PrettyInScarlett

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.