With
the show being upgraded from Cardiff Solus SU
to Cardiff Great Hall 2 due to the number of tickets
sold you know it was going to be good before you
even looked at the line up.
Natives formed earlier in the year from Not Advised,
with a new name, new songs, and a different sound.
With only two songs out and many of their fans
carrying over from Not Advised, myself included
it would be interesting to see how people reacted
to the show. Jim Thomas's bellow at the begging
of the bands first single Big Plans engulfed the
room, and got everyone's attention. There was
a big cheer from the crowd at the end of the track
and Jim quickly showed his talents as a front
man getting everyone to clap along to the next
track. As they played though some unreleased material
to an mesmerised room, there was no need to wonder
why I haven't managed to leave any of their gig's
without buying an ep or a shirt, and this time
was no exception The confidante and ease of every
member on stage is reflective of the years they've
spent playing together in Not Advised. With a
polished sound, fractionally heavier than the
released versions, with Greg's bass high enough
to hear but not so high as to be reduced to vibrations
and flawless guitar work. Two things about this
set suppressed me, not the quality of the performance,
or their ability to win over a crowd but the fact
they were the opening act, and that I'd never
picked up on how good of a drummer and backing
vocalist Andy White is. This Island was the second
to last song of the set, with a few people singing
along, before bouncing around to the last track.
It's the third time I've seen these boys perform
and they've always impressed me, and those that
I spoke to who hadn't heard them before seemed
to share the opinion. At some point Jim gave something
to a member of the crowd that looked like they
were having the most fun, though to be honest
I was too busy enjoying the songs to tear myself
away and had to frantically scribble down notes
in-between. They put on phenomenal performance
with some great group vocals, harmonies and fantastic
songs all tied off by James Fairbrother and Ash
Oliver bouncing around the stage while they played.
The mic was slightly to low sadly which took something
away from the Natives big choruses but the face
that they were this good and not at their best
really says something. I've only seen one band
as polished and impressive as them open this year
and that was Verses on NASS festivals main stage.
Can't wait for a full length, or there December
tour. I've literally been listening to "This
Island" on repeat.
For The Foxes had the tough job of following Natives,
on their first UK tour, and playing to a crowd
many of whom hadn't heard of them before. They
kicked off the set with "Moonlight Ride"
mixing a slower verse with a bouncy upbeat chorus.
Nicholas Francis's voice was slightly
higher than I was expecting but quite similar
to the CD, after being slightly drowned out during
heavier parts of the chorus the problem was soon
rectified for later songs. They didn't get a bad
reaction from the crowd, which they would win
over throughout the set. They worked though their
debut album "The Revolution" playing
the slightly grittier "Sinking Like A Stone",
with some crowd participation. With some breakup
in his voice and some sweet bass fill's courtesy
of Jonathan Brunner For The Foxes set was in full
swing. "Kids Too Young" followed, before
Nicholas was left on the stage to perform "The
River" and show his skills on the keyboard.
The heart welling song seeming like a blend between
The Rembrandts "I'll Be There For You"
and The Smashing Pumpkins "Disarm".
"The River" got a big and well disserved
applause from the crowd who were fully fixed on
the stage as the rest of the band returned for
"Easy Way" and "The Revolution"
driven by Danny Vassallo's drumming. For The Foxes
bounced around the stage throughout their chilled
out pop/indie set with the a few meatier rocky
guitar riffs thrown in by Jimmy Brindley and Mikey
Ballou from time to time. They played a great
set, getting the crowd interaction right, avoiding
the pitfall of pressing an uninterested or almost
as bad not engaging with them at all. They have
proved to be another one of Hopeless Records gem's
that was a stand out for me and quite a few people
I talked to after the show. I feel sorry for those
that missed them at the Waterfront in Norwich
and I hope there back in the UK soon. I'd go to
any show with them and Natives opening.
The
Summer Set opened up with "Chelsea"
which sums up there pop punk up beat bouncy style
perfectly. Whilst it's hard to make out what Brian
Dales is singing sometimes, something I mentioned
when I reviewed them in April, and his voice is
a bit high pitched he's not too bad of a lead
singer. Somewhat overshadowed by Jim's powerful
voice as well as that of Nicholas probably serving
to highlight his downfall's. Having caught them
only a few months before at Cardiff Uni once again,
I won't delve into a lengthy review. They played
through "Must Be The Music", "Punch-Drunk
Love", "When We Were Young" and
the bands up and coming single "Fuck U Over"
as well as in April. Whilst I'm not their biggest
fan, they always seem to go down well with people
jumping round, dancing, singing along and hands
in the air. There up beat style is quite similar
to that of We Are The In Crowd, and a good way
to get the crowd jumping around. If you were going
out to a pop punk night they would be a great
thing to listen to before you go out, and if you're
a fan of them on CD they're not going to let you
down but they're yet to wow me. They played though
the soft acoustic "About A Girl" which
went down well before picking up the pace again
with "This is How We Live", "Someone
Like You" and finally tying the set off with
"The Boys You Do (Get Back At You)".
Jess Bowen's heavy hitting drum style is still
my favourite thing about them and they put on
a pretty good show, but not quit up there with
the two openers.
Florida
Alternative Rocker's Mayday Parade started with
the "Oh Well, Of Well" the opening track
of their self titled 3rd studio album. Starting
with a soft violin intro before kicking in with
an explosion of energy on and off stage when Alex
Garcia and Brooks Betts guitar's join the party.
Only a few lines in the crowd were singing along,
line by line, and many didn't stop for the entirety
of the set. "Jersey" from the band's
debut studio album "A Lesson In Romantics"
followed. For the third time tonight a top class
vocalist and front man was on stage, throwing
the mic around like Taking Back Sundays Adam Lazzara
but with a much better voice. Two songs in and
Derek Sanders was using the mic like a skipping
rope. With a venue like Cardiff Great Hall 2,
no one expects much from the lights, there were
a few that changed colour and some smoke later
on but not much, so it fall to the band to be
entertaining. Something that comes naturally to
Mayday Parade, with everyone on stage jumping
around standing on the speakers at the front or
throwing there guitar back to their shoulders
before bringing it down like an axe. The solo
during "No Hero's Allowed" was absolutely
flawless and took the set up a notch. They played
"Three Cheers For Five Years" and "Priceless"
before joining in with the softer acoustic style
section with " You Be the Anchor That Keeps
My Feet on the Ground, I'll Be the Wings That
Keep Your Heart in the Clouds". After "Anywhere
but here" Derek was left alone on stage with
a keyboard to perform a gut wrenching version
of "Miserable At Best" with a few lighters
in the air. Everyone was singing along in what
felt like a real group moment, carried on during
"Stay" which saw the rest of the band
return to the stage part way though. They picked
the pace up again with "When I get Home,
You're So dead" with everyone playing on
the speakers at the front once again. They left
the stage after "Jamie All Over” with
Jake Bundrick pounding away at the drums up until
the end of the song. The Encore "I'd Hate
To Be You When People Find Out What This Song
Is About" gave the crowd one last time to
sing their hearts out after a great show, with
some incredible softer moments. I've seen Mayday
Parade three times this year and they get better
and better every time, It's no wonder this show
got upgraded from Solus SU. Strong vocals, cracking
guitar riff, and emotional lyrics sum up a Mayday
CD pretty well, but their CD's don't do justice
to their live shows, you can't get that kind of
energy and presence on a recording.
Natives 4/5
For The Foxes 4/5
The Summer set 3/5
Mayday Parade 4/5
Review By Marc Rich
Photos By Karen Catchpole
|
