take on news and media, Adam and Andrew have been fronting Last Partisan since 2003, James is also in Kutosis and Steve completed current this line-up in early 2008. Tracks like newbie ‘Grade 5’, ‘No Peace To Keep’ and 55 second track ‘Rumsfeld’ highlight the ambition and intensity to this all action non-stop blitzkreik rock. “We played one gig in Barfly and did nearly 20 tracks in half an hour. There is no set list – we try and mix it up every gig.” The four piece have three EPs recorded, and track ‘Obsession’ was included on a best of Cardiff compilation. Last Partisan are a simple set up. What you see is what you get. “We are very DIY in our attitude. It means that we make the effort and when it pays off it’s a bit more satisfying… it’s a part of the band, and something we take seriously.” Offering something diverse to a lot of what is out there at the moment. Last Partisan are off the hook! “It’s World domination or self annihilation. One of the two! And a lot of beer and whiskey on the way! www.myspace.com/lastpartisan

The Dirty Youth will ravage you senseless with their rampant rock riffs. This is bock music with balls. Big, meaty and crass, The Dirty Youth are one of the most powerful and explosive bands you will ever see.

And if that’s not enough, sassy lead singer Danni will blow you over with the pure energy and emotion that surges from her lungs. But they don’t want to just knock you down, they want to disembowel you with their chaotic and bruising tunes. “We just started writing and that’s what came out. We wrote music that reflects what we like listening to. We like to write songs about going out and getting drunk.” Fight is an absolute thriller of a song, full of energy, it’s tenacious and racy, with a barrage of brutality thanks to some epic guitar work. New track Red Light Fix has a real dirty riff to it, and the pounding of the drums imposes themselves within the many cool tempo changes. “We’ve homed in on our sound now, and once it kicks in you know it’s one of our songs.” The band have moved from being a four-piece to five: “We finished an EP and put so much on it that we really wanted it to sound as big live, so we took six months to find a guitarists, before getting Luke.” And BIG they sound!

All the bone crunching glory is topped off with fantastic female vocals, making The Dirty Youth a truly exceptional entity. Expect a rocking album soon, and possibly a record deal! w w w . myspace.com/ thedirtyyouth

Jocanovic If you’re looking for something different then Jocanovic are it. Armed with a violin, the enigmatic five-piece who can often be found holed up on a farm in Llantwit Major, set themselves out from the rest by adding that bit of spice to their cool, bouncy and anthemic folk rock music. “I walk around in the crowd and on the bar with the violin, and everyone loves it.” Offering something somewhere between The Libertines and Arcade Fire, Jocanovic offer a dark funk-rock, that’s quick and bouncy with an acoustic guitar and violin that invoke further emotion and drama. “We stuck the violin in and it seemed to work. We don’t aim to sound majorly different, but the violin separates us out, and that’s what people catch on to.”

What started as a three-piece developed to a five-piece by 2007, making a more interesting set-up. The second guitar helps with more variation, fusing electric sounds and distortion that fits into a dark platform, and then acoustic guitar and violin adds an intrinsic and catchy edge, shown on tracks like the new Mrs Jones and the cracking set finisher Willow, which deviates into a fascinating full-on vocal ensemble. The sweet Swan Song provides anthemic glory and For A Dancer, which makes you shake about the dance floor, is a little heavier and excludes the violin. “We don’t want to be seen as a one trick pony and use it all the time.” Jocanovic create very interesting and enjoyable indie-rock music and the violin adds a folky edge to the anthemic vibes. www.myspace.com/jocanovic

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Words & Photographs by Darren Warner excerpts from Demons And Cocktail by kind permission of Stuart Cable

I shook his hand. The Jaggerman then stopped in his tracks and the pleasantness suddenly left his face.

‘Who’s eating that?’ He pointed to the half-eaten plate of shepherd’s pie on the table, which was littered with cigarette butts and cans of beer.

I put my hand up like a schoolkid in a class asking to go to the toilet.

He chuckled and made a face, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. ‘Do you know the rules?’

‘What rules?’ I replied.

‘There are only two things you don’t do when you tour with us’. He seemed to take pleasure in what he was about to say. Again, everyone stared at me and then back towards Mick. ‘One’ — he held his finger up — ‘you don’t play on the snooker table unless you’ve been asked...and, secondly, you never, ever, take the shepherd’s pie unless Keith’s broken the crust first’.

Kelly and John, our manager, shot dagger eyes at me.

I didn’t f***ing know there were two things we weren’t supposed to do when you tour with the Rolling Stones, and if I did I wouldn’t think that eating f***ing shepherd’s pie would be top of the list.’

T

he afternoon is hot and the sweat trickles down my back as I drive though the busy streets of Trecynon on the outskirts of Aberdare searching for a place to park. I need something cold to drink and a quiet room to remove me from the stress of my daily routine. Luckily for me my destination was The Welsh Harp for a meeting with local hero and legendary rock drummer Stuart Cable, a perfect retreat away from the traffic. I was early but this meant that I could watch Stuart’s entrance — which was like a whirlwind of bustling energy, saying quick hellos to the regulars that all know him personally, then shouting “alright Da” across the pub with a wave of acknowledgment before coming down to rest in the seat opposite, leaving a wake of conversation and laughter behind him. Yes, Stuart Cable had arrived.

He looks fit and well drinking orange juice, making me conscious of my obvious paunch which I try to disguise behind my pint of Guinness that was now slowly warming due to the heat of the day. We start making small talk about PLUGGED IN and this latest issue.

“Manics, brilliant. Future Of The Left, excellent.” Both said in his strong DylanThomas-esque barotone Welsh accent.

Stuart has been an avid reader and supporter of PLUGGED IN, along with his band mates in Killing For Company, and presented Gail and myself with the Red Dragon Welsh Award for Community Music last year. And likewise we have followed the growth of his exceptional new band — which we will come to later. But firstly we needed to talk about his book.

It’s been six years since Stuart parted ways with the other members of the Stereophonics, his childhood friends Kelly Jones and Richard Jones. Around the time varying versions of the events that lead to his expulsion from the band circulated around the press with people speculating on the reasons why and who to blame. Now with the release of his book Demons And Cocktails, My Life With Stereophonics we get a true picture of the circumstances leading up to his departure and the reasons for it. But it’s also about the birth of a band and its hard climb to the top.

So is the book a way of answering those questions that you’re always asked, laying the ghosts to rest?

“It wasn’t that I felt I was laying any ghost to rest but a way of letting the people who cared about me and the band know how the sacking came about. Also how the situation

was handled by Kelly who wanted to paint a picture that made himself look better through the whole ordeal when really he was the root of the problem. Even now Stereophonics is about Kelly Jones, not the other members of the band. Towards the end of making the last record that I played on, You Gotta Go There To Come Back, Kelly wanted to do everything.

Write the songs, produce, even do the album cover. I started to think that there was no point in me being there really. One of the things I liked doing was the interviews, being vocal, the public face of the Stereophonics.

That’s what I believed a group was all about, taking different skills into the different areas.

Kelly was a great song writer but rubbish at interviews. But he never wanted to be left out, always the frontman and with You’ve Gotta Go There... nobody wanted to speak to Richard or myself. Everyone perceived the album as Kelly Jones and the Stereophonics and although he said that he didn’t see it that way, that was the way in transpired. Every interview on the record’s promotional tour both me and Richard were ignored.”

Within the book Stuart talks about the little upsets that became big upsets that leads to his final departure but as he explains although Demons And Cocktails is a vehicle to explain why his sacking happened it was never the sole reason for writing it.

“It came about by accident really. I got to know this guy called Anthony Bunko who produced a local rag mag which was on sale in this pub. After a party at the pub we got talking about the Stereophonics and he said I must have had some mad times, so I told him the Keith Richards shepherd’s pie story. He asked if I’d ever thought of writing a book, so I told him I had considered it but never found anyone to ghostwrite it with me. You see I wanted it to read like I was speaking, rather than use big words with over 15 letters that everyone who knows me knew I couldn’t spell, let alone tell you what they meant. After sending off some test chapters to John Blake publishing, Bunko spent eight months getting inside my head. Although a major part of the book is the downside of the Stereophonics I wanted it to show the happy side of being in a band, getting that elusive record deal and living the rock ’n’ roll dream. I was never going to waste my time writing a book that just wanted to slag Kelly off. There was more to my life and I wanted to tell the truth of what happened.”

And this is what comes over in the book.

Stuart, despite the way he felt treated, never talks about Kelly other than on equal terms. In fact the respect he still holds for him as a song writer quite often comes through.

He sat in front of the piano and started playing. I didn’t realise he could actually play the thing... ‘Stu, I’ve written this thing.

Have a listen’. He then played “I Stopped To Fill My Car Up”.

When it finished he nervously asked me what I thought.

I think I said, ‘F***king hell, Kel! We’ve got to record that on the album tomorrow.

It’s brilliant.’

Though Stuart knew that his time was nearly up with Stereophonics the ending was sudden and so badly handled that it drove a rift between Kelly and himself that still taints their lives today. He received a call from Kelly when he simply said, “Hiya. That’s it, butt. It’s all over: you’re out.” He knew it was coming but the two agreed to keep it quiet until they could talk together about putting out a statement. That never happened though, and after an embarrassing phonecall from Owen Money on BBC Radio Wales, who told Stuart he had a press release in front of him announcing his departure, Stuart freaked.

“He has said sorry, though he knew what would happen when the press release hit the wire.”

After his dismissal, Stuart didn’t see Kelly for over two years until they finally met at a Tragically Hip concert in London.

“I’m a straight talker. I said to him that I couldn’t believe that after all the years we had been together that he could scrape me off his shoe like a piece of sh*t. Though I also pointed out that it’ll hurt him more than it’ll hurt me. I was his best friend. Kelly had got quite tearful and kept saying he was sorry but by that time I couldn’t give a f**k. And with my hand on my heart I can honestly tell you that I didn’t care about being in that band anymore.

I’d had the best part of three years of him saying this is how it is and this is how it isn’t.

The unfortunate thing about the band was that Kelly became to big for his boots and didn’t realise that it takes certain personalities to come together from nothing to make a product that is saleable and admired. Once you take an element away what do you have left?”

So did you write this book for Kelly Jones?

“Not at all. The main reason was to tell people about the rock ’n’ roll life and where I came from. My father died when I was 10 and

PLUGGED IN

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW my brother was 17, and for years we didn’t see eye to eye. But now I’m older and wiser I understand the pressure he was under. All of a sudden my father passed away and he became a substitute head of the house with this young retrobate to look after. My mother worked most nights at the Working Men’s Club so he had to babysit me when he should have been out drinking with his mates and shagging girls. The book lets people know that you can be successful despite all the bad stuff that happens in your life. If you believe in your ability you can rise to any level. Also understanding my brother’s plight has drawn us back together and I’m pleased to say we are great mates now.”

Do you not feel, though, by writing this book you’ve opened up your life to scrutiny, both the positive and negative aspects? Do you not feel vulnerable?

“I don’t think I feel vulnerable, well not until you asked that question! To be honest, it was something I sat down and said to Bunko. If we’re doing this book, it’s got to be warts and all, we’re not going to hold stuff back.”

Including the painful but funny story of Stuart’s perianal abscess: ‘Bloody Hell! Have you seen it?’ he muttered, rather shocked.

‘No, I can’t see it’. I answered him back sarcastically.

He told me there appeared to be a big, swollen bag of pus protruding from my rectum.

“Also the drug element. I can’t hide it from people, my son included. Yes I had a cocaine problem around the time I left the band. There I was living in Cardiff with nothing to do and a truck load of money so I partied, losing days and even weeks. But I did wake up one morning and told myself this has got to change. Two things helped me at that time. One: I moved back to Aberdare; while the other was getting a job on Kerrang Radio in Birmingham. Travelling to the Midlands twice a week meant I had to get myself together, get up in the morning and get to work.”

Though Stuart has survived his drug addiction and didn’t end up in rehab like many rock stars do, there is one addiction that came out in his book that he may relapse back into. During his time with Stereophonics he freely admits he was addicted to... the shopping channel.

So what was the last thing you bought?

“A bread knife. It was amazing, you could cut anything with it. This guy starts cutting some bread, then he pulls out this bloody hammer and cuts that in half before going back to slicing a tomato.”

Staying on the TV theme then, will we ever see the return of Cable TV and its follow up Cable Connects?

“Unfortunately not, though I’d love to do it again. The show was very successful considering it had a limited audience on 2W.” In its time Cable TV featured a wide variety of exceptional guests like Sir Tom Jones, Status Quo and live performances from Damien Rice and even Kelly and Richard playing an acoustic set. Cable Connects had Stuart driving around in a New York Cab visiting people at home, including the actor Neil Morrissey — who owns Browns Inn in Laugharne, the infamous watering hole of the great poet Dlyan Thomas — and Welsh soprano Katherine Jenkins.

“That programme with Katherine had over 275,000 viewers. Still the then head of programming pulled the plug on any further series saying that there was no longevity in it. He believed there weren’t enough stars in Wales to continue.”

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PLUGGED IN

What a shame, as Stuart has a very natural style of presenting.

“I was there to have a laugh with my guests, not to use them as a reason for a joke. Many of the guests emailed afterwards to say what a wonderful time they’d had and that they’d love to come back on again.”

So with your natural TV persona why don’t you milk your celebrity rock star status and appear on programmes like I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here?

“My agent brought it up recently and going into the jungle is something I may consider next year or the year after if they want me. But you know what I’d love to go on is Celebrity Masterchef or Hell’s Kitchen. I have a passion for cooking and the way I see it is that I’ll be learning something from one of the best, Marco Pierre White.”

PLUGGED IN recently interviewed the Stone Gods for this Issue, and they mentioned that you played with them for a short while. What other band would you like to play with if you had the chance? (At this point I quickly interjected that AC/DC were out of the equation — it is a very well know fact that they are Stuart’s favourite band.)

“My word what a great question. I’d have to say the Kings Of Leon. I’ve been listening to Only By The Night recently and love the vibe they’ve got going on, a sort of 70s style with a modern edge. Nathan Followill’s drum patterns are very similar to the way I play in a strange way, very simple but they do a lot for the song. I’ve always been a big fan of that way of playing. The Stone Gods was the best week I’ve had in a long time, so much fun. It came about when Emma Scott, a fellow Kerrang Radio DJ rang me up one evening and said, ‘How long would it take a drummer to learn 13 songs?’ So I asked, ‘For what?’ And she answered, ‘A gig.’

Well she puts on these gigs in the Birmingham Barfly and the to-be-headliners had just lost their drummer. So she sent me their album which I lived with for a week to get the feel of the music before agreeing to the task. Then I spent the next 10 days rehearsing by myself and making notes, before the guys came down five days prior to the gig to work on the songs at my house. Now I’ve played in front of 100,000 people at Glastonbury, as well as many other stadium events, I’ve been on Jay Leno’s show, Later with Jools Holland and Top Of The Pops, but I’ve never been so nervous in my life as I was in front of 200 people at the Barfly! I’m confident playing stuff that’s in my head but to go on stage with reams of A4 covered in notes was a totally different experience. Saying that the gig was a blinder. What a band.”

With your own band Killing For Company you’ve gone back to having to lug your own gear around and set up your own drum kit.

What’s it like to start from this level again?

“It gives you a true sense of reality. When Stereophonics were on tour, with each day being a different venue, I would turn up around 4pm, sit down at the drum kit, sound check for an hour, go get some dinner, have a go on the Playstation on the tour bus, go on stage, play, come off and then get drunk. The next day may be a different venue but the set up was exactly the same. I wouldn’t entertain going back to carrying my drums unless I believed in the band. And I believe in Killing For Company.

The guys are great and Greg (vocals) is a star in the making. Andy is phenomenal on the guitar, Rich a prolific song writer, while Steve plays great bass melodies and helps harmonise with Greg. Their voices work so well together.”

So where does Killing For Company stand

just at present?

“We’ve recently signed and are heading into the studio in Newcastle to start working on the album in July. We have about 18 songs to chose from and have some really big big numbers among them. I love that stadium rock thing.”

And that sums Stuart up. His passion for big epic music alongside his passion for life.

A Valleys boy who loves to rock. Whatever he turns his hand to he attacks it with the full force of his friendly nature. This is what took him around the world from his Cwmaman home. This is why you can call him a legend.

Demons And Cocktails, My Life With Stereophonics is published by John Blake, £17.99 — check it out at Amazon

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Words by Adam Perkins Photographed by Darren Warner @ Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff

I

n a time not long ago two entities ruled over many a musical minion. One was known as Mclusky and the other as Jarcrew. But following the implosion of both, 2005 saw a new, bigger and mightier force created. It is known as Future Of The Left.

Consisting of Andrew “Falko” Falkous (singer/ guitarist), Kelson Mathias (bass/vox) and Jack Egglestone (drums), FOTL have been gathering great momentum since their conception, and released second album Travels With Myself And Another on 4AD/Beggars Banquet in June.

If the abrasive and outrageous riffs produced by the enigmatic three-piece on the devilishly good debut album Curses (released in September 2007) is anything to go by, Travels With Myself And Another is going to be one hell of a ride. But don’t expect the expected.

Previous singles such as Manchasm (08) and Small Bones Small Bodies (07) are typical of the quirky and insane obtrusion fashioned by FOTL. Speaking to Falco, he told me, “Our music is a little bit trickier than your run-ofthe-mill rock music. I don’t really think we are an experimental band. I understand that we don’t have an obvious pop appeal but we try to write pop songs and give them a twist.”

Crank up the volume and you receive a heavy dose of well crafted riffage smelted into a medley of harmony and vocal expression that bends from Falco’s scream to melodic charm.

“Riffs fall out the sky 10 times a rehearsal.

But the trick is some kind of riff or musical progression or harmony which is musically interesting enough, and then a vocal melody which takes the ideas or the feelings created by that riff and pushes it even further.”

And having made waves of followers by making music that pushes many boundaries (both lyrically and musically) the trio can be assured their passion is not in vain. “We are just a rock band who believe in trying to communicate with people across all the available dimensions. “It’s a desire and a compulsion to make music. I want to be in maybe not the biggest rock and roll band in the world, but the best rock and roll band in the world. That’s one of the things that motivates me and I know it motivates Jack and Kelson as well.”

Curses is one hell of an album, and featured 7in vinyl singles Adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood and Fingers Become Thumbs! This was followed up with live album Last Night I Saved Her From

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Vampires, recorded from shows at London and Cardiff, which catches the band at their best.

“It’s something we are proud to put our names to. Selling a T-shirt with your band’s name on it is just a bulls**t way to make £10 off someone who’s really into your band and would spend their money on anything. If they are spending that money I would rather give them something which had something to do with us.”

At the same time as the live album came the release of the first single from this new album.

The epic The Hope That House Built carries a cool, smooth, bouncing riff, although Falkous’ immense scream makes you soil yourself from time to time. And that’s just the kind of thing FOTL would have you do, with their off-cut humour. “The thing with our band, for better or worse, is that what we are trying to get across, without being crass about the whole deal, is the personality of the band. All the dimensions of it. The rediculousness of it. The humour aspect, without it being like the Bloodhound Gang. And a sense of how important the band is to us, without being all pro-faced about it.”

One of the lyrics on this one is ‘In the end everybody wins’... and FOTL is on to a winner. FOTL is ballsy, it’s in your face, and the best thing about it is that once you listen to their music you’ll have to see them live.

Falkous admits that “one of the strengths of our existence is the way we play live. Some of our songs are pretty much written with the live show in mind.”

However he concedes that the new album sees the band taking the next step forward to become a more complete article. “There was a little bit of a change in direction for the new record, as in that two or three of the songs we wrote for the record — and then had to see if we could play them live afterwards. It was a different process. And that’s worked very successfully in terms of the record. And maybe that will help give the record a little more in terms of colour and something unique and or additional to the live show.”

Maybe this move from the crushing and dirty tones apparent on Curses to the more suave sophistication in the dramatic riffs that appear on the new record is down to experiences brought together from Mclusky and Jarcrew.

“Being in previous bands has helped us understand the processes of how a band works, and also doesn’t work. And we have that bit of extra experience about enjoying the good

times when they come and taking the bad times (which there are many) with a pinch of salt whilst learning from that experience.”

And this certainly seems to be paying off as Travels With Myself And Another has given them the opportunity to develop the sound and feel of the FOTL machine, which can be seen in tracks like Throwing Bricks At Trains and Lapsed Catholics. “I’m really pleased with how it’s developed musically. I think, certainly, we’ve topped the last record with this record.

And personally we are all still friends and we don’t want to kill each other. We’ve gone well beyond my own personal expectations. I truly believe that had we been an American band then we would have been 10 or 20 times more successful than we are. We are fortunate in terms of the music we make and how happy we are with it. But unfortunately our music just falls between too many stools.”

If FOTL wanted to make a musical statement, then they’ve done it with the album’s opening track Arming Eritrea, which is industrious, carries swaggering melody and twists to an intriguing finale. “That kind of thing happens very easy with us, but everything is dictated by the vocal melody. The music doesn’t sound like it would be the primary motivation, but everything fits around the vocal with the exception of a couple of songs.”

Indeed, Falco suggest that “lyrically this album is a little bit more focussed, but I never sit down and decide to write about a particular subject. I like the idea of looking at situations a little differently. Other songs I write are verbal manifestations of some stupid little story that I’ve got hounding around in my head. On the new record there is a song You Need Satan More Than He Needs You. I became fascinated with the idea that there could be Satanists out there who are trying to hold down daily jobs, or arrange a babysitter for the children and then work out how to get a goat back from a blood orgy without getting s**t all over the car. Its just as valid a subject to sing about as drugs.”

At the end of the day FOTL are good old rock and roll with a twist of insanity — “that’s what we aim for.” The new record Travels With Myself And Another is a must listen. But be wary, it’ll exceed your expectations. FOTL always do! www.myspace.com/futureoftheleft

Cardiff’s Future Of The Left return with a blinding response to their excellent debut Curses. With a sound that no trio should be able to transfer into the live arena (but one I’ve witnessed myself on many occasions) and an amazingly varied collection of alt/rock stormers which include some of their best work to date, this album should definitely be on your list of albums to provide an energetic soundtrack to the summer of 2009. This is the most ferocious pop album you will lay your hands on. Arming Eritrea comes out of the speakers and buries itself into your skull with its soaring chorus, and the hypnotic single The House That Hope Built will get the Biffy Clyro fans heads turning! This album is hookier than a butchers and a hundred times more dangerous than any of the sharps you’d find there. Make the leap from generic pop-punk into FOTL’s world of chaos! You will not return to the mundane! SCOTT ANDREWS

Photographs by Southpaw.com

Associated Minds, the hip-hop label based in Cardiff, is now considered to be one of the leading exponents of its genre within the UK scene — giving us diverse talent and music that would rarely be considered to come from a Welsh background. PLUGGED IN needed to find out more so we spoke to Mayor, co-founder of this exciting label 16 32 16

PLUGGED PLUGGEDIN IN

S

o firstly, could you tell us how you created Associated Minds and a bit more about the artists that you have released.

AM was officially launched back in the summer of 2004 with the release of Mudmowth’s Just To Get The Name Known EP. But the idea had been floating about for a while before that. I’d met my brother in ambition and cofounder, Ruffstylz, at a gig by the legendary De La Soul in Bristol. We were both getting amped in the crowd and formed a bond from that.

We’d quickly realised we were both addicted to hip-hop music and had similar views and tastes. Over the following months we ended up working on a few small things together: there were some crazy comedy mixtapes we put out anonymously and then we ended up helping out some local artists and labels with a bit of design and promotion and distro. When we finally put out two more mixtapes by Ruff, under our own little experimental imprint of Tea & Hip-Hop we realised we could take what we’d learned and try and push it up to the next level. Real soon after that we set about forming AM as a label looking to push some genuinely original music, from the artists we knew were about us with a worldwide talent and ambition.

We were joined at that time by The Breaknecks, who were Ralph Rip Shit (emcee) and Harry Macadam (producer) after we met Ralph at a battle Ruff and I were judging. He got to the final but lost, but showed enough insanity and creative energy to spark our interest. We bonded pretty quickly and they brought into the fold with them Mudmowth.

We were straight off a family of artists with a national spread — Cardiff, Swansea and London.

Over the next few years we released three records, Mud’s EP, The Breaknecks Music For Bachelors EP and Ruffstylz’s Lyrics CD. I tend to think of that as Phase One of the label’s life. We were doing our growing up in public and still learning exactly how this whole thing works. Despite it all being pretty well received critically and getting us a fair bit of attention, I sometimes cringe listening back to some of the things we did then in our naivety. Overall though I’m still happy about it all. It still makes me smile. Each thing shows a certain quality or passion we were able to capitalise on and I’m happy we got up and did something rather than worrying over the fine details and not getting going. It can be a fine line when you’re starting out between embarrassing yourself through starting too early and making a complete mess of things, versus the learning of invaluable lessons from just getting out there and gaining hands on experience.

Like I said, throughout that period we’d been making a fair bit of noise and along the way the fam expanded to include the incredible Beatbox Fozzy, the cornerstone DJ Paul B and some more incredibly talented producers, Sam Rockwell and Metabeats, as well as PLO. ‘P’ has had a huge impact on the way we do things and it’s fair to say his arrival really signified us moving up to what I see as the Second Phase of our existence — the level where we really can say we compete with everything else out there at least on a professional finish level. He’s an incredible mix engineer, but also a multi-instrumentalist, and one of the most talented producers I’ve had the pleasure knowing. He’s put a lot of that effort into helping polish off the creative rawness of the others.

We were all maturing in our respective roles at that point and the marker of that was the release of Ralph Rip Shit’s first solo 12in vinyl

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW I Got The Best Name — getting mass acclaim and featuring a whole host of UK talent. I think that stands up as a great record years on. I still bump it loud and have the involuntary head nod. We had a great time making that record and the cover was a labour of love from myself and the folk over at Southpawvision and one dirty ass tee going to see 144 friends and associates of Ralph’s.

After that we released Metabeats’ Metaphysical LP to even greater acclaim and that cemented him as one of the top new producers to watch in the UK. That LP kinda represented most of the talent in Cardiff on one record. I love it for that as well as the fact it’s a straight up great record. It’s raw headnod. And it’s an actual album, not a group of songs — know what I mean.

We just released Mudmowth’s Circus In The Cemetery as well and that’s going great.

Right now I think it’s fair to say he’s the leading individual emcee in Wales in terms of the attention he’s getting, and with him and Metabeats about to put out another EP it’s only gonna get crazier. We’re lining up to have an incredible year with a whole host more releases in the pipeline hopefully.

What makes the Cardiff/Welsh hip-hop scene different to other places?

Seriously I think it’s the fact you’re away from the influence and pressure that is the Big Smoke, London. Indirectly being in the that city influences people to act a certain way. There are truly some incredible artists up there but the general vibe from most people there is pretty much the same. Down here due to the fact there are less of us, and hence not so much a pack mentality, and people are not around the same influences there are more individuals. Sometimes I think that can lead to the music being too wacky or way out – I’ll be honest and say I don’t feel everything made in Wales – after all hip-hop is what it is and it needs certain qualities for it to appeal to the heads who like it – but I do love the fact leash is off around here and you can run a little wilder with it.

Cardiff, it is said, currently produces the best hip-hop in the UK at the moment. Why is this so?

For me the reason Cardiff is killing it so much right now is the variety of styles in one small area that each stand up in their own right. For the number of us there is in this (smallish) city the resulting high quality percentage must out way any other city I know of. We on some pound for pound best boxer business — at least right now. For proven established emcee talent none of which sound alike, we’ve got Blaktrix, Ruffstylz, the best young raw talent beatboxer in the country in Beatbox Fozzy, Dead Residents, all the Squid Ninja family of spitters, Humurak, Louis Boston, Ralph Rip Shit and Mudmowth. Incredible producers like PLO, Metabeats, Sam Rockwell, Hekla Kosh and Diverse Concepts as well as the likes of Monkey and Stagga (previously Optimas Prime) who’ve gone on from hip-hop to smash the dubstep world. That’s not to mention a whole heap of DJs and youngsters coming up on the fringes or even touch on the grime scene here. It’s bonkers, all those people there and virtually zero beefing and zero biting of styles.

What, in your opinion, makes a good hip-hop artist?

That’s a hard one. An awkward one. Talent.

Capability. That X Factor. A personality and originality take on it of their own that you believe in. I guess like any other musical artist really. Basically they got to have a vision and edge. And ideally not be a carbon copy of the

next artist out there. Hip-hop is about having a voice, speaking out for yourself, so when you hear them, and I’m talking emcees now, they should have a voice. When you listen close, through it all you should be able to see what the person is like. A touch of something that excites you or makes you relate to it.

So what makes you decide on the artists that you choose to record and release?

We look for the artists that excite us. It’s that simple really. We’ve never made a single decision based on money or say on who may increase our reputation. We’ve just focused on working with creative artists that make us feel excited about the music they’re making. We want the same buzz we felt as kids listening to new tunes to be the same buzz we feel when we’re in the studio now working with our artists. I’ll add to that as well the fact there needs to be a real chemistry there with them as people as well. We run the label like a family affair and as we all put in work that needs to be for somebody we actually like as well. That’s important to me. Building a true bond and relationship. I’ll take that over the money bulls**t any day.

What do you regard as the label’s biggest success to date?

There’s a few ways for us to look at that but I’d go for it being Metabeats’ Metaphysical LP. Like I said, that was the real representation of Cardiff at the time as well as really giving the world the first true glimpse of the talent and potential Metabeats has. It got a LOT of love all over, with the likes of Andy Smith (of Portishead fame) getting in touch to tell us they were feeling it, as well as magazines and radios all over giving it rave reviews.

Plan B magazine gave it the writers’ hip-hop release of the year in their wrap up. That was unexpected but a real nice honour.

I know it’s gonna sound like I’m spewing clichés but my shoulders are big enough to take the criticism for it, so I’m gonna say I’d like to think our biggest successes are to come. The music we’re making right now that may take a few years to see the light of day with the backlog with have is real real real nice. I really believe it’s world class. I love so much of it. I’m just eager to get all that out and hopefully really make people see there is a power house of music going on here that doesn’t always have a light shining on it in the same way London does.

Where do you think is the best place in Cardiff/Wales to experience true hip-hop?

Our studio. Speaker City. Or the Squid’s or Dead Res’s yard. Seriously, I’d say good gigs. There’s been a quiet patch of those in Cardiff after the legendary ‘Higher Learning’ nights stopped. But there’s a bunch of good promoters now who seem to be quietly getting back in the groove and bit by bit the shows are building back up. The Globe seems to be running a lot of nights, so that’s a good place for people to keep an eye on. We may even put on a show or two ourselves. Literally an ‘Associated Minds presents…’ type affair. But we’ll have to wait and see.

So what are your future predictions for Associated Minds and Welsh hip-hop in general?

For us… to keep making music we love. To keep on with what we’re doing and to keep trying to get better with every last detail of what we do. Concentrate on taking everything up a notch one step at a time. Same shit goes for the rest of Wales.

Now that’s good to hear, thanks Mayor.

Visit www.associatedminds.co.uk

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here is a parallel between getting well from a major illness like cancer and climbing a mountain. I initially got the idea of performing on the top of Snowdon when I was being treated in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd and could see the mountain from the hospital window. It gave me something to focus on and I told myself that when I get well again I’m going to climb up there.”

Mike Peters, the legendary frontman of 80s Welsh rock band The Alarm, spoke to me after performing in front of over 80 people on the summit of Darren Y Bwllfa overlooking Dare Valley Country Park in Aberdare as part of his Rhondda Rocks event (which took place on 27th June). This was the first time he had attempted one of his now famous events in the South Wales region in aid of his Love Hope Strength Foundation, a cancer support charity that seeks to invest money into the local area. All the money raised from this high level acoustic set, walk and subsequent concert in the nearby Coliseum Theatre went towards the mobile cancer treatment unit run by Tenovus.

Previous walks, such as his record breaking highest concert ever at 18,500ft in the Himalayas, provided much needed help in nearby Katmandu; while a trek to Machu Pichu and the following concert in Peru provided aid in the capital city of Lima. And as we walked up the hill on that sunny Saturday the actor Kevin Bacon and his brother, who are in a band together, were simultaneously walking up and performing on Pikes Peak in America accompanied by hundreds of supporters in a sister event for the Foundation, which helps American charities too.

Peters’ inspiring Foundation is also the charity of choice for Red Rocks, the famous music venue in Colorado. “Every event this year at Red Rocks is a Love Hope Strength event, but besides the charitable donations we get we are encouraging people at the concerts to join the bone marrow registry.

Already through this we’ve found 12 matches, which means we’ve helped save 12 people’s lives. A real result.”

It was Mike who ignited this chain reaction of events. So what drives him? “People who come back from such an illness tend to do something extraordinary. I just wanted to play a gig at the top of Snowdon for all my Alarm fans and see how many people would follow.

The support was fantastic inspiring people who would not normally do this sort of thing. Also I’ve always enjoyed walking around places like this,” he adds pointing to the vista of the Cynon Valley around us. “With its views and the experiences I’ve felt, it’s inspired to write

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the songs I do. I like the idea that my fans can experience what I felt while writing.”

It was while doing some soul searching walking around the Valleys that he wrote the classic Alarm song Brave New Wales, a song he performed at the summit of Darren Y Bwllfa along with others that included the theme tune for his foundation Love Hope Strength.

He stood atop a rocky outcrop in the glorious sunshine in his brightly coloured orange T-shirt and sang beautifully to the appreciative gathering who applaud him for more than his performance, but also for his achievement and positive attitude. Never the one to take all the glory Mike was joined on the impromptu stage by up-and-coming local talent Chris Summerhill — who after securely tying his pet dog, took up his mandolin to join Mike in a busk through some more numbers, including Kings Of The Road.

With his son Dylan on his shoulders as we make the descent back down to the Country Park’s Resource Centre, I ask Mike about his legendary performances — he is renowned for getting on stage and playing for over two hours. In Issue 3 we reported on one of his St David’s Day gigs and commented on the fact that he didn’t even stop to sip water.

“Sometimes I just forget, I get so engrossed in the situation. And as I never run to a set list I just keep going. I like to see how the crowd reacts and go where their mood takes me. I think that’s why The Alarm and myself have such an audience. We’ve always been able to respond to what’s going on with the crowd.”

Will there ever be a point when Peters says enough is enough? “That’ll only come when I stop enjoying it. I include my whole family in these events, it’s part of my life. You still see Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen doing Glastonbury this year, so I think there’s a need for good music. I don’t buy into this ageing thing and if there is one thing that’ll define this decade musically is that it’s full of onehit wonders. There’s a fashion aspect that has developed with music today, following trends — a real build them up, knock them down attitude of the media. Groups are rarely allowed to develop at their own pace. The only recent example of a band being given time to develop has been the Kings Of Leon who were hardly noticed outside the UK for their first two albums, even though they’re American, but have gone worldwide with their third album Only By The Night.”

We reported in Issue 2 that Mike was presented with an Outstanding Contribution to Music Award at the last Pop Factory awards.

What does he believe is his contribution to

music? “That’s a difficult question, but I believe I bring enthusiasm and energy to the genre. To come and watch The Alarm is great for a music fan and maybe gives them the faith back as to why they loved their favourite bands in the first place.”

Later that evening, the fund-raiser gig saw a whole host of people performing at the Coliseum, including Monster hit-makers The Automatic, local upstart Chris Summerhill, the Pendyrus Male Voice Choir and ex-Stereophonics drummer Stuart Cable with his recently signed band Killing For Company. Mike’s performance itself had the audience in raptures and won a standing ovation, especially when he was joined on stage by the 3Gs Community Choir made up of young people from nearby Merthyr Tydfil. The night ended with a complete ensemble cast of performers singing Bob Dylan’s Knocking On Heaven’s Door. A great end to a great day — for all involved.

Mike Peters

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Photographed and Interviewed by Darren Warner on the summit of Darren Y Bwllfa, Aberdare

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Words by Becca Photographs by Darren Warner @ The Barfly, Cardiff

S

quished up on a sofa in the smallest room known to man, I’m actually quite pleased with the way this Friday night has turned out. For squeezed in next to me are the Stone Gods. Speaking to them before their Cardiff Barfly gig, I ask how on earth they ever get to practice. With them all living in different parts of the UK — Dan Hawkins (lead guitar) and Robin Goodridge (drums) live in Brighton, Richie Edwards (vocals/guitar) lives just outside Birmingham and Toby Mcfarlaine (bass) currently in Norfolk — surely it must be difficult to get together regularly? “We have to schedule our time quite carefully,” Dan begins.

“We work in blocks so we don’t see each other for a while. If we’ve got a tour coming up we’ll rehearse for three or four days, then go and do it. Same goes for writing and studio work.

We’re not one of those bands that slob around in a rehearsal room.”

By combining their own unique elements and each member’s diverse musical roots — including Dan from now-defunct glampop band, The Darkness and Robin from the legendary grunge group, Bush — they’ve managed to breathe fresh air into the exciting world of rock. And they couldn’t be any more different to previous projects, so they’re worth listening to before you judge them. “I think Richie’s brought a lot more heavy riffing to the table,” Dan explains. “That heavy, chunky sort of riff is what he does very well, among many other things. Some of the punk rock element that makes us sound very different to previous projects comes from Toby. Robin has an industrial element to his drumming — that very dark stuff. And lyrically it’s just an emotional free for all.”

“Nothing is discounted too,” adds Richie.

“Stuff that you’d hear once and think that’s never going to sit with this band is always going to be explored because chances are it’ll be worked in such a way that it does suit this band.” And it seems that even includes Girls Aloud ditties. “That’s proved quite

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controversial actually,” Richie laughs. “Some people clearly love it, others are of the opinion that we should be hung forever for playing it.

But you can’t please everybody all the time.

Whatever you do there’ll always be somebody going, ‘Oh, I can’t f**king believe they’ve done that.’ But I like to think that it puts yourself with an open mind — it’s good to do stuff like that. You just have to do what feels right and if we’re enjoying ourselves on stage, than that’ll come across to the audience.”

Since first forming back in late 2006 after flamboyant Darkness frontman, Justin Hawkins, nose-dived down to rehab, the Stone Gods have released the highly successful first album Silver Spoons & Broken Bones to critical acclaim; they’ve toured with the almighty Airbourne; lost then swiftly found drummers; and have acquired a mass of devoted fans any other band would have wet-dreams over.

There may be high expectations after previous bands but, as Dan explains, the impact this can have works in both positive and negative ways.

“One of the positive things is that we’ve got people’s ear and attention already because we all come from various different bands. The press were interested in us straight away so that works to your advantage.” So they don’t feel like they’ve had to start over then? “Oh yeah, big time!” Surprising that. I mean, rocking Download festival a couple of years after forming isn‘t something all new bands can brag about is it?

With more people on the guest list tonight than anywhere else on the tour and a queue already forming outside, two hours before doors show any sign of opening, tonight’s gig looks to be larger-than-life. Richie explains why. “We’ve got quite a few ties to Wales.

The guy who co-produced the album with Dan, Nick Brine, is from down here. We also did a show in Birmingham the tail-end of last year that Robin wasn’t able to do, so Stuart Cable (ex-Stereophonics and Killing For Company drummer) stepped in to play drums

so we ended up spending a week in Aberdare rehearsing at his place.”

These rock ’n’ rollers know that with big tunes comes big responsibilities, so one of the requirements of being a bloody good rock band is to consistently satisfy the taste buds of every well deserved fan. Silver Spoons & Broken Bones evidently got the ball rolling, so what about a follow up? “We’ll be starting work on a new album as soon as this tour finishes actually. We’ll be a lot more focused when we go in to record it because you’ve got to bear in mind, when we were writing Silver Spoons… we’d never played live. Going in to record this new album, having done 70 or 80 shows last year and a handful this year, will be a whole different mindset.”

Seeing the Stone Gods live is an experience you don’t quickly forget. The collection of expertise and dedication they’ve amassed in their separate years of touring has given them a significant advantage over other upand-coming bands, generating one with heaps more potential than previous ventures.

Richie’s gravely vocals are a far-cry from those Dark days, and it couldn’t come as more of a nice surprise. Who would have guessed that this once Darkness bassist had such a magnificent pair of lungs? Thundering riffs in Burn The Witch and the fantastic chorus of Don’t Drink The Water prove to be crowd favourites, while that seemingly controversial yet legendary Girls Aloud cover, Something Kinda Ooh, transpires as sheer genius. You know this is a wonderful world when a room packed mainly full of beer fuelled, Slipknot t-shirt wearing, middle-aged men find the audacity to sing along. The blues-country sounds of Magdalena Street and the ballady Lazy Bones bring the mood down, chameleon-ising Richie’s vocal tones with it. Ultimately though, it’s the heavy fricking metal people want, and it’s the heavy fricking metal people get! www.myspace.com/stonegods

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Words by Lisa Derrick & Gary Bolsom Photograph by Darren Warner @ The Barfly, Cardiff

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e had the privilege of interviewing one of Wales’ most promising up-andcoming bands, People in Planes, and not just in any old venue ­— we were joined by the high spirited John Maloney (drums) and Ian Russell (keyboard) in the tour bus nonetheless outside Cardiff Barfly! Already making a name for themselves in the US, PiP decided to come back home and aim for likewise on home territory, so we couldn’t help asking why they’d decided to make a name of themselves across the waters rather than home first.

“Well, basically, we got signed by a New York label and they didn’t really have anything going over here, but now they have and we’ve been dying to put a record out in the UK and we can do it now. So the American thing was we had a record, they wanted to sign us and at the end of the day you jump on every opportunity in life… and it was an opportunity we were given and we grasped it with both hands,” says Ian who also goes on to add how they missed Wales. “It was annoying not being able to come home for a long time, but the label said that there would soon be a branch over here… so it was good to come back to our stomping ground.”

In addition to the record deal in America, another fruitful thing which has come about from being US based is working with Joaquin Phoenix. That’s right, Oscar-nominated Walk The Line and Gladiator actor Joaquin Pheonix — one hell of a coup for a band from the little coastal town of Porthcawl.

“Joaquin directed the music video for us on a track called If You Talk Too Much Your Head Will Explode, which incidentally was originally called Talking Heads.” John goes on to explain why this was. “It was changed so that when people heard it on the radio they could easily identify with it.” The conversation inevitably moved back to the band’s work with Joaquin Phoenix. “He was intense! But a really nice guy to work with. It was around the time he was nominated for the Oscar and he was on the cover of everything, but there was no ego at all.” We discussed tales of Joaquin at the time and how he was delving into hip-hop, rapping all day and growing one hell of a mean beard, about which John confessed to beard envy!

Asking about the unusual name of the band, we were told, “We’re just fascinated by planes, it’s almost like a teleportation device your brain can’t really comprehend — the idea of being a person sitting 35,000 feet in the air in a piece of metal! There is also a sense of adventure about it which I hope PiP will have; a great adventure in the music world!” We won’t go into the details of one adventure they had in a plane which includes the words “turbulence, fuselage, woman’s hand gripping Ian’s leg.” Let’s just leave it at “crazy!”

We delved into the early influences of the band members. The I Should Coco album by Supergrass was a main one for Pete and Gaz. “When they were growing up and hanging out

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listening to music, seeing a band who were young kind of led to them believing it can be achieved — and now it’s all happening for us, so it was a massive influence. And then we actually got to work with Sam Williams — the guy who produced the I Should Coco album — it was big and surreal! We spent a lot of recording sessions talking about their recording sessions. We could have done the album in half the time!” Other influences include Neil Young but… “between all of us we have quite an eclectic taste — we like a lot of stuff. John will find some new band and bring it to us and we all get in to it. He was raving about a Canadian band called Wintersleep who he reckoned were awesome. Then we gigged with them three years ago in Canada! It was a great experience. They got signed and have two albums now, so check them out” After recently completing their second

album Beyond The Horizon we were curious to find out how different the recording of their two albums had been. “There was a huge difference, on this one we got the opportunity to work with different producers. It’s a bit alien to have someone come in and strip your songs and rearrange them. Obviously you got so used to playing it one way and fell in love with it and believe you had it right or otherwise you would have changed it ages ago. We did change it a million times to get to where it was and all of a sudden some guy comes in and revamps it or changes different angles to aim at.”

After using three different American producers throughout the album they decided to work with a British guy called Dan Austin who has worked with the likes of Massive Attack.

“He just produced one song on the first album.

We realised when we came back from the American producers that it just wasn’t People

As the first note on the keyboard drones out a warning signal on the first track Last Man Standing, you gather that PiP are not going to give you run-of-the-mill rock — they want your attention. There is a fabric to their music, layering moments of minimalism next to crashing anthemic crescendos. This album has been highly constructed, with every element carefully considered like a pretty building by architect Norman Foster.

Frontman Peter Roberts described the recording process as “painstaking at times” and that attention to detail shines through, making this album shout at you to stand up and listen. Every mood in the book is there throughout the 12 tracks, giving a real intelligence to the music — which is why you must seek out this standout album by this standout band. DW

In Planes, and the record company allowed us to go in with a guy who we wanted. A lot of it was recorded in Pete’s bedroom, nowadays you can do that but we did the drums and bass in a studio as we needed the right acoustics.

We are all happy with it now.”

PiP are quite a philosophical bunch and a quote on their website reflects as much; “People In Planes are mainly concerned with living to see another day.” We were curious as to the thinking behind this deep and meaningful strap line and asked the boys to explain. “It’s just about getting through the day, every time you watch the TV or pick up a newspaper there is always something horrific happening in the world so you never now what’s around the

corner. Be fearful but at the same time live life to the fullest.” John goes on to cite 50s icon James Dean: “Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today” one of his favourite quotes. “Unfortunately, soon after he said that he died tragically which goes to prove that you never know what’s around the corner.”

So we come to the end of the interview and there’s time just to ask about the future of the music industry and the outlook for the band. “It’s all about playing live now isn’t it? I think bands now more than ever have to cut it live and that’s where it’s at nowadays. If you want a career you can’t afford not to perform.

Labels are starting to get involved more with the live scene. At the end of the day labels

need to make money, because they are the ones that take bands on and spend a lot of money to make the music in the first place.

Somewhere along the line something has got to happen. I’ve heard about sites where you can download songs legally and the bands and labels make their money from advertising, a bit like TV, and I guess that’s just the way it’s going to have to go, but I can’t stress enough about the importance of playing live gigs.”

PiP are going to be busy touring this year.

It seems this animated, vivacious, amenable band are all about the live and aren’t afraid of a bit of hard touring. www.myspace.com/peopleinplanes

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Words from an essay by John Niven Photographs by Dean Chalkley (courtsey of Hall Or Nothing) 24

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T

he Manics return this year with their ninth studio album, Journal For Plague Lovers.

Produced by Steve Albini and recorded live at Rockfield Studios in Wales during the winter of 2008, the album features lyrics by former guitarist Richey Edwards across all 13 new tracks. Nicky Wire said of the decision to use Richey’s words after all this time, “The brilliance and intelligence of the lyrics dictated that we had to finally use them. The use of language is stunning and topics include Le Grande Odalisque by Ingres, Marlon Brando, Giant Haystacks, celebrity, consumerism and dysmorphia all reiterating the genius and intellect of Richard James Edwards.”

‘Riderless horses on Chomsky’s Camelot...’

(Richey Edwards, Peeled Apples). Five words from the chorus of the opening track — but what do they mean? The riderless horse follows the casket in a military funeral procession, empty boots facing backwards in the stirrups.

The tradition stretches back close to a millennia, to the campaigns of Genghis Khan, when horses were sacrificed so they would be there to greet fallen warriors in the next world. The most famous riderless horse used for US state funerals was Black Jack, whose oilcoloured mane swung in the cold Washington air behind the coffin of John F Kennedy. Noam Chomsky wrote a savage critique of Kennedy’s foreign policy during the Vietnam era entitled Rethinking Camelot.

So, military funerals, sacrifices and fallen warriors, Kennedy, Vietnam, geo-politics. All from five words. Did Richey Edwards think all that through and condense it to one couplet so that, as with all good poetry, the fit, hungry listener might extrapolate meaning back up from the bottom? Or did he just think it sounded f***ing cool? As Bradfield and Moore bring the drums and the Les Pauls in on the chorus — the whole thing underproduced by Steve Albini to sound like a virulent ransom note — you are powerfully reminded that it is one of the great joys of rock and roll that it doesn’t much matter either way. ***** 1994 and in Cardiff four men — young and dissolute — begin making what will become the

most extraordinary record of their generation, The Holy Bible. Just over a decade and a half later (a millennia in rock music) and one is tempted to conclude all that has changed is that it is now just three men — older, resolute — who gather in Cardiff to make a record.

In the weeks before he disappeared in February 1995 Richey gave away certain items of his possessions to his bandmates. To Nicky Wire he gave a clutch of notebooks, whose contents, amongst many other things, included the lyrics sung by James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire on this record. As an artistic endeavour, giving voice to someone who can no longer speak for themselves, it is without parallel. Of course the words of poets long gone, from Burns to Dante, have often been set to music. More recently the Mermaid Avenue record posthumously put Woody Guthrie’s lyrics to fresh melodies but, in all these cases, the writers were unknown to the composers.

A task beset with great responsibility then.

Add to this the typography, the Jenny Saville artwork (used previously as the cover for The Holy Bible), the cracked fragments of dialogue that segue the tracks, the guitars that growl and claw beneath the floorboards of the songs, blips of feedback, pickup stutter and flanging wash preceding their arrival and echoing their departure: in edifice and execution this latest album is a clear, deliberate companion piece to a record without peer at the time and now widely regarded as a career best.

Great responsibility and inevitable, no invited, comparison with the finest work you have ever done. Why would anyone put themselves in such a position? Because here there is no why. The genuine artistic endeavour presents itself as a fleeting thought, that becomes a recurring thought, that eventually becomes the only thought possible. In the end, you don’t have a choice. The thing will out.

What were the only thoughts possible for Richey Edwards in the days when he was keeping these notebooks? As one might expect the imagery is Yeatsian, apocalyptic, in places.

The fury, rage and invective of The Holy Bible, these are vices for youth. Natural enough to scream at the world in your twenties, if you

haven’t found a way to coexist — however precarious, however uneasy, however doubtriddled —by the time you reach your forties...

As the years pass, in any artistic process, technique often replaces urgency, methodology overcomes chance, and assurance displaces anxiety. There are costs to be borne here; what can rich, comfortable rock stars living lives of forty-something luxury truly understand any more about the pain and isolation of someone in their twenties who decided that those riches and comforts would never be his? ***** Ultimately the mature artist comes to understand that interpretation, criticism, approval — how the thing you’ve created is received in the world — are as nothing when set against the act of creation itself.

And so to the end, William’s Last Words. In a voice as neutral, calm and serene as an early spring morning, Nicky Wire — a man in middle age now, with children of his own — sings, “Isn’t it lovely when the dawn brings the dew, I’ll be watching over you.” And, “Wish me some luck as you wave goodbye to me, you’re the best friends I ever had.” And, “I’m just gonna close my eyes, think about my family, shed a little tear.” And, finally, “I’d love to go to sleep and wake up happy.”

In the sepia of hindsight it is literally unbearable. And the urge is overpowering, physically painful, to reach back through the fog of years, back through platinum albums and stadiums filled and worlds conquered, to reach back and tenderly enfold, to look into hazelnut eyes and whisper the words known to every parent: “It’s OK. It’ll be alright.”

But this is sentiment. And Manic Street Preachers are not sentimental people. It wasn’t OK. And it wouldn’t be alright. “The thing that’s eating at you, wants to eat you.”

Springsteen says. “And so your life is...how do you keep that from happening?” Well, as Bruce knows, as Elvis and Hank before him knew, sometimes you can’t. You fight and you can’t win. ‘It’ wins. And the rest of us get what is left scattered around the room, the great and terrible debris of that battle: we get the album you are holding now. Art, basically.

Pull-Out-And-Keep Poster

Words by Kayleigh Edwards Photograph by Darren Warner

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n 2004, Liam Cormier’s astute idea for a band name was finally put in motion. Having the staggering idea of putting together animals with diseases it meant that Cancer Bats were already ahead of themselves before the band had even started. “I was goofing around at work killing time when I came up with the name,” Liam (vocals) explains, “so when Scott (Middleton, guitar) and I were starting to jam together, I told him my idea for the name and it stuck. We just wanted to start up a hardcore band that had all our favourite parts of punk rock and metal.” With bands like The Bronx and These Arms Are Snakes encouraging the boys to begin the, as they call it, Death’n’Roll journey, they took heed, adding each of their own distinctive elements and before long they had already recorded a demo and were touring as much as they could possibly manage “and then just never stopped.”

But where did all this ambition for metal come from? “Everyone in the band got into Black Sabbath at a really young age. I think that’s what shaped what we’re into now.”

Growing up with healthy doses of AC/DC and Led Zeppelin to keep their rock levels up, was also of great assistance in their upbringing.

Now Liam sees his heroes in the people he watched growing up, as he was getting into Punk music, “and seeing that anyone could be in a band and play shows.” The people who remained so down to earth in the bands were the ones who gave him the biggest influence, and it shows immensely in all the members for that matter. You don’t even have to talk to them to realise this. Simply seeing them live, the way they can communicate so easily with any crowd, without seeming conceited or narcissistic, is obvious. It’s a beneficial factor for any band to have.

They guys even carry their modest attitude through every aspect of their growing fame, never believing, or even imagining they could rise this far or this fast, not having any idea that “we would get to this point of touring as much as we do and being on the size of tours that we are.” Then again, getting into this band, all each member wanted to do was tour and work for the band as hard as humanly possible, simply because they were so

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW passionate that this was all they wanted, even needed to do, and now it’s clear to see that their determination was worth every struggle.

Nonstop touring for them means they’ve got to know a lot of fans, a lot of supporting or intolerable crowds, in a lot of places. They’ve experienced many different kinds of reactions to their music, and a diverse collection of music scenes, and can easily say that the music scene within the UK is cosily similar to that of their home-country of Canada “where kids are excited for tours to come through their home town.” They feel American kids are spoiled with the opportunities they get when bands are going to their towns every week — similar, in fact, to Wales and England, with big bands from across the border rarely come to our large towns. It helps us Welsh music lovers appreciate it when even the smallest of bands grace us with their presence, and that’s what these guys love, because as long as they have fans valuing their presence, then they’ll value each one of those fans. Their shows are always “rowdy” with UK fans, we know how to have a good time, or so the Bats say. “Nobody is worried about looking cool, they’re just worried about partying the hardest and having enough money for booze.” They’ve even managed to make a great number of comrades over in these parts, that “makes missing home a lot easier.”

In the few years since the band has existed, they’ve had the good fortune to be able to play with numerous bands such as Punk legends NOFX, and even played the renowned Download Festival in 2007. December 2008 saw them get the chance to play with Welsh heroes Funeral For A Friend, and not only that, it was their biggest ever UK tour to date. Being the heaviest band on the bill for each night also entitled them to display extreme diversity for the audience to enjoy, giving them extreme pleasure, simply in the fact they were able to stand out so much, and still having a positive response every night, enough to “get the room sweatin’.” They were also treated to something different with the FFAF tour — they had the privilege to see more of Wales than most tours tend to, with the four dates in various parts of the country. By the sounds of

it, they loved us too, exclaiming “it was rad getting to see more of Wales than just Cardiff, all of the Wales dates were crazy shows and we had a blast.”

With all their touring practically filling up their already busy schedule, it’s tough to imagine where they find the time to write the songs, let alone record them. They plead that a radical amount of their influence when writing songs is hearing other bands who’ve released astounding albums themselves. “When we listen to other bands really pushing themselves and growing as a band it makes us stoked to write new stuff and push ourselves as band.”

During the writing process of their newest album Hail Destroyer, which hit the shelves last April, they gathered their excitement by their influences in albums like Baroness’ Red Album and Against Me!’s New Wave, all bands that had grown vastly since their last albums, taking risks and doing just want they wanted with their songs, “which then gave us a real sense of confidence to do whatever we wanted with our record.” They found ideas for the album from actually being on tour too, just by how it “had shaped us as people,” what they had gone through and how they’d “built up from nothing,” the sacrifices, the struggles and still the optimistic attitude that never left them doubting what they were doing for one minute. In the time it took to write and record the album, they had managed to fit in over 250 shows across the globe. Now that’s dedication!

And their plans for the future? Nothing melodramatic or superficial, but realistic and admirable. “I plan on loving life and being sweet until I die.”

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

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Funeral For A Friend

The Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd

Words by Becca Photographed by Darren Warner @ Bar Co, Swansea

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ierra Alpha are, quite possibly, the best up-and-coming Welsh band around.

Since their birth in October ’07, they’ve quickly ascended to the very heights of excellence, giving them plenty to blow their own trumpets over. “We’ve been on one big high from the start,” frontman and guitarist Martin Goddard, explains. “We were behind the scenes for a while, just rehearsing.

The four-part harmonies we have is not something you can just reel off. It’d be a disaster if after one practise we thought we could all sing in harmony, so rehearsing eight hours a week gives us the opportunity to put a lot of effort into getting it right.” In the band, alongside Martin, are lead guitarist Andrew ‘Raul’ Evans, drummer Simon Beecher, bassist Stuart Davies and, tinkling the ivories, keyboardist Andrew Harries.

Their unique sound has distinguished them from the rest of Wales’ up-and-coming bands. Irresistible hooks and danceable powerpop beats seem to appeal to fans across the UK, but who exactly do they think they sound like? “We try and stay away from comparisons as much as we can. In any music though, new or old, you’re always going to be compared to someone. We get a lot of Queen and Maroon 5 but I’m confident that our stuff is original compared to the other stuff that’s out there.”

After coming third out of 11,000 bands in last year’s Surface Unsigned Festival, Sierra Alpha must undoubtedly be pleased with such a result, despite being pipped to the post by eventual winners The Chairmen and second placers, Lazy Fader, especially since it now seems they’re the ones to have benefited the most from it. “Through that competition we met everyone that’s now part of our team. The record company [Major-G Records] saw us there as did our manager, photographer and PR company.”

The independent label, Major-G, whose founder, Gordon Rintoul, once worked with the likes of Paul Weller and Alanis Morrissette, will now be distributing Sierra Alpha’s releases worldwide via InGrooves, one of the world’s biggest distributors. The first of such releases is five-track EP, Superhero, out in June on i-tunes. Title track Superhero will also be their first single release, a song which Martin hopes will be recognised for use as a film soundtrack. That may sound a little optimistic but their song World Machine has been used by Myspace Video as backing tracks to a couple of film interviews, so it looks like Superhero has a chance of further reaching the vast cinema audience.

This first official EP is exciting enough, but what about future releases? “We’re hoping to have an album out by the end of the year.

We’ve got enough material now but we want to see how the single does first.”

As Martin’s eyes begin to wander in the general direction of a young woman in a skirt, it becomes clear ladies feature heavily in this songwriter’s day-to-day life.

No surprise then, that the vast majority of Sierra Alpha’s songs encompass the female sex in some way or another. “Love and girls do seem to be the main source of inspiration,” Martin admits. “But I don’t set out to write a song about love — that’s just the way it goes sometimes. I like the fact that our songs are really honest and tongue-in-cheek.” The titles tend to speak for themselves — Weekend Lover, Spending On You and Feel Love Again are but a few examples — while Come Hither, a massively catchy number, is delightfully risky in its lyrical content (‘I still taste body on my breath, I still smell skin where we slept’), especially when you consider it’s been taken from personal experience. “Yeah, it’s about sha**ing. I wrote that song in the car park when I was getting picked up from that night actually.” Hmm, classy.

So what does the future hold for Sierra Alpha?

“International superstardom,” Martin grins. “We’ve only been around for a year and a half and already there are bands going, ‘Oh, we just want to follow in the footsteps of Sierra Alpha’. Our songs are also taught in drum and guitar classes so it’s all amazing stuff already. The most exciting thing coming up for us this year, is that Surface Unsigned have asked us to come back to headline this year’s competition at the Indig02 in the London 02 Arena”. I’d say that’s not bad going for five 20-something guys from Llanelli!

Tonight’s gig shows Sierra Alpha at the peak of their musical careers. With Bar Co packed with the reliable throng of passionate fans, it’s not hard to see just how far these boys have come. Everyone knows and sings along to the addictive masterpieces Piece

By Piece, Come Hither and World Machine while the two brand new songs, One More God and the wonderfully memorable Loco, seem to have adopted a more experimental, rock ’n’ roll edge. That distinctive Sierra Alpha sound is still present however, as those four-part harmonies are put to good use once again, showing why they’ve distinguished themselves from every other band on the South Wales circuit. As Martin, “he who puts the God in Goddard”, does well to stretch his vocal range with some Mika-esque high notes in their own version of Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean, I begin to wonder — is there anything Sierra Alpha can’t do?

Keep these guys under your musical microscope. They really are going places. www.myspace.com/sierraalphamusic

Every year I make it a must to see Funeral at one point, their live home shows are something you can’t miss. As we arrived People In Planes were already on stage and giving the crowed a good taste of things to come. From the first second I heard them, I was hooked. Their catchy tunes and melodic singing is enough to put a smile on even my mother’s face, who had also come down to the show. It was a shame they were on so early, a lot of people missed them as they were playing when everyone was coming in, and their style of music would have worked well with Funeral’s if they’d been second on.

If I was to find any fault with their set, it would be the gaps in between song were just a little too long, killing the momentum of the set — but that’s only a small flour against an all round great show from the boys.

Next up were We Are The Ocean who gave the more heavier funeral fans something to enjoy. Heavier songs have never been my favourite, but I enjoyed watching this band — it may have had something to do with the energy they had on stage, I can’t remember any member of the band staying still for one five seconds. The singer was talking and jumping along with the audience, making them feel part of the show.

After a short break, the lights dimmed over the crowd and Funeral took to the stage. From the first note the crowd were at Matt’s fingertips, singing along to every word and screaming their lungs out when Matt faced the mic to them. Keeping with the momentum, he blasted out the first songs of the set without stopping for breath. The band played most of the singles along with the best hits. You could tell just by looking at the boys that they were happy to be home and playing for the local fans again — every time Kris’s face showed through his mass of hair, he had a smile from ear to ear.

After the show the boys were all meeting friends and family members who had come down to the show. I caught up with Darran Smith who was nice enough to give me a few words about the show. “We always make it a must every tour we can to do a show or two for the home crowd, it’s to give something back if anything. If it wasn’t for these people we wouldn’t be where we are now and we just show that we appreciate that.”

I asked Darran what’s in the future and what can the fans expect? “After playing our last dates, we’ll be carrying on writing new songs. We have a few already and are looking to get two or three more done within a few weeks. Also come September October time there will be a Best Of Funeral For A Friend record, so keep your eye out for that.”

At the end of the night, me along with everyone else at that show came out with a smile on our faces. Not only did Funeral put on an amazing show once again, but Darran even took a bit of his time to give a few words back for the fans. After this night I can’t wait for the next Funeral single, album or tour.

And I am most definitely going to see We Are The Ocean and People In Planes again.

JOSHUA ISLES

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Words & Photograph by Nadine Ballantyne

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oung Irish progressive rock band In Case Of Fire came to Cardiff recently during their gruelling UK tour. After the Barfly show where they were supported by local boys Exit International, PLUGGED IN caught up with the band who, after losing a band member not so long ago, decided to start again. “We were down to a three-piece which caused us to examine how we composed songs. We wanted the new band to be more aggressive and to have a meaning behind everything we did”.

They’ve just released their first album Align The Planets which was recorded here in the Welsh Valleys, so we asked them what it’s all about. “The title is taken from the song with the same name on the album which is about the apocalypse. We chose this as it best encapsulated what the album covered from a lyrical standpoint. The lyrics running through the album cover topics like false war, wrongful imprisonment, child abduction and how all of these things are happening daily around us and we’re doing nothing to stop them. We want the album to be a call to arms, so to speak, for everyone to stand up and fight against the evil that’s surrounding everyday life.

“We’ve recorded this album twice now. Once at home with a great producer friend of ours

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from Northern Ireland called Rocky O’Reilly.

That recording got us our management and our record deal. After we got our deal we went back in and re-recorded the album with Gil Norton at Rockfield Studios in Wales. That five weeks of recording was the best time we’ve had in our musical lives so far. Getting the chance to be so creative and to work with someone like Gil, who is such a legend, was something we’ll never forget.”

Growing up in Northern Ireland, do you believe that your country’s past has influenced your music?

“We’re influenced by a lot of things that go on globally as well as on our own doorstep. I think growing up and seeing things happening in your own country that beggars belief definitely has an effect on you and how you approach everyday life. I reckon that some of the events that have happened in Northern Ireland have shaped us maybe not musically but definitely as people.”

Although ICOF keep a steady head live, they should be gleaming on stage after recent events that include opening for Kerrang’s Relentless Tour and a major signing. “We’re excited right now as our parent label are Zomba from New York, but having Search & Destroy take over

for the UK means that we’ve got a label that’s used to marketing and releasing in the UK, so they know the best way to build a new band.”

You’ve recently toured with some heavyweight names in rock music like 30 Seconds To Mars, Queens Of The Stone Age and Funeral For A Friend. Is there anyone else that you’d like to play with?

“I think our dream tour would either be with The Mars Volta or Muse, or if we could reform some bands to tour with we’d have Refused, At The Drive In, Soundgarden to name a few.

We love touring as playing live is what being in a band is all about. We hate bands who can’t play well live as they’re fooling their audience with false recordings. Playing live is why we got into music in the first place as you get to see the audience react to your songs right there and then so you get the most honest reactions.

Wales has been great for us so far but we’ve only played a couple of times. I think there’s definitely a different feel with crowds from Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland when compared to some parts of England. The kids just seem a lot more excitable and really there for the music.” www.myspace.com/incaseoffire

We Are Giants The Barfly, Cardiff

On a first name basis with most of their ever growing fan base, We Are Giants Greg Kelly steps up to the mic. With check shirts, skinny jeans and long hair you may mistake these guys for your typical indie group, but this assumption is shattered by their first song The Fool & The Juggler. The stark smack of the snare and crisply struck chords of the guitars release an explosive energy along with the saliva of at least three different people all over your face as the crowd chants the lyrics. The climatic build of the beginning of the song is complimented with a ‘News At Nine’ style lyrical introduction — “Ladies and gentlemen, this just in!” The audience of bumbling teenagers becomes a flurry of moshers — an unusual sight for what can only be (loosely) classified as a pop/rock band.

Smoothly transitioning into the next song and the guys are into the swing of things. The raw seduction of Greg’s vocals and the pop tones of lead guitarist Gary Goodwin ring out with conviction. Bassist Tom Watkin’s energy is contagious and his Chili Pepper Flea-like leaps are emulated by the audience; while drummer Chris Allen keeps up the pace with a fluidity and sound inspired by Dream Theater, Travis Barker and Austrian-born drummer Thomas Lang. In contrast to the rest, guitarist James Morgan brings a cool slickness to the fivepiece from Cardiff, drawing attention with his inspiring lead breaks. It’s difficult to liken this band to anyone else but breaking the sound down, their individual influences are clear — an eclectic mix of Alkaline Trio, Story of the Year, the Welsh Attack! Attack! and Motown.

What’s most intriguing about We Are Giants is the ingenuity and confidence they possess for a new band. Formed six months ago with only four gigs, they command the audience with such dexterity they literally are putty in their hands. Gary’s unique writing talent offers scope for everyone to showcase their accomplished skills. A melange of pop, rock, punk, ska and even screaming, it seems We Are Giants is precision engineered for success.

Overall, an entertaining night and a promising new band. ELIZABETH DAY

Fight Night

The Muni, Pontypridd After a break of a couple of months, Fight Night returned to the Muni back in March with a line up that got everyone excited. Dreamer, who haven’t played since their explosive opening set last year, were headlining and backed by The Dirty Youth, new band Accident Music and Cardiff hardcore band, Her Cold Surrender who, first on, blasted through a set of brilliant songs which warmed the crowd up and definitely left an impression. Next up were Accident Music who had only played one previous gig and, despite this, were quite excellent. They punched out catchy rock riffs and great melodies that the crowd lapped up. The Dirty Youth’s set was absolutely fantastic, mixing ridiculously heavy tunes with catchy choruses and finishing with a well received cover of RATM’s Killing In The Name Of and almost the entire room were singing along with an angry roar that would make Zack de la Rocha proud. The entire night had

been building up to this moment and with an explosive scream from the crowd, Dreamer kicked off a blistering set with everything you’ve come to expect from this exciting new band mixed into one, like a rave-inducing drug that everyone took simultaneously. I look forward to their next slot at Fight Night and hope it will be soon.

are plaguing the bar until the headliners make their appearance. Immediately getting stuck into the bluesy rock of Burning Through Black and Sick Of You, Them Is Me are breathtaking to watch. The exceptional Gary Stringer, looking much like he’s just been possessed by the spirit of Mick Jagger, simply screams attitude as his sexy swagger and velvety vocals instantly lure all female eyes stage wards. Jack Bessant‘s clearly loved, yet seriously scathed, bass hangs down at his knees, guitarist Jonas Jalhay’s grimaces make for hilarious comparisons to the competitors at the World Gurning Championships, while ex-Basement Jaxx drummer Nathan ‘Tugg’ Curran blinks away the sweat, confirming just how hot it’s got tonight. On recording, Them Is Me are your run-of-the-mill rock band — the songs are good enough, but there’s no real kick to them. Live though, those once mediocre songs transform into the best music your ears will have ever heard. The amount of energy thrown behind each and every note is unbelievable. And you even start to ignore the fact that Gary looks like he wants to fellate the microphone every now and again. Catch these guys when you can — you won’t regret it. BECCA

Ultravox

St David’s Hall, Cardiff Not for a long time has there been a metalfuelled Fight Night like back in April. Every band on the bill was guaranteed to create masses of pitting and earaches, because this wasn’t any Fight Night, this was the last show Johnny Mental would ever play. Hitcher from Scotland were up first. I listened to this band on myspace before the gig and I was impressed with their live sound. The 10 hour drive seemed to be worth it as the crowd loved this band and got moving as soon as they hit the stage. The Death Of Her Money picked up their game and delivered a great set with a very unique sound which seems like a cross between punk and metal, a great combination. The support bands were impressive but no comparison to the headline act. I first saw Johnny Mental at the first ever Fight Night and was disappointed to hear that this was their last gig. I was sure that they’d go out with a bang, and they didn’t disappoint. They made the most of their last show as the biggest pit I’d ever seen erupted behind me and the set list included some of their best songs and fan favourites. This band will be missed in South Wales. RIP Johnny Mental. LIAM PADFIELD

Them Is Me

Milkwood Jam, Swansea Opening duo Weird Naked Indian have been psyched about this gig for ages. Well, it’s not everyday the opportunity to support Them Is Me, aka ex-Reef (Place Your Hands, Naked), comes around is it? They jolt the night into action with humble, upbeat drum and acoustics, resembling that particular style Newton Faulkner’s made so popular. No doubt they will have gained a throng of new fans.

Four young guys, two acoustic guitars and some simple musical expression make joint support One Random Sunday who too, look genuinely chuffed to be playing to such a packed venue, despite the fact that the majority of punters

John Foxx departed from an early Ultravox and Midge Ure (once of teenage heartthrobs Slik and power pop princes Rich Kids) took over as lead singer in a band that for several years from 1980 onwards struck commercial gold.

Ure, Chris Cross, Warren Cann and Billy Currie had Ultravox spearhead a new romantic scene, and the futuristic foursome conquered the charts with the likes of Sleepwalk, Reap The Wild Wind, Passing Strangers, All Stood Still, Hymn, The Voice, The Thin Wall, Dancing With Tears In My Eyes, Lament, Visions in Blue, Loves Great Adventure and the vivid Vienna anthem.

Hit albums such as Rage In Eden and Vienna have now been remastered with bonus tunes and other updated CD and DVD packages such as Monument, Quartet and The Very Best Of Ultravox are also on re-release. A 2009 Return To Eden reunion tour has the guys perform on stage for the first time since Live Aid in 1985, and a show at St David’s Hall had the Welsh capital feast upon a nugget of nostalgia!

The frivolous fashion and facial fur may have disappeared, but Ultravox proved that their technological tinted tunes have stood the test of time and the audience thrived upon a sound that comes over as style not stale! There are many new acts that attempt to replicate the electro ethos of a distant decade, but as regards swathes of synthesiser punctuated by gallant guitar, violin virtuoso, driving drums and a range of computer-led wizardry welcome to the domain of Ultravox. The family favourites and melodious momentum of past Midas takes the punters on a radio-friendly ride, but the leftfield lustre of tunes such as Mr X prove that there is a lot more to the Ultravox armoury than pristine pop. The obvious influence of Kraftwerk filters into the forum and without these German giants the 80s would have been a different decade. Ultravox absorbed 70s European enterprise to form their own polished product that still craves for tomorrow’s world, and many dance acts over the years have pinched a beat or two from these influential icons. Many thanks to Ultravox for satisfying one pang for the past! ROB JONES

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Words by Emma Garland. Live Review by Victoria Lyons Photograph by Leah Evans @ Solus Bar, Cardiff

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he Maccabees are a five-piece from South London. Growing up in an area better known for drum ’n’ bass and dubstep, it was inevitable that the five would be drawn to one another. “We met as 17-year-olds hanging around and we were the only people we knew who wanted to be in the band,” says guitarist Felix White.

The Maccabees play good, clean, indie music similar to Foals and their London-based peers Good Shoes and Jamie T. They are currently signed to Fiction Records (best known as being home of The Cure for over 20 years) and are described on the label’s website as a “British Arcade Fire.” They established their name by flicking through the Bible and landing on the story of The Maccabees, but don’t be misled, it’s just a name, they’re not a religious band, despite the members having names like Orlando and Felix…

The Maccabees have definitely come a long way since their first single X-Ray was released in 2005. Their debut album Colour It In was named album of the year by Artrocker in 2007, and you may recognise their song Toothpaste Kisses which appeared on a Samsung advert in the same year. Their jerky guitar-driven sound landed them in the indie/art-rock pile, but also set them apart as something other than ordinary. “I just think sometimes people write you off for what they perceive you to be and not for what you are,” Felix says.

Colour It In was widely hailed as a collection of hooky melodies, highlighting the bands’ knack for transforming songs with subject matter like a local swimming pool into something incredibly poetic. This was two years ago, the band were still on their first album, still exploring their sound. Considering the success of Colour It In, the pressure was on them to produce a follow-up album of the same, or greater, magnitude. Despite this, they remain a band who are evidently still in their infancy in terms of their own goals. “It was difficult in the sense that we knew we could do better,” says Felix. “When you’ve set in your heads how good it has to be, it was definitely a challenge realising it. It’s a healthy thing for a band to feel that they have something to prove, I think. We felt a bit of that making our second album.”

Their second album Wall Of Arms was released on May 4th, and definitely shows a leap forward in terms of, well, everything.

Having moved on from the unavoidable subject matters of youthful heartbreak and nerdy yearning, Wall Of Arms has a more of an ‘epic’ sound. Having said that, with the help of Markus Dravs who also produced Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible, could anything else be expected?

It’s no coincidence that Orlando Weeks is being projected as a kind of Britpop Win Butler. “He just liked the songs and we wanted to work with someone who was passionate about the songs and had their own vision for them,” says Felix.

The sound they have aimed for on Wall Of Arms is one that works for them though — epic, echoing, anthemic tracks layered to hell and back with reverb. And it hasn’t lost that raw guitar sound often piercing into the arrangement and providing that edge that The Maccabees began with.

No Kind Words was released as a free

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download to gauge public response. It was well chosen as a track to exemplify the combination of Marcus Dravs production and The Maccabees original jerky sound. The track opens with a hard-hitting drum beat, a rumbling bass and some harrowing vocals. It shows their control over arrangement — taking out instruments and putting them back in again to create a contrast between moody poeticism and incendiary guitar lines. “I suppose it was an introduction to where we’ve got to this time around,” says Felix. The video for No Kind Words also features Mathew Horne of Gavin & Stacey. “Mat has been coming to our shows for a while and we’ve become friends. It seemed like an obvious thing to do to get him involved in a video.”

When asked where The Maccabees saw themselves 10 years from now, the response was, “Hopefully all still doing something we enjoy!” And with the band set to play Glastonbury Festival and headline another tour in September/October, I think the chances of that happening are becoming increasingly secure.

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ith their second album, The Maccabees have evolved from excitable youth, stammering about love, to something more powerful. Wall Of Arms has the same atmospheric poppy tone as Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible, courtesy of producer Marcus Dravs who worked on both albums. As with Colour It In (2007), it is Orlando Weeks’ lyrics and poetic delivery that provide a great deal of the rhythm and substance. As he hollers lyrics like, “Why would you kill it before it died?” and “Those who keep me company, they are a wall of arms around me”, they are drenched with so much feeling that they’d have broken Thatcher’s heart had she heard them! Admittedly, the lyrics do become repetitive in places, particularly in the choruses of Love You Better and Can You Give It, but they are barked out so passionately that it’s forgivable. The title track is one of the high points of the album, including some remarkable lyrics and a brass arrangement played by Beirut’s backing band.

Be prepared to hear Orlando’s voice blown up enormously, settling itself right at the front of the mix ready to jump into your brain and echo there for days. It’s sometimes a little too Arcade Fire for my liking. Orlando’s voice has been tampered with to sound like Win Butler, without quite reaching Win Butler status. The

distinctive Maccabees sound that came with Colour It In seems muffled under a sea of vocal echo and the rise and fall of delicate verses into booming choruses. None of this is a bad thing, and the whole album is delivered with such passion and sincerity that they pull it off, but sometimes it’s not so much ‘The Maccabees’ as a collection of sounds borrowed from the likes of Arcade Fire and Echo & The Bunnymen.

That being said, there are still many points in the album where their own engaging candour shines through. And this is only their second album, The Maccabees are still finding their own sound, and experimenting with others’ is always a part of that process.

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alking into Cardiff University Solus, on the 12th of May, unfamiliar with any of their music, I would be creating my opinion on The Maccabees based on their live performance alone. But unlike their opening track No Kind Words, I have only kind words to describe these naturally talented beauties that re-ignited my First Love for live music.

Supported by the kooky, folksy, yet highly endearing Mumford & Sons, predicted to be ‘the ones to watch out for’ in the coming year, these four guys really hit home what it is to have a passion for the music they write and perform. The lead singer, Marcus Winstone’s, charming and powerful voice, reminiscent of Kings Of Leon singer, Caleb Followill, sang passionately, drumming the lyrics into the hearts of every onlooker. Combining banjo, double bass, guitar, keyboard and drums, it was almost like witnessing a Barn Dance of fervour, translated into toe-tapping, pulsing songs such as The Cave, Roll Away Your Stone, Hold On To What You Believe and a personal favourite of mine White Blank Page, where the band really let go, performing with such freedom, it felt like an intrusion on a private practice session.

Mumford & Sons were highly refreshing, a pleasure to watch, and the perfect support for The Maccabees themselves.

Strolling on stage The Maccabees instantly set the tone for their set. The crowd, obviously being a strong fan base, erupted immediately into cheers and roars of anticipation, as lead singer Orlando Weeks became engrossed, barely pausing for breath, letting the lyrics flow, from No Kind Words, X-Ray and Tissue Shoulders before interacting with the pulsing, highly enthusiastic fans. Not only sounding the part, but looking straight out of a fashion spread in Vogue, dressed in loose velvet, check shirts, tight jeans, and moving lucidly around stage, The Maccabees are the poster boys of the indie scene.

Playing music you can’t help but smile to, you could almost close your eyes and become mentally transfixed with the calm, subtle beats and cool melodies of Toothpaste Kisses and Precious Time — both clear crowd favourites, as every lyric echoed around the intimate setting, creating a euphoria from these naturally talented Brighton boys. All too soon the band closed with First Love, encoring to Mary and Love You Better. So after being fortunate enough to observe the easily likeable and talented lads perform with such vigour and lustre, I can’t help but love them better myself.

Iglu & Hartly The Point, Cardiff

Words & Photograph by Nadine Ballantyne

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n the way to this gig, little did we know that it would turn out to be one of the last to be played at The Point before its unfortunate closure days after. Newly tipped rockers Iglu & Hartly graced the stage in style and made it a memorable gig for all. Before that though, Dufraine from Swansea were the only support and they brought with them some alternative catchy tunes. They collect together a neat performance and a quirky fun attitude towards the job in hand of woo-ing a mixed audience throughout the set. Their beats feel like it’s just all about the good times and it was definitely how it looked on stage too — a band that gets along like friends and makes you want to dance along like no one’s watching. A good choice for support.

Iglu & Hartly are a two-way singing hip-hop yet pop-rock-synthing machine who are full of love and look like they belong back in the 90s.

The mix of genres seems to work for them well — not many bands can rap, sing, play some good ol’ rock ’n’ roll and look good and get away with it these days. And not only that but these two are able to fully show it off in their live performance, not sounding a key out of place, and with both singer’s vocals seeming to connect and just flow well together makes this band stand out even more. The crowd thoroughly enjoyed them and jumped around no end. Girls flocked to the front and guys didn’t hesitate to show off their dancing skills either. Towards the end of the set they kept up their tour tradition of pulling all the girls they can onto the stage. The gig ended on a high as most of the crowd were singing along and dancing to Iglu & Hartly’s final monumental minutes here at the Point.

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Nick Kershaw

Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff

There was no doubt about it, I saw the ad for Nik Kershaw and I knew I was going! When I got to Clwb Ifor bach on the night the excitement was palatable. Those who know the venue know that it’s rather intimate — and tonight there were about 150 people packed in. First up were four pretty boys from Swansea called Karl Morgan & The Click. Not bad at all, they played four original tracks and a Rod Stewart cover. With a hint of Space (from the 90s) they left you with a feeling that they sounded a bit like... then towards the end it hit me Maroon 5. They got the crowd involved and ready for the main act. Good job boys! Then the man we’d all been waiting for. Any doubt I had that he wouldn’t live up to the fantasy was banished when he started singing.

He was fantastic! The professional in him played the crowd to perfection. There was a great mix of his old hits and newer stuff. With chat in-between but not too much to take away from the music. The fantastic thing for me was that he wasn’t plugging a new album, his last was in 2006, so you got the impression he was doing the shows cause he loves performing. The icing on the cake was at the end of the set he came out to talk to whoever wanted to talk to him, pose for pictures and sign autographs. All in all for me a fantastic night that made me brim over with nostalgia! SIWAN DAVIES

Gold Blade

The Globe, Cardiff

Attack! Attack!

Islington Bar Academy, London Attack! Attack! are once again going out on tour, this time though on their own headline show and taking with them other Welsh pop punk fiends Save Your Breath. It seems like a high point for Welsh bands at the moment, as touring at the same time are the likes of the Blackout and Kids In Glass Houses — I’m surprised the kids have the money for all these tours! From start to finish during this energetic gig, the Londoners keep up with the band’s amusing chit chat and Ryan’s rock ’n’ roll faces. They keep the mosh pit going all through the set and a few times even take over from Neil Star on vocals, making it feel truly atmospheric and a room full of love! It just makes you realise how many people this fresh new Welsh band have affected already in their short (although heavily toured) time and are going to keep on growing and growing.

NADINE BALLANTYNE

ONCE PUNK ALWAYS PUNK proclaimed the t-shirt worn by the grey-haired frontman of first band up, Noise Agents. And looking around at the older crowd with their green hair, tattoos and piercings (and that was just the women) that seemed to be the motto for tonight. Hailing from Cheltenham, Noise Agents were playing their first live gig together, but it didn’t show. They blasted though their set with confidence, and if you like your punk rock of the 1-2-3-4! old-school variety, then these are your men. Next up, ace trio Graveyard Johnnys sounded like a super-charged Stray Cats. Their 100-mile an hour punkabilly set was thrilling, with the double bass player and guitarist swapping vocal duties, and their drummer — all wrapped up in a balaclava and scarf — keeping the pace at breakneck speed. Many moons ago, John Robb fronted marvellous noisemongers The Membranes. These days, he’s the main man behind Mancs-based outfit Gold Blade. If you’ve never heard Gold Blade, imagine a molten mix of The Clash, Fugazi and the MC5 — all influences cited by Robb and his band. And after more than a decade of playing live around Britain and Europe, they really know how to put on a show, from their quiffs right down to their white brothel creepers (Rock ’n’ Roll shoes — ask yer granddad). Like a punk rock preacher man, a bare-chested Robb got the crowd whooped up into a frenzy — or at least pretty excited for a Thursday night in Roath.

Brother John came over all evangelical asking, “Do You Believe in the Power of Rock’n’Roll?” as he laid his hand on the heads of punters who yelled back “Oh yeah!” At one point, when an over-excited blonde woman grabbed his nether regions, John asked, “Is this how you greet people in Cardiff?”

Er — no — not usually. But we were all pretty glad to greet Gold Blade tonight. Once Punk, Always Punk? Oh yeah! STEPHANIE McNICHOLAS

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Agent Orange TJ’s, Newport

Anarchy was alive in Newport with the finest punk bands around converging together to celebrate the genre that is Punk Rock. The gig started off with a bang with Newportbased band Bad Samaritans. Their set was fast paced, rocky punk music, and with songs like Me, Me, Me you can see why they were a crowd pleaser. For a band that have only been together for nine months they provided a very entertaining show, from singer Dean’s loud, powerful lyrics and vocals to the speedy guitar rifts. A band with so much energy I was surprised they didn’t burst on stage. Next up were Four Letter Word, a five-piece from the Welsh Valleys who have been together for 17 years, but have recently changed their a new line up with young drummer Glen. Their sound is upbeat punk with strumming guitars and hard-hitting drum beats. They are a great punk band with years of experience. Third band on was Love And A 45, a pop punk band hailing from London with a lead female vocalist. This four-piece provided a fun-filled set with great pop punk songs like Six Times Over and In The Valley. Singer Katie proved she could match the boys with her strong vocal talent and had a sugary but gnarly sound, not too dissimilar to Courtney Love or Debbie Harry. This lot really connected with the audience and entertained the crowd with their pop punk anthems — so not surprising to hear then, they were the UK supporting act for the headliners.

For a band that have been going for 30 years Agent Orange had all the energy and stamina of bands that are twice as young as this three-piece. The line up consists of Dusty on drums, (who was not afraid to bear his torso on the night), Sam on base/vocals and Mike on guitar. The band are from Orange County, Southern California, and describe their sound as “flawless perfection”. This is the second time the band have played in Wales and they seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves in the legendary TJ’s. Their set was great and their sound was distinctly west coast America, with echoes of the Beach Boys in the guitar riffs — they list surfing as one of their main influences and this is a prominent feature in their sound.

Agent Orange’s songs were full of catchy chorus lines and cool punk rock anthems, enhanced with great instrumental pieces, in songs like The Last Goodbye and I Kill Spies. The fans loved the set and the band were lapping up the energy from the crowd. The guys state that the best aspect about touring is meeting new people and playing in front of the fans, and this was evident at the gig. Agent Orange definitely show the younger punk bands how it is done and prove that you are never too old to play Punk Rock. VICTORIA TURNER

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Reemer

Barfly, Cardiff On a scorching Sunday afternoon, the Barfly hosts a bill chock full of hotties for the young ladies of Cardiff to enjoy, starting with Merthyr boy Karl Andrews and his solo project You Left, End Of Story. Always a daunting prospect venturing out as a young solo artist, Andrews performs a solid set of acoustic folk-punk-pop which grabbed the attention of hordes of screaming girls hounding the front of the stage. Rounding up a mass sing-along with a cover of Blink 182’s I Miss You, the tiny venue took on a stadium-like feel for those brief minutes.

Next up were Bridgend’s We Are Giants and Newport’s For The Team respectively. We Are Giants’ bouncing set of summery, energetic pop-punk made me feel that these guys were South Wales’ answer to New Found Glory — even singer Greg bares more than passing resemblance to NFG’s vocalist Jordan. Working the crowd up with a punchy set of tunes, the five-piece definitely left their mark. Hat’s off to For The Team, who kept the feel-good factor riding high, with a catchy set of melodic pop rock with punky overtones. The crowd reactions were very positive for both bands, leaving their mark on a crowd who had mostly come for the headliners Reemer, who were fresh from an arena tour with McFly. This was reflected in the fact that the crowd screamed over the sound of the band, whose touring has paid off. With a super-tight and road-tested set, the Reemer boys set the standard, but the potential shown by the support acts was overwhelming, and the future of Welsh pop-punk is undoubtedly in good hands. SCOTT ANDREWS

My Vitriol/ The Xcerts Barfly, Cardiff

Wedged between two men twice my height I squeezed round to face the stage. The amount of people packed into Barfly was phenomenal and expectation hung in the air. Advaita kicked off the night with an eclectic fusion of traditional Indian vocals and snappy funk bass lines. Nitin Sawney influences made for easy listening and the eight-piece from India impressed with their seamless transitions through various genres. Complete with tabla and sarangi among more western instruments (electric guitar, bass and drums), Advaita laid the foundations of anticipation for the bands that followed. Unfortunately, Medusa from Bombay didn’t quite hit the mark.

Bouncy instrumental clashed with monotone vocals which were, at times, complimentary though for most of the time repetitive. This interesting combination of electro-fairground style music with Inme vocals was saved by a pacey rhythm laid out by the drummer and pre-recorded tracks with breaks in all the right places. The Xcerts stole the show, their first song exploding from the stage. Demonstrating excellent showmanship, vocalist Murray performs with expression and the crowd are chanting the lyrics from the off. With the ability to control the energy as if with a dial The Xcerts demonstrated a reflective, understated climax. Punchy lyrics accompanied by punchy beats smoothly transitioned into the next song.

Poignant lyrics are accentuated by effective breaks and the listeners’ emotions mapped out by the sound. The lengthy introduction and smoky atmosphere set the scene for My Vitriol. “Its been a long time Cardiff” echoes from the stage as they begin. The roar from the crowd meets the prickly riffs and cutting vocals producing an overwhelming sensation.

My Vitriol commands the small venue with equal passion and rigour as that of a larger stage. Spectacular use of dynamics and elements of Prodigy’s Firestarter spurs bursts of energy from the crowd. The precision of the instruments and excellent rhythmical devices were enough to forgive the lack of clarity due to distortion and the incessant strobe which made it difficult to look toward the stage for longer than 20 seconds. Winding up with a catchy encore of Katy Perry’s Hot N Cold it’s clear the fans are devoted to My Vitriol and Cardiff welcomed them back with open arms.

ELIZABETH DAY

Goldie Lookin’ Chain

Parc Hall, Treorchy

After another soccer shocker from the woeful Wales soccer team there was an imperative need for a tonic. From the afternoon misery of the Millennium Stadium the search for satisfaction led to an evening at the Parc Hall. At this Valley venue the attack minded nine men of Goldie Lookin’ Chain helped make amends for a demoralising display from the drab dragons of John Toshack! Unlike our weary national football squad GLC offers energy, enthusiasm, enterprise and entertainment — and God bless these Newport nutters for their cheeky charm! Tongue in cheek charisma, street lingo and shell suit chic lead to a Half Man Half Biscuit manifesto for the hip-hop generation. The Top 40 may have closed its doors to the joys of GLC but the lads have not dried up as a creative force. The new Asbo4Life album ensures that wayward wit and weird wisdom is aplenty, and the charisma of GLC on stage is still abundant. A lively Cwmparc crowd responded to random references that ranged from corned beef to cabaret DJ’s, and the rap rhythms rocked the foundations of an ever-blossoming Rhondda music outlet. On a night when the clocks went forward and we lost an hour, Goldie Lookin’ Chain gave us back an hour. Cheers to the lads for rescuing a day that was set to be consigned to the dustbin! ROB JONES

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Rolo Tomassi/ The Grammatics Barfly, Cardiff

Despite the mid-week lull that affects most live-music venues these days, a well-attended Barfly was treated to one of the strongest bills of up-and-coming UK talent so far this year. The ramshackle riffage of Pulled Apart By Horses kicked off the night in the dirtiest of fashions, and even though to look at they are some of the prettiest boys the north of England has to offer, the sound that pummels from the stage (a Queens Of The Stone Age meets Blood Brothers amalgam) is as ugly as you want, with single Meat Balloon help lay claims to this sort of juxtaposition. Leeds based Grammatics have recently released one of best UK rock/indie crossover debut albums in recent memory, and the band totally support this sort of acclaim live. Frontman Owen Brinley’s soaring voice is spine tingling, but not to single out anyone in this band, the four-piece as a unit create something that oozes superstar potential — with the likes of the stabby Shadow Committee and epic closer Relentless Fours being huge, huge songs. Grammatics are proof that the UK have a band who can, in time, easily rival The Arcade Fire in dealing out epic intelligent rock. Gallow’s Steph Carter’s better-half Eva Spence has become a bona-fide pin-up of Kerrang! worshipping boys, and being the focal point of tonight’s headliners Rolo Tomassi may well help bring the crowd in. The pocket-rocket-in-need-of-a-locket has a voice ordered straight from the eBay of hell. It turns out that most of the crowd are gluttons for the insane noise these guys produce — a wolf in sheep’s clothing comes to mind when describing this band. Hot off the back of their last Cardiff performance, RT deliver the goods in the loudest way possible leaving ringing ears and Cheshire cat smiles across the whole crowd! A successful night for the new breed of eclectic British rock. SCOTT ANDREWS

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Photographs of The Grammatics & Rolo Tomassi

by Nadine Ballantyne

Electric Six

Sin City, Swansea Believe me when I say there is a heavy metal tribute to the Bee Gees. It had to happen someday so it’s with eager anticipation Sin City awaits the first signs of such a band.

Bounding on, drenched in glitter, leopard print and donning risqué white catsuits, Tragedy have got the Gee’s down to a tee. Until they launch into those 60s tracks that is. Then, they’re just in a world of their own. Heavy metal versions of Staying Alive and Saturday Night Fever may sound terrible in theory, yet in reality they might just be better than the originals. You must must must see this band live. They are the Bee’s Knees. It’s been nearly six years since self-proclaimed political band Electric Six last set foot on Swansea soil. In that time, numerous members have come and gone, four more albums have been made, and controversy surrounded them in 2005 as their version of Radio Gaga sent Queen fans reeling with outrage. As it stands, singer Dick Valentine is the only original member left, but since this is the man that gave the world Gay Bar and Danger! High Voltage who cares what they’ve been through? It’s all about the music, right? It takes Dick & Co a while to really get into the gig spirit, but once they’re there there’s no chance of return as the back of one of Dick’s capes, emblazoned with the word “SHOWTIME”, confirms. That familiar genre-blurring of theirs links the funk with the punk and the dance with the dirty rock ’n’ roll bravado only E6 can pull off. Danger!’s instantly recognisable opening guitar riff whips the crowd up into an awesome frenzy, while Gay Bar ignites an impressive collective sing-along, giving the straightest of men the chance to shout the words “I’ve got something to put in you” to each other at last. Songs off the new album Flashy manage to deflect one hit wonder status, giving the Six more flexibility to have fun — an essential to any Electric show. BECCA

The Beat

Parc Hall, Treorchy The Rhondda venue unveiled The Beat as a sextet minus Dave Wakeling but now led by Ranking Roger and his son. In an era of economic and social woe many folk are finding it hard to muster up a smile, but The Beat do their utmost to quash the doom and gloom. The band were on fine form, the acoustics were crystal clear and a crowd of punters from across the ages danced until they dropped. The vibe could not have been better and the music of The Beat united the ‘general public’ in the name of a good natured, fun night out. These ska scholars gelled the family favourites with their more contemporary catalogue, but it was the yesteryear hymns that received a rapturous response. The likes of Mirror In The Bathroom, Hands Off She’s Mine, Ranking Full Stop, Tears Of A Clown, Too Nice To Talk To, Rough Rider, Jackpot, Drowning, Save It For Later and Get A Job rocked the house, but set opener Stand Down Margaret is now tinged with a call of “Stand Down Gordon!” The Beat first hit the charts 30 years ago but their timeless tunes still deliver pop perfection, and Ranking Roger did not want to bring the Cwmparc gig to a close such was his joy. The Beat thanked the fans for a warm welcome and on the back of this electric evening it may not be the last time this act visits a vibrant Valleys venue.

Until then, check out the sonic tonic of The Beat via the You Just Can’t Beat It 37-track career highlights album. ROB JONES

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Devil Sold His Soul It’s not a typical Sunday when Barfly sees a full blown night of British metal. First on are local Valleys act In The Firing Line who kick off with a fresh progressive style, whilst seeming dark and epic at times with the singer throwing himself around full throttle screaming down the mic. They definitely show some style within their genre of mixing up some breakdowns within the deathly screams and shouts and definitely get the attention of the crowd. Saturday’s Kids are next on and taking the notch slightly down bring on a more punk atmosphere, which starts off promising but then quickly dies out — especially as the vocals are sounding dire and the crowd is wondering what the hell is going on. I’m sure a cat howling could do it better and would get more attention! At least they’re giving it a good try though.

Shaped By Fate, one of Cardiff’s own true metal bands are the main support and get the crowd’s attention with some proper rock ’n’ roll action. If you haven’t seen Shaped By Fate then you’re in for a treat, as they just have no care for their own safety and dive in and out the crowd throughout the set leaving the security guard frantic throughout. They mix it up with some new tracks which have gone down well as the crowd haven’t stopped moving and don’t intend to. With the air calmed down and the crowd refreshed Devil Sold His Soul take to the stage with a eerie atmosphere and enough strobe light action in this tiny underground club to make you epileptic, but it all goes with the sound and energy they jump around the stage with. Every moment sees more and more of the crowd trying to get the front and each screaming along. The vocals remain strong and the sound feels much tighter than that you’d hear off the albums, the guitars are also a strong presence creating those moments that’ll make the fans remember this gig for some time to come. Let’s just hope it’s not too long.

Lethargy Tonight showcases a short and sweet gig of locals of alternative metal and rock. There’s a very friendly atmosphere in here tonight as bands stay to watch each other and having good friends lurking around the front to provide some deserved support. First band on are Tonight We Set Sail, who despite being the youngest of the bands are a fresh new metal act on the scene who play some good tunes. With a bit more experience in live gigging — the singer could do without hiding his face behind the fringe! — and working with each other on timing, this lot are set to rock out. Next are a more down tuned band whose singer who can’t help but tell us it’s his first ever live show, which he copes well with showing no nerves. You can definitely tell they’re influenced by older thrash metal bands such as Pantera and Sepultura, and playing a cover of Down’s Bury Me In Smoke definitely proves it. The rest of the band seem to be enjoying themselves just like they’re some friends jamming out together. Then headliners Lethargy are introduced, which just makes the gig even more down to earth with a presenter and the promoters down at front supporting the bands all night — it all feels like it’s truly about the music. Lethargy mix an experimental style of old and new rock into their music, at times feeling grungy with a mix of modern vocals and vice versa — very pleasant on the ears. Having had some good coverage recently and also getting to play on a festival bill with Opeth, there is definitely something about this band to check out. As well as their performance being the best of the night and not a key out of place, you can easily see how into their own music they are and love playing however friendly the crowd.

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Gigs @ Cardiff Barfly Words & Photographs by Nadine Ballantyne

Sonic Boom Six Barfly gets a taste of some punk, some rock and some ska tonight — starting with John Q Public (formerly May Contain Nuts). They’re young, energetic and a band that you can just enjoy watching play through a 30-minute set of straight up punk rock ’n’ roll.

Random Hand plough through a mixed set of metal and reggae, which also includes some good ol’ trombone action that gets the crowd dancing. Not often you’ll see a band like this mix it up with some metal riffs and not massacre their songs, and it seems to fit unusually well — although you don’t know if you should be pitting or high fiving the guy next to you!

Still though, a well played out set and full of life. The lights dimmed, a projector was set up to show clips of videos and snippets of artwork from their newly released album City Of Thieves — heralding the arrival on stage of Sonic Boom Six. They mix a fusion of punk, ska and hip-hop together, which gets the crowd pumping. Members occasionally swap instruments, bass to vocals, guitar to trombone... they all mix it up and get on like a house on fire. Although their new songs are a step away from previous ones and cast more emphasis on the hip-hop vocal side of things, lyrically throughout they sound very street and direct.

Their Northern accents inadvertently work with their sound and live presence, which main vocalist Laila and bassist Barney take charge of — ensuring the crowd are dancing along all thoroughly enjoying this up-andcoming band. One to watch!

Twin Atlantic Tiger Please open up the night and being the quietest band of the lot play through a quick set. Their indie presence only does so much for the crowd, although they have some potential — especially with the song they choose to end the set with which feels epic. Me My Head are a London-based electronica rock band who have quite a punky feel to them especially with the synths, but I did feel some songs dragged a little through the middle of the set.

Things livened up for their last song, proving to be their best and unique and audience appealing. Scotland’s Flood Of Red kick off with just piano and vocals and dive into a truly distinct and emotional set. From start to finish their tunes feel like alternative anthems and creates a friendly atmosphere for fans to hang back and sing along too all the way through. Ending the set with yet another emotional song that really creates a buzz and makes your hairs stand up — definitely a band who should be bigger than they are.

Twin Atlantic, also hailing from Scotland, seem to be the new answer to a heavier more progressed Placebo as the vocals do feel quite similar but the guitars are much more diverse and more rock ’n’ roll and well... unique. The singer instantly waltzed down into the crowd who hide behind the lights, but this doesn’t stop him from throwing himself about on stage and giving one hell of a performance. The crowd join in with a sing-along, enjoying the more faster and punky songs — ending the night on a high.

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Oasis

Millennium Stadium, Cardiff It seemed like the whole of South Wales had congregated in Cardiff, and who could blame them. The weather was perfect, the beer was flowing and one of Britain’s most important bands of the last 15 years had decided to hold a sing-along in the Land of our Fathers. Nostalgia was in the air with a setlist where old classics and soon-to-be new classics were belted out to over 60,000 fans young and old, and those fans belted them back. The atmosphere was buzzing (and that’s not just from the countless gallons of beer landing on unsuspecting heads) with random people singing along merrily to one and other. The setlist was something to drool over if you were an Oasis fan, classics such as Live Forever, I’m Outta Time and The Masterplan were delivered with a huge amount of passion and then mixed with sing-out-loud anthem songs such as Cigarettes & Alcohol, Don’t Look Back In Anger and Rock & Roll Star.

It all made for a very sore throat all round the following day! Liam delivered the songs in his usual manner of cool arrogance and the ability to stare down 60,000 people. He doesn’t need to dance around all over the stage and mosh his head aimlessly to grab the fans’ attention, He alone is captivating enough. Oasis didn’t take much time out from they performance by talking randomly to the audience, they just got on with their set, focussed on playing and acknowledged the fans throughout. There’s nothing worse than going to a gig when the band spends half their time talking rubbish — just get on with it! If I wanted to talk I would go on a webchat, I just wanted to sing and sing I did! With the set drawing to an end and with so many other classics not played there was one on my mind that just had to come, a song that is loved by all, a song which will live the test of time and unfortunately was never released as a single...then the waves washed over me as the guitar kicked in for Champagne Supernova! Sung with such intensity that I felt 60,000 people become one and sing our little hearts out. To end the gig Oasis covered the legendary Beatles song I Am The Walrus, which they synonymously end their night with — a song filled with random ramblings about nothing in particular that could only be thought up by John Lennon and somehow make it work, Oasis did as they always do, played it spot on! June the 12th with be a night I remember forever, for as long as I live. GARY BOLSOM

Ockhams Raiser Con Club, Ton Pentre

Seeing Kadesha on stage is always a pleasure as she seems able to carry any song and make it her own with her soulful voice. Tonight, with the help of Len Arran, she proves that she has stepped up her game and is prepared to progress, making this the best performance I’d ever seen her play. Ockhams Raiser deliver us a foot-tapping, jaunty ride of punchy songs that carry a hint of Americana about them, with tracks that are at times funky while other times chilled. They are not your run-ofthe-mill band from Wales, sliding their talent between music categories, which does mean it’s difficult to place them but also that they become unpredictably exciting. The line from Forrest Gump, “Life’s like a box of chocolates, you’ll never know what you’ll get next” sums up this band — though one thing is certain, you’ll never get any of those nasty coffee creams. DW

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CDs, EPs Downloads & Demos Over the next seven pages we bring you our opinions on what new music is hitting the market.

Whatever the genre, we’ll review it — especially if it’s from Welsh artists

send your CDs for review tO: THE EDITOR PLUGGED IN magazine Haul Fryn Publishing HAUL FRYN Courthouse Street Pontypridd CF37 1JW

Tongues For A Stammering Time Patrick Jones With his tongue planted firmly in his cheek, Patrick Jones addressed the audience at the recent launch of his album: “I’m too controversial for the Manic Street Preachers” — fully aware that some of those present would be looking around for the band members who have contributed to this absolutely amazing piece of work. Jones understands the difference of opinion that he creates and I could almost say relishes the arguments he knows he’ll start. His poetry has had Christian Voice in turmoil due to his atheist views, while politicians shy away from his presence due to the backlash that they perceive comes with association. But one thing that is allowed in this country is freedom of speech and Jones’ poetry is his way expressing his views. On Tongues For A Stammering Time he backs his wonderful prose with dramatic, haunting or melodic music that he asked a wide selection of musicians to collaborate on — including his brother Nicky Wire and fellow Manic James Dean Bradfield, alongside the brilliant young upstarts from Neath, Lethargy — and opens the doors to poetry as wide as they can go. Not that poetry and music haven’t worked together before, Leonard Cohen was highly regarded for his poetry long before he set it to music. And because Jones is first and foremost a poet, it’s the words that lead this album, demanding your attention as Jones spits them out. There is no doubt his passion is truly heartfelt and, ironically, can almost be compared with the fire and brimstone religious preaching of Billy Graham — or is it ironic? — though his words are more personal and more appropriate to his time here in these Valleys of South Wales. On Dysunitednation he speaks the lines “Patrol your borders obey their orders, but we welcome Hitachi Aiwa Toshiba and Ig, We worship Ronaldo Nani and Thierie Henri, yet we spit at frightened refugees”, which highlights the hypocrisy of the increasing racism that’s appearing in this country; while Valleys Comprehensive attacks the performance-related teaching that stifles free thinking and creates undue pressure on the pupils within our schools. Tongues fires opinions at you from every angle and at times weighs you down with a heavy force of being unable to do something, but is also an eye opener. In this day of surface level views and music moguls-controlled pop pap we need to be brought to our senses by a strong force, we need to be shown a path, a real direction, or at least learn to make our own voice heard. Who can now dare to say that nobody writes protest songs these days? Because Jones has. Not since The Clash barked The Guns Of Brixton, signing a declaration of verbal war against the governing bodies and police authorities of that time, has someone done it so well. Jones admits he’s no pop star, no front man for a band; he is not his brother and doesn’t want to live under his brother’s shadow or protection, but this album is quite simply his true breakthrough to the people — his moment of truth and true recognition as a major artist. With this astonishing album he is able to reach the masses, rather than the few at a solitary poetry reading. For those of you who question what’s going on around you and who want to see a change, then this is for you. And whether you are a believer or non-believer in whatever is your god, Jones’ poetry makes you believe in yourself and your basic human rights — which, of course, includes pressing the stop button if you don’t agree with him. DW PLUGGED IN

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Manic Street Preachers Journal For Plague Lovers (album) They can arguably be crowned the ‘Kings (and Queen — Nicky Wire? hehe) of Welsh Rock’, but even after an illustrious career under their belts the Manics return with an album that has left the die-hard fans salivating at the prospect of a band recapturing their roots. The premise of once again hearing lyrics written by Richey James Edwards (who disappeared in 1995 with no trace) has added a massive amount of emotional gravitas to this release, but what we do have is a great album, darker in tone than the last few Manic’s albums but it doesn’t reach The Holy Bible Part 2 level that was expected — and all the better for it. Edward’s unquestionable genius is once again on display lyrically, but is complemented with music that allows his searing intelligence to seem less cold and sound more human. From incendiary opener Peeled Apples to the melancholic swan song William’s Last Words the band have created something unexpected but nevertheless very special here. Welcome back boys! Scott Chris Cornell Scream (album) A brave venture of an album from ex-Soundgarden/Audioslave vocalist, Chris Cornell — Scream has certainly caused quite a stir in the music world recently. Initially, this Timbaland produced effort is enough to make you weep with despair as you attempt to reminisce about the good ol’ Cornell times.

But listen to it again and again and you’re likely to eventually find yourself ashamedly forgetting Cornell’s once rock roots and grooving on down with the newest addition to the hip-hop crew. Each and every track is blatantly tarred with Timbaland’s R&B brush, as the album thumps, loops and pervades its way through its rousing 66 minutes, bonus track included. There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of reinvention. Even when it is the leading rock wailer of the 90s. Becca Love On A 45 Too Blonde for You (ep) Love on a 45 are a pop punk band from London with a female lead singer. The first track, Breakdown Payout, is a solid pop punk single with reminiscences of Blondie and Hole, especially with the lead vocals. I really enjoyed track two, Pearls on Broadway, with the electric guitar solos and its rocky edge to the song. The strongest track for me is track five, Sold As Seen, with its catchy chorus — definitely the most upbeat track on this thoroughly enjoyable ep. If this is anything to go by Love On A 45 have a solid future ahead of them. Victoria T Delphic Counterpoint (single) “Just tell me nothing’s wrong today”, pleads the singer on this instantly-likeable swirling dance track. OK then — I will. Can’t find much wrong with this, though I wouldn’t have a clue how to dance to it! Steph

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Levelload I’ve Been Thinking (single) This single is a mix between The White Stripes and the Ting Tings. A distinctive female voice complimented by a guitar sound, that had me wanting more. Gary Fight Star Being Human (album) I loved this album. I wasn’t expecting much, but it was brilliant. I’m really pleased I got to review it as if I hadn’t I would never have bought it and therefore would never have got to listen to it! So many of the inspirations are from absolutely awesome bands that it could have ended a totally messy and awful album, but they’ve pulled it off and have an album to be proud of. I wanted to write more, but my niece’s boyfriend has fallen in love with it and won’t give it back! Well he’d better, cos so have I — lol! Siwan Gary Go Open Arms (single) The single kicks straight in with great vocals supported by a real nice vocal melody which is carried out throughout the song. The music just playing gently in the background — awww it’s lovely, it lets you sit back, chill-ax and appreciate the thoughtful lyrics. And then BANG! Straight into a punchy chorus with a big sound created by great musicians and brilliantly structured harmonies! I really love this type of music, the great lyrics and most importantly this guy can actually sing — which is ALWAYS a bonus! You’ll find yourself singing along and really getting into Gary Go’s music. I can’t wait to hear more from him, especially as his self-titled debut album is now available. Genuine! Kadesha

balance. With the vocalist and melodies hinting at a resemblance to both Motley Crue and Cinderella to top it all off, this album is a must for any fan of just pure, clean-cut rock! Klee Goldie Lookin’ Chain ASBO 4 LIFE (album) Everyone loves a bit of the GLC. They’ve become a bit of a cult institution since their arrival on the mainstream in 2004, and have developed a solid fan base since they bounced onto our stages with their offensive but spectacular lyrics. But after surprisingly being dropped from their record label, they’re back with new album ASBO 4 LIFE and, as usual, the boys have delivered.

Leading single By Any Means Necessary is the most radio-friendly tune, and a solid release. It’s a shame that radio stations haven’t picked up on it more, although I think they’re exhibiting the apathy to GLC which the band rap about. One thing that always impresses me with GLC is their unique talent for social commentary, and this album is no exception, with songs like Unemployed documenting the unemployment culture so rife in the UK, and Overdrawn displaying some clever dark humour. The highlight is probably Apathy, with its laid back bassline this is a song that will surprise many people who have underestimated the band in the past. Although featuring the usual mix of incisive lyrics and a catchy beat, it’s actually quite sensitive, and is definitely one of the less imposing tracks on the album. Love it, I do. All in all, this album is a great buy, with hilarious name-drops, clever lyrics, and catchy, fresh beats that won’t fail to put a smile on your face. Maria

Viva Machine Viva Machine (album) When this lot play live, you notice. Their performances are like having an electric live wire attached to your balls. Though the question is can this attitude and emotion be transformed to work on a CD. Well yes is the simple answer. VM have produced one of the most exciting and original albums in a long time with their unique take on the world, and beyond. With titles like Deathstar Trucker, A Futuristic Dracula and the brilliant first single Robot Bodyrox you gleam that they have set themselves a higher elevation to work from — either that or they’ve been reading too many 2000AD comics! I’m not sure where their musical journey will take them next, probably across the universe chasing Dr Who, but back on this planet Viva Machine rule. Pure perfection so go buy it, you’ll be a fool not to. DW

The Answer Tonight (single) This Irish band have been going for many years and still have the same passion and drive to produce catchy rock songs that they had in the past. Taken from The Answers’ new album Everyday Demons, Tonight is a good song to bring out as a single — it has the guitar riffs that bring back an air of 80s rock nostalgia. There are great drum beats and the vocals are as strong as ever. If all the songs on the album are as good as these then Everyday Demons would definitely be worth purchasing. Victoria T

Livid One (album) Livid have come a long way since 1999, and their newest release is another purely influenced dose of rock at its finest. Giving scene kids these days a boot up the rear end and proving what real rock music is made of, the album is over-flowing with Eighties-esque guitars screeching out of every song, and intertwines a mix of both heavy tracks like Devil’s Bones and mellower ballads such as Deserve that has a well-composed

Frivolous Laura A Lullaby (single) Random name (I can’t even pronounce it!) but this band definitely have the Wow factor!

This music is SO dark, with this being a very distinctive, experimental piece of music. That will keep you captivated by the beautiful piano accompaniment and Frivolous Laura’s amazing, haunting vocals.

It will send immediate shivers down your spine and make you instantly listen closely to the interesting chord changes throughout

live performance the song. This song is guaranteed to leave you with a strong impression — and like me, wonder how to pronounce the band name! It’s an amazing piece of work, and to be honest the dark atmosphere it creates has left me kind of scared! Frivolous Laura has taken their music to another level with a unique style of cinematic, experimental sounds. This song really does live up to their name, it’s definitely a lullaby. However I do think that this dark song would probably unsettle your kids rather than send them to sleep! Very original. Kadesha Naommon Love Is Struggling (album) I struggled a bit at first to listen to this 15-track collection of stripped down electro-disco with a distinctly European feel.

But after a few listens, I’d give it more than “nil points”. Most of the songs have been co-written by Naommon, and I could imagine Parisiennes shaking a leg to numbers like Sexuality and Night Will Be Hot in some bar on a steamy summer’s night. Infectiously funky dance vibe that should be storming a club near you. Move over Prince, Naommon is the new royalty now. Steph Leona Naess Thirteens (album) A nice album this. Some beautifully played guitar. This is a chill-out album, wouldn’t go amiss on a Sunday when you’ve got a hangover and don’t want anything too mad for your head. Siwan Death Quit Dancing No Rest For The Wicked (ep) The first track off the first ep from the Bridgend based sextet lures you into a false reality as it kicks off with an electro industrial escapade that after the first 30 seconds disappears, leaving nothing but experimental rock for your ears to feast on. Contrasting throughout each song from heavier metal-like songs paired with gentler vocals on par with that of Sean Smith of The Blackout, going to simpler, punky anthems that are guaranteed to get you up, dancing and even throwing your fist into the air in excitement. Klee Jyl Millard Ace Of Spades (single) A cover of the Motorhead classic at a reduced, quarter of the speed done in a trancy, electronic style giving the song a new direction and takes you off on a psychological journey. Reminds me of Portishead. Gotta be heard to believe! Gary El Dog Princess, A Monkey, The Stars & The Sea This single showcases great indie music, and if you like Snow Patrol and Muse you will enjoy this band. This is a fabulous radio friendly single, from this four piece who hail from Glasgow, with soft vocals and haunting rhythms. The guitar and soft vocals really go well together and this band really know what sound suits their style. Their music reminds me of early Radiohead, and if all their songs have such a high standard they will be dominating the UK music scene in the near future. Victoria T

Save Your Breath Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy (ep) Save Your Breath are a quintet from Newport whose six-track ep is a refreshing burst of anthemic pop-punk with sharp, catchy guitar lines and powerful vocals. It’s an ideal soundtrack to youth with the message, “We’re here to have fun!” embedded into every note. The 46-second intro is an explosive taster which sets the standard for the rest of the record — a standard which they push higher with every track. They power through from start to finish, churning out sing-along melodies and punchy drumming that refuse to get stale with repeated listening. The atmospheric chant “Never giving up” on Rhys-O and the Legend Of Big Phone is definitely something to look out for during live performances. Their style of music isn’t necessarily new, but Save Your Breath perform it particularly well, crafting substantial yet accessible songs which set them apart from forgettable material within the same vein. Emma Team Waterpolo Room 44 (single) Whoohoo — my head was instantly bopping to this. The intro gets you pouting and nodding your head along with the beat — well it got me pouting anyway! I love this guy’s voice, it’s so quirky! And the harmonies are real tight throughout the whole of this song. Electronic sounds have never been my choice of music, but Team Waterpolo use the electronic technique brilliantly. Really shows the experimental side of this band which does add to the song and make it an extremely cool, alien-like groove. A mix between rock and electronics, this song has a sound that I’ve never come across before. I’m not gonna lie to you, it’s a cracking song, fair play!

Kadesha The Lights Low Hundreds (single) I really liked this single from The Lights. It was a welcome change to hear both male and female lead vocals together on a track.

The song was really upbeat and the chorus is really catchy, and you feel yourself humming along and bobbing your head to the tune at the same time. Their sound combines both indie and folk influences, with fantastic vocals enhanced by an accapella section at the end of the track. Also the vibe is a happy one, which is a welcome change from some of the more melodramatic indie sounds out there. I recommend The Lights to everyone, a great band. Victoria T Madness The Liberty Of Norton Folgate (album) It’s 30 years since Madness first took the pop charts by storm with their “nutty sound”, but they’ve proved they are forever young with this, their ninth studio album. Choc-full of their trademark pop/ska, with a sprinkling of reggae, this is their first album of new material since 1999’s Wonderful and singer Suggs must’ve found the secret of eternal youth, as his voice hasn’t really aged.

Top tracks include the natty NW5 and the single Dust Devil — give this a whirl and I guarantee it’ll be going round in your head for days! Title track and grand finale The Liberty Of Norton Folgate sounds like a mini musical with its numerous changes of tempo

and style, yet it somehow works. Bravo Madness — you’ve pulled a perfect, polished pop album out of the hat. Magic! Steph Evil Scarecrow Sixty Six Minutes Past Six (promo album) With song titles like Choose Metal and Blacken The Everything only a downright fool could mistake this for a Cliff Richard record.

Evil Scarecrow do not fail to deliver on the metal front, with Dani Filth-type vocals and Rob Zombie-influenced soundtracks of women screaming and crying. It’s intentionally disturbing stuff, yet the more you try to convince yourself you want to escape the dirge of it all, the more its diverse and novel nature ropes you back in, screaming at you to stick around for more. A strangely addictive record — one for the Goth within you. Becca Jointpop Please Don’t Tell My In-laws (single) A blend of rock mixed with the gritty vocals of a punk band give a unique style to the title track of this single. But I loved the B-side song and its shaa-lal-la chorus and addictive rhythm making it hard to believe that this band are from Trinidad Tobago! Gary Cinnamon Chasers White Flag (ep) The title track, White Flag, is a mixture of electronic funk and pop mixed into one song.

The meaningful lyrics mesh really well with the electronica vibe. The ep is composed of different mixes of the title track, which all sound completely different. If you like the Pet Shop Boys or Air, then Cinnamon Chasers will definitely appeal to you. Victoria T La Roux Bulletproof (single) What a mood lifter. As soon as it started I wanted to go out. Great sound, great beat.

Definitely a dancefloor filler. Lets get the party started! Siwan 4th Street Traffic Kick The Habit (album) This is a ballsy piece of hard indie rock ’n’ roll that has very little comparison. 4thST give it to you so straight and to the point that the sharp end cuts into your skin and draws blood. I was lucky enough to see these guys play live on a stage otherwise occupied by dance routine focused drivel singing to backing tapes, and to say they blew everyone else apart with their nihilistic performance is an understatement. That was three years ago and one of the reasons why I wanted to start a magazine to talk about some overlooked great Welsh talent. You need these seven tracks in our life now. DW Metric Fantasies (album) Canada-based new wave/indie band Metric have supported the Rolling Stones… maybe that’s what inspired songs on this album like Gimme Sympathy and Stadium Love?

The very clean production and singer Emily Haines’ flawless vocals on these 10 songs make it difficult to pick a stand-out track. A few rough edges wouldn’t have gone amiss, making Metric sound less calculated. Steph

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Cuba Cuba Tales From The Cabin (mini album) With a record contract to wave around, PLUGGED IN favs release this important sixtrack mini album for the world outside Wales to start taking notice. And notice they will unless they’re locked away is some Police Cell in Paddington Green, because this stuff is explosive. Cuba Cuba rock it out like many a Welsh band, but it’s the moments of calm they interject into the equation with melodic use of vocals and the weaving of musical textures that place them above and beyond everyone else. They provide you with that little bit extra, like the girls choir at the ending of Sometimes or the sublime use of glockenspiel on Visualiser, that portrays their uniqueness of character and proves they know how to capture an audience’s attention. Cuba Cuba have moved along massively since that first gig we reviewed in Issue 1, and if they can retain their quirky appeal and not allow the rock to take over fully they will be the Welsh band on everyone’s lips. DW

The Jessie Road Trip Forever & A Day (single) Looking at the The Jessie Rose Trip cd cover I was expecting to hear some chilled out, sit back on the grass, sway your head, summer kind of music. And no word of a lie, when listening to this single that is exactly what you will hear. A song that sounds to me as if it has been influenced by reggae, with an interesting range of harmonies and a female vocal that resembles the likes of Amy Winehouse — it really does capture your attention. This interesting song makes The Jessie Rose Trip a must listen for the summer Also the additional track Sour Grapes (such a cool name for a song!) really does play around with some light, pop-jazz introduced with a funky guitar riff that gets your little feet tapping, and a melodic trumpet accompanying Jessie Rose’s captivating vocal range. Sour Grapes really is a powerful, catchy song that will definitely get your head swaying. I love this type of music and would recommend it to anybody who loves Amy Winehouse. Looking forward to hearing more from this lot in the future. Kadesha Vagabond Sweat (Until The Morning) (single) This is a raunchy little number, and a must for any little seduction you’re planning. Nice mellow sound. Siwan

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Chapter XIII Valentine/Just Because Of You (single) Both songs display some good quality, up-tempo, traditional rock, reminiscent of the kind of British rock that we watched our parents banging their heads to, but that was cool enough for us to join in. But there’s just something missing; I have a very ambivalent attitude to this one to be honest. I’ll keep an eye open for them in the future though, it’ll be interesting to see which way they go. Maria Eels My Timing Is Off/Fresh Blood (single) Brilliant! Two songs, same band, different sounds — from the raw sound on My Timing Is Off to the wooo of Fresh Blood. Would love to hear them on the radio. Had it on in the car and even the kids were talking about it!

Download this or the album Hombre Lobo now. Siwan Detroit Social Club Sunshine People (single) I know that it should be all about the music.

But the name of this band made me visualise a place (in Detroit) full of mad drunks!

Anyhow, my opinion changed as I listened to their single — I was pleasantly surprised by the classic male rock vocals and powerful drum beats along with some full-on great rock guitar bashing away at some chords.

This band are real hot stuff! The breakdown in the middle of the song really is a great contrast to the rest of the song and pulls you in! While listening to this track, I kept comparing this band to the likes of U2 — this song really does lift you up. Overall a great song! Kadesha Gemma Garmesson Stalking For Dummies (album) Garmesson is a singer/songwriter who plays the guitar and sings. Her genre of music is folk and if you like acoustic guitar and simple lyrics, you will like the sound of Stalking For Dummies. The album has an upbeat vibe and the lyrics are very tongue-in-cheek, like Flip Flop and Who’s The Daddy. She is a talented singer/songwriter, with an interesting outlook on life, as portrayed through her autobiographical lyrics. VT Nephu Huzzban No Not Ever (single) Gosh, I wasn’t expecting to hear such an aggressive, straight to the point, bashing introduction! Brilliant stuff! Bang Bang Bang, really digs deep into you and makes you go a bit mental. Whoohoo! The guy’s vocals are amazing, wow he can really sing and the song fits his style of rocky, bash your head against the speakers kind of sound! One criticism that I ought to chuck in, is that I was really getting into this song and chanting along with the guy and playing a bit of air guitar when the song ended — it’s only like a minute long!

But I guess it’s the “Less is more” technique cause I definitely want to hear some more of this band! Maybe their next song will be two minutes long... Ooh! Kadesha

Paul Van-Dyk The Best Of (album) What can I say? If you’re buying this album then you already know what its gonna be like. The album is “exactly what it says on the tin”. There are three discs with fantastic songs and remixes, some with people you know (U2, Depeche Mode, Justin Timberlake) and some you won’t! Absolute must if you’re going out clubbing to get you in the mood — or on the other hand, put it on, turn it up and let the party start around you! Siwan Autorotation Everything Is Everything (album) The opening track tells me this is a ‘spaced out’ album as it just throws you into the realms of the unknown, drifting in and out of reality and the theme continues throughout the album. It’s the kind of album you put on after a long day at work when you want to go to a different world to forget about the stressful day you had. Gary Esteban Esteban (ep) This is a very strong ep, with songs like Deep Breath which has a great chorus teamed with great vocals by Stephen. The brilliant backing vocals really make the song, which are provided by the rest of the band. This four piece from the Midlands have a great sound and would fit in really well in the current indie scene. This self-titled ep shows the diversity of the band with mellower tracks like Shanty Mansion, mixed in with pop-rock sounds of Wake Up, which showcases the fantastic guitar and drumming talents of the band. Esteban remind me of a young Fallout Boy, mixed with Maximo Park. This ep is great and the band have a bright future ahead of them. Victoria T Ice Cold In Alex Songs For The Champions (album) The debut album from these Welsh punk metallers is a wave of catchy and powerful riffs sheltered over by a strong set of vocals, that in some lights could easily be compared with those of Ian Watkins (LostProphets). The album kicks in with an enthralling start-stopping introduction that grabs you by the wrists and hurls you in the feisty-rock action. This hijacking of your personal self is carried out throughout the many songs following, calming you with the soft touches of melodic soft-metal, then wildly awakening you from that tender situation with a punch to the face in the form of thrash-heavy guitars and angst vocals. Definitely a band to look out for this year. Klee Katlow Gorgeous (single) OMG, I love this! The lively summer track is a proper click your fingers, turn the volume up kind of song — and definitely a single to capture your attention! The light and breezy vibe is definitely a must listen for this summer. Also their other song Amanda caught my attention as the melody just rocked my socks. Kat Low reminds me of quirky artists such as Kate Nash and Lily Allen, with funky story-like lyrics and a great catchy chorus.

Kat Low’s vocals are interesting, fun and definitely suit her type of music. A gorgeous couple of tracks, fair play! Kadesha

Filthy Dukes Nonsense In The Dark (album) With the 21st century being the era when the arbitrary line between indie rock and dance music is dissolving like raspberry jelly cubes, London DJs and remixers band Filthy Dukes bring us their smashing, crashing debut album. Combining Gallic house, hip-hop and old-fashioned new wave, this album is a tough one. There are undeniably moments of brilliance, with tracks like You Better Stop delivering a great Orbital-style instrumental, and Moby-style Somewhere At Sea being really very beautiful when you take the time to truly listen to it. Strangely, it’s these more instrumental style songs where the focus is put on the music rather than the vocals, that make for more interesting, better music.

What Happens Next has that great school ground feel to it with a bit of shouty catchiness as they spell out the order, “D o n t just stand there!’’, and the strangely titled Tupac Robot Club Rock uses US hip-hop crew Plastic Little to both mock and propel at the same time. Like Tupac Robot Club Rock, the album is too confusing at times; many of the lyrics throughout the album are a bit too fluffy, often slipping into a load of wonderful (not necessarily in a good way) analogies which leave you scratching your head. But the great thing about it is that you may be scratching your head trying to figure out what it all means, but you’ll definitely be bobbing your head at the same time because the beat in this thing is just amazing. Maria Huw M Os Mewn Swn (mini album) This beautifully structured mini album from Huw M can be used as a defining point of the talent that is overlooked in Wales due to the language barrier. Listen to the cello that sticks out on the opener Hiraeth Mawr A Hiraeth Creulon before it builds into a poetic piece of folk drizzled with pop, making this song one of the best opening tracks I’ve listened to in ages. Maybe the rest of the world should be listening too. DW The Fancy Toys Gypsey Eyes (ep) I wasn’t too sure what to think after hearing the first song, but the second track (Fancy Toys) immediately gripped me and wouldn’t let go of my by now uncontrollable bobbing head. What is good about this ep is that when listening you never know where it’s going, as it constantly changes on you making it pleasantly surprising and fresh. Most songs are given a unique flavour by including brass, the occasional French lyric and even xylophones which is rarely heard in popular culture. Gary DropScience There’s An Awful Lot of Weirdo’s In Our Neighbourhood (mini-album) If you’re partial to a bit of punk-tinged ska every now and again, you’re probably going to like this latest release from DropScience.

Influenced by and sounding a lot like the iconic punk bands of the 70s, The Clash and The Specials, this sextet are next in line for pin-up status. Every song on this five-track album manages to avoid being referred to as “the filler song” as each deserves to be called a rare gem. Despite this claim, Cocaine Nation still appears to be the most prominent

and ironically addictive track with its fun, Bad Manners-esque melodic keyboard line and bouncy ska beats. Sure, it’s nothing new, but it’s certainly something revived. And revived well. Becca Through Solace The World On Standby (album) I don’t think you’d be able to reach the standby button when TS are playing. This is a complete nuclear strike at your heart screamo metal that will turn you inside out. Very polished and perfected these boys deliver their music with passion from behind a shotgun, full of anarchic angst for troubled minds. Disturbingly brilliant, though I’m not sure why the words are on the cover. It’s not as if you can actually sing along! DW The Dirty Youth Dirty Youth (album) Since clawing their way into our hearts in 2007, The Dirty Youth have become South Wales’s rising stars, with a difference. Their unique sound has been levelling them up in the limelight, and the latest self-titled release can only do more to raise them higher. With Danni Monroe’s distinctive and quirky vocals overpowering the combination of heavy rock and punk enforced through tracks such as Sophie’s Song and Requiem Of A Drunk. They sound confident and vigorous through every second of the album, with a kick-ass attitude glaring you in the face all the way — and daring you, if you have the nerve, to keep listening. Klee Ben TD Tiny Movements (album) This is one of those albums that grows on you the more you listen to it. At first, none of the songs really leave a lasting impression, but the more you hear them, the more familiar and likeable they become. A Steady Rain is a classic example of this, eventually displaying the true beauty of the song which is perhaps overlooked the first time you listen to it.

Anthemic number Books And Boats is packed with greatness, and it just keeps going right the way through, as does A Place Now, which also has great potential. This is due in part to Ben’s excellent vocals which glide effortlessly throughout the album and display very genuine emotion with each word he sings — a rare quality in today’s music. My only moan is that the album could have been shorter.

With 13 songs, it’s a little long-winded and the really good songs are unidentifiable because they’re fitted in amongst some slower ones which could have easily been left off the album, leaving more room for the better ones to establish a firm identity.

Less is more, and all that! This aside, it’s well written, with beautiful vocals, and good (albeit slightly sleepy) music, and it’s definitely a debut album that any artist would be proud of. Maria Lana Trippy Kind Of Love (single) Oooh this song is dripping in moody-ness!

It has a real lush string arrangement throughout the song, and some great additional fills by instruments that build the atmosphere during the song. Lana’s vocals both strong and unique make this song stand out as a great single. A catchy melody with

deep thoughtful lyrics accompanied by some real funky, sway your head bass lines. In my opinion, this is a real chilled out, funky kind of driving song — even though I’m too young to drive, but you know what I mean! Anyhow, I am impressed by Lana’s unique sounding vocals and I suggest you all keep a look out for Lana in the future. Kadesha Tiny Tigers Tiny Tigers (album) If you’re a stress head with OCD, who is on the brink of a nervous breakdown, then you will absolutely adore this album! There are a holy trinity of songs here that cover topics such as those mentioned above (namely, stress, nervous breakdowns and obsessive compulsive disorder). Escape The Hum just oozes a manic depressive, can’t get out of bed feel, but comes with its own remedy; it has an impressive musical arrangement and it has that shouty lyrics thing going on at the end, jumping in time to the beat. Better than prozac. Repetition is exactly that — repetition! Confronting the nightmare that is OCD behaviour, it actually repeats the lyrics, ‘Can’t get myself out of this repetition’ over and again, followed by an anguished ‘Why?’ The song rushes each second along which gives a fantastic sense of urgency. Very clever. The final song, You’re It, takes us back to a time when life was innocent and simple.

A pretty song with aggressive drums, and male lead vocals courtesy of Chris King.

A bit punky, a bit jumpy, with a slight indie/ pop feel about it, this album is guaranteed to get your attention. Also, cute packaging — cupcakes always a nice touch. At the risk of sounding like a cheese puff here, I think it’s really Grrrrreat! Get it? Grrrrr...because they’re tigers innit? Nevermind! Maria Henry’s Funeral Shoe Everything’s For Sale (album) A strong guitar riff pulls you straight into this punchy piece of forceful rock that’ll have you screaming along before long.

Powerfully fueled distorted guitars with a vocal that is deep, throaty and delivered with a bluesy growl carry you through these 10 considerately constructed songs. Alive with passion and a few other things to boot, you’ll need to check this band out if you like some truly spirited rock. DW Captain Dangerous The Terrorist (2 tracks) There are many indie bands out there (too many if you ask me) parading around with laddish London accents and twangy guitars like it’s the first time we’ve heard such a sound. With Nottingham boys Captain Dangerous the clichés may still be present, but in this case it’s all a bit more twee and charmingly experimental. The Terrorist kicks you up the bum (metaphorically) with it’s swishing synths and clattering, Libertines-like overall feel. Its direction is always consistent, never wavering, as the song’s three minutes feels like it’s over in less than two. In complete contrast, follow-up, Merrow Song, is a track proving this band have more than one trick up their sleeve. It’s here that the twee-ness really emerges as, what sounds like violins, xylophones and ukuleles give the song its soothing essence, making it something you’re unlikely to hear anywhere else again this year. Becca

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Accident Music Armstrong (demo) Vicious, exciting and downright dirty punk rock, Chris Morgan returns from the ashes of Midasuno and gives us this two track demo of pure demonship style. Armstrong is brilliant on all levels — music, melody, vocals but most of all a driving force that creates earthquakes in its wake. Again their live performances surpass what even this demo can supply — so if you want to know what all the fuss is going to be about, check them out now. DW Kyohi Bang! (single) Singer Leanne King’s vocals remind me of a mix between Mike Skinner and Lily Allen with her talk-like singing. Bang! is the type of song that hits you when the chorus comes in and it’s all good. Second track is more rampant and has a rap edge to it in the chorus. Final track Up Late is different again, giving a diversity to their songs ensuring there is something here for everyone. Gary You Me At 6 Finders Keepers (single) A bit of a safe song. Nice sound, which would sound good on the radio, but something you’d expect from an established band who were comfortable with their fan base. It’s not going to offend anyone, including your nan! Siwan Smudge Where I Go At Night (ep) A short, but delicious slice of rock music.

It rips open with The Thrill, The Ride which is easily the best track on this new three-track ep, throwing the listener into a passionate and energetic journey. The music on this album is so sharp, with the rhythm section keeping the whole thing secure while the guitars are given permission to fly in songs like Speechless and last track We Are The Night. This last track opens melodically with fast and furious guitar riffs and fast flowing vocals, a la Jack Valentine. A bit special I thought. These are three quality songs that are definitely worth a listen! Maria Draven Eden (album) Draven are a mixture of all kinds of rock mixed up into one bundle and expertly delivered through a range of material — and the album is here to prove that. They indulge in a collection of influences clearly seen through the album, and recreate them to their own styles so creatively it gives them this flair of eclecticism. Fluctuating between tracks like Eden that’s basically laid out but still carries out a strong and memorable rhythm, and Itchy Finger which gives the album a hard-hitting, glam rock type feel to it and many of the other songs that drift between these two borders and even further, results in a flawless variety of seamlessly refined rock and roll. Klee

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Baddies Holler For My Holiday (single) For them that like to jump around to their music, this would be a song for you! Not a song to be listened to on low, turn it up and jump to your hearts content — the louder the better! Siwan The Penny Black Remedy No One’s Fault But Your Own (album) It’s quite clear what the main influence of this band is, a certain Johnny Cash comes to mind — and credit where credit is due, it’s very good! Listening through the album and other influences pop up in various places.

The album is filled with different styles, including subtle ska, splatterings of reggae and a smidging of Mexican rhythm, but most dominantly Country music — though there are too many genres to mention. Bring Back Brando is Johnny Cash through and through, and a particular favourite of mine on the album with its humorous lyrics and a fine ode to the late Brando and Cash. A fine example of a debut album — if we gave out stars, this would be 5 out of 5 from me. Gary I Am Hope I Am Hope (mini album) The self-titled mini album from Cardiff’s own experimental indie-rockers is a masterpiece of simple acoustic-like melodies, even when there aren’t any acoustics involved. Each song included has an almost tranquil quality about it, with no fuss and no complications, just basic but beautifully structured songs, including Out Of The Woods, one of the more energetic tracks, and The Ones We Love, an affectionately content melody that soothes the ends of your fingertips as you’re tapping along. The boys of I Am Hope, manage to surprise you with the effortless but still mature and well thought-out design of every song that, when you’re through listening to them, leaves you with the tiniest blissful grin on your face. Klee Tiny Spark For You The World Waits (ep) This six-track ep from the Portsmouth band, is their second release with the title track opening the ep. A little American rock-ey, this track gives us an eclectic mix of music, from some grand piano to some dramatic drums.

A title track for a Hollywood movie if there ever was one! Track four, Alaska, has received some impressive radio play with its gentle indie rock feel and lovely piano tunes. Only things is, they all kind of sound the same.

They all have the same piano and drums mix — not that that’s a bad thing — and it all sounds a bit Keane-ey. If you like Keane, and if you like The Fray, then you’ll probably like this, but if you’re looking for something a little more edgy then you’re in the wrong place, my friend. Get in line and wait with me, and hopefully these will come up with something a bit more original next time.

Boys, For You The World Waits. Maria

Enemy Within Flawed (mini-album) This three-track album from Gwent boy Darren Holborn is industrial electro to its very core. Repetitive old school beats sweep through each song, as first track Scared’s invasive synths herald the start of a project chock-a-block with promise and complexity.

The album’s repetitiveness is cleverly controlled — the songs are never allowed to drag on for too long — while ideas develop gradually rather than the mistake others often make of clumping everything together and hoping for the best. Change The World is more futuristic, giving rise to a song with the up-to-date euphoric electro you’re likely to hear if Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode ever did a sound clash. Flawed is a good egg of an album, skillfully detached from the rock world of today, but how Holborn manages live is another matter. The biting synthesizers sound impressive on record, up close and personal, but how they transpire live is something I have yet to see. Becca Propagandhi Supporting Caste (album) You cannot call this album calming. In my opinion it’s gotta be up there with some of the more raucous bands! Not quite my taste, but got some mates to listen to it too and loved it. Defo one to bang your brain around your skull! Siwan Maximo Park Quicken The Heart (album) The Newcastle-based indie lads have released their newest batch of rock-pop songs, and as expected they’ve produced a collection of simple but impressive songs that at least get your toes tapping. With Wraithlike opening up the album, it definitely sets up the atmosphere, and is certainly the most energetic song there, with following track The Penultimate Clinch coming in close second. The first single from the album, The Kids Are Sick Again, has a strange gloominess that carries through the rest of the album, with the subsequent tracks fighting against it with a little more content in each one. All in all, the album appears to be another vital stepping stone in the band’s forever rising career. Klee

WARNING!

THIS CD RANT SHOULD BE READ AT SPEED, AT 3AM, AFTER DRINKING 10 CUPS OF COFFEE! The music sent into this magazine is uploaded on to my i-pod which is permanently playing all hours of the day. OK so I get a bit wired, but you know we really listen to the music we review to tell you about what’s worth listening to and what to avoid. So let’s start by getting the flags out as Frank Carter makes a welcome return screaming his venom on Gallows latest album Grey Britain. Don’t expect anything more than hard Carter punk vocals with strong electrifying guitars, pretty much the same as Orchestra Of Wolves, but that’s not a problem. Great stuff... On Mark Carroll’s album Dust Of Rumour we get a superb dreamscape of music with a west coast American feel. This Irish lad’s CD stays strong right to the last note, but if you want a sneaky peak check out the single Always.

Otherwise, go buy now... After four years Engineers return with Three Fact Fader an immense piece of original shoegazing rock. It will lift you up and take you skywards.

Excellent... Shortcuts by The Broadcasts is delivered with a punch from a boxer’s glove.

Infectiously catchy this is indie pop made for a teenage audience... Born to Ruin is the debut album of Plymouth punksters Crazy Arm. This is a gritty series of political statements that never goes over the edge into screaming noise territory. It is both drivingly terrifying and softly calming. Strong stuff... Sharam Jay feat. Nik Valentino pump up the dancefloor with In My Blood, a dance track with shouty vocals and pumping vibes.

Infecious... But Chantry Poe’s two tracks Bang Bang and Weekend Cruise are a different affair. Electro house supplied with a mas of remixes Bang Bang has potential but fails on the annoying vocals while Weekend Cruise is a much more creative affair with some excellent rapping... The Enemy make a welcome return with their second long player Music For The People. As politically astute as We Live And Die In These Towns they seem to have cast off the earlier obvious influences of The Jam and created a more unique and very strong follow up... Andrew Morris’s Longbeach, a brilliant five-track ep from this former lawyer, hints towards David Grey but has more of an Americana feel about it. This guy has a talent that will drive you to a sun soaked beach and warm climates. Beautiful...

The Harrintons blow you away with their big guitars, big sound and their single Set In Our Ways — which is epic in all proportions. These Yorkshire boys set a standard that is hard to find a comparison. Like a nail being driven into your head they’ll find a hole to climb into your psyche. Memorising... We get a dose of unashamed pop with a free airy sweetness about it from The A Train’s single Black And White Memories. Think The Beatles, simple straightforward structures and catchy lyrics.

But remember The Beatles were quite successful and by the standard of this tune The A Train are on the same track... Luton’s pop rockers Loz Jones hit you straight between the eyes with the very first note of Idiot Room followed by the catchy synth rhythms overlaid with the duo male/female vocals. Reminiscent of Reverand & The Makers but uplifting pop all the same... Albino’s ep One More Drink throws at you a real mixture

of styles from Country & Western to Ska with a real in-your-face vocal performance.

Humorous and distinctive with strong melodies place this in the unusual but unique pile... The double-A side single from Hearts In Pencil Hannibal Ad Portas/Bigger GamesBetter Days is a strong duo of songs drawing influences from the brilliant Birthday Party.

That ain’t a bad thing at all. These songs are theatrical and melodramatic with a lion-sized bite... Remember the song Brim Full Of Asha, well Cornershop return with both a single The Roll Off Characteristics and album Judy Sucks A Lemon For Breakfast. Maybe slightly over clever they blend fusions of pop with funk and throw in a sitar for good measure, but the underlying songs are catchy quirky and joyful tracks. Different... The choral opening to Dan Black’s Symphonies pulls you straight into this piece of pop perfection with its swaying drifts and underbeat from Rhianna’s Umbrella. Fusing this with samples of John Carpenter’s Starman soundtrack, you can see that his skill is recycling new from the old. A hit I think... Esser’s album Braveface, despite hitting you with young attitude and what feels like a modern take on rock ’n’ roll on the first track, falls towards danceable boy-pop within a short time.

Unfortunately the originality seems to then get lost... And talking about originality, well from the title of this album by The Jokers, The Big Rock And Roll Show you get exactly what you would expect. Overblown AC/DC wannabees who know how to give a party and play their guitars loud. Very accomplished and stadium bound but not breaking any new ground — Stuart Cable would love it though for its shear bravado... Isa & The Filthy Tongues give us Big Star, a thunderous but simple guitar lead track that has Joy Division’s influence written all over it. The vocals don’t interfere to the point of drifting off into the ether but do add a further dimension. Quite dramatic... A testy piece off danceable pop comes from Argon 40 with their two tracks Stay and Free Falling, though the strange female vocals seem to be beamed over from another planet. The Barbarella of the music world... Century Man’s Marauder is an energetic powerful piece of guitar-based melodic rock from the first elongated strum of the strings to its relentless conclusion. Sing along, jump around — for guitar heroes everywhere... A floating and beautiful soundscape of a song from Revere is As The Radar Sleeps which plays on your imagination.

Like flying a soundless glider through the walls of the Grand Canyon the music’s updraft will carry you on and upwards. Love it... Back down on solid ground, well below it in this case, we find History Of Guns’ double-A side single When You Don’t Matter/Slice Up Your Wife. Gothic intention that makes for very unnerving listening, like waiting for Jack The Ripper to attack. The second track Slice Up Your Wife is a very disturbing mash up of the Spice Girls pop hit. This is people playing to much in their sheds on their own and will probably go no further. Sick... Back to surface level and we find the divine album Fine And Dandy by The Dukes Jetty. Jaunty guitar pop with hints of the American west about them we have the classic beauty of strong melodies layered together in a perfect bed. A joy to listen to... Back on the scene is the Pet Shop Boys with new album Yes, which is proof you need to get out of the shed or maybe tour rather they stay in one place. We get the same type of music we’ve come to expect

from the duo despite the technological changes, so don’t expect anything more. Still it’s a good album though only the single Love Etc really makes an impact... However the Yeah Yeah Yeahs latest It’s Blitz is a blinder.

Strapped with attitude and wearing the bol**cks of pop, this album is nothing short of spectacular — especially with the newly added keyboard. Go and get it now... The Wonderfully Courteous Gentlemen ep You Can Can is full of bleeps and electronic noises reminiscent of Kraftwerk, though backed with strong guitar lead melodies. WCG deliver us with a set of stunning dancefloor grooves which is difficult to label so place under the section that is “just brilliant” — love it...

Setting off H-Bomb by Eskimo Project in your stereo and you’ll be listening to a great piece of guitar jangling summer bliss. Time to head for that beach again... Now if you like your music earthy and full of roots look no further than these next two exceptional records.

Firstly Otis Gibbs’ Granpa Walked A Picketline where this spokesperson for the downtrodden oozes immense sincerity as he pours out his music. With songs like Caroline about an abusive relationship this is hard-hitting, brilliant stuff...and second up we have Rachel Harrington’s City Of Refuge whose Pentecostal upbringing shines through on this country-tinged album. She sings with gritty assurance and boldness that is inspiring and evocative in light of the new depression era that’s currently hitting America... The angst-driven juveniles Papa Roach return with Metamorphosis and the building starts to quake. They are vicious and play with a raw energy that powers you along on their dizzying ride but never takes you to the heights of their obvious influence Linkin Park.

Still, they pack a punch like Joe Calzaghe.

Well worth a listen... Go:Audio graced the Ponty stage last year and were an instant hit with the local crowd. Their album Made Up Stories is the next step along the path and has you bouncing round the room and singing into the mirror. Both great fun and raw pop punk musically these boys could easily be the British Green Day... Sometimes a CD just surprises you and the Grammatics self-titled album has done just that. Dubbed my new favourite band they have released this amazing bewildering breath of fresh air.

Combining drama and jaunty tuneful melodies they lead you through a mesmerising range of styles that hint towards Prefab Spout and Mercury Rev. Challenging you to listen to every word and every note you find yourself drawn into their unique world, especially on the tracks Murderer and the sublime Broken Wings. A must... Gomez return with A New Tide which proves they can stay on form since the days of Bring It On. Quirky as you’ve come to expect from the band, though I’m sure the vocals are getting lower... While for all you Radio 2 listeners, the 13 tracks on The Proclaimers Notes & Rhymes is essential listening. Beautiful heartfelt songs from the Scottish Brothers, especially on the track Sing All Our Cares Away... Reclusive give us their five-track demo Baby Monster. Impressive beginnings from this rising talent they sometimes lack originality but make up for it with pure power... and finally for this issue the Jonas Brothers’ latest album Lines, Vines And Trying Times. With the complete Disney corporation behind them they probably wouldn’t give a flying f**k what we’ve got to say, but I can’t help myself so here goes it’s... good, of course, if you like wet pop. DW

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18 JULY/GORFFENNAF PARC COFFA YNYSANGHARAD WAR MEMORIAL PARK Box Office/Swyddfa Docynnau: 01443 485934

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Tickets £10 Adv STBF available from/Tocynnau £10 ymlaen llaw a ffi bwcio, ar gael o: • Pontypridd Muni Arts Centre 01443 485934 • Ticketline UK Cardiff 02920 230130 • Cardiff International Arena 02920 224488 • Derricks Records Swansea 01792 654226 • www.rct-arts.co.uk • www.ticketlineuk.com • www.seetickets.com • www.ticketmaster.co.uk

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