PrettyInScarlett

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 ...