The Big Weekend Day 3 Review
The Big Weekend’s third day proved to be impressive with a great array of talent from around the country and closer to home. A fantastic crowd gathered in support of every band and some fantastic sets were seen and heard in the capital.
On first were the only bilingual band of the day ? Frizbee from Ffestiniog. They played some fantastic upbeat rock and lead singer Ywain’s voice was typically, beautifully Welsh. They delivered great power for a three-piece with well-defined bass, creative guitar and enthusiastic drumming. They helpfully explained their song titles to the bemused but entertained crowd including their great finisher Creaduriaid Nosol (Night Creatures). Hopefully they will become rising stars in the largely underground Welsh language scene which bands like Super Furry Animals and Radio Luxembourg are part of. A fantastic start to the day.
Yoav was introduced as an eclectic mix of genres on one acoustic guitar, and as he sound-checked it was easy to see why. With an incredible ear for interesting sounds he drummed out a beat on his guitar whilst recording it and then played it back to create backing for yet another new beat. The sounds created from such a grassroots instrument sounded like something from a nightclub ? and his chipped guitar showed scars of this enthusiasm and creativity. His voice was as layered as his guitar, stretching through different patterns and creating an incredibly powerful sound. All this from just a man and his guitar shows that even the simplest of sounds can be created into something complex. He even shone in his purely acoustic songs with fabulous song-writing skills. Yoav is an incredible, creative artist and was a great asset to the Big Weekend’s lineup.
With the hype and popularity surrounding new soul artists such as Amy Winehouse and Duffy, it was no surprise the Beth Rowley was greeted with enthusiasm. With a fantastic Bristolian voice, she sang melancholy tunes with a fantastic band of vintage instruments with the air of a speakeasy blues singer. Unlike other new soul singers, Beth Rowley seems to carry tradition on by singing in a recognisable way mixing gospel and blues with the newer sounds of soulful pop. She left the stage with hearts melted by her voice.
The front of the crowd had been thick with fans all morning for Go:Audio. In leaps and bounds, they have become an exasperating rock band with boy band status. They bounded onto the stage with incredible energy and unleashed a perfect set. Loyal fans in the front row sang every word. Each band member threw everything into their songs, bounding about the stage, singing and playing their hearts out. Although they played popular, powerful hits like “She Left Me” and “Made up Stories”, they still acted like a new band encouraging all those who hadn’t heard of them to look at their MySpace. Overall, if you love the sound of synth and guitar in a pop setting or a boy band who aren’t as old as Take That ? Go:Audio are for you. After their set fans mobbed the side of the stage to get anything they could signed by the band ? and it’s only just beginning for them.
The Automatic spring excitedly onto stage and although a technical hitch mutes their microphones for the first song they still grin and laugh their way through their fan-favourites. Although their new album hasn’t been received as much as their debut, the hits are still there with songs like ‘Steve McQueen’. The crowd roar for ‘Monster’ and are granted it, then go crazy. They play other hits like ‘Raoul’ and ‘Recover’ and include newer tracks from upcoming album ‘This is a Fix’. Besides their new guitarist, the band hails from Cowbridge in Cardiff and played the rock night Teen Spirit before becoming famous. The experienced group certainly know how to entertain the crowd after extensive worldwide touring and put on a fantastic show.
Glasvegas are on the edge of a huge wave of hype surrounding them. They come onto the stage with cheers from fans and launch into their first song. They influences stem from My Bloody Valentine and their music is that of trying to create a ‘wall of sound’. However, in this attempt of drilling guitars and bass on one long note with pounding drums they end up becoming increasingly boring. It seems inevitable that in trying to perfect such a distinctive powerful sound that the results are repetitive and mind numbing. Even the cutting Glaswegian accent of the singer and their energetic striding across the stage can’t save the band from their overall impact ? yawn.
As it starts to get dark, The Young Knives are introduced and walk out with boyish charm and grins. With a name that MPs would be shocked by (although the name is based on a misunderstanding of “young knaves”, which was found by the band by flicking through a book) they unleash a fantastically energetic set. If you haven’t heard of The Young Knives, you’ve probably heard them anyway as their track ‘Weekends and Bleak Days’ with the catchy line ‘Hot summer, hot hot summer!” got the crowd singing along (despite the day’s rain). The Young Knives have an impressive sense of humour and an oddly different look to their sound. Their catchy riffs are reminiscent of 80s band Talking Heads and they’re on the verge of being punks, if only they were a little taller.
To end the day, the stage is bathed in dark red light and on strides Ash with distinctive flying V guitar and an awesome rock sound. They play to an ecstatic crowd, and are overly joyful themselves proclaiming that they must come back to Wales more often. They play ‘Burn Baby Burn’ as their second song and it builds from there, playing all the way through their albums including ‘Girl From Mars’, ‘Oh Yeah’, ‘Orpheus’ ‘Shining Light’ and their finale ‘Twilight of the Innocents’. They also played a new song ‘Ichiban’ which will be released as a single, as will all their new material due to the increasing presence of the internet in music. Singer and guitarist Tim Wheeler and drummer Rick McMurray struggled to make up for former guitarist and singer Charlotte Hatherly’s parts whilst ‘Darth’ Mark Hamilton on bass (named because of the band’s like of Star Wars ? Tim notes the number of lightsabers on show in the crowd) is relaxed and wild with his playing. The rock anthems of Ash certainly entertain the crowd with full-blown mosh pits and crowdsurfing. If Ash keep up the classics, they have a long run ahead of them yet.
Words and Photos by Ed Townend (Stellar Spontaneous Photography)
