Images may be subject to copyright On this day, 30 November 1971, American/British rock band America played Cardiff’s Capitol Theatre. Also the bill were rock band Family. Formed in London in 1970 by English-born American Dewey Bunnell and Americans Dan Peek and Gerry Beckley. The trio met as sons of US Air Force personnel stationed in London, where they began performing live. Achieving significant popularity in the 1970s, the trio was famous for its close vocal harmonies and light acoustic folk rock sound. The band released a string of hit albums and singles, many of which found airplay on ..read more

Images may be subject to copyright On this day, 29 November 1984, Birmingham pop band Swans Way played Cardiff’s Bogiez Rock Club. The band comprised Robert Shaw (vocals), Maggie De Monde (vocals and percussion) and Rick P. Jones (double bass). They released one album and had a UK Top 20 hit with "Soul Train", before splitting up in 1985. Swans Way presented a mixture of musical influences, from jazz to classical and pop to disco. After an appearance on the cassette magazine SFX in May 1982, their first single, "Theme from the Balcony" was issued later that year. Their second single, "Soul ..read more

Images may be subject to copyright On this day, 18 November 1980, new wave singer/songwriter and actress Hazel O’Connor played Cardiff’s Top Rank on her 1980 Megahype tour. Support for the tour was Duran Duran. O'Connor was born in Coventry, England. She is the daughter of a soldier from Galway who settled in England after the Second World War to work in a car plant. Her brother Neil later fronted the punk band The Flys, best known for their single "Love and a Molotov Cocktail", which she later covered. Her film debut was in Girls Come First in 1975, where she was credited as Hazel Glyn. She ..read more

Images may be subject to copyright On this day, 28 November 1989 American country singer Lyle Lovett played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall. He had earlier in the year released his third album, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band. Lovett won the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for the album. He signed with MCA Records in 1986 and released his eponymous debut album. He sang harmony vocals on Nanci Griffith's The Last of the True Believers album (1986). While typically associated with the country genre, Lovett's compositions often incorporate folk, swing, blues, jazz and gospel music ..read more

Images may be subject to copyright On this day, 27 November 1970, proto-punk band Pink Fairies played Cardiff University. Initially active in the London (Ladbroke Grove) underground and psychedelic scene of the early 1970s. They promoted free music, drug use, and anarchy, and often performed impromptu gigs and other stunts, such as playing for nothing outside the gates at the Bath and Isle of Wight pop festivals in 1970, as well as appearing at Phun City, the first Glastonbury and many other free festivals including Windsor and Trentishoe. Playing for free in June 1970 outside the Bath Festi ..read more

Images may be subject to copyright On this day, 26 November 1993, rock band Little Angels played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall. Little Angels formed in Scarborough, England in May 1984, under the name of Zeus and then to Mr Thrud in September 1985, settling on Little Angels during recording of the Too Posh to Mosh mini-album at Fairview Studios, Willerby, Hull in 1987. Little Angels were successful in the UK with four best selling albums, including a number 1 in the UK Albums Chart in 1993 with Jam, plus 11 hit singles. They enjoyed a high profile in the UK, supporting Van Halen and Bon Jovi, a ..read more

Images may be subject to copyright On this day, 25 November 1997, dance band M People played their second night at Cardiff International Arena on their Fresco tour with support provided by Andrew Roachford. The band had just released their fourth studio album Fresco. It includes the Top 10 singles "Just for You" and "Angel St", the single "Fantasy Island", and a cover version of the Roxy Music song "Avalon". The album reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart, and was supported by a large UK arena tour. The tour confirmed M People as one of the UK's most successful live acts of the 1990s. Fre ..read more

On this day, 24 November 1989, Irish band Clannad played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall. The band were about to release their 13th studio album The Angel and the Soldier Boy. Formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal, by siblings Ciarán, Pól and Moya Ui Bhraonáin (in English, Brennan) and their twin uncles Noel and Pádraig Ó Dúgáin (Duggan). They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history. Beginning as an acoustic folk group mainly performing rearranged traditional Irish songs in Irish, they expanded their sound with original songs in English, vocal harmonies, electronic keyboa ..read more

On this day, 23 November 1988, alternative rock band The Snapdragons played Cardiff’s Square Club. The band signed to Native Records, who released their first single, "The Things You Want", in 1988, and in February that year they recorded a session for Simon Mayo's BBC Radio 1 show. "The Things You Want" was included on Volume VI of the Indie Top 20 series of albums (and later on Cherry Red Records' C88 compilation). The band's debut album, Dawn Raids on Morality, was produced by Pat Collier and released in 1989. In 1989, they also recorded a session for the BBC Radio 1 DJ, John Peel. The ba ..read more

Images may be subject to copyright On this day, 22 November 1989 American musician Bob Mould principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for alternative rock band Hüsker Dü, played Cardiff University. The band dissolved after a show in Columbia, Missouri, on the band's 1987 tour. Grant Hart was trying to quit heroin using a supply of methadone, but the bottle had leaked. Hart still played the show, but Mould and Greg Norton were concerned he would be unable to play the remaining shows due to withdrawal. While Hart insisted he could perform, Mould had already cancel ..read more