6 Music took over Cardiff last weekend, and we were there to lap it all up! Here are the best of what the festival had to offer, from Pixies, Idles, Father John Misty, Bloc Party, Wet Leg and more.
Pixies, Cardiff University Students Union, Fri 1 Apr
Where Is My Mind? and Monkey Gone To Heaven provoke enormous reactions from the 6 Music Festival crowd in Cardiff, and you get the sense that Pixies have honed their craft to such an extent that it doesn’t matter where they are on the bill or the size of venue they’re playing, as they are going to impress regardless. They “have influenced everybody”, as tonight’s headliners later point out: as such, the theatre-esque bows the openers conduct at the end of their set feel utterly natural and deserved.
Read the full review here.
words ALEX SWIFT
Sharelle, Tramshed, Fri 1 Apr
At the Tramshed for this 6 Music Festival night of genre-fluid electronic music from Sherelle – “going clubbing” I guess they call it – and I’m thinking about how people, when getting back into doing something they’ve not done for ages, have a tendency to universalise the personal. Do you know what I mean? I’ve seen plenty of reviews – I’ve published a few of them – with a sentiment along the lines of, “we’re finally all back together in a room enjoying music. What a feeling!” some time after this experience was returned to the menu.
Read the full review here.
words NOEL GARDNER
Idles, Cardiff University Students Union, Fri 1 Apr
Idles emanate dynamism and passion for their music and message; it’s matched by the crowd, who dance and mosh in a unified throng to the anthems of justice and community. Songs like I’m Scum and Danny Nedelko, the latter of which sees guitarist Lee Kiernan climbing atop the crowd to holler the bridge, bring a trademark ferocity to the table. Meanwhile, A Hymn and MTT 420 RR give a tender side to the show.
Read the full review here.
words ALEX SWIFT
Sports Team, Cardiff University Great Hall, Sat 2 Apr
The Cambridge-educated band Sports Team have had their critics, but there’s no denying that they put on a great live show: throughout the set frontman Alex Rice is energetic and talkative, climbing the monitors and joining the crowd in the ever-active mosh pit. Motionless keyboardist Ben Mack is also especially amusing, a great counterpoint to Rice’s flamboyance. By the time they reach closing track Stanton, Sports Team have the Great Hall crowd wholly under their spell.
Read the full review here.
words TOM MORGAN
Little Simz, St. David’s Hall, Fri 1 Apr
It was clear how humbled the headliner was, explaining how there once was a time when 10 people would come to her shows, most being her friends. A master of her craft, Little Simz is an exceptionally likeable and captivating performer, with a collection of savvy, modern hooks that can turn even the unlikeliest into rap fans.
Read the full review here.
words EMMA WAY
Bloc Party, Cardiff University Great Hall, Sat 2 Apr
The band are obviously keen to use this event as a platform for their new music. Most are strong, particularly the resonant If We Get Caught – but this crowd are here for the classics, of which Bloc Party have many. Hunting For Witches gets the crowd going, as does the back-to-back display of indie anthems Song For Clay and Banquet. The band then close the evening with a rapid-fire rendition of Helicopter, sending the entire crowd into a limb-throwing frenzy. Bloc Party may have gone quiet over the last few years, but on tonight’s display, they’ve got all the tools to become a dominant force in British indie music once again.
Read the full review here.
words TOM MORGAN
Khruangbin, St. David’s Hall, Sat 2 Apr
Khruangbin provide the full package of a psychedelic performance. The Houston trio were visually captivating with extravagant outfits, their presence complemented by dazzling, perfectly-timed stage lights. Their stoic stage presence combined with Mark Speer and Laura Lee’s in-time hip movements served to create a visually transformative experience.
Read the full review here.
words CHLOE BLISSETT
Wet Leg, Cardiff University Students Union, Sun 3 Apr
The set – supporting Wet Leg and Johnny Marr – opens tentatively but gathers momentum as it progresses, backloaded with the singles that have whipped up anticipation for their imminent debut album. As the awkwardness subsides, the fun comes to the fore. Teasdale and songwriting partner Hester Chambers grin, giggle and twirl in tandem, the former’s caustic tongue and sardonic wit elevating their pocket earworms above the ordinary. While there’s a faint suspicion that attention-grabbing debut release Chaise Longue may become an albatross around their necks, that time certainly hasn’t come yet.
Read the full review here.
words BEN WOOLHEAD
Self Esteem, Cardiff University Students Union, Sun 3 Apr
As Chloë Edwards noted when she spoke to Taylor for Buzz in October, Prioritise Pleasure is a bold, utterly unapologetic record preaching empowerment, empathy and self-care. Tonight, the stadium-sized pop hooks of Moody and The 345 bulldoze any resistance; it’s remarkable to think that a performance of this scale/ambition was squeezed into Clwb Ifor Bach barely five months ago. The true showstopper, though, is I Do This All The Time – a song that, like the rest of the album, is about “how complicated it is just to be a human”.
Read the full review here.
words BEN WOOLHEAD
Father John Misty, St. David’s Hall, Sun 3 Apr
To be able to hear Father John’s old classics, from Chateau Lobby to Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings and I Love You, Honeybear, live alongside an entire orchestra was such an exceptional experience. Being further treated to songs from his Chloë And The Next 20th Century album, released this week, made the gig all the more special.
Read the full review here.
words CHLOE BLISSETT
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