This was such a special day for me. When I first saw the lineup on the poster, my teenage nostalgic brain went into overdrive. An entire day of Welsh rock and metal music in the confines of a medieval castle in one of the biggest cities in the UK. Sign me the feck up! I was immediately drawn in by the name of The Blackout and Funeral For A Friend. Two bands that I’ve spent a little too many hours with in my life. Between the years of 2010 and 2016, I must have seen both of them over 10 times live in concert. Both have always been super consistent over the years. I think it would be difficult for them to put on a bad show. Then, if we look down the rest of the poster, we have names that have certainly stuck their claim in the cultural zeitgeist. I think what makes this even more special is the sheer fact that all of the bands on the poster come from Wales. The Welsh rock and metal scene has always been one to stand in awe at. I think, over the years, Wales has produced some of the most iconic bands from the Biritsh Isles. So having an entire day celebrating that… It’s just one of those moments where you go; Why weren’t we doing this before!
Even getting into Cardiff, you could tell there was an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation in the air. I knew at this moment that this could be one of the best shows I’ve been to. Getting into the Castle grounds and seeing the staging, with the historic monuments serving as the backdrop for this show. I have to say this is one of the most scenically beautiful settings that I’ve ever been to, for a metal show. I appreciated that no matter where I stood, there didn’t seem to be a bad place to stand in the crowd. Everywhere seemed like at least a decent vantage point. The sound from the stage sounded excellent too. The soundchecks that we heard were but a sneak peek at the performances to come. I will also give props to the organisers; there was a decent selection of food stalls too. Granted, it was all quick to cook, fast food, but for the price, the quality was there. Everything was all systems go, and with people filtering in, let’s talk about the bands!
Opening the day in the mid-afternoon sun, we have the band Kill The Lights. Opening a show like this is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you don’t have the pressure of the headliners; however, it’s up to you to set the tone for the rest of the day. In a day-long event like this, I did not envy the task that befell them. However, they came out of the gate swinging. Their heavy tone pulsated in the castle walls. This band is the collective supergroup made up of members from Welsh metalcore titans, Bullet For My Valentine and American hard rockers, Throw The Fight, so the experience on stage bled into their set. They ran a tight and efficient set, and they made every second of their thirty-minute setlist count. The blasting rhythm section sounded amazing over the speakers, and I adored James Clark’s vocals as he belted to the high heavens in the midday air. The early afternoon crowd was great. Not a tonne of energy as would later be given to the headliners, but the Welsh audience were respectful and even a small moshpit opened up in front of the stage.
It was only during the set I spotted two people at the side of the stage translating the songs into British Sign Language (BSL). This was a nice touch and showed some needed accessibility for the members of the audience that needed it.
Kill The Lights continued their set. The guitar solos pierced the air and sounded so clear. The whole tone of the band came through loud and clear. Even switching from clean to the guttural vocals, nothing in their sound was lost. Which can happen in an open-air event. Overall, I enjoyed this opening set. I think this was the ideal band to kickstart the day. They were lively enough to inject that little bit of energy in the early going, and also the band has the experience to get the crowd invested. The music was performed well with just enough crowd interaction to get the audience excited for what was to come.
After a brief intermission, the day moved quickly with thirty-minute changeover times between every band. The next band to take to the stage was the metalcore overdrive that is Dream State. I have only heard them briefly at Slam Dunk Festival earlier this year, so this was my introduction to their live shows, and what an introduction this was. From the very first moments, they completely let loose all over the stage as they blasted their punk rock fury to the Castle audience. I was blown away by the energy that they brought to the table. In particular, the vocalist Jessie Powell, whose vocal performance exploded like dynamite. You have to wonder what the people in the city outside the castle were thinking when they were on. As their set progressed, the energy just kept on building and building. The crowd were clearly into it as more people made their way into the venue and were met with the chaotic, frantic energy that the band were putting out.
This performance made me get nearer to the stage to get more of the atmosphere as the wonderful daylight sun beat down onto the castle grounds. This band is such a cult of personality. You immediately like them from watching them. They’re so earnest and genuine, you just feel the heart and soul they put into their music and performance. You could just tell how much this day meant to Jessie as she almost looked like she was on the verge of tears when talking to the crowd. An interesting set that made you want to know more about the band and listen to more of their songs. I’d say that was a mission accomplished for Dream State.
The day marched on, and next to take the stage was the hard rock band, Casey. Well, rock is a broad term, but Casey is a band that runs the gamut of different styles and sub-genres. This was my first experience of them, and I would say they’re a good crossover, or nu-metal, post-hardcore and alternative rock. This was a much slower set. Not that this wasn’t a heavy set, but Casey delivered a much slower, more methodical set than the two bands that came before them. It was very much my chill and relax-at-the-back set. I think that the band knew they had a tall task and they did their best to keep the crowd engaged in their set. There was a loyal and avid fanbase having fun at the front. However, for me it was a chance to catch my breath before the rest of the evening.
Their set was interesting. Like I’ve said, it was a much slower and more methodical set. This gave their set more breathing room. The guitars had more of an echo, the bass and drums thumped away, and the vocals screamed with conviction and emotion. I am very impressed with the lead vocalist Tom Weaver, who has been recovering from open-heart surgery, so being at this show was something to be commended, as I could see many, justifiably, skipping shows from that. As the set progressed, I found myself getting more and more into their sound. They have an anthemic tone that is captivating to listen to. I think the open air atmosphere helped them a lot here, as their sound bled into the evening sky and filled the castle grounds with their music. The pulsating drum work served as a heartbeat for the emotionally charged lyrics as the raw and unfiltered rock tones roared throughout the audience. Casey may not have had the wild charge of some of the other bands on the bill, but as the emotionally evocative music shined, it was clear that they took a lot of influence from the evening's headliners, Funeral For A Friend. Which made them perfect for the halfway marker for the day.
This was already turning out to be one hell of a day. Well, the evening was just getting started when the all-singing and dancing pop-punk cover band, Punk Rock Factory, took the castle by storm. If you’re a fan of pop songs, Disney Music and 90s TV Show themes, then this band is the one for you. If you don’t, well, I guess this was a long set for you. For me, I enjoyed the hell out of this set, not only for the nostalgic elements of the songs that they cover, but just for the sheer fun that they brought to the evening. Their set was a fast-paced hurricane of pop-punk and cheesy cheer. The crowd sang along loudly to Disney songs like “Friend Like Me” from Aladdin and “Under The Sea” from The Little Mermaid. Again, I have to wonder what the people in the city centre were thinking was happening in the Castle walls.
I think their set was a fun-filled 30 minutes of escapism and laughter. I do like that the band don’t take themselves too seriously. That doesn’t mean they didn’t sound good or were underprepared. The set was quite efficient with regards to the time. All four members of Punk Rock Factory were incredibly proficient on their instruments. The band took a detour into everyone's collective childhoods as they played the theme songs for famous TV shows: Spongebob Squarepants, Pokémon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers. Which felt like a whirlwind of nostalgia and wonder. There’s something special about thousands of grown adults screaming, “Go Go Power Rangers” or the call and response of Spongebob Squarepants, some special and surreal at the same time. I think this was a good set-up before the final two bands. This set got everyone hyped up with songs that everyone is, at least, familiar with and with enough energy to warm the crowd up!
Holy god, how much fun I was having, and the night was about to get kicked into overdrive. The Blackout made their way to the stage, and the crowd’s enthusiasm increased as the boys from Merthyr Tydfil kicked off their set. I’ve seen them half a dozen times before in my life, and I am convinced they would have to work hard to put on a bad set. This night was no exception to that rule. Opening with the steady build of “Ambition Is Critical” and then the set truly kicking in with the anthemic “Children of the Night”, The Blackout were off to a burning hot start, and they just kept pressing on. The band jammed out while the duelling frontmen, Gavin Butler and Sean Smith, performed their chaotic stage antics to hype up the crowd more and more. This set was completely ideal for any Blackout fan, as this set was, for lack of a better term, a greatest hits set. They just went through their biggest hits, which makes a lot of sense, as this night was just about having a good time. No need to dive into b-sides.
The crowd were white-hot for this set, singing along to the big hits like “Top of the World” and “This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things”. The set would go from wild to insane with the song “I’m a Riot? You’re a Fucking Riot!” as they were joined on stage by Jessie from Dream State. She brought all of her manic energy to this performance, and the crowd was going crazy for this track. Which makes sense, since this is a song that always allows an audience to let loose. Much like every other band that took to the stage, The Blackout were incredibly efficient with their time on stage. They got in, did what they did and got out within a tight 45-minute set time. Filled to the brim with great songs that were sure to please any fan, and maybe even some non-fans.
I just want to take a moment to talk about the band itself. Every single member was so proficient with their instruments. Their tone was crazy good. The ripping guitars, the pounding bass, the crashing drums. All of it came together in such an incredible way, kudos to the sound engineers for making them sound as good as they did! Gavin and Sean have always made such a good team. Gavin, the powerful and commanding singer, and Sean, the captivating and human highlight reel. With the Welsh flag flying in the air, The Blackout’s music resonated into the air and the city of Cardiff!
Finally, it was time for the main event. Celebrating 20 years of their hit album Hours, Funeral For A Friend took to the stage. Just a side note - Has it been 20 years since this album was released? I was in high school when this album dropped. Anyway, on this night, they played the whole album from start to finish. Opening on “All The Rage” and straight away, the crowd started singing and we didn’t stop until the final notes of the show. They moved swiftly into one of their most iconic songs, “Streetcar”. This sent the crowd into a full-blown frenzy as the pit opened up wider and wider. Here I have to mention this. Lucas Woodland was an absolute shining star for the night. It’s a shame that the original vocalist, Matthew Davies-Kreye, could not perform; however, Lucas was superb in his role as he humbly introduced the rest of the band.
Iconic song after iconic song went by. It made me fully appreciate how good this album is. Hearing songs like “Roses For The Dead”, “Drive” and “Monsters” was so good and gave me goosebumps as they played. Also, wouldn’t you know it, during their set, it started raining. You know, after such a great, great sunny day. If anything, it fit the mood of the set. The night sky fading in, out in the open air and one of the best bands to come out of Wales performing in the city centre. It felt like the ideal night for this show.
The set continued, and they came to, not just one of my favourite songs on this album, but one of my favourite songs period - “History”. Let me tell you, there’s something magical about standing in the rain, in a castle, singing a song you love with thousands of others and the band that created the song. I don’t think I could sum it up into words; it just was an incredible feeling. The sound from the stage was excellent, as it had been all day. Each instrument sounded excellent. I’ve seen Funeral For A Friend many times before; this just happened to be one of the better times. They ran through more of the album and songs like “Recovery” and “The End of Nothing”. Lucas was committing his all into getting the crowd involved and drawing attention to the iconic members of the band.
The band would wrap up the main portion of the set with the album’s closer “Sonny” and leave the stage. This was building to the encore, and when they came back to rapturous applause. The encore was filled with some of their biggest hits from the first album; Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation. Lucas propped up the Welsh rock scene in all its glory and thanked all of the bands that had performed this night. Then, followed it up with a song that received the biggest reaction was “Juneau”. Which is, by Lucas Woodland's own words, one of the greatest Welsh songs of all time, and I kind of have to agree. They would end the night on the doublesmash of “Into Oblivion” and “Escape Artists Never Die”, and just like that, the show came to a close.
I am using no hyperbole when I say this. This was one of the best days of music that I’ve ever travelled to. Everything from the venue, to the sound, to the atmosphere, to the crowd and finally to the bands. Every single component hit the nail on the head. This has easily gone to my top 10 shows that I’ve ever been to. 100% an experience that I will never forget.
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