Ash at the Cardiff Tramshed

With apparent modesty, Ash initially booked the Cardiff show in their 2019 tour into the Globe - capacity 350, apparently - but were forced, though demand, to relocate in across town, to the Tramshed - capacity 1000; and by the end of the night, with the audience packed together, sardine-like, it was clear that the trio, from Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, are still hugely popular, 25 years on from their emergence.

Supporting were Novacub, led by Louise Bartle and featuring her fellow Bloc Party alumnus Russell Lissack (also a sometime member of Ash) on guitar. Very likeable melodic indie-rock, with a lightness of touch which seemed at odds with what appear to be some angsty lyrics.

Inevitably the headliners’ set focussed on the latest album, “Islands”, the almost-hit single “Buzzkill” being a stand-out; but with classic debut album “1977” also well represented. Personal highlights included singalongs to “Oh Yeah” and “Shining Light”; bass-player Mark’s crowd-surfing during “Angel Interceptor”; and the general raucousness of the whole thing. Tim Wheeler does not have the most powerful of voices, but he’s a charming front-man and, of course, a gifted songwriter, whose sensitivity shines through the punkiness. The final song in the encore was “Burn Baby Burn”, which topped off an almost perfect evening. My fourth experience of seeing them live – hopefully not the last.

Michael Kiwanuka at Cardiff Tramshed

This was my second visit within a few weeks to Cardiff’s newest major city-centre concert venue, The Tramshed, and it was a transcendent experience.

First up was a solo set by youthful, lank-haired troubadour Isaac Gracey, whose folk-tinged, electric and acoustic guitar-led balladeering went down very well. His original material was pleasingly melodic, and delivered in a strong, confident voice – he did mention that his only previous visit to Cardiff was on a choir tour. There were also a couple of Bob Dylan covers, in tribute to the great man’s long overdue recognition by the Nobel Prize committee.

Headliner Michael Kiwanuka’s act kicked off in the same way as his new album, with the lengthy, keyboard-led, Pink Floyd-inflected introduction to “Cold Little Heart”, which cleverly set up the tone of his set, dominated as it was by extended, atmospheric extemporisations.

Michael Kiwanuka

Music industry marketing being what it is, Kiwanuka is tagged as a “soul” singer - and his voice comes across somewhat more powerfully than it does on record - but what his five-piece backing band (including two drummers) delivers is as much influenced by robust Dylan-esque singer-songwriters and classic rock as by Ray Charles. Their exuberance mitigates the melancholic tone of the “Love and Hate” album, and the collective mood is a celebratory one, as exemplified by the jubilant response to “Black Man In A White World” from the overwhelmingly Caucasian capacity crowd.

There were relatively few songs from his brilliant first album, “Home Again”, but “Tell Me A Tale” received the psychedelic wig-out treatment (although the absence of jazz flute was a shame). The encore comprised a deeply moving version of Prince’s “Sometimes It Snows In April”, and a rousing, sing-along rendition of the new album’s title track.

Vintage stuff.