THE INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR MUSIC IN WALES ISSUE 14

FREE

KYSHERAMade In Wales

LOSTPROPHETSArmed & Dangerous

FEEDERGeneration Freakshow

GARY NUMANElectronic History

TANYA WALKERBreaking The Fear Wall

HENRY’S FUNERAL SHOEBrothers At Large

THE PEOPLE, THE POETTiger Please! No More

SIGUR ROSIcelandic Ambience

JASON DONOVANStrictly Entertaining

PLUSGreg Barton: Promoting In WalesStraight Lines, School Of Seven BellsAlt-J, Richmond FontainePerformance Photography Rising TalentLive Reviews & CD Reviews

VISIT US @ WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PLUGGEDINMAGAzINE

March 2012 - issue 4

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a Services For Young Peopleliteracy project

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RAWR Issue 4 Inside

Chief Photographer &

Creative Director

DARREN WARNERAvailable for Photographic Commissions

in the South Wales & South West England Area

For Info or Bookingsemail: editorial@pluggedinmagazine.co.uk

Mobile 07973 675304

Contentseditorial@pluggedinmagazine.co.uk

www.pluggedinmagazine.co.ukwww.facebook.com/PLUGGEDINMagazine

WELCOME to another issue of your favourite music magazine! As

always the pages are jam-packed with interviews and live reviews of all the bands you love, and a few others you may want to get more familiar with after reading about them here. Someone you do not want to miss live is our cool coverboy James Kennedy with his band Kyshera — you will come away from one of their shows in a state of exhaustion from simply watching their energetic performance, but listen to his inciteful lyrics and it’s a whole other experience all together! Someone else we’re extremely pleased to have had an exclusive PLUGGED IN interview with is publicity-shy Eighties synth-God Gary Numan, whose music has had a huge influence on what we listen to today. PLUGGED IN’s Darren first saw Numan play live in 1979 (yes, he’s that old) and has been following his career ever since — you can imagine how loud his “YES!” was when we were told Gary had agreed to talk to PLUGGED IN! Also two Welsh favs are back. Both the LostProphets and Feeder have spoken to PLUGGED IN about their new albums which, of course, we recommend you put on your ‘to buy’ list.

PLUGGED IN magazine is the creation of Haul Fryn Publishing on behalf of PLUGGED IN magazine (Limited), Company Number: 06766289. All rights reserved. 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.

Gail IWA Educator of the Year

PLUGGED IN 03

March 2012 - issue 4

in association with

a Services For Young Peopleliteracy project

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TURN TO THE CENTRE PAGES AND PULL OUT RAWR ISSUE 4

We would like to thank FFRAMWAITH for their generous support of this issue

4 Music News 6 Kyshera

8 LostProphets

10 Feeder

12 Gary Numan

14 Henry’s Funeral Shoe

16 Jason Donovan

18 The People, The Poet

19 Sigur Ros

20 Quick Chat

21 Greg Barton

22 Tanya Walker

24 Benjamin Francis Leftwich

25 Live Reviews

27 ATL-J

34 Live Performance

36 CD Reviews

PLUGGED IN magazine is a not-for-profit social enterprise, produced by unpaid volunteers

MANAGING EDITOR & PUBLISHERGail Griffiths

IWA Educator of the Year

CREATIVE DIRECTOR & CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER Darren Warner

CONTRIBUTORS Alex Griffiths, Alex Hole,

Alice Rowland, Amy Jones, Andrew Whitton, Angharad Goulden,

Bonnie Rees, Brandon Abley, Callum Evans, Carrie-Lee Jeenes, Charlie Evans, Chelsea Humphries, Chloe Lawless, Connor Scourfield, Craig Thomas @ Opposite Images,

Cristina Shuker, Daniel Holley, Dannielle Chase, Dylan Bridges, Ellen Buckley, Elliot Lawrence,

Esther Blair, Gary Bolsom, Gemma Parry, Georgia Brittain, Hollie Wong,

Jack Coombes, James Kennedy, James Payne, Jessica Neck, John Best, Jordan Amblin, Josh Matthews, Kern Bridges,

Kerys Davies, Kevin McGrath, Kira Everett, Lisa Derrick, Lucy Williams,

McKenzy Renshaw-Valiquette, Morgan Roberts, Paige Joren, Rhys Beacham,

Ritchie Samuel, Rob Jones, Ryan Owens, Seanna Fatkin, Shaun Nicholas, Sophie Robinson, Stefan Hinc, Thomas Niblett,

Torilee Brookes, Warren Higgins&

Stephen Lewis

LAS Festival 2012The LAS (Lights And Sounds) Festival is an

annual May Bank Holiday musical blowout run by record label Imperious Music and held in Aberdare. We all know that South Wales is packed with musical talent, and the aim of LAS Fest is to bring this talent to the small Valleys town along with some of the best

established acts in the UK and have the best Bank Holiday party in the country!

That’s why PLUGGED IN magazine is happy to be supporting the event — look out for our

banner behind the bands on stage!We spoke to LAS Fest organiser Matthew

Davies, who told us: “We have big aspirations for LAS Festival. It’s all about bringing as

much talent as we can into one town, with two rooms in one venue — including the first Silent Stage for bands at a Welsh festival! We are also thrilled to bring Silent Disco to the

event, one on each night to finish the day off! So come along and join the party!”

LA Festival is on 25 & 26 May at Elliots in Aberdare. Bands on the playlist so far are

Reaper In Sicily, Drafts, Frames, The Method and Dead Shed Jokers, with many more to be

confirmed.Ticket information and further details will be

posted on the LAS Fest website www.lasfestival.com

Aged just 19, Lloyd Coleman from Bridgend is an accomplished composer, clarinettist and conductor with a string of orchestral

works under his belt. But Lloyd is no ordinary musician: he’s deaf, almost blind and comes

from a working class family who knows nothing about music — but that hasn’t

stopped him taking the classical music world by storm, and is being hailed as a modern

day Beethoven, a musical prodigy! Due to his exceptional talent, Lloyd was asked to write a large-scale orchestral work in celebration of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic

Games. The opportunity came through a partnership between Disability Arts Cymru and Cardiff-based UCAN Productions in a

project called Whose Flame Is It Anyway? The resulting work, Breaking The Wall, received its first performance with the BBC National

Orchestra of Wales in March 2012.The piece is inspired by the epic Greek legend

of Pheidippides, whose heroic strength and determination helped to save Greece from the Persians. It’s an inspiring tale recalling

Pheidippides’ run across hundreds of miles of swelteringly hot terrain to get reinforcements

— and the modern day endurance running event takes its name from Marathon, one of the locations featured on the journey. Lloyd wants to tell this story using the sounds of

the orchestra, in a contemporary twist of the symphonic tone poem form. Giles Abbott, a talented storyteller and poet who, like

Lloyd, has a visual impairment, will provide a narrator’s part to accompany the music, making the story all the more exciting and

vivid in the listener’s mind.“It’s called Breaking The Wall because, after Giles and I started talking about marathons

and how runners hit the wall and have to overcome humungous challenges, we

realised there were parallels with the kind of challenges disabled people face,” Lloyd said.“Our idea is to also have a narrative around

the Greek athlete Pheidippides, who ran something like 150 miles in two days to

summon support to stop invaders taking over their territory. This will also make it more relevant to the Olympics. I see it as being a piece with an overall metaphor of how

everyone can achieve their dreams. Having it played was just tremendous, the biggest thing

of my career. I hope it will inspire so many younger people, create a bit of noise and

show disabled and able-bodied people that disability is not a barrier to success.”

Record Store Day 2012 is on 21 April, with the Ambassador of the event being the one and only Iggy Pop! The event came into being in 2007 when independent record stores in the USA came together with artists to celebrate

the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made

exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists across the globe make special appearances

and performances. Festivities include performances, meet and greets with artists and DJs, in-store quizzes and many other events. Record Store Day UK co-ordinator Spencer Hickman brought the RSD concept of exclusive releases sold only for one day through indie record shops to the UK four

years ago. He told us, “The support of artists and labels and music fans for this annual

celebration of the indie record shop has been amazing and is really appreciated. Already a record 206 stores have signed up — 197 in the UK and nine in Ireland. And we have a list of over 350 exclusive Record Store Day releases lined up. Record Store Day has now become an established part of the music calendar,” said Hickman. “And what makes it special is the character and individuality of record

stores. There’s nothing to beat the enthusiasm and atmosphere of a great record shop. The

reason great indie stores succeed is that they love music as much as their customers do. Record Store Day is like one huge festival taking place in every part of the UK. It’s primarily about the record stores and the events, not just the products available.”

So go check out a store near you!

SEE KYSHERA PLAY LIVE FOR FREE!There are exciting changes about to take place at Pontypridd’s YMCA!

Ponty’s YM is working with RCT Community Arts to make itself the centre of attention for many community arts activities throughout the area, while opening up new and exhilarating

avenues of learning for the people of this gateway town, the valleys and beyond. This exciting project has been made possible through funding from the Engagement Gateway.

Never before has such an ambitious plan ever been put forward and as part of the schedule to highlight these changes RCTCA and Pontypridd YMCA are running a series of free courses,

facilitated by PLUGGED IN’s Creative Director Darren Warner, that will lead to a major announcement and a FREE live performance event on the 15th June 2012, headlined by

PLUGGED IN cover stars Kyshera!But as is the way with Ponty’s YM, the bastion of help and advice, always showing

commitment while never shutting its doors to the people of Pontypridd in its 100 year history, we want YOU to get involved and take part in all the aspects leading up to the event.

RCTCA and Pontypridd YMCA, working together with PLUGGED IN magazine’s educational section, people aged 16+ who are unemployed and not receiving job seekers allowance

are invited to join three projects linked to the event — which include Funding, Marketing (including Photography) and Event Organising. Each class will create a defining structure that

leads to the best outcome for the night while giving all the participants an opportunity to gain a recognised qualification. Throughout these sessions the participants will be encouraged to follow their ideas to help promote, fund, market and deliver the perfect package that gets

people through the door on the night. An exciting opportunity awaits all those who are up for the challenge and ready to try

something different.Email editorial@pluggedinmagazine.co.uk for details.

PLUGGED IN now has a presence on facebook! If you’d like to add us as a friend, leave a comment or publicise your gig visit us at

www.facebook.com/PLUGGEDINMagazine

If you’ve been affected by cancer or know someone who has, you may be interested in joining a new choir that’s being set up in

Cardiff by Tenovus, the Welsh cancer charity.Tenovus set up the original Sing For Life choir in Pontypridd in 2010, and since then it has grown from strength to strength. The success of this choir has led to Tenovus receiving a grant to roll out more choirs

across Wales, starting in Cardiff. So now, every Wednesday from 7-8pm at Rhiwbina Baptist Church, you can get together with others who have been affected by cancer, bring family members along and

generally have a good time!Angela Davies joined the choir after being diagnosed with inoperable

ovarian cancer: “I go to choir every week with my husband Glyn and son Josh. It has made an enormous difference to my life and

is a huge support. It has given me the confidence to get out of the house, meet a new family. It’s given me a new purpose, I no longer

feel I am battling the disease alone.”Nathan Bishop, Project manager of the Sing with Us project said:

“We will welcome anyone along to our choir, you don’t have to be a fantastic singer, every voice counts.”

For further information about joining the choir, contact Cat Southall on 02920 768327 or email singwithus@tenovus.org.uk

Our Foundation Degree in Music Industry Entrepreneurship is the only course in the UK that allows you to use your experiences working within the music industry towards a formal qualification.

Successful applicants that meet the relevant criteria could even be eligible for a fully or partly-funded place on the course*.

For more information or to apply call us on 01443 668 562 or visit our website: www.glam.ac.uk/musicindustry

* Full entry criteria is available on our website

make music work for you

06 PLUGGED IN

Essay by James Kennedy

Photograph by Stefan Hinc

PLUGGED IN 07

We started making the new album, Made In China, on the 1st October 2011 and it was finished on Christmas Eve. It’s a beast of a record, with over 1,500 channels of audio and

not a second’s silence anywhere as all the tracks overlap each other. As well as us, it has pretty much everything on there — electronics, farmyard animals and narrative from Richard Dawkins and Jordan Maxwell. Fun for all the family...or something! It’s self-produced and when we started it I had just finished a solo album (James Kennedy — Nine IP, available from Amazon & iTunes), which is a pretty heavy going affair itself and by the time we’d finished this one I was told by the doctor I had exhaustion, as I was passing out randomly and weighing in at only nine stone due to lack of sleep, etc. It was a crazy couple of months which are all a blur now, but as I listen back to it, it was worth every second! The album is complex, pretentious, totally out of step with modern reality and I love it for that. Scenester’s beware: this album may induce independent thought!

The tour de force opens with Terrorists, a straight down to business headf**k for band, noise, sped-up tape and a cameo from George Bush. The song lays down the lyrical premise for the rest of the album, ie we’re all being screwed by guys with nice suits and friendly smiles, the real Terrorists already took over a long time ago, quietly, while we were shopping. Next up is The Game, a short instrumental based around the album cover (a chessboard with only pawns on it), depicting the game that is played by our ‘betters’, with us as the pawns and where the rules of the game are thus: the drums speed up and up until it’s silly, the bass has to play the whole song with only one note and the guitar can play any note as long as none of the notes is ever in the same scale or key — daft, but it’s cool, honestly! The climax runs straight into Sex & Drugs & Rock’noll, a simpler number featuring a sheep for those that like sheep. Lyrically, its a p*ss take of the ‘alternative’ scene, whether musical or political, as basically being just another branch of ‘follow the leader’. Then enter Richard Dawkins for the song Sugar, an eclectic track about organised religion (complete with pigs and praying) and as the last chord dies away, Germ slowly creeps in on

you. Germ marks the start of a little bit of a relent on the album — with an electro, space funk, drum ’n’ bass workout, while I ‘whisper rap’ about Aids being a biological weapon (I use the word ‘relent’ loosely!).

The next three tracks are the ones you could call ‘actual, proper songs’! Shelf Life, Mannequins and Superstar are a little musical holiday on the album before we’re back to the chaos — and these three tunes are as close as this album gets to accessible. Celebrity, consumerism and corruption are the themes here and then the holiday’s over. Messiah Mask is a graphic, three-part piece about a sweat shop worker, complete with their spoken testimony and some ‘musique concrete’ in the middle (audio mangling of shop tills and factory noises). The title track, Made in China (which is, ironically, nothing to do with sweatshops), features circus waltz, toy gun, the American anthem on a kid’s toy, and is a fairly straight-forward tune about social engineering — yeah, you’ve already guessed it, there’s no ballads on this album! Then Burning Witches (which was a nightmare to record, as it’s HUGE!) is a pretty complicated mother with tons of different sounds, styles, tempos, polyrhythms, harmonies, etc — it’s a dense one, but it works a treat. Lyrically, it’s about the psychology of prejudice and the final piano chord becomes the first chord of the final song, Ants. After 11 songs outlining all the things I think are wrong with the world, I thought it only right to end on a song with some ideas for change in it. Ants is a darkly ambient, electro number that builds into a climax with an aeroplane crash and some great words of wisdom from Jordan Maxwell as the last piano chords slowly drift away...and so the album ends in peace after an hour of carnage.

Made In China is out 30th April. Kyshera will be playing a FREE gig at the YMCA in Pontypridd on

15 June 2012 from 7pm — hope to see you there!

James Kennedy is also our guest reviewer on our CD pages. See what he thinks of the latest releases, including the new

Future Of The Left single.

08 PLUGGED IN

Words by Cristina Shuker

Photograph by Andrew Whitton/Courtsey of Chuff Media

When you’re a music journalist, you get to see big bands on tour, meet and greet them after the show and take thousands of pictures of

them — but this one phone call to talk to Lee Gaze of LostProphets about the new album had to be one of the most nerve wracking but exciting moments of my life. LostProphets make up 95 per cent of my music collection, so interviewing Lee was an incredible opportunity for me!

How did you feel about writing your fifth studio album?Pretty much the same as all the other albums, you know? It’s usually the same process, I think we’re just a bit older and a bit wiser maybe than we were before. It was a lot easier to do than the fourth one to be honest with you.

Are you looking forward to touring with the new album? Because we can’t wait!Yeah, we can’t wait to get up there and see what people think of our new songs and get people’s reactions on them. There’s no better way than to play them to the fans, you know, we’re really looking forward to it!

What inspired Weapons and where did the name come from?The inspiration I think is a lot of different things, because there are six different people in the band — so it’s anything from music, to life, to personal circumstances. You just sort of take all of that in subconsciously I think and that sort of comes out in the music. As for the title, well it shouldn’t be taken too literally, you know? It doesn’t actually mean guns and rocket launchers, it can say whatever you want to really!

Since it’s been 11 years, do you feel your music progresses in each album?The fundamental basics are still the same, you know? We still have the same ideas and the same ambition for each record and I think that over time you learn to make it just as good as the past. Each album is mix of some pop-y-ish stuff, it’s never an album where we want all the songs to sound the same because we think that would be really boring. I think we still have the same mind set, we just had to think a little bit better each time.

Silly question, but are you happy with Weapons?Yeah, we are happy with it. I don’t think there is any point in dwelling on stuff once it’s done and has been mixed and everything, we have just got to let it go. If you spend all your time thinking about what you’d like to change and that, you’d never really sell albums. You just have to move on for the best.

Wise words Lee! We hear Ian kind of rapping in the first single you released, have you had good or bad feedback to that? Eminem got bad feedback when he first started out!

Bit of both really. Some people liked it some people don’t like it and it’s all down to personal taste isn’t it?

Do you feel that’s a line you’d like to go down again or go back to your old roots? I think it’s was just a one off. It just suited the song and it was something a little different and it makes it stand out. Makes people pay more attention, whether it be a negative or positive. Any type of feedback is good.

So are you guys living the dream? Do you still love what you do and create?Well, I’ve always loved getting up on stage and playing guitar, I don’t know about living the dream. I guess we just set out to do this and we are still doing it 11 years on, so I suppose we are in a way. Did you ever expect that you’d be making another album after Betrayed?Yes. We have tons of songs left over, so we’d make an album even if we didn’t have to write another single. We have enough songs left to make another few albums.

What’s your personal favourite Prophets album?I would say Start Something, saying that I really like Betrayed because we really tried to convey anger and being p**sed off with everybody and it really came out well on that album. One of my favourite songs is on the Betrayed album, but my definite favourite overall album is Start Something. I think it captures a moment in time, every band is going to have that good album which is difficult to compete with. Start Something was just a special time and place when everything was new and we were developing the sound. I don’t want to sound cheesy but I think the stars just lined up for us on that record and everything was in the right place. It all just happened and it was an easy record to put together.

It was one of the albums that got you where you are now wasn’t it? Yeah, exactly! Some of the boys say “we’d change this and we’d do that” but I wouldn’t change a thing. I think that album is really really good! You know, I’m a fan of other bands, I have their albums, but just because it’s not their latest album doesn’t mean I won’t buy it. Every band has one album which is their best, it’s just the way it goes.

It was lovely speaking to Lee because he was such an informative and kind person, especially when he told me to go and enjoy the beach in this lovely weather…you know what Lee? I think I will.

Weapons is out now!LostProphets play the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff on

the 28 April 2012

PLUGGED IN 09

10 PLUGGED IN

With their eight studio album Generation Freakshow about to hit the streets, Feeder have now established themselves as a mainstay of the

British Rock scene and described by one magazine as our answer to the Foo Fighters. I got the opportunity to chat with Welsh frontman Grant Nicholas about the band’s institutional status. As I dial the number for our chat, I only have six questions in front of me but know that this is all I need. I spoke to Grant when we talked about the Renegades project for PLUGGED IN Issue 9 and it was like talking to a mate down the pub, no pretensions, no bravado, just good old chat. So when he answers the phone it’s like I’m back on familiar territory, and after our initial hellos I know I’m going to be okay asking questions that are possibly provocative. Grant doesn’t shy away from them, he attacks the questions with both thought and openness.

What’s the pressure like on you to keep producing quality music?It’s a living hell [he laughs] but it’s self-inflicted! Obviously by writing the best I can I get the best out of it and I enjoy it more. I love writing, so the pressure is not that bad at all, but of course it’s great when those songs connect and get airplay on the radio and people buy your records. Whatever happens I love writing and I’m always looking for that perfect rock song that out there. Pressure can be a good thing.

You style of music has now become unmistakably Feeder. What does it feel like to be in a position of having a Feeder style niche?I think we’ve always had that, it’s just really taken time for others to understand that’s what we do. We have tried different producers and ways of approach but we’ve never wanted to lose our identity. To think that people recognise our songs whether on the radio or on the album is great. People recognising our identity whether it be the songs, the sound or even my voice is an achievement. I’ve got a voice that, love it or hate it, is distinctive to the band which would be noticeable even if we were playing an acoustic set. It’s hard to get to that stage and our past musical history has worked in our favour.

And you do have a large fan base.Yes, which is also so diverse. We picked up lots of new young fans with our Renegades record. We’ve always had young fan but we picked up a lot with people only just finding out about us on the back of that project. There was even a cover version of Buck Rogers which was released, and the number of people who have come to our shows on the back of that is unbelievable. It’s really encouraging and makes us feel fresh.

Do you think that your diversion into Renegades changed your perspectives on the way you write songs?

I don’t really see Renegades as a diversion, more of our approach to it. Renegades was more underground, getting back to our roots and building up a fan base but keeping it really low key. The record wasn’t a commercial success, but it did show people that our songs are about melody while we can still rock out. That’s how we started off and that chemistry wasn’t there any more. On a personal level, I needed to just go out have fun and rock out. We’re still working hard at Feeder but that period has helped us relax more with the process.

According to a comment made by the London Evening Standard: “Right now Feeder feel like a band with a weight lifted off their shoulders.” Do you believe there is a truth to that comment?I don’t know really. Maybe being on our own label has allowed us a different approach to the way we work, so I wouldn’t say that a weight has been lifted. Maybe on a personal level I see the songs have been received in a different way. Sometimes history can work against us in the sense it’s difficult to open them up to what we’ve produced. I think the comment in the Evening Standard meant more about us throwing off the past a bit, not dwelling on it. The guy who wrote that comment is a bit of a legend in the music world, though I don’t remember the review I’m sure he enjoyed the gig. After Renegades it gave us a clear head on where we wanted to go so I suppose it’s a valid comment.

Feeder are playing a number of major festivals this year including the Isle of Wight, T In The Park and Sonisphere as well as playing a number of smaller venues including our very own Coal Exchange in Cardiff. So which do you prefer. Intimate gigs or the larger stage event?The initimate shows are more fun to play because you can get a great energy going, especially if we’re playing new songs and showcasing new material. Saying that, if you have a good festival response it’s the most amazing feeling. It’s a bit of both but on a personal level, it’s the smaller intimate show.

And that really sums up Grant and Feeder. He is a personal guy who is great to talk to, not afraid of the person in front of him. So being up close is a way he gets a thrill out of his life. Generation Freakshow may be the eight album from a long-standing band, but it comes over a fresh as the blossoming trees in spring being attacked by a chainsaw. From opener Oh My to the hard rocking Idaho and Headstrong, the album is like a volcano erupting over the rock world with the band surfing down the lava flows. This is Feeder, this isn’t Feeder, no this is FEEDER. Just brilliant!

Generation Freakshow is released on 23rd April 2012 Feeder play The Coal Exchange, Cardiff, on

24 April 2012.

Words by Darren Warner

Photograph courtesy of Hall or Nothing

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12 PLUGGED IN

To say that Gary Numan hasn’t had a major influence on today’s music is like saying Lady Ga-Ga doesn’t know who Madonna is. Every synthesised note played today owes homage to the man.

Not that he was the first to bring the dome laden keyboards to the music scene, but he was the first to bring it to global public attention — especially after his immense No 1 hit Are Friends Electric in 1979.

Everybody grows up having favourite bands or artists and back in the 1970s I was playing the punk game until I heard a piece of fictional genius wrapped up in a dark formidable tune on the John Peel show that evoked all sorts of stories throughout my head. That song was Down In The Park, the first single from Tubeway Army’s second album Replicas, that was followed by the aforementioned No 1 single Are Friends Electric.

I left school one lunch time and bought a copy of the album, finding everybody surrounding me on my return for the afternoon session with cries of “Can I borrow it.” No way! I was home soon as the bell sounded and that record hit the turntable before you could utter the word “weirdo”. It became a permanent fixture on my record player and I played the album constantly (I still have it now) and it became the soundtrack to my life.

Dropping the Tubeway Army name, Gary Numan reappeared later that year with the totally electronic and much copied track Cars, which confirmed his status as the most bizarre pop star ever to hit the stage on Top Of The Pops. He released the album The Pleasure Principle, and I saw him on the stage live for the first time when he took his tour to a small venue in Alyesbury called Friars. The show was like the man, mystifyingly original and so dynamic that I was hooked. I had found the music for me!

You see, I love all forms of music and still do, having a vast eclectic CD collection, but there has only been one person I have ever been awestruck by — and that was Gary Numan. So, when the offer came through to interview the man prior to his latest tour, after 28 years since I last paid attention to his work, I thought that this would be an interesting article for PLUGGED IN. I wasn’t prepared for the profound effect that my 25-minute phone conversation was going to have on me. But I’ll come back to that.

Gary Numan has produced over 20 albums in his career from the original self titled Tubeway Army album in 1978 to his most recent Dead Son Rising last year, not to mention the numerous live releases and compilations during his 34 musical years life span. It hasn’t always been easy. Being different meant that Gary built up a love him/hate him scenario with the record buying public. But he never gave up. So what drove him on?

“I don’t know to tell you the truth. I think if you enjoy what you really do with that being the main reason for you to do it, then all of the things that come and go you tend to just ride around them. I had a lot of trouble with the press in the first few years which could become demoralising, but because I just love making music I found enjoyment with that process — whether I was being successful or not. Success was the icing on the cake, but that didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the production process. I wrote music as a hobby as a kid, then it became my living, but the attitude stayed the same. The music I’ve made in the last 15 years is different to the earlier work and less radio friendly, though that was my decision, but it’s something I really love doing. Say it’s 75 per cent hobby, 25 per cent work because I still have a family to feed.”

As Gary mentioned he had quite a rough time with the press in his early career, so I asked him why he thought that had happened. “A lot of reasons really, with much of the blame I’ll take on myself. I was really the first big thing to come out after the punk movement which was all very anti-hero and anti-establishment and I said b****cks to all that. I wanted to be rich and famous, having the Ferrari and flying planes around, and I personally didn’t see anything wrong with wanting that kind of thing. At that time though, it was very frowned upon. Also my live shows were very ostentatious, visual light shows and staging rather than performance-led, which to wasn’t to some people’s taste. And I have Asperger’s Syndrome, which meant that in interviews I tended to not always put things over in the right way and could be quite blunt, not always sympathetic to the way other people may feel about something — not in an aggressive way, but with Asperger’s you tend to just see things in black and white. That definitely had an effect on why some of my comments were taken badly, especially in an environment where some people were fairly eager to take things the wrong way. But I do think I feed a lot of those fires, and I’ll even say that a lot of the criticism I had at that time is arguably quite fair. They said, for example, that I was quite

wooden on stage — and looking back now I understand exactly what they meant.”

In 1980 after doing a massive tour to support the release of his Telekon album, Gary shocked the world and all his Numanoid fans by announcing that he was to retire from the live music scene, finishing that period of his career with two massive concerts at Wembly Arena in April 1981. But within the year he had returned to the live scene in America, supporting his I, Assassin album before releasing his seventh studio album Warriors which led to a 40 date tour in the UK, including the then Hammersmith Odeon, now Apollo, in 1983.

So what drew him back to live music and has kept him playing live ever since? “When I first started I was quite awkward and nervous and not much of a showman really. When I decided to stop playing live I’d just done two world tours in a very short space of time and in those days I didn’t enjoy live performance that much. I found it really stressful, I missed home and because the press were so horrible at the time it kind of tarnished everything. Also, although I had been really successful, I felt I had a lot to learn about song writing and just being in the studio, so I wanted to spend more time doing that. When the success came along I spent very little time in the studio only just managing to squeeze out Telekon and the area I wanted to concentrate on, I wasn’t able to do. So I needed to step back, even from the limelight. As soon as I stepped out of the door, everything I did was reported. Women wanted to sleep with me just to write stories about it and the whole thing was just weird. From the moment I got to No 1 to the moment I got out of it, the pressure had been relentless. I wanted to run away from it all. So I stepped back and took a breath trying to grasp what happened. I went to America and after a while I started to miss live performance, so did a little tour and really got into it. I was more grown up about it. So came back to the UK with a massive tour and really enjoyed it, and from that moment on I’ve never had a problem with doing gigs.”

So Gary returns to Wales with his Machine Music Tour, a greatest hits package with tracks from his last album Dead Son Rising rolled in for good measure. After so many years with so many songs, what is his favourite to play live? “Not easy to pick one, but I do like playing songs that have serious power. Pure is one of my favourites and there is another song call Jagged I love playing. The echo at the end of the song I just get lost in. I love it. Of course Are Friends Electric always gets such a good reaction that that’s great as well. It’s such a crowd pleaser that it’s brilliant to have that coming back at you.”

You could say that Gary Numan has reached that stage of becoming iconic. His music and image in his early career stood out at that time and has never been matched, much like David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust. All his work has influenced many artists, from the Sugababes who used Are Friends Electric on their Freak Like Me hit to Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails who described Gary’s music as “vitally important and a huge inspiration”. He also did a vocal on the Battles 2011 album Gloss Drop, appearing during their gig on a huge screen. So how does it feel to be an Icon?

“Honestly, I’m very down to earth and always have been. I’m aware of it and I understand that I’m in a lucky position. If I’m walking around or taking the kids to school it doesn’t have any affect on your day to day life. I’m aware that there is a level of respect if I go to gigs, which is very nice to feel and which allows me to hold my head up anywhere.”

My time is up and Gary has other people to talk to. It was then I realised I needed to say so much more to him. He was the icon of my teenage years! The musician I had taken on board at the age of 14, whose records I couldn’t wait to buy, whose gigs I queued for hours to buy tickets for. I thought back to when wanting everything Gary Numan was so important to me. I was there during his tour for The Pleasure Principle, I was there for his tour for Telekon and I was there for his final concerts at Wembly Arena. I was even there to witness the 15-minute standing ovation he received at Hammersmith Odeon on his Warriors tour in 1983. It was after that I moved on in a different direction — went to college and started on my career path — and I’m sorry that I lost touch with what Gary Numan was up to because those gigs were some of the best gigs in my life. I will be at the Cardiff Coal Exchange in June and will report on that gig in the next issue. In the meantime I’ve got some catching up to do and I’m off to download Pure, Jagged and Dead Son Rising. So you could say that this article is ‘to be continued.’

Gary Numan plays the Coal Exchange in Cardiff on 2 June 2012

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Words by Darren Warner

Photograph courtesy of Ian Cheek

Interview by Darren Warner

Photograph courtesy of Henry’s Funeral Shoe

Would you give us a short biog of yourselves and the band’s history?We are Henry’s Funeral Shoe from Ystrad Mynach. We’re brothers — Aled plays guitar and sings, Brennig plays drums and percussion. We signed to the LA label Alive Records about three years ago. It’s the label that started the careers of The Black Keys, Hacienda and Buffalo Killers. Last year they re-released the Iggy Pop & James Williamson album Kill City. We’re in good company.

For a two-man band you make one hell of a lot of noise. Have you always been so loud?Right from the first practice it’s been loud. We’ve got louder. You gotta make a big noise in this shallow business. Do you believe your Welsh roots have influenced your music and if so, how?Maybe. Anyone who writes will be a product of their environment to some degree. We just so happen to live in Wales. We think you have a strong bluesy influence in your sound. Is this is the case and, if so, whose music do you love?There is certainly that, but we listen to everything from Hip Hop to Country music. At the moment we’re listening to Randy Newman and Ry Cooder. We never listen to just one thing but we do have favourites, like CCR, Peter Green, Rory Gallagher, The Who, Stones, Beatles, Little Feat. There’s blues in everything that’s worth listening to. It’s probably the most important and influential music in the last 100 years. Without it we wouldn’t have all the different artists we do now who have all gone on to change music too. How do you compare Donkey Jacket with your previous release?We’d been together about nine months when we recorded Everything’s For Sale. It was more a collection of songs. Donkey Jacket, with the help of Jim Diamond’s production, sounds more like an album. It has a vibe.

Why the unusual name? Because a Donkey Jacket is indestructible and was worn by hard-working men like miners, back in the day. We’re hard working and our dad was a miner. Our label is tiny and funds us in no other way than releasing the album. We do all the promotion through touring and booking gigs. From the day we signed with them we bought a van and got to it. We’ve done six to eight thousand miles across Europe on our six-week tours travelling, nine or 12 hours a day. We’ve done a lot with our van — everything from sleeping in -15 temperatures in the back of it in Switzerland, to playing for the French Hell’s Angels after France beat Wales in the semi-

final of the rubgy world cup. A typical distance for a gig while on tour would be from Wales to Scotland everyday for weeks.

Was the process of writing the songs for this album harder or easier than the last?You’ve always got a lifetime to write your first album. But this one we wrote under personal pressure to see if we could write another. We’re on a small label and didn’t have a big fanbase at the time, so we took some chances with it and it’s paid off. It’s not all heavy guitar and drums. We’ve got some slower songs, country-ish, Beatles/Kinks-ish, and other musicians contributing. Tell us about your current situation and the response to the new album?We’re in the process of arranging an American tour and another tour of Europe to promote the album. The response to Donkey Jacket has been fantastic worldwide. Classic Rock gave us 8/10 and Rock & Folk in France gave it 4/5. Songs from it have been used by Scrum V and BBC3’s Being Human.

Do you argue as much as the Gallagher Brothers? What’s it like musically partnering a sibling?We’ve had our moments. Spending 12 hours in van side by side for six weeks would test anyone. At the end of the day we’ve gotta get on because come Sunday we’ve gotta sit opposite each other at the dinner table at our mam’s — can’t miss mam’s cooked dinners!

What do you love and hate about being a band from Wales?I love the fact that we speak Welsh and that fascinates people in Europe who think we’re English. I hate that everyone in Europe thinks we’re English

If you could change the music industry within Wales, how do you believe it could be made better?I’m not sure what state the industry in is within Wales. I know there’s plenty of quality bands here, but like any other part of the country they’re being ignored because they don’t fit what’s “cool” at the moment. But that’s happening all over the country. The beauty of the internet is that there’s more of a level playing field now. If your music is good and you work hard people will discover you. You might not get on Huw Stephens’ Radio 1 playlist or be a millionaire, but who cares. Illegal downloading has changed music forever. Many of the bands you see and hear on those shows and stations aren’t selling any albums and are at the complete mercy of the record company. The money is on the road now. If your band isn’t willing to do gruelling tours and your goal is to get filthy rich, forget it — you’ll never make a living out of it.

Donkey Jacket is available now via itunes or your local independent music store

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Jason Donovan first shot to fame as an actor in 1986 when he took on the role of Scott

Robinson in the Australian TV soap Neighbours at the very height of its popularity. As a music artist, Jason is responsible for a catalogue of hit singles, including 10 UK Top 10 hits, four of them No 1’s (Especially For You with Kylie Minogue, Too Many Broken Hearts, Sealed With A Kiss and Any Dream Will Do), and he has sold millions of albums worldwide. As a musical theatre actor he has starred in many legendary West End productions, including the leads in Joseph & The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, The Sound Of Music, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, War Of The Worlds and Priscilla Queen Of The Desert. Recently he appeared on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, reaching the final three.

Sign Of Your Love is your sixth studio album, but it feels like there should be more as you’ve been in the public eye for so long — was it nice to get back into recording after everything you’ve been doing recently?Yeah, I have to say I love the recording process — it’s something I enjoy a lot. Having had the experience I have had with the music industry, particularly post-Joseph and then a record called All Around The World (with Polydor), I realised that as much as I wanted to keep recording it wasn’t going to sustain my creativity. I probably wasn’t willing to take the risk of being a recording artist on the basis that it mightn’t work after that. What I’m saying is, there’s a natural expiry date for a pop star and unless you’re particularly clever with re-invention, like Madonna, it’s a pretty difficult time to work your way through, so what I did was go into musical theatre. I always felt that song writing and recording became almost like a hobby to me, I felt there was an expiry date on my sort of pop star years. It wasn’t really until the early part of 2000 that I actually decided to do some more writing as I had new management and thought I could have another little pop at this. I’ve done three albums since then, albeit basically cover records. The first one, Let It be Me, had a song called Dreamboats & Petticoats that I co-wrote and which was turned into a musical. My pop music career has never been, probably, proactive enough for it to warrant 12 studio albums. That’s a reinvention process and risk process that I didn’t take, and I think I’m probably right as it would have been quite difficult during the 90s. I always try to do different things, I try and be creative in whatever aspect of entertainment I’m in. You saw that with Strictly, I’m not a dancer, but I dug deep and went out my comfort zone and the result was as it is.

Being on Strictly, with Dave Arch and his wonderful orchestra, dancing with a big band and being around that on a very regular basis, must have had an influence on you with wanting to do this album with a big band style?Absolutely! And I would argue that, you know, just from the fact there is a song called Bewitched on the record which was a track I danced to last year on Strictly. Also record companies become extremely interested in you when you’re on television! I think had it been any other company other than Polydor,

I mightn’t have gone the road that I choose.

Is that because of your past with Polydor?That’s a very good point. Polydor is a different company to what it was 25 years ago, but I have a relationship and I know the work that they do, they do quality work, they are not a cheap brand, so I knew that if I was (to use a business term) to jump into bed with them, they were going to deliver a product that was classy — and the new album is a classy product.

When did you find the time to record this?It was an extremely quick birth. I literally signed up before Christmas as I was heading out of Strictly, and we began shifting through songs in December and whilst on holiday in December/January, then late January/February we started recording.

That was quick!The record really writes itself, you don’t have to disappear for six months into a bedroom and pick out melodies, chord structures and lyrics and stuff. It’s an A&R process and you get songs that you think will work with the personality and singer that you are. I tried to be as realistic as I possibly could. I’m not going to sing My Way by Frank Sinatra, it’s too iconic, or New York New York. You get songs like I Only Have Eyes For You, Every Time We Say Goodbye, Bewitched — certain songs, original songs that Polydor sent to me, one of which was Make Love, you know songs that would work with the theme. I’m not a vocal gymnast so we had to be careful that it was sort of simple, warm and effective, and smooth — and that’s what the record became.

Do you think you’ll tour this album?That purely depends on the success you know. I’m not going to go out and tour a record that isn’t working! An artist like myself needs the leverage of a well received record to go out and sell tickets. I’m not trying to break in new songs here, I’m not trying to sell a new story. It’s a bunch of songs from an era that represents my personality — you know I could go out there and sing Too Many Broken Hearts and some songs from Sign Of Your Love, but I would rather the public take to it, get the theme of a tour, and go out and do it that way, than sort of just another greatest hits. Traditionally an artist would make a record and get on the road and the record would have a duration and sell over a long period of time. You’re breaking the songs, seeing what works and what doesn’t work — I don’t think that’s the sort of artist I am at this particular point in life.

You said that record labels are very interested when you appear on television, so having done two massive TV programmes with I’m A Celebrity and Strictly, did you notice much change in the public’s perception and reaction to you when you did those?Yeah, I did actually. I think it’s a matter of… I’m slightly reinventing myself in a different way. It’s not like changing your character per-se, it’s throwing your emotional spirit in front of the camera in order to be edited in such a way so people like you or they don’t. I would be lying to suggest there is a means to an end for doing something like that, it’s a way

of keeping the currency up, and it’s a way of creating other opportunities. Particularly with Strictly this was an opportunity to do a skill of mine, another skill, in the future.

With Strictly being about the dancing, the album about the singing, and having done acting, do you see yourself as an all-round entertainer rather than one or the other?I do see myself as an all-round entertainer, I don’t think there’s a problem with that. I enjoy all aspects of entertainment, and I can now put dancing as part of that journey. I’m a bit of a jack of all trades and master of none! But that’s held me in good stead for many years. Its very difficult just to be a straight actor or successful singer these days, you really have to multi-task, you’ve got Jamie Cullum on Radio 2, Sting trying to be an actor…

You’ve had a fantastic career on the stage with some classic roles in Joseph, Chiddy Chiddy Bang Bang and Rocky Horror, so what exactly are you doing on the new Andrew Lloyd Webber TV show Superstar, as you can bring a lot to this show with your experience?My role is a mentor-type, I’m part of the process that brings everyone to boot camp. I’m not a judge, I want to be clear about that — the judging panel is yet to be decided I believe, it will include Lord Webber obviously, but I’m not on the judging panel as such.

Will you still be there each week on the shows?I think I will be there on the live shows, and I will be there as a major part of steering these kids to getting onto the live shows.

Have auditions started at the moment — is this something you’re working on or waiting to start?The actual elimination process we did the other day. We took 104 kids and whittled them down to 40, and I was involved in that process along with Melanie C. Both she and I have been on the panel along with a guy called David Grinrod, who is a casting director. In a funny way you are a bit of a judge, but it’s not on the front line of the live show.

Is there anyone that has particularly stood out for you?A number of people have stood out, yes, but I wouldn’t be able to just say their names! I would say to you, unlike X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, what you tend to find with a show like this is, yes, there a number of people form ordinary jobs, but there’s a lot of people who come in from musical theatre, courses and stuff like that, who see this as an opportunity. So the standard was incredibly high, I don’t think we saw one car crash! We are not trying to exploit people, this is not a show where you have a sort of pantomime contestant. Its good, as that can be pretty… not embarrassing… but the wrong way of using TV.

Any plans to return to the West End stage yourself?I would love to; it’s just a matter of time. The West End calls you, you don’t call it!

Jason’s new album Sign Of Your Love is out now on Polydor Records.

Words by Warren Higgins

Photograph courtesy of Chuff Media

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I’ve seen these guys before but I can’t remember where, is the most likely thought running through your head right now. Yes, they have been in this magazine before, played on

national radio, festival stages, UK tours and television. Because these guys are artists formerly known as Tiger Please. On the 30th January 2012, Tiger Please ceased to exist and born out of the ashes came The People, The Poet. Whilst writing their new album the guys decided that they had outgrown their original band name, explaining the decision as more than just a simple change of a name: “It’s a tribute to the people who have trusted us with their stories, our fans. A lot of bands say ‘our band would be nothing without our fans.’ In our case, that is literally true. These songs are their stories — our fans are our band.”

From the outside, it certainly appears to be an exciting time for the band — even if it does seem a little strange with all the hype and buzz that has surrounded them alongside the momentum they have built up over time. This simply must equate to the guys believing that their forthcoming debut album The Narrator is simply that good! With the release imminent, it was time to get an insight from chief lyricist and front man Leon Stanford. “We are very excited to show people what we’ve been working on so hard for the last year and a half, it’s been a life-changing experience and it’s not just the response of the music that we have to anxiously wait for now. It’s always a nerve-wracking time wondering how people will respond. I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved with the album, but equally nervous of what the critics and fans will think. I’m a little more anxious to see the reaction of the people who have put so much trust in us to tell their stories.”

The album is written upon the concept of telling stories that their fans sent to them after Leon openly asked for them. Revealed so far have been stories of the darker side of humanity, which even Leon initially struggled to get his head around — including one of a girl being raped by a family friend in her youth. “It’s been one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done in my life, the way I see the world now is very different. Some days I’ve found myself so angry with the world, but through writing this album I’ve been able to see how beautiful life truly is even with all its flaws. We never imagined we’d get so many people willing to share their struggles in the form of song.”

The band recorded the album with Gil Norton (Foo Fighters, Feeder, Pixies) at Monnow Valleys Studio in Monmouthshire, which has seen some of the world’s finest musicians record

there. “It was brilliant to make a start on our record in a place with so much history. Hopefully, one day, there will be bands walking in just like us for the first time saying this is where The People, The Poet recorded their debut album.” This statement is one of intent and ambition from the band. “There is no real limitation to the genre of the sound of The People, The Poet, we just tell the story the way we feel it should be told,” says Leon, and mentions his influences come from Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, whilst as a band they are inspired by Bon Iver and Sigur Ros, which binds together the intelligent lyrics that accompany the huge arena-filling sound they produce.

It would be wrong to simply ignore the legacy that Tiger Please left behind, as that is where the band learnt their craft and grabbed ours and your attention in the first place. As TP, they released the mini-album They Don’t Change Under Moonlight and the EP Seasons to critical acclaim, attracting attention from the national press, getting TV and radio airtime and touring the UK numerous times to play some of the most prestigious rock festivals in the country. Playing alongside Kids In Glass Houses (Aled Phillips is a keen admirer) and Funeral For A Friend. “We were honoured to be asked onto the road by KIGH for our first real tour, they were a band that me and Luc (guitar) had aspired to be like in our previous band, and after a year of playing honest music to ourselves we had made them a fan of our band. FFAF have been heroes of mine since I was in school. What I have learnt is to never let the FFAF boys play round with the sound desk at a live show!”

What does the future hold now for The People, The Poet? At the time of writing, a first TPTP tour was planned supporting Charlie Simpson. “I’ve always been a fan of Charlie Simpson and his album is one of the best things he’s ever done, so to be part of the tour is another honour. It’s the first tour we shall be doing under the new name and it feels the perfect way to start.” The pressure is on to deliver after such a vast life-changing decision, and Leon isn’t shy of admitting to there being national pressure — but he has an optimistic, lasting thought that this will allow him and his friends the platform to achieve the success and goals they want and more.

TPTP are set for success, with a world renowned producer working with them at a legendary recording studio, huge sounding anthems and an ever expanding loyal and dedicated fan base. Whisper it quietly, but this could be Welsh music’s next big export.

Words by Ritchie Samuel Photograph by Craig Thomas

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You can forgive Sigur Rós for being hazy on the details of the recording of their sixth studio album Valtari. It’s either the

album they always wanted to make, or the album they almost didn’t make, depending on how you look at it. Started, in terms of recording, as long ago as 2007, on the back of their album Takk..., Valtari actually has its roots earlier still, in a 2003 collaboration with the 16 Choir at London’s Barbican Centre on the band’s unreleased orchestral work Odin’s Raven Magic.

That occasion fed an already nascent idea to do an entirely choral album though over time, the idea drifted towards a simpler ‘introspective’ work, but this too proved elusive. The 2009 sessions threw up some individually beautiful moments but it was hard to draw a line between them, and the band found focussing on such elusive music hard to do for any sustained period.

So in 2011, the band started the painstaking forensic task of piecing together a cohesive and magical work from disparate constituent parts. If this sounds unromantic, the results are anything but. Something alchemical occurs when the four members of Sigur Rós are in the room together, and even if Valtari is more a studio based album than any of its predecessors (which usually start life as rehearsal room

jams), the long hours of experimentation and unsentimental editing have yielded incredibly persuasive results.

“It is actually harder to take a song apart and rebuild it than it is to write it in the first place,” says Georg Holm. “There was a lot of deconstruction going on in the studio. We had to break things up, take stuff out and throw it away before we could start to put it all back together again.”

“It’s odd how we finished the record,” adds Kjartan Sveinsson. “It was quite different from any other album, in fact. Previously we might have lived and breathed a record for two years at a stretch, but this one was on and off.”

“I really can’t remember why we started this record,” continues Georg. “I no longer know what we were trying to do back then. I do know session after session went pear-shaped, we lost focus and almost gave up...did give up for a while. But then something happened and form started to emerge, and now I can honestly say that it’s the only Sigur Rós record I have listened to for pleasure in my own house after we’ve finished it.”

In English Valtari translates as “steamroller” and there is something right about the title in terms of the process of its creation. Once it was set in motion, the concept did indeed keep rolling.

Jónsi adds, “It was Alex [Somers — who mixed the album] who pushed for more singing. It started out as a choral record, and then became some kind of ambient record, and then we wrote Varúð and started moulding and changing the songs, and Alex thought there should be more singing.”

This time that singing is in Icelandic, rather than the ‘Hopelandic’ of old. By two-thirds of the way through the record, however, the singing is over and done. Jónsi provides gorgeous and sepulchral counterpoint to the 16 Choir’s devotional delivery on the album’s fifth track, Dauðalogn, and then the choir takes over and the song spirals upwards like a lark ascending, and it’s the last we hear of our singer.

After that, penultimate track Valtari is like the far heart of the album — eight minutes that feel like being alone in row boat on a chilly day, small irregular waves lapping the wooden hull as a dense fog bank rolls in and ice slowly encases every surface. Below, the fathomless green deep endures. At least, that’s how it struck me while writing this. You, of course, can play this game at home yourselves.

Valtari will be released on double vinyl, CD and digital download on 28 May

Sigur ros

Words by John Best Photograph Courtesy of Black Arts PR

The alternative-electronica duo, who are Benjamin Curtis (ex-Secret Machines) and Alejandra Deheza (ex-On!Air!Library!) formed in 2007, naming themselves after a mythical South American pickpocket training academy of the same name. Five years later, they find themselves having just released their third album Ghostory — a concept album exploring the tale of a young girl called Lafaye and the ghosts that surround her life. We caught up with Alejandra of The School Of Seven Bells to discuss this and more. “We actually didn’t realise we were writing a concept album until midway through the process. Whenever I sat down to write lyrics, I noticed that what was coming out were these letters to different people from my past. They feel foreign because the person that experienced them feels so different from the person I am now. Ghostory is Lafaye addressing these emotions, these fires that she thought she’d put out, but had stayed burning in her subconscious; but what it mostly did was clear a lot of noise from my mind. It’s been pretty much the most cathartic thing I’ve ever done.” Since its release the album has won a very high profile fan in Katy Perry who publicly tweeted her positive feelings for the album amongst a throng of music critics — our review can be found on page 37. This album sees the first recording as a duo as opposed to a trio. “Our live line-up hasn’t changed as far as how we play the songs, because we have Allie Alvarado now on keyboards and backing vocals. As far as the creative dynamic goes, Ben and I have always been the main songwriters in the band. We began as a duo and things just came full circle, as they do. Everyone is doing what they want to do, and that’s always a good thing when you’re working on such an intimate creative level. Energy is everything when you’re making music.” With the next 12 months looming, the band are just happy to be playing shows to get the new album out there, and will be hitting UK shores in the summer if all goes to plan. “UK crowds are so killer, and because I feel like we rarely get to play here, compared to how often we play in the States, it makes the experience extra, extra exciting. The fans here are so dedicated to music in general. People live and breathe music here. It seems fused to the culture. That’s a powerful thing. The UK has been very good to us. I feel blessed.” Hopefully we can grab a live review of this fantastic duo for a future issue for PLUGGED IN. RITCHIE SAMUEL

Straight Lines return with their latest album Freaks Like Us. We catch up with the boys and throw some questions their way.

Do you believe your Welsh routes have influenced your music and if so, how?Yeah, I guess so. Wales is rich with great music that spreads across many genres and generations it would be hard not to be influenced by the land of song. How do you compare Freaks Like Us with your previous release?

The last album was just a bunch of songs thrown together to make an album — there was like a four year gap between some of them by the time we recorded the first album. This album is more whole, it was written in the space of a few months and recorded with the intentions of a more raw sound.Why the title Freaks Like Us?

I don’t really know why, it doesn’t really have a meaning, I guess I just feel like a bit of a freak sometimes. Was the process of writing the songs for this album harder or easier?It was pretty easy to be honest, most bands write 20 plus songs and choose the best, we just wrote 10 and were happy enough for all of them to go on the album. What do you love and hate about being a band from Wales?There’s not much to hate. I guess you can be pigeon holed by being a band from Wales, but a lot of Welsh bands help each other out and a lot of bands are good friends with each other — it’s a good thing to be part of.If you could change the music industry within Wales, how do you believe it could be made better?Maybe if they stopped closing small venues down! There doesn’t seem to be many good venues around any more — for example, my local venues used to be Tom’s Bar and The Malsters, both in Pontypridd, and it was great for young bands just starting out and a good place to go just to stumble into new bands. But Tom’s is closed down and The Malsters don’t do shows any more, so it just makes it hard for bands and scenes to grow in local areas. DW

We bumped into Willy Vlautin of Richmond Fontaine after a recent gig in Cardiff.

You always play Wales when you tour the UK, so a big thank you for that. Have you had a chance to learn much about Welsh culture during your visits?I’ve read just the basics about Welsh history, I’m not a scholar by any means! I always like reading novels by Welsh writers and have just finished a few by John Williams that were great.Richmond Fontaine has long been labelled an alt-country band. Is that how you see yourselves, or do you find that description somewhat restrictive?I never think about labels. People have to describe you somehow and we do have pedal steel. I like alt-country quite a bit, but in general we’re a band with a lot of different influences from country to garage rock to instrumental and folk music.

Your latest album, The High Country, is something of a Gothic melodrama, featuring a gallery of grotesques with a predilection for murder. It’s a sombre set of songs, interspersed with narrative pieces and snatches of dialogue. How has the experiment been received? It was a risky record to do, some people really like it and others obviously don’t know what to make of it. They think we’ve lost our minds and maybe we have! The one thing everyone agrees is that Deborah Kelly is a great singer. She’s always been one of my favourites and I was excited as hell to have her on it. You’re currently touring alongside the mighty Jayhawks whilst doing some acoustic shows of your own. Are you focusing on new material or can we expect a trawl through your back catalogue for songs that lend themselves to an acoustic setting?We are doing a couple new ones, but mostly we are doing back catalogue stuff. It’s stripped down so we can do our more folk side. The Jayhawks are amazing. It’s been great being able to see them every night! I’ve been a fan of theirs since the beginning.I came quite late to your music and pretty much bought your albums in reverse order.

Which album would you recommend as an introduction to Richmond Fontaine’s work?Post To Wire or We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River, both of those show all the different sides of RF.You often name-check Dave Alvin and Tom Waits as artists that you admire. What is it about their song-writing that resonates?I’ve always liked Dave Alvin’s folk side. His ability to set a scene in a song and then leave it open-ended for the listener to decide has always inspired me. Tom Waits I think is one of the great classic songwriters, a pure tunesmith with great melodies. To me he’s right there with Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Gershwin.I’ve heard you remark many times in interviews on the affection you have for Reno. How did growing up there impact on your writing?Reno is a great place. I was sad to move from there and hope to move back some day. I was born into the right town that’s for sure. It has a certain underbelly and sadness to it that makes sense to me and makes me feel normal. It makes me feel like I fit. I love writing stories set there. In general, wherever I live impacts on my writing, but Reno is always the most fun to write about. KEVIN McGRATH

RICHMOND FONTAINE

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Greg Barton as Grab Promotions has been at the forefront of music promotion in

the South Wales region for a number of years recently working under contract with the media group Orchard. We feature many of the gigs that he promotes within the pages of our magazines including Lower Than Atlantis, Canterbury and You Me At Six in this very issue. PLUGGED IN caught up with him prior to the Young Guns gig (which you can also read about on page 26) at the Muni in Pontypridd to talk about life and being in the business.

How did you get into promoting?I’ve always had a keen interest in music, regularly attending gigs throughout Wales. So after finishing University where I studied Media & Visaul Culture I managed to get a placement working for Music Academy Wales, who basically put on two annual events, The Welsh Music Awards and The Compass Festival. My job was to organise these festivals including booking the bands, co-ordinating the sites and locations, while working with both local and national artists. Then I wanted to take it a bit further so after leaving that company I started to promote my own gigs around Cardiff at places like Clwb Ifor Bach then started working at the Barfly for a couple of years, then back on my own again until this collaboration with Orchard came along.

What drives you to do the job?To be successful in the industry really. I’m always pushing to put on the next gig, make it a bigger gig than the last one, especially here in Wales. I hope that I’m in part help creating a better and more vibrant scene here in Wales, trying to bring exciting music to Wales

while highlighting the talent we have on our doorstep. Many bands don’t like to cross the bridge into Wales. By making a better scene, it becomes more attractive to them.

How many gigs do you promote within a year?It’s a lot. I think last year it was roughly 250, and it’s looking to be about the same this year. It was different when I was based at Barfly as I was putting on gigs seven nights a week which was great experience. Being freelance you are able to pick and choose more, having both busy and quiet periods. Barfly was night after night after night which helped me learn to balance work loads.

What’s the biggest event you’ve promoted and who are the bands that you really like working with?There has been a lot of bands whose music I’ve loved and to finally put them on feels like a really big achievement. Also a number of bands who you put on when nobody has really heard of them and you keep putting them on as they grow in stature. For example, Young Guns who are playing The Muni tonight I’ve probably promoted about six or seven times. The first show was a bit of a gamble for me as they didn’t have a huge fanbase, but as they have come back again and again that has grown. This tour has been promoted throughout the UK by another group — all except for the Welsh leg, where they have shown that loyalty back to me. Another band that was really good to put on was Glassjaw. I was a really big fan as I was growing up but they split up, so I never thought I’d get the opportunity to promote one of their gigs. However, they reformed later on

and I was so happy to put them on. That was really special. Compass Point was a huge event in Coopers Field with headlining bands like Funeral For A Friend and Biffy Clyro alongside workshops and different stages. As for stand-alone events, well I’ve worked with You Me At Six, Adam Ant and have Gary Numan coming up [PLUGGED IN ain’t missing that show — read the review in the next issue!] Before Barfly I was predominantly a rock promoter but that experience meant that I had to deal with all types of music which gave me a grounding to carry on the way I have. What do you love and hate about promoting in Wales?Bringing the bands to Wales and watching the reaction they get. The feedback is great.

If you could change the music industry within Wales, how do you believe it could be made better?See more investment in venues, we don’t have that medium level of capacity. Clwb Ifor Bach is around the 200 mark. Then you jump to the Great Hall at Cadiff Uni before the dizzy heights of the Motorpoint Arena. With less venues a lot of local bands are struggling to get gigs, so not as many bands are coming through as there was a few years ago.

To stay in touch with the events Greg is promoting visit his facebook page at www.facebook.com/grabpromotions or sign up to our site www.facebook.com/PLUGGEDINMagazine where we highlight

Greg’s gigs.

GREG BARTON Words & Photograph

by Darren Warner

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Breaking The Fear WallBrecon CathedralIt’s been a number of years since I’d seen Tanya Walker perform a full set, a few years that had brought many changes to her life. Marriage, the sudden death of her manager, moving house, having a baby and the pressures that motherhood bring. And it’s these changes that created a barrier of insecurities between the person that she once was and the person she has now become, a fear wall as she describes it. “My fear walls have been not following my dreams, not to believe in myself and holding myself back by worrying about what other people think of me. In fact, it’s those insecurities that have fuelled my passion to create, producing the material while at the same time holding me back.”

The last gleaming touches of twilight leaves its fingers on the peaks of the Brecon Beacons as I travel north to the market town that gives the area its name, heading for the ecclesiastical environment of the town’s Cathedral. This fine setting is where Tanya will personally tear up the final foundations of her ever diminishing fear wall and show to the audience that an innovative and creative spirit is still alive within the lady. After a lavish support spot from songstress Just Henry, whose voice fitted the surroundings and whose expressional arm movements gesticulated every word that passed her lips, the members of the Brecon Cathedral Choir entered the nave to begin the hour-long performance. With a mixture of sounds, words, voices, Breaking The Fearwall was an almost continuous set that Tanya, seated at her piano, commanded with strategic precision while playing through a series of songs that reflected her new view of the world. Songs like Please Don’t Rain On Me that blended parts of a children’s nursery rhyme within the structure of the song, Good Days, Bad Days that should be sitting at the number one spot, and the emotive performance title track Breaking The Fearwall all were beautifully crafted pieces of music. This was conceptual music, spiritually aware and laying bare feelings for all to feast upon. The concert ended with the brilliant Wake Up & Dream and Tanya was given the standing ovation that she deserved. This was a unique, but hopefully not one-off, performance because more people need to hear such excellent creativity.

After the concert we sat outside on a bench in the warm night and discussed what had brought her to this point. Did she believe she had broken down her fearwalls?

“I think after giving birth and then dealing with my daughter being seriously ill in hospital at a young age were such intense anxieties and emotions to go through that I just thought nothing could be worse than that. Motherhood inspired me because of the depth of love that I feel, though music comes to me in a funny way. It’s not a healthy experience for me to create via major emotion. My daughter was ill and since that point there was this need to get something out there, to express something that represents this period of time. I didn’t have the time to allow negative thoughts to invade my life, I just had to get on and do it. Also being a mother has made me approach things from a different direction. It’s not egotistical, it’s more about sharing something to move and inspire other people as opposed to needing other people’s approval. I feel with a much deeper intensity now, with the journey to create the music actually being what the music is about. Breaking those fear walls and stepping over those barriers. I’m now in a happy place to a certain extent, with my only concern being that I find something else to take the place of what I’ve just done. It’s been a year leading up to tonight’s performance and when I’m in action their is no time for negatives.”

With such an emotive performance, what does she feel about opening herself up for all to gaze at and criticise? “I honestly don’t have those things there anymore. It’s coming from a different context, wanting people to be enriched in their lives rather than ‘please like me, please approve of me’.”

Before we parted Tanya reflected on one last thing. “Over a year back and for three nights in a row I kept waking up at 3am with a vision of performing in Brecon Cathedral alongside this ethereal choir. I visualised people standing up and clapping. Tonight I created that moment by following my dreams.”

Words & Photograph by Darren Warner

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As the PLUGGED IN team made its way to the venue to meet Benjamin Francis-Leftwich prior to his biggest Welsh headline show to date, we were a bit excited to see this one unfold after hearing his debut album and knowing Swn had put him in one the Capital’s most unique settings.“It was wicked last time I played here [Swn festival 2011], the crowd, the venue [the Globe], just everything,” says an excited Benjamin as he is quizzed about his return. “Previously I played the legendary Greenman Festival in Brecon up in the Welsh mountains. It was amazing! It is such a special festival and I was checking out new bands all weekend. It’s the location that makes it special as it’s such a lovely part of the world.” So special to him that he says it’s his favourite time in playing Wales to date. Moving on to the success of his Top 40 album, he continues, “It surpassed my expectations, and I’m glad that other people like it. It’s been going great, with these two Welsh dates on the tour sold out.” Yorkshire bred Benjamin admits that he’s been majorly influenced by his roots, “York really has allowed me to express myself and be creatively free.” The pre-gig interview was short and quite rapid, with it clocking in at around only five minutes, and with Benjamin seeming quite shy and closed — or was he media unfriendly intentionally? The only way was to see first-hand on the stage!

Whilst Fossil Collective played their set, the capacity crowd were still pouring into the venue, so it was Manchester lass Ren Harvieu who played to a jam–packed room. Her plush and spell-binding voice was charming, even a visible injury couldn’t put a dampener on her short and sweet set as she twirled her hips right up to set closer In Your Arms. Just moments after her set had finished, the rush from the crowd to the stage began, trying to get closer to see and hear Benjamin Francis-Leftwich. From his very shy persona when PLUGGED IN met him a few hours before, there was one question still left to be answered, “Did we meet the real Benjamin?” The next hour would give us the definitive answer. The lad from York, kicked proceedings off with Pictures, to a polite roar from the crowd whilst he just stood there with a warm smile as they sung along and were drifted away. His unique voice has a certain husky feel to it that helps it stand out from such a cluttered market of male singer-songwriters (Ed Sheeran, Ben Howard, et al). He was then joined by a full band to bring the rest of his songs to full life, such as Hole In My Hand and set closer Atlas. Each track was mesmerising and captivating, yet retained a feel of ‘Fragile: Do Not Touch’ as they could break at any time if someone mishandled them — such is the precisely crafted nature of his songs. It was to be Maps that stole the show, getting the entire crowd to be silent whilst he stepped away from the microphone to sing it — such a brave and bold move. Luckily, everyone played ball and we were treated to such a stirring performance, his voice filled the theatre bringing the hairs on the back of your neck to a complete standstill. He then politely thanked the crowd for allowing him to do the song like that, with a smile stretching from one ear to another. Throughout the performance, my question had been answered by how Benjamin was on stage — he was always humble, timid and all about the music. Which gives a final conclusion of, yes, PLUGGED IN met the real Benjamin Francis-Leftwich. RITCHIE SAMUEL

Photograph courtesy of Chuff Media

Live Photograph by Mckenzy Renshaw-Valiquette

The Globe, Cardiff

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New Found GloryGreat Hall, Cardiff UniBy the time I get inside the venue While She Sleeps have already started their set — the organisers clearly not keen on letting the fans in before starting the gig. I am also sober, but will (expensively) sort that soon! While She Sleeps, are a group that appear to be steadily building some momentum in Britain, hailing from Sheffield and purveying a very modern blend of hardcore and metal that is as intrinsically melodic as it is impressively heavy. Though first on this young band already have this audience in the palm of their hands, with many a hand held aloft and voice chanting — Crows being a particularly noticeable set highlight for the band and the crowd. Guitar lines melodic and breakdowns punishing, there’s a future on the horizon for these Sheffielders. Letlive have been steadily snowballing since the release of their last album Fake History and its subsequent re-release over here last year. Both alternative media and music fans alike have been taking to them with keen interest and fascination. If you aren’t familiar with their brand of post-hardcore/progressive hardcore, you’d soon understand the interest surrounding them were you to witness the band live. They start their set as they do the previously mentioned album with Le Prologue, bleeding into The Sick, Sick 6.8 Billion, but within seconds they have erupted taking the crowd along with them. The band deliver a flawless and adrenalin-filled set which is an unfortunately short slot given the talent on display, but given that they’ve recently signed to Epitath and there’s a new album on the horizon for release this year, there’ll be headline slots soon to follow. Next up we had a marmite band filling in for Sum 41 who were in this spot initially when the tour was announced. However, due to some serious back issues with Deryck Whibley, the band had to pull out before the tour had even begun. Quick to step up to the plate as replacements for the entire tour were Wales’ own The Blackout — herein lies the marmite. The band themselves and their placement on the bill is very much so split between love and hate. Nothing about this evening phased the band. They came out and played the gig like they were headlining — though not everyone’s cup of tea, that level of confidence and thick skin is something anyone can appreciate. They delivered a solid performance, even chucking in Fat Lip by Sum 41 as a peacemaker, and by the end of the set most of the crowd were singing right back at them. Headliners New Found Glory very much found their glory, new and old, with this crowd which cast a wide span of age and demographic throughout its sold out numbers. For some it’s nostalgia, for others it’s still exactly what they’re all about — perhaps even more so having come to the band new and fresh faced in fandom. Regardless of any individual’s reason for being here, they get exactly what they want and more. The band displaying the exuberance and genuine enthusiastic energy that they’ve always been known for, with songs new and old sitting perfectly with fans old and new. Even breaking in some covers around their own pop punk gems, like the sugary guilty pleasure that is their cover of Six Pence None The Richer’s Kiss Me. Even though years apart, the new songs like Radiosurgery sit perfectly with classics like Failure’s Not Flattering, and of course the ever enjoyable encore of My Friends Over You. Regardless of anything and everything, these pop punk princes left the crowd smiling as they left the stage and the fans headed for home, and what more could you want? Cheaper beer I guess. MORGAN ROBERTS

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Young GunsMuni Arts Centre, PontypriddAn excited crowd was already gathered and waiting impatiently outside the Muni to see the four great bands on the bill. The first band to take the stage was from Newport that go by the name Save Your Breath, they were great fun and got the crowd warmed up with their catchy song Stay Young and a few other tracks from their album Vices. The band looked as if they were having the time of their lives, and with such a good reception the crowd was too! Next on stage was Polar, I really liked them because they were heavier than the rest of the bands on this tour, so they stood out a lot. Polar were really energetic and got the crowd in an amazing mood, bouncing off the floor and opening up the only pit of the evening. Next up was a five-piece pop-punk band all the way from Australia called Tonight Alive. Having a female vocalist they’re instantly compared to Paramore, but the singer Jenna McDougall has an amazing voice and soon got the crowd jumping and singing along to their songs such as Starlight and their cover of Mumford & Sons track Little Lion Man. Tonight Alive got the crowd pumped up for Young Guns as they got the floor shaking. As soon as the lights dimmed for Young Guns to arrive on stage, the crowd started screaming, shouting and clapping immensely and even before they were half way through their first song, people were moshing and moving. There was a song or two that stood out amongst the array of material in their performance, such as Crystal Clear and Weight Of The World. The band had the crowd going crazy, with front man Gustav Wood being very energetic and throwing himself across the stage and into the crowd — he looked like he was really enjoying himself up there. Overall it was an amazing night with amazing bands. I went home with ringing ears and another gig to remember! KERN BRIDGES

Photograph by Kern Bridges

Fleshgod ApocalypseBogiez Bar, CardiffWhen I first arrived at Bogiez, I was surprised to see Fleshgod Apocalypse was playing such a small venue. First up were local black metal band Mantikore, who didn’t seem to grab a lot of the audience’s attention. Their singer had an amazing variety of vocals, from high pitched screams to deep growls and pig squeals. He even had an axe waving about towards the end, which finally caught the attention of the crowd. Next up were Bloodshot Dawn, who brought up the atmosphere. The crowd loved the heavy riffs and three vocalists. They even had the crowd forming a wall of death and mosh pits. The crowd were warmed up nicely for Dyscarnate. I didn’t expect much from this three-piece band, but their set told me otherwise. The vocalists managed to harmonise high-pitched screams and deep growls better than any other metal band I’ve seen. Finally, Fleshgod Apocalypse were on, and the crowd went insane. They proved that you can be any genre to harmonise keyboard with a huge blast mix of drums and guitars. The crowd went absolutely crazy to their most popular song The Violation. There wasn’t one audience member not violently banging their head. Everybody was singing (or screaming) along and the mosh pits were the most insane I’ve ever seen. Fleshgod Apocalypse played a fantastic show to end their tour, and I would definitely recommend seeing them if you ever get the chance. GEORGIA BRITTAIN

Photograph by Georgia Brittain

DloudsThe Crown, Merthyr TydfilThe last time I saw these guys perform the set was loose, disjointed and anarchic, with members actually arguing on stage — okay, very Rock ’n’ Roll but not conducive for an enjoyable evening. Boy has that changed, along with their name. Imagine the angst of young teenagers from Merthyr, Welsh humour rolled together with a heap load of LA gangsta rap and you’ve got a new phenomenon on the stage! The set was tight, the performance enjoyable, with excellent tracks like Real Estate the spaghetti-western influenced Super Star, showing the progress the guys have made. Open your doors people because I think we have found a new genre in Merthyr, something to take note of. DW

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Words by Lisa Derrick

Photograph by Darren Warner

We at PLUGGED IN have had our eyes and ears on Alt-J since October’s Swn Festival when they made numero uno in our Top Eight Picks, thanks to their complex mix of quick heart-poundy jumpy tripping beats, folky sounding harmonies, beautiful guitars, xylophone, percussion and bass. The Leeds born band were back in Cardiff on 16 March to support Wild Beasts, so we caught up with them to chat about tours and triangles, the usual stuff.

First things first, we wanted to know what Joe, Thom, Gwil and Gus had been up to since Swn. “We’ve been in the studio for pretty much all of January with Charlie Andrew our producer. It’s exciting — been going really well.” Their live performance reflected this solid time spent together as a band, as they seemed even tighter, yet totally comfortable on a bigger stage, in a much grander venue. And the crowd clearly hadn’t come along purely for the headliners as Alt-J’s set was keenly enjoyed, with extra claps and dancing for the increasingly well known tracks Tessellate, Matilda, Fitzpleasure and Breezeblocks.

We’ve heard Alt-J played on Radio One and 6Music in recent months, and there was even a rumour of a Match Of The Day Fitzpleasure play which we asked the boys to confirm. “It isn’t true, though we got quite excited about it. But we did get played on Football Focus...that’s still pretty cool. It’s pretty much the same as Match of the Day but it’s Saturday in the day.”

I can’t profess to know anything about football, but agree a TV play to thousands is indeed cool. So talking of cool, what do the guys see as their band highlights to date? “Festive Festival” was the immediate reply. Hosts Nick Grimshaw and Zane Lowe invited Alt-J to be amongst a line-up of artists they’ve been championing, a gig which took place in BBC’s Maida Vale Studios. Their 6Music session with Steve Lamacq was also mentioned. “Both the Maida Vale things have been awesome. Midi Festival was amazing in France. That was just lovely playing a festival on the Riviera. I think what actual highlights are where we’ve actually felt like a real band. And recording an album — God we’ve actually done it. We did what we set out to do.” PLUGGED IN are also seriously pleased the guys did this — our Soundcloud plays must be record-breaking, so to have an album in hand will be amazing!

These are some great achievements, so what about a dream scenario for the future? “A dream scenario for the future apart from

the album being released...Jools Holland. That’s a potential. It would be a dream come true if we ever got to that level. That would be incredible. Making a second album, that would be good. Yeah. Striving to make a second album that’s when you know you’re a band I suppose.”

Most people who’ve heard the band’s name will be curious. Perhaps more so if they’ve seen their triangle shaped logo and listened to the triangle-based lyrics. What’s going on? “Well ‘triangles are my favourite shape’ — that was a lyric before we recorded what Joe wrote. Well I can’t really explain — he always says he just likes triangles a bit — not loads. I think maybe the blogosphere has turned it into something that sounds more like obsession than it actually is. I think you have to be mental to be obsessed with triangles. Or a mathematician. Or a triangle. So I think in regards to the name being a triangle it’s not really a triangle it’s a delta....It’s got three sides buts how many lines meet? There was a big debate about that...”

A fairly lengthy, live debate ensued at this point! “We probably liked the delta sign for different reasons. It’s used in physics equations — we quite liked that. It’s like maths and that! It’s cool to be able to do it on a computer — if you’ve got a Mac it’s satisfying, if you’ve got widows then copy and paste is called for. Maybe you should make a YouTube tutorial alongside this!” Maybe guys — or perhaps a physics/maths/triangle/delta based educational video to accompany a future track? Or maybe you could rejuvenate Open University TV.

So, last question. We asked Alt-J about their post-tour plans. “I don’t know what our post tour plans are because the tour seems like a massive thing at the moment. I’m not actually sure. Literally the moment the tour ends, we’ve got various dates for April and then we’ve got releasing the album and touring around that. I think maybe a headline tour is in the pipe work for April. To coincide with the album release. Hopefully. It’s good to be busy. This is what we want to do. It’s our job. It’s the dream man! Don’t print that! Or at least print it and include some sort of reference to it being ironic. So, yeah, that is that. That’s all the questions. So thank you PLUGGED IN and we hope you enjoyed our answers. Goodbye.”

Goodbye Alt-J, and thank you for answering our questions, we hope to see you in Cardiff again soon!

An Awesome Wave is out on 28 May

Coal Exchange, Cardiff

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A cold and sleet filled night in the capital city saw the return from a two year absence of All Time Low, on their biggest UK headline tour to date. With fans camped from early morning outside the venue, the anticipation surrounding this sell-out show was huge amongst those who had gathered in readiness. Openers from New York, We Are The In Crowd brought their trademark pop-punk to the proceedings with female/male vocals intertwining with each other to bring their songs to life and take a fresh twist on the genre. Although still rough around the edges with some polishing left to do, they are worth keeping an eye on, and the effort of Mike (guitar) starting an ogi ogi ogi chant certainly was appreciated by the audience, even if the rest of the band looked bewildered as to what was going on! Next up, The Maine were much more of a slick oiled machine that is as American as apple pie. It was polished indie-pop with a rock bite throughout that the crowd loved, yet something always felt out of place or awkward to me. The guys can certainly play but, for me, it just felt like a watered down Kings Of Leon in the sound and image on stage — though the predominantly young female crowd lapped it up with screams of admiration. These guys certainly are a marmite band. Headliners All Time Low took to the stage to screams of teenage girls which surely left ears ringing before the band even played a note. Launching straight into latest single Time Bomb, with its jaunty guitar sound running wild throughout, a soaring chorus to which the crowd jumped to the sky, and huge clap along vocals it just set the bar high to what their set was to include. With Zack (lead guitar) bouncing and moving around the stage with the energy of an adrenaline junkie and Alex (vocals/guitar) inciting the crowd to be as wild as possible, they acknowledged the homemade banners being held up and people in the crowd dying for the attention of the guys, even as the bras flew like missiles onto the stage. The music is upbeat catchy pop-punk with a positive fun message, in tracks such as Dammed If I Do Ya, Dammed If I Don’t, Lost In Stereo and in particular Weightless, it’s hard not to smile and dance along. Newer material such as I Feel Like Dancing and Guts showcases their musicianship and the ability to experiment with their sound which sounds more mature and stands out from the cluttered scene as a result. Tonight it wasn’t signature tune Dear Maria, Count Me In that stole the show it was Remembering Sunday, the only acoustic song in the set, with a mass sing-along that took the huge hall and made it feel like an intimate show in your living room. It was the song that gave you that wow factor of the evening, showcasing the talent without any gimmicks. ATL embrace their fan base with a positive message, youthful enthusiasm, excitement and one hell of a slick live performance that American bands always put on. RITCHIE SAMUEL

All Time Low Photograph by Seanna Fatkin

All Time LowGreat Hall, Cardiff Uni

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Hydro Da HeroClwb Ifor Bach, CardiffChilly February nights aren’t usually fun — iced up roads, freezing temperatures and long dark nights as we wish for summer to arrive. This day fitted the bill, with only one exception that The Blackout collaborating Hyro Da Hero was kicking off his UK tour in Cardiff. Starting proceedings, with an average age of 17 years old, were Yorkshire math-core mob Marmozets who set the bar high with an energetic set, brutal hardcore breakdowns and technical thunderous riffs. With the guitarist and bassist leaping off stage into the crowd constantly, they drove off the energy coming from the stage like medieval knights jousting as they ran back and forth around the room. Becca (vocals) can produce screams to match another Yorkshire resident Oli Sykes and can sing just as effectively too. This band is one to keep an eye on in the future, if they continue to improve and the solid foundations already set. Then there was a sudden rush from the gathering audience just before local Cardiff crew Astroid Boys took to the stage. Recently evolving from a bunch of MCs with backing tracks into a fully fledged live band, their grime-dubstep hybrid now infused with a harder rock edge got the locals propelled with bodies flying everywhere. Plenty of crowd involvement, hysterical stage banter, witty lyrics spat out with anger and with such a graceful flow. More For Your Money stood out and getting a room to join in with the chorus too, was a set highlight. This band is one you’ll be seeing more of in these pages, as their rise continues. Rock-rap crossover artist Hyro Da Hero has reinvented the genre, which has been around since the nu-metal bands of the early Noughties did but has stayed stale ever since! Ripping up the rulebook in the same way The Prodigy and Enter Shikari did, Hyro Da Hero mixes up a heavy rock sound with a rap flow you’d expect in British urban — think Rage Against The Machine meets early Dizziee Rascal. Launching into Ghetto Ambience, he paints a portrait in your head straight away of the tough living that he grew up with, with the realism and purpose in his lyrics. Not once does he even attempt to glamorise violence, project women as objects or promote drug use. It’s such a refreshing moment to hear rap music being from the heart, relatable and tackling real issues that affect society like youth crime and racism. Hyro backed up by his band is allowed to run wild even into the crowd for Sleeping Giants which sees the Astroid Boys invade the stage to cause even more mayhem, before heading to the exit to thank every member of the audience who turned up to the show. Pure class and hopefully someone who will stay for a long time to come, rock and rap needs Hyro Da Hero! RITCHIE SAMUEL

HowlerBuffalo Bar, CardiffMinneapolis five-piece Howler played the Capital hot on the heels of the release of their much hyped debut album America Give Up. A 32-minute blast of garage rock suffused with a Phil Spector-like pop sensibility that’s had critics hailing them as this year’s Vaccines and more improbably as the long-awaited Saviours of Indie Rock. If Howler are to kick-start the moribund guitar rock scene, much will depend on their 19-year-old frontman Jordan Gatesmith. The effortlessly cool Gatesmith has cultivated a nice line in self loathing, ‘I hate myself more than I hate you’ he sneers on Told You Once, but seems thoroughly charming in person, an impression reinforced tonight as he gladly passes his bottle of Jack Daniels around between songs. Opening their set with America Give Up and For Your Concern, the band really hit their stride with the vitriolic Beach Sluts — a hefty slab of surf rock that would not have been out of place on rival band’s Wavves’ seminal surf punk album King Of The Beach. The laborious Too Much Blood follows, before a pristine Wailing restores the momentum. Howler’s three indisputably great songs are all played tonight with varying degrees of success. The swaggering This One’s Different with its disdainful vocal and coruscating guitars was made to be played live, but Told You Once, a song as outrageously poppy as, say, Parklife or Don’t You Want Me Baby, isn’t given room to breathe and sounds garbled as a result. Back Of Your Neck though, with its shimmering 50s girl group falsetto is achingly majestic. The band encore with a frenzied Black Lagoon to close a short, well received set. In truth, there’s nothing ground-breaking about Howler. As well as the undeniable Strokes comparisons, there are echoes too of Jesus & Mary Chain (indeed Gatesmith even adopts Jim Reid’s deadpan drawl on Back To The Grave) and The Replacements. Howler, though, do have a propensity for writing perfect pop songs, and a charismatic frontman in the gifted Gatesmith. They may be more than mere pretenders to the throne. KEVIN MCGRATH

You Me At SixGreat Hall, Cardiff Uni

The demand for this gig was phenomenal, selling out within an hour of general sale resulting in a sell-out crowd who had been eagerly anticipating tonight’s gig for months on end. It showed with some audience members queuing from 7am in the morning and it looped around the newly refurbished Sherman Theatre before doors had even opened. When the crowd got in, they were greeted by the bill’s sore thumb standouts The Skints. With their old Specials influenced ska and reggae combination winning some of the crowd over, it was a delight to hear such a diverse band on the bill. Next up with a slice of pop-rock as American as apple pie were Mayday Parade who, although were adding technical detail to their sound of pop-rock alongside the usual pop-punk fun, did nothing really exciting. Their music wasn’t bad in any way, it just failed to inspire in such a cluttered market. Main support came from local lads done good Kids In Glass Houses. The Cardiff mob had an easy task, as the crowd was already anticipating them as much as tonight’s headliners. Their set leaned heavy on debut album Smart Casual, as the hits Gimme What I Want, Easy Tiger and Saturday were rolled out, alongside the mass sing-alongs that are Matters At All and Youngblood (Let It Out). The technical guitar roar of Animals however wasn’t at its sharpest but it was plain to see the guys have stepped the show up a gear with the songs re-worked slightly to give that nice fresh feel to them. Calling for an egg-shaped pit during Fisticuffs was just a nod to the jubilation still around Wales for the Grand Slam in the rugby six days previously. Great warm up for the main act! You Me At Six since the previous show have secured another Top 5 album in Sinners Never Sleep, and the tour’s second leg had steam rolled into Cardiff. After the album split the PLUGGED IN camp 50/50 to whether it was as amazing as the hype suggested, still lingers but we all agree that they throw an amazing live show. Opening with Loverboy and enough strobe lighting to fool people into thinking the room was being hit by sheet lighting, it was a fast and frantic affair leading straight into Little Death which brought out party trick number two in numerous C02 cannons on the stage being set off simultaneously to let you know they had arrived. Rattling through numbers such as The Consequence, Trophy Eyes and Underdog in the set, they leaned heavy on material from the new album. It’s clear that this album was meant to be played live, with the crowd singing back every word, and No One Does It Better allowing for stadium-sized hand waves and Jaws To The Floor delivers bite and poise. It’s clear that Josh Franchesci has stepped up his game into being a dominant and leading frontman whilst Max Heyler and Chris Miller on guitars really cement the overall sound. In The Swam they have an incredible, piercing and technically superb song that can really mix it with the best in rock. The encore in Stay With Me provides the anthem that engulfs the room and closing with Bite My Tongue with its raw emotion, passion and anger just left the room buzzing. Tonight’s show just upped the stakes for these guys to be true contenders to the throne of modern British rock. RITCHIE SAMUEL

Photograph by Sophie Robinson

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RevokerThe Factory, Porth2012 saw the Young Promoters Network start the year with a bang, by putting on their biggest show to date. Local Rhondda pack AngelBurn, brought in a strong crowd with their harmonious take on metal. Throwing in a cover of Velvet Revolver’s Slither, to try and make the most of the opportunity seemed to go down well with the crowd. Caerphilly/Bridgend guys When Science Gets It Wrong brought their mish-mash metal to the evening’s proceedings, combining meaty metal hooks and metal-core-style screaming vocals alongside clean-cut vocals of traditional metal bands. Add the harsh drumming and loud in-your-face riffs, and it equates to a band on the rise whose sound engulfed the room. Main support came from Newport’s Outgunned, who are one of metal’s hardest working bands on the current scene with a straight-up commanding metal sound and enough energy and passion to power an electric generator. Do not let the word energy fool you into thinking that they are covering up the music, the music they deliver provides a strong foundation on which they can build for live performances. Rhymney boys Revoker, however, proved why they are considered as one of the UK’s hottest properties right now, though you might find their faces familiar if you’re a long time PLUGGED IN reader. Featuring members of the old A470 (interviewd in Issue 4), the guys have definitely found their own sound — hints of thrash, punches of heavy metal, energy and sweat pouring off whilst always nodding to Valleys culture and their roots. Single Stay Down just brings to life the streets of a typical Saturday night out, The Great Pretender packed in more punchy hooks than a Nathan Cleverly fight with heavy chugging riffs throughout. As the set got longer the sweat pouring out was equivalent to the amount of fun being had by the crowd and the band on stage. This field report suggests that traditional metal isn’t dead, it’s just restructuring itself into something a lot more revitalising and electrifying instead. RITCHIE SAMUEL

Kicking off the night were AngelBurn, who describe themselves as having a metal-funk vibe. This definitely came through in their music with a very unique style. The lead singer of this band was away but her replacement was a boy, so I didn’t know what to expect. It still worked very well and was far better than I expected. Really good band, got everyone really pumped up. The next band completely shook up the gig, with a hardcore sound, stage dives off the speakers and just overall madness. When Science Gets It Wrong are an amazing band and really know how to get the crowd going. Amazing screams and guitar work. Hadn’t heard them before the gig, but would be definitely up for seeing them again. Next up were Outgunned, with a very typical metal sound, awesome guitar and one of the liveliest bassists I have ever seen. They played an amazing set and had everyone on their feet banging their heads. This is another band I hadn’t heard previously, but another one to keep an eye on. There is no question in my mind that Revoker is one of the best local bands I’ve seen. Pure metal which the crowd going mental, with a flawless performance that really rounded off the night. This band is out of control and keeps getting bigger and better. A must-see band for anyone who likes metal, or just going crazy. Overall this was an amazing gig, everyone far exceeded my expectations and I would see all the bands again, no question. CONNOR SCOURFIELD Revoker Photograph by Connor Scourfield

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More Than LifeSix Feet Under, NewportThis was to be the first show of More Than Life’s last European tour, doors eventually opened at around 7.30pm, the venue gradually filled with fans keen to see More Than Life for the last time. The first band Wolfpack took to the stage, a newly formed hardcore act from South Wales adding to the growing number of hardcore bands forming in the region, they played a short 15-minute set of their own brand of dark, atmospheric hardcore which appealed to the small crowd admiring the talent and interesting sound that the band produced throughout their set. Wolfpack are a band to look out for in the forthcoming months, and they will continue to showcase their talent in various venues across South Wales. Next on stage were Foxxes, another of South Wales’ up-and-coming hardcore acts. Foxxes produced an atmospheric and mesmerizing set, with each member of the band showing passion and belief in their music throughout the set which was key to the success of this live performance. They showed excellent stage presence and the vocalist delivered an impressive vocal performance which set the benchmark for the rest of the band to follow. They maintained consistency throughout the set with well structured instrumentation, and it was a mighty impressive first glimpse of a very talented band. Next up were Continents, another of Wales’s hardcore acts, who have over recent months built up a strong following thanks to their non-stop touring and the release of their debut single Trials. Continents produced an enjoyable set to watch and the first signs of activity and involvement from the crowd. The band relished the support of their local fans and delivered a powerful and active performance to warm up the crowd for the other acts to follow. After a positive showcase from Wales’s up-and-coming bands, it was time for Run For Cover Records’ Daylight to take to stage. Daylight played a selective mix of songs from all three of their studio releases, including their most recent single Damp. They showed great stage presence and excellent live potential but struggled to appeal to the small audience with their unique sound. The performance was dampened by technical problems for the majority of the set, but Daylight remained professional and produced some highlights to leave a good impression. Then More Than Life took to the stage for the very last time in South Wales. The crowd gathered together for one last performance from the hardcore giants, with the band delivering a solid performance. The crowd immediately got into action at the start of the set and remained active throughout, responding mostly to Daisy Hill and Love Let Me Go. The band showed energy and passion throughout the set, the crowd was equally passionate and sang along to their favourite tracks. More Than Life constructed and performed a mixture of songs from their EP Brave Enough To Fail and their album Love Let Me Go, with the setlist inspiring their audience to enjoy the passion and talent of More Than Life for the very last time. More Than Life ended the set thanking their fans for their support and left a positive feeling within the crowd despite it being their last ever performance on Welsh soil. JAMES PAYNE

Ocean RedThe Blue Moon, CardiffTurning up at what used to be called ‘The Beach bar’ at roughly 8pm to discover that the two rooms were quiet. All you could hear was the tuning up of the bands. The cosy, two roomed venue was tonight not only Ocean Red’s single launch but part of the ‘Free for all Festival’ where, for once you could go and see bands for free. The disadvantage for the bands was that there were two rooms so if you didn’t want to watch the band play, you could go elsewhere. The stage was about the size of a small box room but yet seemed to accommodate the bands well enough. The first band started to warm up and the stage room began to fill up. The first band was a young 4 piece, all male band from Cardiff called Denuo, who attracted a fairly large crowd. When they began to play, they reminded me of Coldplay. Half way through their set, they announced that this was also their single launch. I was relieved to hear that they played the track they played the track that they played live on BBC Radio 2, ‘Wolf River’ because this is how I had heard of this band. Some of their songs , I felt were to mellow for gig’s but yet even their slower songs held the crowd well, which is not easy to do. They were then followed by a larger band again and I expected the stage to collapse under the weight of the instruments and the six people crammed on the stage. This was Sleepy Panda Club from pop/indie band from Cardiff with, as I mentioned six members! There were two females. One on trumpet and a guitarist, the rest of the band were obviously male. I was impressed with how they all got on that stage and were able to combine this many instruments without making it into an orchestra. At times I felt like there was too much going on but yet, it seemed to work. It was finally time to see that band I had been waiting to see, Ocean Red. I’d hear good things about this band and after watching their new video ‘Measures’, I only expected to be impressed. They were also using tis gig to publicise the fact they have a new Bassist, Rich Coombs. Not only was the Second Guitarist, Guto, who played the floor tom, along with the drummer, which showed he was multitalented but the singer also played keys which helped give a professional sound to the band. There is no other way to describe the band then ‘Unique’. They have a sound that cannot be compared to other bands. You have to check them out to understand what I mean. I was also amazed to hear the singing talent coming from both the lead singer and the bassist because they formed an almost too perfect harmony. I was blown away by the band and so were the crowd because it was nice to see some positive audience participation and not just a few nodding heads. They were also interacting with the crowd in between songs. Before their last song, their new single, they decided, again to show off their skills by including percussion into ‘Union Square’ which was nice to see. All the way up to their last song, it was nice to see that they had a good stage presence. All in all, I was impressed with both the support acts and the main act. It was nice to see a gig with acts which were all totally different. I would definitely go and see the bands again I highly recommend that you do also. CRISTINA SHUKER

Tinie TempahMotorpoint Arena, CardiffTinie Tempah has had one hell of a year. His first album, Disc-Overy, debuted at number one in the UK, followed by two No 1 singles, Pass Out and Written In The Stars, and two Top 5 hits in the UK, Frisky and Miami 2 Ibiza. So you’d expect one of his concerts to be pretty fantastic. And it was. Tinie’s concert was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. His support act was none other than J Cole, who has hardly touched the UK market, but is massive in America, scoring the No 1 spot in the album charts, with his album Cole World: the Sideline Story. He really got the crowd going but as usual everyone was desperately wanting the headline act. As soon as Tinie came on stage the crowd erupted, he burst into songs from his No 1 album, first performing Intro, then Simply Unstoppable. However, some of the best songs of the night came after. Frisky and Wonderman were unbelievable, Wonderman especially where the crowd made Ws in the air as Tinie rapped and ran across the stage. The atmosphere was electric, the crowd filled with obvious Tinie fanatics. One of the most notable moments of the night was when Tinie performed Snap. Even though the song was not released, he told us about the story behind it and that photographs were a major part of his life - his new autobiography is filled with photographs of his tour around America and the UK. In the middle of the song he told the audience to get out their camera phones and made all the audience take a ‘snap’ at the same time. This was why the concert was so brilliant, because he really interacted with the audience and told us about his songs and the story behind them. The most fun song of the night was Tinie’s Top 5 hit, Miami 2 Ibiza. As the song built the audience was supposed to go as low to the floor as possible and then jump to the chorus. Everyone in the crowd did it and it was an amazing moment. The strangest part of the night was when Tinie ordered the crowd to mosh. Moshing may not be the first thought when attending a Tinie Tempah concert, but that didn’t stop many members of the audience moshing their hearts out. The concert ended with Tinie performing his most successful number, Pass Out. Again the audience knew all of the rap and sang along with the man of the hour. Overall, it was an incredible concert and I would definitely recommend anyone and everyone to go see a Tinie Tempah concert. HOLLIE WONG

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Benga/YoungmanSin City, Swansea

Sunday, 26 February saw Benga make an appearance in Swansea alongside the championed MC Youngman. The DJ dubstep duo performed a set to a crowd of mostly university students, following a small selection of local DJs. For a while, the local DJs seemed to be putting the crowd into the kind of upbeat and almost electric atmosphere only found in a nightclub before Benga appeared on stage. However, the atmosphere was intensified to a whole new level with his arrival behind the decks around midnight. He was met with a roar of approval from the crowd, all eager to hear his music. His new track I Will Never Change was only one in the long line up of tracks to be well received by the clubbers. The club was packed for the remainder of the night with an obvious rush of energy from the crowd. The set provided a bass that made the walls vibrate and the floor bounce. People were crammed on the dance floor for nearly the entire set, which was powerful and electrifying. The crowd seemed to be refreshed by the beats that they would not hear in your average nightclub such as Oceana or Odyssey. The original music can only be described as a revitalising step-back from the type of music we now hear emitting from student bars and nightclubs. Youngman was on hand to effortlessly interact with the crowd, putting his own spin on to the already energetic environment, while Benga was clearly getting heavily involved in the music and thoroughly enjoying the evening. Since being signed with Columbia records, Benga has been the subject of much expectation amongst music critics and it’s safe to say he has effortlessly received the approval of many Swansea University and Swansea city residents. GEMMA PARRY

Lower Than AtlantisCF10, Cardiff UniIt was 7.40pm, just after the doors opened, when I entered CF10 and the place was already fairly full. Even though the stage is tiny, it’s always been a popular venue with bands, whether famous or upcoming, and the place is always at least half full. At about 8.30pm, the first act to come on were The Marines from Sussex. They came as a bit of a shock to the crowd due to their abrupt start without any introduction! I thought the six songs The Marines played were good, but their genre of music was more Coldplay than Lower Than Atlantis. Then it was the turn of the Canadian band Sights & Sounds to rock the mic. They started off in pitch darkness, with the progressive sound of guitars slowly coming through the speakers to a sudden explosion of light and sound, very similar to Thrice. With the light display they put on during their performance I would definitely say they lived up to their name! The room began to fill up and it was time for the main act to come on. There was a sudden roar from the crowd as Lower Than Atlantis stepped on stage to a huge noise. The whole set was full of impressive lights and big strobe lights, which made the crowd even more geared up for the gig. There was an echo of voices from the crowd as the band sang newest track If The World Has To End, Beech Like A Tree and many others. There was everything that night from crowd surfing, where the bouncers had a busy night rescuing the floating people as they surfed their way to the front of the stage, to huge mosh/rave pits, and an encore complete with lighters in the air! Even though they blew the electrics twice in 15 minutes, Lower Than Atlantis held an impressive gig. This was the first time I have seen them live and I was impressed, but with most of their fans being tall and me only five foot two inches, it wasn’t easy to see. But you didn’t need to see to enjoy the music of this band. CRISTINA SHUKER

Benga Photograph by Jordan Amblin

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La DisputeClwb Ifor Bach, CardiffI liked this gig so much I bought a T-shirt. To be fair, I’d probably been looking forward to seeing the La Dispute gig since first hearing their seminal sophomore long player Wildlife last year. Now I can say, “Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.” Upon entering Clwb Ifor Bach in a suitably lubricated manner, myself and company made our way to Clwb’s downstairs. Somewhat unusual given the sell out capacity of the gig that it wasn’t placed upstairs, no matter though, once inside the atmosphere tells all. Full to brim and filling, a hot and heavy evening ahead. First up were Good Time Boys who are notable for featuring former yelper and synth player of The Automatic, Alex Pennie. I first saw these a few years back in Barfly, when it was still going, headlining to a small crowd before a punk themed club night. Back then they were of the abrasive punk form of hardcore, showing influences from the likes of Gallows, Cancer Bats, etc. They’ve clearly undergone an evolution in sounds since I last saw them, moving away from the out and out vitriol, and instead embracing the passionate styling of hardcore’s current wave of bands. Most notably in this case Touche Amore, and unfortunately it feels a little too influenced as they don’t seem to be displaying their own sound fully. However, they go down well with a loyal local fan base in the crowd and solid performance. Next up are label-mates, all the way from Iowa, Former Thieves. Unfamiliar with Former Thieves prior to seeing the gig, I gave a track or two a listen beforehand, and having quite enjoyed those songs I was expecting to at least enjoy the band live. From the moment they picked up their instruments at eye level with the audience (the gig was set up on Clwb’s ground floor dance floor) and erupted into their set, it became clear it was more than just a pleasant stop gap before the main event. Delivering an aggressive and dark blend of hardcore, the already humid room had its thermostat dialled up throughout their performance. The choice cuts selected from their debut The Language That We Speak were performed with a tight and abrasive vigour, exploding out of brooding chugs into intricate and frenetic. As the opening notes of La Dispute’s Departure rang out, shortly followed by the rest of the band, I wormed my way to the front. Vocalist Jordan Dreyer begins his first emotionally powerful performance of the night, and it’s hard to believe that voice is coming from that wiry frame. The band as a collective see about delivering an exceptionally tight and passionate performance, with every member clearly on top form and no one missing even a beat. It’s impressive, especially when you see how much energy they are throwing into this gig, and the crowd reciprocates. Even being one of the wordier bands you’ll come across (each song’s lyric a brilliant written poem or piece of prose), they are still clearly garnering the kind of devotion in fans that sees one girl right at the front, directly in front of the band, screaming every single word right back at Jordan Dreyer. The band run through a mostly Wildlife focussed set, but littered with a good selection of earlier tracks from Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega & Altair for the long standing fans. The crowd rise and fall with the band and the music, but truly erupt during I See Everything when, given the arrangement of the set up, band and crowd merge. The band sign off with Said The King To The River, leaving the sweaty horde wanting more. A kinetic, impassioned, brilliant performance. MORGAN ROBERTS

CanterburySin City, Swansea

For the size of the venue, Sin City has always been a popular venue for unsigned and signed bands. Walking up the stairs the top room of the venue, I didn’t expect the room to be as quiet as it was, the atmosphere was dead. There were no more than 10 people in the room as I arrived. The first band to take to the stage was a four-piece, alternative rock band called The Effect from Swansea, who seemed to slowly warm the ever-so-unpleasing crowd. Then came a band called Proxies. They embraced the stage with their drum and bass/rock music and suddenly the crowd didn’t know what hit them. It was so different to the first band that they were totally intrigued. The atmosphere slowly started lifting as people began to get into this Yorkshire band, especially when they did a cover of Pendulum’s Watercolour. They played with an impressive drum and bass backing track, which had so much bass that you could feel the bass running through your body! After the impressive set from Proxies, came the bellow of Sosban Fach as the intro for Straight Lines whose lead singer, Thomas Jenkins, showed off his new short haircut. They began their set with one of their new songs, Half Gone, and throughout their set they were able to please the Swansea crowd. They are such a brilliant sounding band but would have been more entertaining to watch if there was more of a sense of group spirit between the band members, but their impressive music made up for it. Then it was time to hear the sweet sound of Canterbury who arrived with a bang. The young group from Basingstoke made such an entrance that the ever increasing crowd went wild! They played some of their more well-known songs and newest music such as More Than Know and Ready Yet? which they dedicated to the other bands. Even though they weren’t big movers on stage, with the lead singer being the one who explored the stage the most, they still kept the crowd entertained. Even though the venue felt like a fridge, the atmosphere toward the middle of the gig warmed up enough to not feel the cold. All in all the bands were impressive enough to keep a small but excited crowd going until 11pm. I would recommend going to see any of the bands if you get the opportunity, because I can guarantee you will not be bored. CRISTINA SHUKER

Foreign LegionThe Factory, Porth

Welsh warriors Foreign Legion just keep on keeping on! The lads pump up their punk power in a fashion that is not dissimilar to a battle between The UK Subs and The Exploited. Yes indeed! A night with Foreign Legion is a good old-fashioned 70s v 80s UK street style stomp!Foreign Legion has even been produced by Mick Jones of The Clash, supported the late, great Joe Strummer (amongst many other notable acts) and a cover of White Riot indicates that this band are influenced by values from the godfathers of Garageland. Foreign Legion flies the flag for fire and fury; and their gung ho attitude will not change! If it is a no-frills gusto that you require then these four horsemen of the aural apocalypse can satisfy your noise needs; and, as one of the busiest and longest standing live acts in Wales Foreign Legion, will be at a venue near you very soon! ROB JONES

The MembersThe Factory, Porth

The Members are rebel rockers who made their mark as the 1970’s charged in to the next decade! The band during their heyday united power pop, reggae rhythms and bonus beats to form a vehicle that experienced commercial and critical success around the globe. As a trimmed down trio The Members circa 2012 visited The Factory, Porth. The shared vocalists JC and Chris Payne create a duelling guitar and bass bombast, but the trump card is the percussive presence of Rat Scabies (formerly of The Damned). This new wave Keith Moon united aggression and aplomb, and as a result a breezeblock is placed into his drum kit to prevent its forward momentum. One audience wag pointed out that the stone used to steady the equipment must be the sacred punk ‘rock’! The Members minus original singer Nicky Tesco trot out several fan favourites, but as a smaller unit the fuller fare of original material was not going to have the same momentum. However, the energy, enthusiasm and enterprise warranted applause. The growing old disgracefully crowd in particular feasted upon: Anthemic assaults such as Sound Of The Suburbs and Solitary Confinement as well as the dub delights of Offshore Banking Business and The Model (a rework of the Kraftwerk classic)! A cover of the epic Larry Wallis single Police Car also merits attention, but it would have been a treat to have heard other gems from the halcyon era of The Members. The Members Muzak Machine is not what it once was, but there are far worse things to do than spend a night in the company of these three musketeers! ROB JONES

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First Three Songs — No Flash!Being able to identify Henri Cartier-Bresson’s ‘Decisive Moment’ of knowing when to press the shutter of a camera can be a daunting task for a true photographer. Too early and the shot appears boring, too late and the moment has passed, but hit that moment and the shot becomes a superior photograph. Add to the mix, low ever-changing lighting conditions with a lead singer bouncing around the stage like a demented banshee, a security guard shoving you out of the way to save some crowd surfer from breaking their neck as they fly into the pit headfirst (respect guys!), then you have a hard task on your hands. And if that wasn’t enough, you have a limited time to take the photographs — usually first three songs of the set and you mustn’t use a flash in case you upset the performance (only amateurs

use flash). Welcome to the all or nothing world of live performance photography! For the past four years PLUGGED IN’s Creative Director & Chief Photographer, Darren Warner, has been running a live performance photography course in association with RCT’s Cultural Services Youth Arts. The course introduces young photography students aged 14-24 to the realities of the vocational photography world, throwing them into the deep end of a difficult situation while preparing them for the realities of a photographic career. Some move forward in their chosen career, some understand that maybe photography is not for them. All get introduced to a true-life situation and some great music as well. The course isn’t a free ticket to see gigs, in fact Darren doesn’t care if the students like the music or not, he wants them to understand the intricacies of the job in hand — using quick reactions and concentration while knowing the limitations of your camera inside out. This year’s Live Performance Crew, Esther Blair, Alex Griffiths, Daniel Holley, Georgia Brittain, Chloe Lawless and Connor Scourfield, all gained a true grounding in the field as well as an OCN qualification, with some of the group continuing to supply pictures for PLUGGED IN Magazine and moving into further education. On these pages you can see some examples of their work — and we must say ‘Big Thanks’ to those who opened their doors to us, including Jonny Foxhall of Shadow Happy Promotions (Heavy Heaven), Spike Griffiths of RCT’s Young Promoters Network and organiser of the regular gig night ‘The Sweatbox’, John Mouse (Davies) Our Man @ The Factory in Porth and, of course, all our friends @ The Muni in Pontypridd for giving us access to their gigs. l PLUGGED IN Education runs a number of photography courses, if you’re from an organisation who would like us to run something in your area for a group of young people you work with, just get in touch by emailing editorial@pluggedinmagazine.co.uk

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New Releases, CDs, EPs, Demos

& DownloadsSTRAIGHT LINES

FREAKS LIKE US (album)Very rarely does a band devote the time

to let themselves develop, wanting instant X-Factor type fame. It takes time to make

a band great and listening to Straight Lines’ second album Freaks Like Us then I can most

definitely say, these boys are great. From the title track opener via the explosive Ring The Bells to the thought provoking So Many Paths, every track on this album is a winner. This is excellent and if the Ponty boys aren’t

nominated for a Welsh Music Prize this year then something is wrong in this world.

Excellent! DW

THE NIGHTINGALESNO LOVE LOST (album)

This album is a great national treasure, once again providing post-punk precision.

Beefheart beats, pulverising power, melodious maelstrom and sonic subtlety spark the lyrical genius of Robert Lloyd. No Love Lost can join a list of achievements by a cult colossus who

deserve your attention! ROB JONES

THE TING TINGSSOUNDS FROM NOWHERESVILLE (album)The Salford duo is back four years on from

their debut album into a changed musical landscape. Their latest offering feels hugely

influenced by 1980’s pop culture with a glossy thumping electronic backbeat throughout.

The guys have progressed from the bubble-gum indie that got them noticed, and it’s surely missed as there is a lack of

standout tracks. Whilst ‘Guggenheim’ retains that frantic pace of earlier singles and the tap along feel, it overall falls short on your initial listen. This album is a grower and is definitely not showing off to begin with.

RITCHIE SAMUEL

WHORESRUINER (ep)

From Atlanta, Georgia, Whore’s don’t make music, they make sonic onslaughts that beat you to the ground and stamp on you for 20

minutes straight — and it’s a brutally blissful experience. Ruiner is a relentless barrage of fuzz guitar, pounding drums, rumbling,

sludge bass and raspy vocals for fans of The Melvins, Helmet, Shellac & The Jesus Lizard —comparisons could also be made to local band

The Death of Her Money. Whores are raw, angry, tight, heavy as all hell, whilst being

melodic at the same time. If you’re a fan of any of the above, you will love Whores and you need to grab yourself a copy of Ruiner

now! JAMES KENNEDY

IAN PROWES DOES THIS TRAIN STOP ON MERSEYSIDE?

(The Very Best of — album)Can we be justified in reviewing a ‘Best

Of’ album? In most cases the answer would be “no”, but in the case of this one by Ian

Prowse it’s certainly justified! Such a talent but so under recognised, Ian may have gone under a lot of peoples radars. Having been

a member of two bands previously (Pele and

Amsterdam) and having sung a duet of the classic ‘Don’t Throw Your Love Away’ with the

legendary Elvis Costello shows he is highly regarded in the business. This collection of songs includes said duet, also another one with Irish folk legend Christy Moore, along with songs from his previous bands. The

title track is the standout for me, with its emotional lyrics bringing together such a

stunning piece of work about the Hillsborough disaster of 1989 which affected many people of Liverpool — and is enough to bring even the most emotionally detached person to tears. This ‘Best Of’ is a fine introduction

to an artist who deserves more recognition.GARY BOLSOM

ALLAN YN Y FANPWNCO (album)

Easily the best purveyors of Welsh Celtic Music on the planet, AYYF return with Pwnco, a collection of songs which highlights new and original music can still sound excellent while exploring traditional themes. From their jigs

to beautiful voice-led songs that evoke a sense of place, these tunes are perfection.

From the homage to local folk hero Dic Penderyn to the wonderful melody of Sea Sick

Sailors/The Rough Crossing, Allan Yn Y Fan never disappoint. DW

THE FALLERSATz GB

The Stooges, Nico & The Velvet Underground, Black Sabbath and even Greek heavy metal influence an album that mostly

goes for the jugular. Fall fuehrer Mark E Smith made a controversial early exit at a 2011 Cardiff SWN show, but he has (once

again) gained redemption with otherworldly observations and scintillating songs. Fall

Heads Roll has passed, this is Fall Heads Rock! ROB JONES

HOODED FANGTOSTA MISTA (album)

This indie offering has a nice peculiar sound and texture throughout, especially on the interludes of the album. With a nod to the

lad-rock indie predecessors of the Noughties Maximo Park, Courteeners and early Arctic Monkeys, it’s an indie fusion that’s easily accessible and enjoyable throughout. The problem is that their individual sound gets

lost easily, leaving a delicious sound prospect go a bit bland. Give it a listen and keep an

ear out for future releases there’s something a little big special trying to crawl out.

RITCHIE SAMUEL

THE JEzABELSPRISONER (album)

Australia’s The Jezabels are going from strength to strength and this very album has already been certified Gold in their native

country. A flood of ambient guitars and keys wash over you as anthemic drums provide the momentum and drive throughout this melodic, almost cinematic but undeniably

pop record. These densely layered, Eno-esque arrangements provide the bedrock

for Hayley Mary’s unique voice, which at times has elements of Kate Bush and Florence Welch whilst always being distinctly her own.

Stylistically, there is an almost 80s edge to these songs, which only adds to their charm. There’s definitely elements of Blondie here, but Blondie as played by Sigur Ros if you can

imagine it. JAMES KENNEDY

THE OVERTONESSAY WHAT I FEEL (single)

After being dubbed “the UK’s greatest success story of 2011” it seems these five former decorators are going from strength to strength in 2012. Say What I Feel is a

bouncy number with a baseline that’s pretty similar to the old classic Stand By Me, which isn’t a bad think. Impressive melodies and an addictive hook are the signs of a good

record. It may not be my cup of tea but I can understand how they have achieved such a

large following in a short period of time. One for the ladies. GARY BOLSOM

RECLUSECROOKED HEART (album)

This debut album from the Cardiff rockers is like having a snake spit venom in your

face. First you are mesmorised by the vocals leading you towards a calmer place, then

you get it between the eyes as they plugged in to your head and show you their expertise on their guitars and drums. It’s great to hear rock isn’t dead in Wales and boy these guys are on a route climbing upwards. Fab! DW

PRIMAL SCREAM/MC5-DKTBLACK TO COMM (CD or DVD)

This features 11 Primal Scream cuts, 12 tracks from MC5 and five songs together! A Massive Attack curated Meltdown Festival

linked up Primal Scream and MC5 — and rock ’n’ roll triumphs! The Scream deliver gung ho

garage, and Kramer/Davis/Thompson with Adam Pearson and Alice in Chains vocalist

William DuVall (replacing the late Rob Tyner) has MC5 in overdrive! Scream guitarist Andres

Innes waited 25 years for this evening and when the two bands unite an epic event

evolves! ROB JONES

WE’LL GO MACHETESIX PLUS TEN (album)

From Austin, Texas, post-hardcore four-piece We’ll Go Machete will please fans of Fugazi, At the Drive Through, Drive Like

Jehu and maybe even Queens Of The Stone Age, although their sound is a tighter, slicker

and more modern version of the above. Whilst there is definitely a strong early 90s influence to their style, the guys have done well to keep the genre progressing and have definitely carved their own niche within it. Six Plus Ten isn’t overly heavy and has some

cheeky proggy elements thrown in which adds some nice, unexpected twists. Having said that though, the whole album still stomps along with slamming jagged rhythms and

discordant riffs throughout but also manages to be suprisingly melodic and pretty epic in places, at the same time. JAMES KENNEDY

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CHRISTIAAN WEBBA MAN POSSESSED (album)

Christiaan plays a keyboard-led album full of haunting melodies, with occasional

duets to freshen things up like on ‘Life Support’ about childhood love. The songs

seem personal, yet relatable to the listener, however there seems to be no real passion behind them as they are being delivered.

Once you reach halfway through the album it becomes too samey, become numbing for a large part and maybe great to listen to as

you travel in a lift. This album wasn’t bad but it certainly didn’t stand out from the crowd.

RITCHIE SAMUEL

DAMN JAMMAGE SHE DROWNED (single)

Upon listening to She Drowned for the first time I instantly associated the sound with The Bees who pride themselves on bouncy,

catchy songs filled with obscure segments and under-used instruments. The rough vocals and the punchy sound gives me an image of being transported into a cartoon where monsters lay in the woods shuffling along to terrorise

the locals. A fun and interesting listen. GARY BOLSOM

JOSHUA CAOLEMOON PALACE (album)

Cardiff’s own Joshua Caole’s new offering is a refreshing addition to a genre that can suffer from over saturation — ie that of the acoustic guitar wielding singer-songwriter. It tends to also be a genre that I normally

quite quickly lose interest in when listening to an album, as every song inevitably has the same arrangement and sound. Moon

Palace, however, avoids all of this and kept me engaged right to the end. This is a quality

collection of simple, uplifting, laid back, country tinged acoustic pop songs that was a total pleasure to listen to. Well crafted songs

with tasteful arrangements all topped off with the warm timbre of Joshua’s voice. Fans

of Ryan Adams, check it out. JAMES KENNEDY

LIMOzINEFULL SERVICE (album)

I love Limozine. Dirty anarchic rock’n’roll inspired by some of my favourite bands, including The Cramps and The Ramones. Limozine release Full Service, their third album that is a trawl through the filth of

society and throws it up in a beautiful mess in the corner. You don’t get perfection and don’t ask for sense. Just expect a garage produced

major storm of music that will leave you exhausted. Excellent! DW

JIM FORDHARLAN COUNTY (album)

For the best part of 20 years, singer-songwriter Jim Ford churned out songs for the likes of Aretha Franklin, Bo Diddley and Bobby

Womack. He even penned a whole album, 1975’s Wings Of Love for The Temptations. Tragically though, due to his long-standing cocaine addiction, Ford only managed to

release one album, 1969’s Harlan County, a glorious fusion of country, soul, R&B and funk, before his death in 2007. Recently re-issued on Bear Family Records, Harlan County opens

with the magnificent title track, a visceral account of Ford’s growing up, dirt poor, in

rural Kentucky: ‘Where the cold winds blow,

the crops don’t grow, a man’s tired of living when he’s twenty’. Incredibly the next song

is even better. I’m Gonna Make Her Love Me, is a king-sized slab of Southern funk set against Ford’s increasingly un-hinged vocal. Nothing that follows can match the peerless quality of these tracks, but a bruising cover of the Willie Dixon classic Spoonful, and the

tenderly sung country ballad Changing Colours come closest. Harlan County is, without

question, a lost masterpiece, and its 10 tracks evidence enough for Ford to be considered as a major talent. An exceptionally gifted

songwriter, an intensely soulful singer and a downright awkward customer, Jim Ford could have and should have been the American Van

Morrison. KEVIN McGRATH

CHRIS ISAAKBEYOND THE SUN (album)

When an established artist like Chris Isaak decides to do an album of cover songs, you

tend to think that they are clutching at career straws. In the case of Isaak’s homage to the music that came out of Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, you have the greatest exception to that rule. These are masterful renditions of the classics that Isaak’s adored as a child, including numbers made famous

by Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and the king of Rock ’n’ Roll himself, Elvis. What makes this album so good is that although there is a heavy nod to the original artist, Isaak has still been able to make the songs

unique to him, letting the power of the song shine. This album is beyond good, it’s truly

excellent. DW

SIMPLE MINDSX5 (five albums, plus bonus tracks)

This is post-punk prowess from the nascent career of an act creating new sonic frontiers. The Europe meets electronic instigated Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call stands out, but there is plenty more to admire. Simple Minds (pre-stadium status) have

influenced both the genres of rock and dance, just check out I Travel. Primal Scream and

The Horrors can thank Simple Minds for their early endeavour and punters can now marvel

at this quality in quantity. ROB JONES

HISTORY OF GUNSWHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T TURN UP AT

TWELVE (album)Post-Industrial electronica that is not in the ‘fashionable’ side of the genre. As a whole

the album has a schizophrenic feel. One half is eccentric with a heavy electro stomp and vocals snaring as they feel spat at you and

the drum snare sounding like a tin can being beaten. The other half is a mellow soothing

affair which breaks the album up. This album falls into the electronic trap of not having a standout single, which is a shame because it’s not compelling enough to hold its own.

RITCHIE SAMUEL

FIGHTING FICTIONFIGHTING FICTION (album)

This is the first album from Brighton’s Fighting Fiction — a 10-track offering of

high energy, melodic punk rock. Whilst not particularly original, they do what they do very well and if you’re a fan of the genre,

then you’re going to love them. I can imagine that live, these guys are guaranteed to have the room bouncing non-stop while chanting

along to their politically themed lyrics. The whole album has a very British, almost

Clash-esque feel to it and is packed full of strong songs and intelligent lyrics, delivered

by a tight, passionate and energy heavy band. Cool name too! JAMES KENNEDY

BATTLESDROSS GLOP (album)

Take a great album (Gloss Drop) from a great band (Battles) and throw in some

awesome remixers (Shabazz Palaces, Hudson Mohawke, Pat Mohoney, to name a few) and

you get a complete new reworking of an album that was pretty damn perfect in the first place. This comes over as a completely

new Battles album, with a hint of familiarity. One of the best acts I’ve seen live in the

last year, Dross Glop extends that emotion further. Brilliant! DW

SLEIGH BELLS REIGN OF TERROR (album)

Interesting artwork and CD sleeves instantly grabs my attention, and this album was no different. Opening track Born To Lose fulfils

the expectations of what you think the album might sound like, with the metal sound riffing of the guitar and rampart at times drumming. Singer Alexis Krauss’ vocals are somewhat of a punk-pop princess, which works surprisingly

well with the heavy sound that has been associated with Sleigh Bells. Krauss’ echoic vocals are also slightly haunting throughout with her melodies — and it’s not often I can say I’ve been transported away to a happy

solitude by such a loud record! GARY BOLSOM

THE STRANGLERSGIANT (album)

It’s with trepidation that I listen to this, The Stranglers 17th studio album and

to say that I was surprised would be an understatement. At school we loved The

Stranglers, especially as Dave Greenfield, the keyboard player, lived in the nearby village,

though I lost interest once the original vocalist Hugh Cornwell left the band. They drifted off my radar until Gail picked me

up a copy of Coup De Grace from a CD sale. Disappointed was too good a word for that

album. Then Giant arrived at the PLUGGED IN office and I was drawn back to 1977. Kicking off with the instrumental Another Camden

Afternoon, the album is true to original form throughout with JJ Burnel’s base guitar and

Greenfield’s keyboards fighting for dominance over Baz Warne’s vocals. Maybe not as great as Rattus Norvegicus or Black & White but

still an album that has invigorated my faith in the band once again. DW

SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLSGHOSTORY (album)

This American duo instantly sucks you in to the world of electronica with heavy synths

but, unusually, keep it a ball of candyfloss. It has a light, airy and sugary sound that really sounds dreamy and chilled. It certainly has a New Order and Brian Eno feel to the record, as the frantic pace of it at times could make some through dance floor grooves. As a whole

the record is complex and absorbing, the vocals are soothing enough to take you away

to another realm. Very interesting album, have to listen if you’re a fan of electronic

music. RITCHIE SAMUEL

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DJ SHADOWTHE LESS YOU KNOW THE BETTER (album)

TLYKTB returns to the feel of the groundbreaking ‘Entroducing’ album. Mashed

up beats bond diverse styles, eg credible and incredible rock riffs, big beats and much more! Little Dragon, Tom Vek and Talib Kweli also add to the party. Take note, the more

you hear, the better! ROB JONES

MIIKE SNOW PADDLING OUT (single)

Paddling Out is a sure-fire underground dancefloor filler for 2012 with its synth-led

instrumentation and fresh vocals/backing give off the vibe of car windows down driving in the sun and kicking back. GARY BOLSOM

MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETYCITY AWAKENINGS (album)

MHS are one of those background bands. They produce beautifully crafted thought

provoking songs that don’t really stay in your memory. I remember having a discussion with my brother-in-law on their virtues,

on the release of their first album Loss and believed that there was more to them.

City Awakenings is that release of potential that seemed missing and now they can hold

their own space. This album is a brilliant combination of subtle songwriting skills

melded with beautiful tunes and is easily the band’s best release to date. DW

YOU SLUT!MEDIUM BASTARD (album)

I LIKE THIS. Instrumental, heavy post-rock, schizophrenic prog math pop. Jagged, jilty rhythms dominate the ever changing, high speed roller coaster ride that is Medium

Bastard, the new album from Nottingham four-piece, You Slut! There’s some incredible musicianship here with some really tasteful writing also. With equal moments of sheer brutality and genuine delicacy as the songs dance about frenetically through a million different riffs, genre’s and time changes — this is instrumental rock that will keep you

hooked right until the end. I bet it’s amazing live! JAMES KENNEDY

DAEDALUS’ RIGHT EYEDAEDALUS’ RIGHT EYE (ep)

Bath foursome surprises with a classic ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ number. If you looked at the artwork straight up, you’d make your own assumptions as to

what this band was all about, but you’d be wrong on first impressions. Inside is pure

melodic rock with a beautiful indie tingle. With it being produced by Cardiff maestro Romesh Dodangoda the guitars are brought to the forefront of this seamless flowing EP.

Standout track Dream Catcher sees the guitar sound duel against one another with a real

pop feel, whilst Mr McKeif closes with the line “Please don’t forget about me” implanted in the listener’s mind. Genuine delight when I

heard this record, I was fooled — please learn from my mistake. RITCHIE SAMUEL

JAH WOBBLE/JULIE CAMPBELLPSYCHIC LIFE (album)

This has the ex-PIL bassist and champion of world music presenting a set of post-punk,

indie-dance, avant-garde et al. Wobble introduces Julie Campbell to vocal/lyrical

duties and the diva blossoms across a mix of sonic styles! Former PIL guitarist Keith Levine appears on three tracks of which Phantasms

Rise challenges the highs of his previous triumphs with Wobble. Psychic Life shines a sonic light, and the playing skills of Wobble

still astound! ROB JONES

TOM BILLINGTON AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT (album)

A record filled with Charm, jollyness and humour is a rare thing for a folk sounding

record, but Tom Billington has nailed it with As Luck Would Have It. I can just imagine him

performing these songs constantly smiling away. Very descriptive in his lyrics and

melody, the songs give you the raw emotional feeling that Tom intends to convey all the while giving the listener a pleasant feeling with his unique vocal style when putting his message across. Give it a few listens and I’m sure the charm of this record will make its stamp on you as it did me. GARY BOLSOM

FUTURE OF THE LEFTSHEENA IS A T-SHIRT SALESMAN (single)

This is the first single from the much anticipated new album from FOTL, ‘The Plot Against Common Sense’, and has already got their fans in a frenzy for the release due to

the (equally awesome) video that’s doing the rounds online. Clocking in at just over two minutes, it’s packed full of everything you love about the band when they’re at their

best — the unrelenting, high speed, pounding drums and bass, punky noise rock guitar

riffage and Falkous’ unmistakable distorted vocal screaming, singing and shouting his way through his trademark sarcastic and endlessly quotable lyrics. No time is wasted as the song just blasts through hook after hook and then it’s over, leaving you really wanting more. You’ll find yourself still singing (and I swear it’s autistic, not artistic) ‘Autistic, -tistic,

-tistic Radio, autistic licence’ for hours after listening, as well as developing a sudden

interest in Tote Bags. This is a really strong first single from the guys and will have you counting down the days to 28th May even

more than before! Make sure you check out the video as well. JAMES KENNEDY

AWOLNATIONNOT YOUR FAULT (single)

So this is pop-rock with an unusual twist, envision You Me At Six had a jam with the Cuba Cuba lads and you get a pretty close outcome. It is an excellent pop rock song

that could be found off an early YMA6 album, yet the delicate electronic balance and the

glossy guitar sounds of Cuba Cuba. It’s hard to not like it, but you can never put your finger on the part that makes it stand out —have a listen and you can decide for yourself.

RITCHIE SAMUEL

REEF93/03 — The Complete Recorded Works

(album)When you get these massive box set

releases that give you everything you didn’t ever want by a band who rarely made any impact, you find yourself wading through more dross than cream. Not so with Reef.

Despite only really denting the world with the awesome Place Your Hands, this is a perfect time to re-examine a band that were held back from mainstream success and ask the question, why? It takes some listening, with nine CDs plus DVD including original tracks, demos, live versions alongside home movies

and interviews, but it shows not all great bands reach commercial success. And Reef

were great. DW

CRAIG FINN CLEAR HEART FULL EYES (album)

This is an album that sucks you into its world conveys a story that is consistent

throughout. Country rock in its sound, the album moves along relaxingly if you are just listening to the music — but the lyrics tell a different story and can sometimes seem dark, as shown in No Future where Craig

Finn sings “I’m Alive...except on the inside”, other times the lyrics can be quite humorous

so there is an interesting blend going on. The standout track on the album for me is

New Friend Jesus which is a simple acoustic-upbeat-foot-tapping-country-blues song

— and how can you dislike a song which has the lyric “It’s hard to suck with Jesus in your

band”!? GARY BOLSOM

PINKUNOIzUFREETIME (album)

An interesting and certainly quirky album that makes use of a lot of unusual sounds,

noise and instruments. It certainly delivers a pick ’n’ mix result of an album in that you’re

going to like some songs a lot more than others and there’s always that one sweet you’re always going to dislike. The overall album feel is a positive and uplifting one,

that has a glossy produced feel and dips into many ideas. A hippy new earth vibe binds the album together. On track Death Is Not A Lover

the line “Stay on the question, are you the answer?” is asked, and in truth I didn’t catch

the question in the first place. RITCHIE SAMUEL

BRUCE SPRINGSTEENWRECKING BALL (album)

Me and Bruce, well we have this love/hate relationship. He has written some of my favourite songs like The River, My Hometown, Born To Run and Thunder Road, then fills his

albums with non-descript songs that may say so much but musically provoke such

little in me. I so wanted to say Wrecking Ball changed my view on the man, especially with the power drive single We Take Care Of Our Own, but got what I truly expected — same old Bruce. I know his words mean a lot and we need more people like him opening the debate about the political corruption that

permeates our lives evoking a fanatical response from his fans but I need more. Good lyrics need great tunes to follow it through.

Sorry Bruce. DW

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CRYING WOLF CLUBSET YOUR SAILS (single)

A lovely harmonious track with beautiful vocals and a catchy chorus that gets you singing along from the start. It goes quiet then loud when the chorus starts with long

harmonious notes in the background. It has a great beat and tells the story of a lost love. I can feel the singer’s pain, it’s an amazing song. The girl’s harmonies are really good, but the lead male vocal is really powerful

with a nice warm tone. The chorus is really catchy. This sounds like something from a film when friends have to part and it’s hard to say goodbye. You can tell the lyrics really mean something to the singer. I would buy this,

yeah it’s amazing! DANNIELLE CHASE, KERYS DAVIES & DYLAN BRIDGES

CONFORMISTSAVAGES GO MODERN (single)

This techno-style mash-up has a number of different beats. You can tell a lot of skillful remixing has gone into this music, though I think it needs to be simplified. I think the

song is very creative and different, but sadly not my type of music as it’s too techno. Good to get up and dance to at a party or in a club.

It’s modern and the artist has used a wide range of samples to produce the track.

KIRA EVERETT, LUCY WILLIAMS, JESSICA NECK & CARRIE-LEE JEENES

THE BIGHEADJUMP MY BONES (single)

Really like this song. A modern take on reggae that would put you in a party mood and make you happy. The brass section is very upbeat and the chorus is so catchy!

The repetitive lyrics get you singing along immediately and the tune sticks in your head way after the track has finished. The singer’s voice is really good and the whole song makes me think of a sunny day. Very distinctive, this makes me smile! RYAN OWENS, ANGHARAD

GOULDEN & TORILEE BROOKES

LOSTPROPHETSBRING ’EM DOWN (single)

I like this! Watkins’ vocals are superb and the drumming is fantastic. The guitar is very good — it’s loud and very catchy. A great rock

song with all the right elements. Excellent guitar! Another amazing track from one of the best Welsh bands we have. I like the drums,

the guitar, the lyrics and the oh-so distinctive vocals — strong and rough. I like the Prophets

and I like this song. Clear lyrics that will get you singing along after a few listens. I

would download it and so should you — now! ALEX HOLE, BRANDON ABLEY, ELLIOTT LAWRENCE, CHARLIE EVANS, CHELSEA

HUMPHREYS & DYLAN BRIDGES

ALT-JMATILDA (single)

A very nice, sweet song. The acoustic guitar is really good. I would compare these to Mumford & Sons. A very good, put-you-in-a-good-mood, relaxing song! This soul-

seeking song can’t help finding your soft side. A soulful song with several delicate guitar rhythms and drum beats which make the

track seem calm and relaxing. The way the lyrics are sung are also really interesting and

different. RYAN OWENS, LUCY WILLIAMS, ELLEN BUCKLEY & ALICE ROWLAND

CHIDDY BANGRAY CHARLES (single)

One of the best songs I’ve heard in a while. A good mix of rap and singing, with

catchy vocals. A very good tribute to a very good singer and pianist. One of those songs that gets your toes tapping and puts you in a party mood. This is one of the best songs going, with a gospel influence, a bit of rap and some pop all making it a ‘now’ song. If you don’t download it then you’ve got no taste! A fantastic up-lifting song! Instantly

puts anyone in a good mood. A mixture of rap and pop which contrasts amazingly with the gospel choir backing. Very catchy and makes you want to get up, dance and sing along. A

summer anthem with a fun feeling. Fab song! RYAN OWENS, AMY JONES, ALICE ROWLAND

& TORILEE BROOKES

MICHAEL KIWANUKAI’M GETTING READY (single)

This song is heart-warming. The gentle vocals make their way right into your heart

with the singer’s sweet, sensational voice full of passion. An old-fashioned soulful sound,

it’s a great song. A lovely slow song that eases you into relaxation with its smooth melodies.

Easy to listen to and enjoy. BONNIE REES, ELLEN BUCKLEY & RYAN OWENS

TWISTERSATELLITE (single)

A very catchy song, something you could play in the background of a BBQ in the summer. A good mix of pop and rock —

wouldn’t mind listening to it again! There’s a good beat and the vocals blend well with the music. A catchy tune that makes you

want to sing along. The lyrics are unique and catchy, the electric guitar smashes through the speakers and the drums give the beat a good kick. I think this song will grow on

people they more they listen to it. Up-lifting and fun. Summer beach music, fun and

lively! RYAN OWENS, KIRA EVERETT, RHYS BEACHAM, DYLAN BRIDGES, CALLUM EVANS,

ALICE ROWLAND & SHAUN NICHOLAS

MARCUS COLLINSSEVEN NATION ARMY (single)

This White Stripes cover has a pop-funk vibe, with the X-Factor runner-up adding

his soulful voice over the rhythmic music. A toe-tapping song gets you in a party mood. A

jazzy-poppy tune that stays in your head. This song is very addictive. A feel-good song — put

it on when you’re getting ready to go out! Fantastic mix of jazz and pop, very happy and upbeat. I enjoyed this song! LUCY WILLIAMS,

ELLEN BUCKLEY, BONNIE REES, RHYS BEACHAM, ANGHARAD GOULDEN CALLUM

EVANS, ALICE ROWLAND & SHAUN NICHOLAS

ALONESTAR feat. ED SHEERANREAL LIFE (single)

This song is great. The layers of instruments grab your attention, followed

by the rap. And then you get the more harmonious vocals of Ed Sheeran, who makes you really feel what he’s singing. You can feel

the energy evaporating from the speakers and the meaning hits you in the face. With

the backing beat resembling a heartbeat and lyrics you can relate to, this is a song that you get and gets you. A catchy song that has a lot of bass to hammer down the lyrics. Go and download it now! LUCY WILLIAMS, BONNIE

REES, CARRIE-LEE JEENES, RHYS BEACHAM, ANGHARAD GOULDEN, ALICE ROWLAND

& SHAUN NICHOLAS

DOT ROTTENARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? (single)

This is the type of song that either makes your head bob or your foot tap. It’s very

catchy and makes you want to get up and dance. I like the mix of ideas in this song. It’s very creative with the rap and rock elements

and an excellent backbeat. This is a great song with a street kind of boom box beat.

Quite amazing! It’s catchy and repetitive, and I liked it. I’d buy it as it sounds different from other music I’ve heard. A great song with big beats and a clever rapper that eases through

the rhythm of the song. A real fist-banger. JESSICA NECK, KERYS DAVIES, PAIGE JOREN,

RHYS BEACHAM, CHELSEA HUMPHREYS, ANGHARAD GOULDEN, CALLUM EVANS,

SHAUN NICHOLAS & RYAN OWENS

HOODED FANGCLAP (single)

Very upbeat and jumpy with a retro 60s sound. Makes me think of surfing. A multi-

coloured rainbow of indie-pop. It makes you want to sway side to side and clap! It sounds like the singer’s Jamaican and it puts you in a hyped-up mood. Fast-paced and exciting.

I like the way the music complements the signer’s voice. Download it and feel it for yourself! DANNIELLE CHASE, LUCY WILLIAMS, JACK COOMBES, AMY JONES

& CHELSEA HUMPHREYS

RISE TO REMAINTALKING IN WHISPERS (single)

I like this song, it has a great guitar solo and the singer has a powerful voice. Very

skilled guitar and drum playing — just great! The song moves along quite quickly with a fabulous guitar and drum beat. They lyrics

are easy to make out and sound very original. Very fast and powerful. Really excellent song.

I’d probably listen to this all the time and I’d definitely buy the album. Epic rock tune! It’s the type of anthem that you’d listen to

while driving along in a convertible. ELLIOTT LAWRENCE, JOSH MATTHEWS, ALEX HOLE,

PAIGE JOREN & ANGHARAD GOULDEN

BLEEDING KNEES CLUBNOTHING TO DO (single)

I like this song because it’s catchy and it’s like something you’d hear on a cool advert

with kids riding about on bikes and scooters. It’s got one hell of a drummer on it! Sounds like something you’d hear at the beach, as it’s suffused with surf-guitar. Great garage rock punky tune that makes you think of summer. A very enthusiastic song, full of cymbals and drums. The surf guitar really brings out the summer funk in teh song!

THOMAS NIBLETT, JOSH MATTHEWS, PAIGE JOREN, RHYS BEACHAM & ALICE ROWLAND

The reviews on this page were written during a PLUGGED IN education

workshop at Tonyrefail School