A couple of summer shows this week, including one where all the band members are well under the age of 40!
Goat Girl Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff - Wednesday, 26th June 2019 Support: Pet Grotesque, Teddy Hunter
Goat Girl's fuzzy psych-fuelled debut album was one of 2018's highlights for me. It's the sort of sound I've really been into of late, so a Cardiff show was more than welcome. We arrived early enough to catch both support acts. Teddy Hunter describes herself as a "Cardiff-based sound artist working in electronic music and soundscapes" and her music as "looped, ethereal vocals and a gentle fluxus of synthesized melodies". Which all sounds very lovely and all that, but it's not really my thing or MrsRobster's. However, she was infinitely better than what came next. Pet Grotesque. Right, where do we start? After Teddy Hunter left the stage, she and her crew cleared up and another lone roadie set up for the next act. Except it turns out said roadie was the next act. A tape started, some neo-soul type muzak came through the PA and the guy - barefooted on a rug - took the mic and sang. Sort of. And then came the 'dancing' with every move and postulation over-exaggerated to the point of parody. It reminded me of Eddie Murphy as Randy Watson in Coming To America. The audience didn't seem to know how to take him either - some looking quizzically in a "is he taking the piss" kind of way, others filming and taking photos, giving ironic-sounding cheers after each song. Undoubtedly one of the weirdest half-hours I've ever experienced. "Thanks very much Cardiff," he said at the culmination of his set. "I'll see you again... sooner than you think."
And it was. Goat Girl took to the stage with an extra member on keyboards - it was Pet Grotesque man! Yes, he's a touring member of Goat Girl too. It's a much better role. Goat Girl more than lived up to expectations. Most of said debut was aired (though sadly not Little Liar) along with a couple new ones. While the studio environment clearly suits their sound and allows them to explore some weird and wonderful effects, Goat Girl seem equally happy in the live setting. More raw, for sure, but excellent nonetheless. And let's face it - songs like The Man, Cracker Drool and Viper Fish would probably sound great if you hid all the band's instruments and gave them some tin cans and a stick instead. With any luck there'll be some new stuff coming soon. Just as long as they don't go down a dodgy soul route inspired by their keyboard player. Real lack of good sounding live footage out there, and this clip from their Glastonbury set doesn't really do them justice, but it is what it is.
Ash Tramshed, Cardiff - Friday, 23rd August 2019 Support: Novacub Like The Coral, I've been following Ash since their early days, yet still never seen them live. They are, also like The Coral, without a doubt one of the best singles bands of the past 20 years. Let's not forget they released an unbelievably brilliant compilation album in 2002 when the oldest band members were still only 25! They've continued in a similar vein ever since. We arrived shortly after support band Novacub took to the stage. This lot have only released a handful of songs to date (at the time of writing) and feature two members of Bloc Party. First impressions suggest they could be worth keeping an eye on with pretty much every song they played being significantly better than everything on the last Bloc Party record. Mind you, that's not saying much...
Ash were touring in support of a box set of seven-inch singles documenting their a-sides between 1994 and 2004. So a hits-filled set was in order. Sure enough, they were all trotted out, one after the other - Goldfinger, Shining Light, Orpheus, Angel Interceptor - along with a smattering of songs from the most recent album, last year's 'Islands' - including Annabel, All That I Have Left and the searing, potty-mouthed Buzzkill. Not for the first time, the Tramshed's sound struggled a bit, but in general Ash transcended the limitations of being a three-piece. The Tramshed was rammed, the gig originally having been scheduled for the tiny Globe, but moved due to demand. It proved to be a wise decision. There were almost minor earth tremors when Kung Fu and Girl From Mars were blasted out, but closing song Burn Baby Burn, perhaps predictably, blew the roof off. The mix of ages in the audience suggests that Ash are still relevant, and let's face it, with songs of this quality, it's unlikely there will ever be a time when it's uncool to listen to them.
As a new decade dawned, so did a new Bowie. The 80s started pretty well for him, a number one single with Ashes To Ashes and a number one album with 'Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)'. Ashes To Ashes remains one of Bowie's finest moments. It's a phenomenal track, it really is. It's possibly also the first 'sequel' to top the charts, giving us an update of poor old Major Tom from Space Oddity. It's easy to suggest that Welsh trio The Joy Formidable jumped on the 'Death of Bowie' bandwagon when they included a cover of Ashes To Ashes on their 'Sleep Is Day EP' in October 2016, but they actually did a wonderfully atmospheric take on it.
Teenage Wildlife was one of many highlights on 'Scary Monsters...'. Bowie has said his vocal was an imitation of Ronnie Spector. I'm not sure about that, but musically it's not a million miles away from "Heroes". The lyrics are a thinly-veiled swipe at the arty post-punk brigade, in particular Gary Numan ("Same old thing in brand new drag..."). Ash had wild lives in their teens. They played Glastonbury when they should have been sitting their A Levels for chrissakes! Ash make Teenage Wildlife sound like an Ash song. It's louder, faster and altogether more youthful-sounding. Terrific stuff.
As the decade wore on, Dave became less and less interested in being the innovator. He craved hits. The strange thing is, he had plenty while he was making great music. Once he started actually trying to write hits, his music went downhill fast. Everything got bogged down in that awful 80s production that has dated so badly. His mid-80s albums were dreadful affairs. Yet, even in the midst of this low period, a gem would rear its head and Bowie fans were reassured - albeit temporarily - that he still had it in him to make brilliant records. Absolute Beginners was one such track. One of my favourite Bowie songs, possibly even in my Top 3.
Saint Etienne recorded a version of Absolute Beginners for one of their fan club releases in the 90s. It's an interesting one. It sounds like The Go! Team, but they hadn't even formed when Saint Etienne did this. Now, I won't hear a bad thing about Sarah, Bob and Pete, but while I admire their audacity to do something new with the song, I really don't think I can listen to it without feeling so disappointed that it's not Bowie's version.
While writing this article, I realised the first three songs featured acts from Wales, Northern Ireland and England. Had I noticed this earlier, I would have tried to track down a Scottish act to round things off. As it is, I'd already prepared this one. Now, my daughters were introduced to Bowie by MrsRobster in the form of Labyrinth, a movie she claims to love. Personally, I reckon she liked his extremely tight trousers and everso-noticeable bulge as much as his acting, but she'd never admit it. Bowie wrote a number of songs for the soundtrack which, like most of his stuff from the period, is pretty much unlistenable. But As The World Falls Down is a beautiful ballad which, if it were recorded in any other decade could well have been one of his most memorable songs. On her 2011 covers EP 'Baggage', Dutch songstress Signe Tollefsen stripped that 80s sound away and just let the song do the work. Gorgeous.
