The singer from Creeper, downstairs in Clwb Ifor Bach? Surely not? That’s what they’ll say in the future, as for whatever reason the decision has been made to situate tonight’s sold-out performance from Salem in the cosy confines of the venue’s downstairs room. If you are lucky enough to have a ticket, then this promises to be a doozy.

And if Salem were not enough to satisfy you this evening, then a stacked support bill of James And The Cold Gun and The Nightmares, should more than suffice. The latter, from Newport, take the floor-bound stage first, and their mix of goth rock and shoegaze is a wake-up call this already rabid crowd didn’t really need. A short set teams popular tracks like Adore and The Falling Dream with new selections from a promised 2022 album. 

But it’s when Bridgend’s newest rock heroes James And The Cold Gun hit the stage that the first real dancing of the night takes place. A few weeks on from a glorious debut gig at this very venue, the band’s star quality is rapidly rising, with every gig showing a new level of confidence and performance. There’s no drop in the energy levels as a typical bombastic entrance erupts into track after track of throbbing drumbeats and catchy guitars, with the crowd going especially nuts for She Moves and Plug Me In. An impromptu dance competition even breaks out at one point. James And The Cold Gun are excellent value live and are only going to get better.

By the time Salem hit the stage, the feeling that you’ve already had your fill of the evening is quickly dispersed. A good 40% of the crowd here tonight are sporting Creeper merch and as their leader Will Gould comes into view, they make themselves known both vocally and physically. Creeper’s latter stuff has crept into theatrical rock, so it would seem that Salem have been born to scratch Gould’s punk itchings as they come across as the UK’s answer to AFI. For further proof, see Fall Out Of Love: a track with all the elements of a classic Havok/Puget composition complete with sing along part at the end with which the crowd of course oblige.

The moshpit utilises the pillar in the middle of the room for Heaven Help Me – a punk maypole, if you will – before Gould takes time to address the assembled, thanking them for supporting live music, whilst also going for the “cheap pop” by paying homage to the throng of great bands Wales seem to constantly provide. The crowd relieve Gould of vocal duties for the majority of Sweet Tooth, while a cover of The Damned’s New Rose feels apt, before Salem finish up with an encore of Destroy Me.

One of those gigs that will live long in the memory for those in attendance – and where people who didn’t attend will question, in years to come, what could possibly have been more important that night. 

words CHRIS ANDREWS photos NADINE BALLANTYNE