Modern Baseball - Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, 01/09/16

Playing the entirety of their 'Two Years No Basement' EP in full, Vicky Speedboat had me hooked. I'd never heard of them before but this duo will not easily be forgotten, especially after I realised that drummer and co-vocalist Sean Huber was opening for his own band - he's also the drummer for Modern Baseball.
That information only registered when guitarist and vocalist William Lindsay thanked Modern Baseball, joking "I'm grateful that they brought us on tour. They probably would have brought Sean either way...". I'm always a huge supporter of side projects, and musicians that can open shows for themselves are people that I highly admire. It takes a lot of stamina and passion to be able to perform two full sets in one night.
Vicky Speedboat were my highlight of the evening. Every moment of their set was utterly enjoyable, from the thrashing rock introduction of 'Philadelphia Contact High', through 'Passing Through Wales' (their ode to Le Pub in Newport) and the bittersweet 'Tequila Reluctant' ("I tend to fall in love at first sight two or three times a night").
If you only ever do one thing I suggest, make it this: go and listen to 'Passing Through Wales'. It's not as effective recorded as it is in a live environment, but it's still a bloody brilliant and very fun song. William shared that Sean wrote the song after their last trip to Wales, admitting he "couldn't remember any of Wales" with Sean quipping that "if I hadn't remembered any of it there wouldn't be this song". It embodies the spirit of the country ("have another, and another, and another!") and is a perfect way to promote a pub where they had a night of epic proportions. They shared that it was "the first time bringing it home" as they only released it back in November, and it received the best reaction of their entire set: all of the Welsh fans in attendance seemed very impressed by the tribute. 

Setlist:

Philadelphia Contact High

Roman Candle Fires

Passing Through Wales

Dave's Bed

Tequila Reluctant

Weathering Bell

I hated The Winter Passing. Admittedly not the entire package - musically they're very talented, with the guitar work being particularly gorgeous - but I didn't enjoy either of the vocal performances. Normally if a band has two vocalists I find at least one of them palpable, and I learn to deal with the other one, but I can't see that happening with The Winter Passing. 

Kate's vocal is overly shrill, jumping from octave to octave up the scale until even dogs couldn't hear it, and with songs like 'Flowerpot' featuring overly sexual yelps I found myself getting more uncomfortable as their time on stage progressed. 

The male singer used a less annoying pitch, but there was something about his vocal that just didn't appeal to me. The grating sound implied that he wasn't finding it too easy to hold out the longer notes, and the two vocals definitely contrasted more than they complemented each other. It was jarring, and I found myself glad when their set ended. It didn't seem like the most coherent choice for main support act: compared to Vicky Speedboat, who are musically and lyrically similar to Modern Baseball, The Winter Passing were the odd ones out on this bill. 

Setlist:

The Fever

Bottle Green

Penny Chains

Fruits of Gloom

A Different Space of Mind

Flowerpot

Daisy

I've intended on listening to Modern Baseball in the past, but I always forget about them. When 'Wedding Singer' was released a couple of months back I found myself excited for the new album and determined to give it a listen... Only to completely miss the release date and forget that they even had another full-length on the way. Oops.
So when I got offered a ticket to this show by my wonderful friend Gemma, I agreed with a slight reluctance. It's very soon after Reading festival where I had been intending to see their full set, but I ended up skipping out on them to meet Good Charlotte and ended up being very grateful that I'd said yes to this headline show.
As you can tell, I'm an avid Modern Baseball fan. It'll come as no surprise to you when I say that after the band had performed their first two songs, 'Holy Ghost' and 'Wedding Singer' (the opening and second tracks on newest album, 'Holy Ghost') I wasn't familiar with any of the other songs in the set.
This is why I'm grateful that Modern Baseball have such a fast-paced emo/pop-punk style. When a band playing 17 songs takes less than an hour of being on stage, the songs are short and to the point. There wasn't a moment of the set that bored me. I did find some of the ends jarring in their suddenness, expecting the track to continue only to be encountered with a new song the next moment, but it kept me on my toes. I didn't know what to expect, and I haven't felt that interested or involved in a headline show in a while.
I didn't know that all of the members performed vocal duties (with Brendan Lukens and Jake Ewald classified as lead vocalists as well as guitarists) and that was another aspect that kept the show interesting. On each song the lead vocal changed, and because their tones of voices completely contrasted it was like listening to two different bands at the same time. It's not something I've experienced before, and it certainly makes them unique. Both vocalists are equally talented, and I found myself loving every moment.
Clwb Ifor Bach isn't a huge venue (with a capacity of just over 200) so the fact that it was sold out didn't guarantee it was going to be a crazy show, but the audience were passionate and very energetic for a Thursday night. You normally get that kind of mass crowd participation at larger shows, but it surprised me just how big a deal Modern Baseball are. They mean a hell of a lot to their fans, with the majority of the people in the room chanting every word to every song, and you can feel the excitement surrounding them. Having just released their third album I'm surprised they aren't already performing in bigger venues, but after playing at Reading and Leeds and announcing their upcoming 2017 tour, I can't imagine Modern Baseball returning to a room this size any time soon.
Now I've actually bought physical copies of all of their albums, I guess I should start listening to them properly... 

Setlist:

Holy Ghost

Wedding Singer

Note To Self

Fine, Great

Broken Cash Machine

Rock Bottom

Tears Over Beers

The Weekend

Apple Cider, I Don't Mind

Everyday

Mass

Alpha Kappa Fall of Troy The Movie Part Deux

Re-Done

Charlie Black

The Thrash Particle

Just Another Face

-

Your Graduation

Funeral For a Friend - Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, 23/04/16

I hadn't heard of either of the support bands before they were announced, and unfortunately I didn't have time to check them out before we attended.

This meant I was extremely surprised when Funeral For a Friend's drummer, Casey McHale, hopped up on stage with Terrible Love. Turns out his side project have been together for almost a year (their Facebook page launched in August, while their Twitter started back in January) and in that time they've already released an EP, supported Rolo Tomassi and have been announced for 2000 Trees festival. This band are wasting no time.
You could certainly see why Casey was wearing a Zoax shirt on stage, because as well as having them as recent tour buddies (Zoax were the openers for every date of the 'Last Chance to Dance' tour) their musical style and their vocalist's stage presence was very similar to that of Zoax's Adam Carroll, especially during new song 'Anne', in which he was pacing around the quickly growing crowd. Switching between a growling vocal to a shouted spoken word style like that of La Dispute, it's a very American style that I haven't heard UK bands attempting - they stand out from the rest of the upcoming bands around at the moment.
Terrible Love are very promising. Their EP, 'Change Nothing', was released in January, and I purchased it at the show - they played it in full and it's definitely the sound of a band who are filled with energy and optimism. I'm interested to see where they go next.

Setlist:
Change Nothing
Mt. Misery
They Need You
Stone In Me
Anne
Sparrow

I hadn't heard of Raging Speedhorn either, which is surprising when you consider the fact that they formed back in 1998 and are gearing up to release their sixth album, 'Lost Ritual', this July. 'Lost Ritual' is going to be their first album in seven years, after the band reunited in 2014 following the announcement of their hiatus in 2008.
Raging Speedhorn were definitely the heaviest band on the bill (unsurprising, considering they've been announced as a stage headliner at this year's Download festival) but it did mean I had no chance of working out their setlist - I couldn't understand a word, because both of their vocalists are screamers/growlers and it was impossible to decipher lyrics. However, their music is wonderful: the vocals are definitely more on the hardcore side, but their guitar work and pacing definitely leans more towards the nu-metal genre. I could hear aspects of Disturbed and Korn, which meant I wasn't too surprised that they had been around for a while: if they'd been brand new on the scene and had been coming out with this kind of music it would have been very risky!
By the end of their set I was starting to feel as though I was hearing the same song multiple times, because I wasn't familiar with any of them and they did have a very specific sound, but it wasn't in a negative way. It was still enjoyable and fun to dance to, and you could see that the crowd were getting very enthusiastic: after multiple shouts of "Cardiff, come on, move forward! Let's pretend we're at a fucking gig!" most of the attendees couldn't help but dance. I hadn't heard of Raging Speedhorn before, but I can guarantee people were excited when they were added to this show, based on the amount of people shouting along to the songs.
Both of the supports only played twenty minute sets, which is a bit of a shock based on how long Raging Speedhorn have been together. However, it was the first show that they'd played in over a year, so it was definitely one way for them to get back into the swing of things.

When Funeral For a Friend announced their split last year, I was devastated. I wasn't surprised - in fact, it seemed inevitable when you consider their ages and the almost complete retirement of the Welsh rock scene over the last two years (The Blackout, Kids In Glass Houses) - but I'd always thought this band would be around forever. After seeing a headline set in Oxford last June I rediscovered my love for the band, and with the announcement of the Last Chance to Dance tour - playing 'Hours' in full on the first night and 'Casually Dressed and Deep In Conversation' in full on the second night - I quickly grabbed tickets to both London shows, which I'd been highly anticipating.
Fast foward a few months, and O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire (the venue for the London shows) has been undergoing structural work since November. The album in full shows that I should have attended last week were relocated (over to the O2 Kentish Town Forum) and pushed back to the middle of May - unfortunately one of the new dates didn't work for me, so I knew I was only going to be able to see the band once on their final tour.
So imagine my joy when this tiny charity show was announced. Vocalist Matthew Davies-Kreye shared on stage that this should have been the end of the band ("Tonight was supposed to be the last show on our tour, if it wasn't for stupid fucking London") so it added to the poignancy of the evening, even with those two May shows on the horizon.
During this show, Funeral For a Friend played their first two EPs in full: 'Between Order and Model' and 'Four Ways To Scream Your Name', as well as a variety of other tracks. I've always liked their older material more than their newer songs, so this was right up my alley, but I haven't avidly listened to the band in quite a while so I rediscovered some old favourites.
Within minutes of being on the stage, Matt announced that he didn't want people "standing there looking fucking gormless", because "yes, this is a funeral, but this is also a celebration". It certainly kicked the crowd up a gear: while they'd listened politely during Terrible Love and participated minimally during Raging Speedhorn, I lost track of the amount of crowd surfers during the evening. Clwb Ifor Bach is only a small venue, so it didn't get as crazy as it could have, but the intimate environment made it a show I'm sure both the attendees and the band will never forget.
As I mentioned earlier, this was a charity show, so Matt took the time to explain exactly what it was that Matthew Pritchard - a member of Dirty Sanchez and close friend of the band - did that they were so impressed by: that being a half Iron Man (a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and 13.1 mile run) every day for 23 days, earning him a world record. You can read more about his achievement here. Matt was understandably proud of his friend, saying "what impressed me more is that he decided to do it on a vegan diet as well!". He shared that the band wanted to do "whatever we could do to help out such a phenomenal cause" which is how this show ended up how it was - originally they'd planned to have it downstairs in the venue, as a floor show.
Despite the fact that it wasn't a floor show, it was still absolutely insane. As I mentioned earlier, there were countless crowd surfers, and with the crowd surfers came the stage invaders. Matt joked "I don't wanna kick anyone off the stage if they're having fun, that makes no sense to me. Unless they're people you know, then you can kick 'em!" (referencing the incident involving The Story So Far's vocalist Parker Cannon two week's ago). There were a few issues later in the night, with Matt needing to pause to tell the crowd off for not letting the crowd surfers down ("they'll be going round and round and they won't know what time their bus or train is [...] I don't wanna see people get their heads snapped off. As much as that was a huge part of my youth, blood doesn't agree with me at my age!") but the fact that the audience listened to him and started behaving more responsibly - it's a testament to how much respect they have for their hometown heroes.
It wasn't surprising that the band finished with 'History', and it was very emotional to think that that should have been the last song the band played full stop: it'll be interesting to see what they close with at their London show, because it connected every member of the audience and really effected the band emotionally - a fitting send off. I was already looking forward to their final show, but now I'm looking forward to seeing the band get the reaction that they deserve on a much bigger scale.

Setlist:
10:45 Amsterdam Conversations
Juno
Red Is The New Black
The Art of American Football
This Year's Most Open Heartbreak
She Drove Me To Daytime Television
Kiss and Makeup (All Bets Are Off)
Escape Artists Never Die
Storytelling
Bullet Theory
You Want Romance?
Rookie of the Year
Streetcar
Novella
Roses For The Dead
History

No Devotion - Cardiff CF10, 22/07/14

If I had to choose one word to describe the experience of last night - and it was exactly that, an experience rather than a concert - I would choose to describe it as cathartic. The struggles of Richard Jamie Oliver, Stuart Richardson, Luke Johnson, Mike Lewis and Lee Gaze have been well documented over the last two years so I won't dwell upon the past, but I can definitely say that this new chapter successfully concluded the last few pages of the previous one. 

Stepping inside the roasting room of CF10, the student union bar which unfortunately does not possess air-conditioning, images were raised in my mind of the experiences Jamie must have been through when he completed sweat lodges over the past year, tweeting in January that he 'attended [his] second sweat lodge last night. Almost 5 hours. Pretty hammered today. mind and body are in shock. There's a lot of space inside.', I agreed with his sentiments completely. I know the sweltering environment of CF10 must have been nowhere near as trialing as the ritualistic sweat lodge, but as I have never experienced one, I can only imagine that they help with the purging of emotions as well as last night did for me. I have been struggling with the loss of my old favourite band; coming to terms with never again seeing them live after witnessing their final performance in Newport in November 2012, but last night really assisted with giving me the closure I have been seeking.

No Devotion are explosive.

No Devotion are inspiring. 

No Devotion are here.

And now so many people know it. The room was filled with members of other Welsh rock bands who have publicly proclaimed their sadness at the loss of a band that inspired them and shaped their careers in a way that would otherwise have been impossible. Wandering between the likes of Aled Phillips, Sean Smith, Neil Starr and Kris Richards, among many others from their respective bands, I was both star-struck and warmed inside by the support that they were displaying for their fellow comrades and friends.

I really didn't know what to expect before last night. No Devotion have currently only released two songs; 'Stay' and 'Eyeshadow' which are at completely different ends of the spectrum, 'Stay' touching upon more dance and pop influences with 'Eyeshadow' being brooding and dark, so I had no previous expectations of how the rest of the set would shape up. Furthermore, I had never experienced a Thursday live show, so I wasn't anticipating how energetic and charismatic vocalist Geoff Rickly's stage personality would be. 

Kicking off with unknown new song 'Night Drive' was a stroke of genius, in my opinion. It was heavy; not in a negative way, in an dynamic and unusual sense. When so many new bands on the scene are going down the pop-punk route (this years ones to watch being Neck Deep, 5 Seconds of Summer and Real Friends who all fit into that genre) it's refreshing to hear songs that could easily break into the mainstream featuring heavier guitars and a drum beat that smacks deep into your very soul. Following with 'Eyeshadow' the crowd was automatically hooked and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that this was not a band that had been formed half-heartedly; this is a fully grown phoenix rising from the ashes in a much more spectacular form. 

It was so difficult to believe that it was their first gig. I know that all of the members have been touring in their respective bands for over 10 years so they have the experience under their belts, but I still expected there to be some kinks that hadn't been fully perfected. This was not the case. 

Running through new tunes 'Addition' and 'I Want To Be Your God', the moment of the night for me was definitely new song 'Ten Thousand Summers'. With lyrics such as 'ten thousands summers [...] lost, since you went away, ten thousand summers in the grass, this will pass' it really does seem that No Devotion are not focused upon heartbreak and loss, as many had assumed due to the circumstances surrounding their formation and the story encircling the lyrical content of first song 'Stay', but are more focused upon getting through those difficulties. This is a band that wants their fans to know that they are unstoppable, meaning that the fans are unstoppable too. This is a band who have only got one show under their belt (followed by the other three gigs this week) but already have such a strong message and such an inspirational force that they are breathtaking. 

Geoff proclaimed that they would be releasing another two songs before a full album next year, with the B-side of 'Ten Thousand Summers' being 'The Only Thing' which is similar to the previous songs but has its own individual merit as well. These are not transient songs. The soaring melodies and the strong, empowering lyrics and vocals make me think that these boys are soon going to be elevated back to the arena heights that plummeted from. With essences of Deftones mixed with U2 and The Killers the mix can only be the recipe for success and longevity, which I really hope to see happen in this case. 

There was not a dry eye in the house when Geoff announced that he was 'gonna step out for a minute and let these guys do their thing' before 'Death Rattle', stating 'this is a song about incredible heartbreak and fucking loss' and, let me tell you, those two or three minutes of instrumental thrashing said so much more about their past and their pain than any interviews, than any words. Lyrics could not do justice to the emotions that they were expressing to us and I am going to be eternally grateful to have experienced that purge, as it struck a chord deep within me. 

Following this with 'Stay', already a Number One hit for the band in Belarus, Geoff reiterated the story that was heard many times immediately following the release - that his long term relationship ended so he wrote this song, eventually sending it to her. Well, he told us last night that she was there with him, which I think is the perfect end to a beautiful beginning of a band. Without that break-up, no matter how temporary, No Devotion might be the monster that it is so quickly becoming, but I'm so glad Geoff got his happy ending. Everyone in attendance last night must have agreed, because the cheering and clapping was louder after that announcement than throughout the rest of the evening (not discrediting the audience reaction throughout the rest of the gig, which was superb). 'Stay' invoked an entire crowd sing-along and this is a song that I'm sure will be around on their setlists for years to come, both for the nostalgia value of being their first single but also because I don't think fans are going to let this song be forgotten. Compared to the back catalogue of all members it's more pop-centric but this is so far removed from a criticism; I think it's a skill to be able to create a pop-rock song that both appeals to the mainstream and doesn't alienate the expectations of the fans that were waiting with bated breath following the announcement of the new band on the 24th of April earlier this year. 

Finishing off with 'Grand Central Station' Geoff announced 'we're finishing there, but don't think it's because we're done. We're only just getting started'.

No Devotion have arrived, and they are here to stay.

Setlist: 

Night Drive

Eyeshadow

Addition

I Want To Be Your God

10,000 Summers

The Only Thing

Death Rattle 

Stay 

Grand Central Station