PrettyInScarlett

Sheffield is well known for its hard (and classic) rock heritage, centrally placed 'in the zone of rock', to paraphrase Skid Row singer Johnny Solinger. Both Skid Row and the sensational Jeff Scott Soto were in residence at Corporation, Sheffield's home of rock, or so it seems! Friday 23rd, braving the cold winds, M and I ventured to see the man from Austin, Texas. The room in Corporation was pretty full of people and anticipation. A much better atmosphere than at previous shows in Cardiff and Bristol. Support bands - negligible mention for the 1st band G U Medicine, instantly forgettable. Their main support Sign were better, although the singer is incredibly thin! Thought they were American myself but their myspace profile corrects me on this, they are Icelandic. Not bad. Skid Row were on excellent form, and thankfully refrained from playing more than one song (Disease) from their rather awful current album Revolutions Per Minute. The set was predominantly classic stuff,

A bit of an impromptu visit to Clwb Ifor Bach on 14th October to partake of the weird and wonderful Mistys Tour. An excellent turnout to boost proceedings, nobody seemed to be put off to by first support band The Haze. The band had some well rehearsed stolen riffs, an atrocious wailing singer but ultimately nothing new or exciting. The main support were, once again, the equally zany Kate Goes . Frontwoman Kate seemed to be a bit apprehensive due to some perceived negativity at her previous Cardiff support slot for Mistys back at the Point last November . The audience were incredibly appreciative and despite the odd slip-up, Kate Goes got an excellent reception, which they definitely deserved. Everyone was well and truly warmed up for Mistys' entrance. They have a new album out (Funny Times) so the set list contained quite a few songs from this, including I Can't Bring The Time Back, How Did You Manage To Get Inside My Head, Keep Moving, Serious, The Long Conveyor Belt plus old

The Coal Exchange is one of Cardiff's most historic buildings and has long been an important live music venue, full of character and with much better acoustics than similar venues in the city. The building is now closed for refurbishment. I hope that the main hall will return to its popular function, but there is a slight question mark about this aspect of the redevelopment (see BBC News article ). The closing party was held 26th Sept but Friday 28th September was the official last show, and what a show! Alabama 3 came to end an era in style. Whilst the main event certainly had panache, the support bands are more accurately described as interesting. First on stage were post nu rave/electro/punk ensemble Sicknote . I'd only heard one of their songs before, Taxi For Mr Blair, but their set was very innovative and well received by the incoming audience. In particular, they had highly amusing videos up on the screens either side of the stage and one band member (band names, songs

In its 2nd year, Cardiff Calling returned on 25th August. Much better weather than last year (which led to Dirty Sanchez to 'go soft', advising listeners to drink the free water & wear sunscreen), but substantially fewer people, not as many essential must-see bands, and as for the food - it will put me off going again next year (if there is one - the promoters seemed to be struggling and the event was on a much smaller scale than previously). All was not lost - of the 3 stages (main stage plus Myspace tent and Xfm tent), the smaller stages and bands contained the real gems, the exception was Newton Faulkner on the main stage. Out of the line-up, we checked out: Inner City Pirates The Guns (for about 5 mins & then The Jan Watkins Band) Newton Faulker Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog The Roseville Band Killing for Company The Automatic Remi Nicole Bonde do Role Super Furry Animals The Rumble Strips and about 5 minutes of The Streets - not our thing, sorry! The best, in terms of at

Last Sunday 5th August, we had a quick trip to the Admiral Cardiff Big Weekend . We hadn't bothered with most of the lineup, in fact it looked pretty poor this year, and even the fireworks didn't seem up to their usual standard. The Magic Numbers tempted us out, though. Their set was very enjoyable, especially their cover of 'Crazy in Love' and end-of-set jig to get the (rather wet - yup, it was raining) crowd moving. I may now check them out more often - did recognise some of their tracks but unfortunately not enough to remember the titles!

It looks like the summer has finally arrived, & along with the sun came another trip to Barfly on 2nd August (which still doesn't smell quite right since the smoking ban!), this time the line-up were The Sugars, supported by Victims of Convenience and Afterview. Unfortunately, it was really rather empty, especially after the popularity of Silversun Pickups. Which is a terrible shame as we had an excellent night! Starting the evening off were Worcester quarter Afterview. Not bad as far as support bands go, & for once some influences wider than emo! There's a 80s rock quality to some of their melodies that I thoroughly enjoyed, and they were also (especially bass player Russell) comfortable performing. Their vocals were slightly disappointing in voice and content, although, as shown on this morning's 6Music, there are plenty of 'non-singer lead singers' around. Check out their myspace (what else?!) for info on their new EP & upcoming shows. Next support b

Impromptu outing to Barfly (which looks to have seen a few coats of paint since our last visit) last night to check out new Californian sensation Silversun Pickups, along with a lot of others - the show was practically sold out! Two support bands to entertain us, first up local band Attack! Attack!, who, whilst typical of the current South Wales sound, executed their set well and are certainly familiar with performing their wares. A stack of freebie CDs were whisked away quickly after they finished. Check out their myspace page for more information. Second band up, Fear of Music . I'm not entirely sure what to make of them - again, their sound didn't come across as truly original, although very much of the moment in terms of their songwriting/aesthetics, but their set was well performed and well received. Something conceptual about their stage presence , although not a patch on Late Of The Pier (see Does anyone have a website anymore? )! On to the Silversun Pickups , who we

Hmm. There hasn't been an awful lot of goings on in the gig sense lately, although it is looking up. At the moment (but apparently its a limited offer), members of Cardiff things-to-do site Urban Traffic can book discounted tickets for Cardiff Calling on 25th August - sign up at the website and follow the link! £5 off and no booking fee, gets my vote! Next up (apart from the Beethoven Prom later this month as part of the Welsh Proms) are an interesting sounding group, The Sugars , who will be at Cardiff Barfly on 2nd August. Scandal of the moment, Jeff Scott Soto has recently been unceremoniously sacked from Journey, cue much anger indeed! I won't post all the reams of opinion here, safe to say Journey are somewhat persona non grata! More can be found on the JSS forum . So, some good things coming up, and hopefully some sun too??!

New month, new gig. M and I journeyed along the coast to Swansea for the inaugural concert at the Liberty Stadium, accompanied by the sun, thankfully. Now the official first band to play the Liberty Stadium, first on were Stuart Cable (formerly of Stereophonics) new band Killing For Company. We hadn't previously heard any of their material. They were entertaining, but what we expected them to be rather than any surprises. New single Enemies out 4th June, see their website for details. Next up and another blast from the past, The Charlatans . Wasn't that much of a fan the first time, but they were good, and they played their hits including North Country Boy. There were clearly a few Charlatans fans in the crowd who were kept very happy, but not much interaction with the crowd from the band. Onto the main act, who certainly pleased the crowd with 2hrs 15mins of play! The Who set included: I Can't Explain, The Seeker (with 1 power cut), Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere, Baba O'R

In the midst of a rather quiet month for gigs (building up to THE WHO)... Recently discovered Kruger Magazine's website (Kruger magazine is a quirky local free mag stocked in Spillers, for all things slightly offbeat). Registering on the site brings access to the Kruger Singles Club, i.e. free music! An excellent way of showcasing interesting artists! First up a few weeks ago were The Toy Band , and the latest artist is Gideon Conn . The songs can be found on Itunes, streamed, or downloaded. Go! Another freebie on offer - Welsh folk/songwriter Cate Le Bon has her latest single available for download on her website too. Enjoy.

Wednesday was classic rock night in Cardiff, as M's treat we ventured to Cardiff Arena for Deep Purple plus guests. Unfortunate that it was the Arena - our moans about the acoustics are well documented! Turned up a bit late, assuming the staff wouldn't be on time, but - horror -they were, and 1st band Thin Lizzy (yup, what remains of Thin Lizzy) were already halfway through their set. An example, perhaps, why longevity isn't always a bonus? I saw this lineup (John Sykes, Scott Gorham with Marco Mendoza and I can't remember the drummer - oops) in 20o3 at Sheffield's Leadmill on their own tour & they were excellent. This time, the atmosphere wasn't there and their playing, well, it was a bit loose and Sykes sounded tired. Compared to the tight sound & excellence of tribute Limehouse Lizzy - I know who I will see again! Limehouse Lizzy are, luckily, back in Cardiff later this year. Main support Styx were on shortly afterwards, for apparently their first vi

Another trip to Barfly on Saturday 21st, this time something of a box of treats! Main aim of the evening was to experience Mr cheeky chappy himself, Jack Penate, and a few bonuses thrown in too - for once, both of the support bands were really interesting. First up, Penarth-born singer-songwriter Adele. Something of a stir in the media about Ms Adele, and with some reason, judging by her voice and humour. Barfly was sold out for the evening and quite a few people were already familiar with Adele's work, with a very enthusiastic reception to her set, which was unfortunately a bit shorter than we would all have liked! Well worth keeping in mind - for more information check out Adele's myspace . Second up, Nottingham band Late Of The Pier. This was the real treat of the night, in between 2 quality acts, some real innovation and style. I'm not sure how to really describe them, but their influences - perhaps the Klaxons, Mistys Big Adventure, Goldfrapp and a touch of the Human L

High point to the week: M and I went to the Point yesterday and bumped into a number of friendly faces, all eagerly awaiting the Howling Bells on what was apparently the last night of their current tour. Well worth the wait! Two support bands this time, unfortunately not Indigo Moss! The first band, of whom we only saw the last song, were local band Spencer Mcgarry Season, who appeared to have a good reception. They have a myspace . Next up, The Alones , who were ok but in M's eyes 'an ok Fuzz club band', again their songs didn't seem to have much variety. Not for the last time, the better support band were on first?! Not long to wait until the Howling Bells came on, by which time the Point was pretty much full. An excellent reception from the crowd, and the band themselves seem to have improved their stage presence since October 2006 - but I suppose a bigger & better venue adds a little something anyway! The set list was basically everything off their current self

Something a little more accurate: Neal solo Rubicon Stone in love Ask the lonely Wheel in the sky Keep on running Who's crying now Edge of the blade Chain reaction Mystery Mountain Remember Me Lights Still they ride Open arms La do da Line of fire. Opened the door Send her my Love Loving touching feeling Escape Faithfully Don't stop believing. Anyway you want it. Encore....Separate ways.

After much anticipation, I ventured to Cardiff Arena on Friday 9th March to see the ever-fabulous Jeff Scott Soto perform with Journey as their new singer. As M wasn't with me, I spent an enjoyable few hours with some other concert-goers beforehand in nearby Wellington's pub. I'll get my 1 gripe about the show over and done with. What b*tard chose an all seating layout? The atmosphere was good, but standing would have been much better. My seat was in the side tiers, and I had to leave it & stand at the back as the rest of my block were SITTING DOWN! At a ROCK CONCERT! Terrible behaviour. Ok. Better things. Support from Danny Vaughn (picture above) and a member of his band for an acoustic set. Danny is probably best known for his work with Tyketto , of whose songs he played Wings, Burning Down Inside and Forever Young, plus new songs from current album Traveller. For any classic rock fans, Tyketto's first album Don't Come Easy is a must. Only a short gap until

Two very different but equally impressive live experiences this last weekend. First up, our long overdue homage to the late, great Phil Lynott as Limehouse Lizzy returned to the Point on Friday 2nd March. Certainly on form (and not just lead singer Wayne Ellis, mmmm!) After a late doors, the band came on for a 2 hour set. They started off with Jailbreak (with added pyro), the rest of the main set comprising known songs like Dancing In The Moonlight, Warrior, Emerald, Johnny the Fox, Are You Ready, Killer On The Loose, Cold Sweat, Do Anything You Want To, Out In The Fields, Cowboy Song, Rosalie, The Boys Are Back In Town plus at least 1 early track. The encore included 1 verse/1 chorus from Sarah, Black Rose, Whisky In The Jar and another track. Excellent atmosphere, the place was sold out. The boys are back at the Point in December. Next on to crowd pleasers of a very different sort. M and I managed to get tickets for the sold-out Buena Vista Social Club show at Wales Millennium Centr

Finally did it..... M and I made it back to Sheffield! Just returned from a long weekends reminiscing. Whilst there we made the (obligatory, of course) visit to Sheffield University's Fuzz Club (Thursdays at Fusion & Foundry, Union building). Fuzz lived up to type, that it was almost deserted until over half way through the bands. That used to annoy me a bit, but last week - can't say I was. The bands on offer were Wolf & Cub supported by I Am Bandini. First up, I Am Bandini. They were ok, but in a distinctly average way. Listenable too but nothing to rave about, really. Although, the singer's humourous quips did keep us entertained somewhat, especially his references to drinking ' Jägermull' - described as a double shot of Jägermeister with Red Bull. The new snakebite? Anyway, I Am Bandini can be found at their myspace . Following on to Wolf & Cub. I had tried out their myspace (they also have a website ) previously and thought they might be ok, but

Notes on a very random purchase. Earlier today I acquired Venetian Snares 'Rossz Csillag Alatt Sz ü letett ' purely on the basis of the language and artwork. Its certainly something different - and most definitely not pop. After a bit of searching: Venetial Snares is, according to Wikipedia, the performing name of Aaron Funk, who seems to specialise in experimental tracks in odd time signatures. Article here . The sleeve notes for this album (whose title is Hungarian for 'Born under a bad star') poses the question: what if, for just a day, we could both be pigeons? Interessant. Apparently this concept (a day in the life of a Hungarian pigeon) is non-typical of Venetian Snares sound, but one could ask, does Mr Funk do 'typical'? On first listening, the sound of this CD mixes classical/traditional Hungarian sounds and breakbeats. but aside from that? Definitely a 'listen for yourself' artist; try the website , fan site or myspace .

Finally... I wrote some reviews for things to do in Cardiff for flashy new website 1Off (link also on the right) a while back and it went live this week. There are listings for off the beaten track places, shops, eats, clubs etc. The site also covers cultural stimuli in 5 other UK cities, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, London & Newcastle. As an aside, Limehouse Lizzy's gig has now been rescheduled for Friday 2nd March at the Point.

2007 started with a bang yesterday (21st Jan), first gig of the year. M and I took ourselves off to Barfly to see The Hedrons. There were 2 support bands last night. First up the Stopmotion Men, with whom we were quite impressed. I can't say that any of their songs were particularly memorable, but they were very enthusiastic, quite heavy for a 3-piece (guitar, keyboard & drums), and had a sense of humour. Kudos to the keyboard player, much appreciated (although that may partly be to my current re-learning of the piano). Check out their myspace . Next up, were The Peakz (although the posters around Barfly indicate that the 5150s should have been on), who are an unsigned Welsh band. Their songs were quite similar apart from 1 50-second spurt. They seemed fairly well rehearsed, but had a fairly common problem of mumbling into the mikes. Nothing memorable from where we were, but not awful either. They also have a myspace . The Hedrons came onstage to an unfortunately thinned-out c

New Year hellos! I'll start with a round up of 2006. Easily the best show of the year was the Rolling Stones. Stupendous. Other than that, its pretty hard to choose, but as far as gigs go, I have very good memories (in no particular order) of The Subways, The Sunshine Underground, Goldfrapp, The Zutons, Goo Goo Dolls, Mistys Big Adventure and our previous outing to see Limehouse Lizzy. Worthy of further attention: Howling Bells, Indigo Moss, The Grates and Kate Goes, to name a few. Hoping for a better Cardiff Calling this year; apart from the excellent Mistys, The Pipettes and The Chalets, it was a bit of a disappointment. The same for the last Inner City Pirates gig - I was tempted to put one of their early 2006 shows in the favourites list, but their recent shambolic state precludes that. Don't bother list -definitely iLIKETRAiNS! 2007, then. Currently the gig list is looking a bit empty! I do have Journey to look forward too - oh yes they are playing Cardiff in March! The ma