words Kristian Dando
Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
Fri 4 May
Remember MTV2 in the late 90s? The Herbaliser, formed by Londoners Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba, always seemed to be on it. The sort of act which would always be a fixture of your cool older brother or sister’s collection, they made a name for themselves with the sort of languid after-hours listening that would help establish Ninja Tune, the label they started out on and enjoyed a long relationship with, as a major force.
Now 11 albums and two DJ mixes into a storied career, the Herbaliser inititally as a sample-obsessed duo the they soon morphed into a full band, and a festival fixture for time immemorial. They’ve also amassed a stellar list of collaborations, including Roots Manuva and, er, Princess Superstar.
While very much ‘of their time’ – the pair composed music for Motorola, contributed to Guy Ritchie’s Snatch and their music popped up on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skateboarding 2, all of  which are historical signifiers if ever we’ve seen them – Cardiff’s got a bit of a taste for soul and jazz at present, so expect to see plenty of seasoned heads joined by some of the increasingly large population of groove-thirtst younger cats nodding away approvingly. Nice.
Tickets: £15. Info: 029 2023 2199Â