live
INSANE CLOWN POSSE
Pic: Landon Nordeman
Tramshed, Cardiff Sat 18 Jan Juggalos assemble. Now if that means nothing to you, then move along, but to a certain group of fans, that can only mean one thing. That’s right, Insane Clown Posse are coming. Making their debut in the Welsh capital, ICP will be hitting up the Tramshed, in what promises to be a very interesting evening. Their live shows are almost legendary for being totally chaotic. Past tours have seen naked roadies, caged attractions, showgirls, clowns and of course, lots and lots of low-grade American fizzy drink Faygo, so Cardiff will be in for quite a night. Formed as far back as 1989, the duo of Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope first came to prominence in the mid-to-late 90s with their violent take on rap. Their breakthrough album The Great Milenko perfectly blended that lurid imagery with hip-hop and the burgeoning nu-metal scene, quickly catapulting them to MTV audiences across the world and culminating in an appearance at the infamous 1999 edition of Woodstock. Since then they’ve formed wrestling promotions, got into public spats with Eminem and been involved in several costly lawsuits. Yet their fanbase has never wanedm with the band still drawing thousands of people to their annual Gathering Of The Juggalos festival in the States, which has moved from podunk Midwest town to podunk Midwest town over two decades. Such is the reputation of the Juggalos that the FBI even have a dossier on them, listing them as a “loosely organised hybrid gang.” Amidst all of this, J and Shaggy have apparently found God, but rest assured, the shows remain just as crazy as ever – as does the music. Fearless Fred Fury, released earlier this year, is the boys’ 15th studio album and finds ICP in fine form. So if you want to see what all the fuss is about, then dig out those huge 90s baggy jeans, slap on some greasepaint and get down to the Tramshed in Cardiff for what could potentially be the wildest night of your life. CHRIS ANDREWS Tickets: £23.50. Info: 029 2023 5555 / www.tramshedcardiff.com
CATS IN SPACE
Patti Pavilion, Swansea Sat 14 Dec Cats In Space appeared on the music scene in 2015 and have since toured with bands including Thunder, Status Quo, Fairport Convention and Deep Purple. Now they’re touring the UK in their own right to promote fourth album Daytrip To Narnia. Heavy rock is well known for trying to pass corny lyrics off as profound but Cats actively embrace the corn while using it to convey a modern message. They take you back to the 1970s, a time when rock was unpretentious and a band was a bunch of mates in the back room of a pub. They sing about “how I long for the days of Top Of The Pops” – with songs of the same ilk as Mott the Hoople’s Saturday Gigs. The Cats cover several bases with their original classic-style rock, pop-rock and power ballads. Founder Greg Hart has written songs for Cher, Asia and Donna Summer and bandmate Steevi Bacon has played with Robin Trower and Ben Poole: in fact, all the Cats are seasoned musicians who have been in the industry for many for years prior to coming together and they can adopt a lot of different musical styles. Dust off your bandana – or buy a new one – and join them for what promises to be a rockin’ good night. Tickets: £20. Info: 01792 475444 / www.pattipavilion.co.uk (LN) BUZZ 38
KANO
Great Hall, Cardiff University Students Union Sat 1 Feb London-born rapper Kano burst into the grime scene in 2004 with P’s And Q’s, a striking debut single which laid the foundation for much of the genre’s present-day mainstream. Becoming an instant underground hit, Kano – aka Kane Brett Robinson – is widely considered one of the pioneers of grime and music culture – and it’s easy to see why. The eclectic ensemble of personal yet poignant topics featured throughout his music is arguably what made his fifth album Made In The Manor such a success, charting at number eight in the UK. Years later, and Robinson has remained the poster boy for embodying British culture. Alongside having a leading role in popular Netflix show Top Boy, which offers a satirical look at society through a crime-infested fictional London estate, Kano’s also making thought-provoking comments on modern civilisation through his music. His latest album Hoodies All Summer, songs from which will be heavily featured in his tour, not only show how he has matured as an artist, but also highlights why grime has remained socially relevant – for enabling artists to address hardhitting topics, such as knife crime, with catchy and memorable music. Tickets: £30. Info: 029 2078 1458 / www.cardiffstudents.com (TB)
MAN FOREVER
The Moon, Cardiff Thu 12 Dec Man Forever is John Colpitts, better known as Kid Millions: drummer extraordinaire with Oneida and Ex Models, and collaborator with everyone from Boredoms to Black Mountain and Spiritualized’s Jason Pierce. A bookish figure offstage, he transforms into an octopoid superhuman behind his kit. A good job, too, given that Oneida’s legendary Ocropolis performances lasted for 10 hours. Man Forever’s last LP, 2017’s Play What They Want, was ironically titled – the music it contained wasn’t in thrall to anyone’s preconceptions or constrained by any kind of convention. Neither was it consciously designed, Colpitt instead allowing himself to be led wherever the compositions took him. “I didn’t want it to be dismissed offhand with something like, ‘Oh yeah, this is Kid Millions messing around with drums’,” he told one interviewer. “I really wanted it to be surprising.” Play What They Want is a heady cocktail whose ingredients included freeform piano, choral passages, playful patterns and hypnotic nonWestern rhythms and chimes, drawing on contemporary classical and avant-garde influences that took it way beyond standard rock tropes. Tickets: £6. Info: 029 2037 3022 / info@themooncardiff.com (BW)
PETROL GIRLS
Le Public Space, Newport Tue 14 Jan Armed with vocalist Ren Aldridge’s sharp tongue, coarsened with abrasion and anger, and an array of gorgeously erratic instrumentation, post-hardcore quartet Petrol Girls are the walking, screaming embodiment of counterculture. The four rekindle the anti-nationalist sentiment that’s been nurtured by the punk scene since its inception and fuse it with fiercely feminist ideology to add up to a leftwing whirlwind. Don’t mistake the band simply for rhetoric-spitting parrots, though: these issues are clearly the foundation that a band formed on International Women’s Day by members from Lithuania, Austria and the United Kingdom would choose to build itself upon. Indeed, by trading empty slogans for extrospective lyrics, the group has established themselves as pre-eminent feminist punks. Fresh from supporting two A-list names of the genre, Thrice and Refused, across Europe, the band are set to embark on a whistlestop tour of the UK. It’s clear that Petrol Girls aren’t willing to settle for simply challenging our current political climate – they’re stomping it into the ground, and broadcasting it to the world through the medium of vivid, cerebral punk. Tickets: £8. Info: 01633 221477 / www.lepublicspace.co.uk (AP)