Ahead of their biggest-ever headline show at Cardiff University, Teresa Delfino sat down with two members of CVC – vocalist Francesco Orsi and guitarist David Bassey – to talk band camaraderie, all things tour, and the impact of small music venues on their careers.
Since the release of their 2023 debut album Get Real, everything has been full steam ahead for CVC, the south Walian party rockers whose full name, Church Village Collective, betrays their Rhondda origins. Touring, writing, recording new music, and spending a ridiculous amount of time together: is it as good as it seems?
“The way I see it, if you’re getting your musical itch scratched, it’s the greatest thing in the world. But if you’re not getting your artistry exercised, you’re going to feel like you can’t be fucking bothered. It’s easier to take the hard parts of being in a band when your songs are on the radio,” says CVC guitarist and sometime vocalist David Bassey. “We’re together like five days a week sometimes…”
“…And on the days we don’t see each other, we still see each other,” adds lead vocalist Francesco Orsi. The two finish each other’s sentences like they share a mystic telepathy – considering they’ve been performing together for years, some extraterrestrial mind-transmission feels conceivable.
As homegrown musicians who’ve climbed the ranks, their December show in Cardiff University’s 1500-capacity Great Hall is a notable step-up. “We’ve played to quite a few empty rooms. Remember when we played to just my cousins?” laughs Orsi. “Everybody I know in this life is coming to that gig,” says Bassey.
“When you come back to play a hometown show you just want it to be as good as possible -really well practiced,” Orsi adds. “The tour’s going to be a lot of trial and error… and Nanial’s token track isn’t going to be Fight For Your Right anymore, there’s a new song,” Bassey says. At previous CVC shows, keyboardist Daniel Jones – aka Nanial – has performed the Beastie Boys’ 1980s anthem, acting as a fun aspect of CVC shows.
His next rendition is under wraps for now, but we can expect to hear new music from the band’s upcoming album. “It’s just more synthpoppy and got a little more bounce to it,” says Bassey. “It’s got more of a pop feel, but it’s still got CVC’s harmonies,” adds Orsi.
With a headline performance at the even bigger Swansea Arena announced for next year, in support of Music Venue Trust, the band have come a long way from the small venues they cut their teeth on. “The Big Top and Gwdihw – it was devastating when they went,” Orsi remembers. “Not being able to play gigs in the city centre in little venues where you get your starting place, where you get noticed, is just gutting,”
Bassey: “Gwdihw was different. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never just been to Clwb Ifor Bach for a pint and happened upon a band – it’s just not that sort of place.”
The issue Bassey discusses here is one felt across the UK – according to Music Venue Trust, the UK is losing two grassroots venues a week on average. Indeed, a week after our interview, The Moon – an iconic part of the Welsh capital’s music infrastructure – announced its immediate closure; the model of a ticketless space providing free shows for punters is fickle and can lack the financial stability needed to survive as a small business in this economy.
In the life cycle of a musician’s career, small music venues are foundational to nurturing success. Venues across Wales have their own litany of stories to tell, from a fresh-faced Oasis playing Newport TJ’s circa 1994 to a pre-album Strokes in Clwb Ifor Bach to the Buckley Tivoli seeing bands from Led Zeppelin to Radiohead take its stage. Just imagine if those walls could talk – and who knows, maybe in a few years we’ll be recalling the days CVC played the Great Hall.
CVC, Great Hall, Cardiff University Students Union, Sat 14 Dec (tickets: £15. Info: here); House Party, Swansea Arena, Sat 15 Feb (tickets: £10. Info: here)
words TERESA DELFINO
