Despite living in Cardiff for nearly three years, I have never had the pleasure of going to the Coal Exchange, a venue located in Cardiff Bay that is just perfect for the Wild Beasts. The Kendal four-piece arrived in Cardiff as part of their UK tour ready to captivate the quite sizable audience in this wonderful setting.
Since the release of their debut album 'Limbo, Panto' in 2008 the band have caught the attention of many, but it was the release of their fantastic Mercury Nominated second album, 'Two Dancers' that really made people sit up and take notice. Now on the back of their brilliant third album 'Smother', Wild Beasts have really cemented their place as one of the best bands in Britain around at the moment.
Before Wild Beasts took to the stage, special mention must go to the terrific support band Alt-J or ∆ as they are also known. Their mellow sound was the perfect warm up as they ebbed and flowed through a very promising and solid set. Standout tracks like ‘Matilda’ and ‘Breezeblocks’ showcased the band’s talent and in particular the unique voice of lead singer Joe Newman, it is hard to describe his vocal ability, you just have to hear it for yourself. The highlight of their set was a rendition of ‘Fitzpleasure,’ everything from the band vocal harmony that opens the track to the dark undertones that surround the recurring guitar riff was special. With their debut album 'An Awesome Wave' released on the 28th May, Alt-J's live performance and stage presence can only improve with time.
Although Alt-J impressed it was time for Wild Beasts. The venue was near enough sold out and as the last beats of Roy Orbison’s ‘You Got It’ rung around the Coal Exchange the band emerged on stage to a great reception. Opening number, ‘Bed of Nails’ was executed to perfection with Ben Little’s use of a violin bow on his guitar creating an eerily good sound that complimented the whole tone of the track. With the cheers from the crowd still fresh, the falsetto wailing of Hayden Thorpe prompted the start of ‘We Still Got the Taste Dancin' On Our Tongues.’ Taken from their second album 'Two Dancers' this song is all about the lyrical genius of the band, a line like “Trousers and blouses make excellent sheets, down dimly lit streets” sums up the story behind the song. Thorpe is singing about a seedy act that is often referred to in the hip-hop and r’n’b world in a blunt and quite vile manner but the elegant nature of the Wild Beasts’ lyrics is just brilliantly contrasting.
‘Albatross’ is well received by the crowd as Thorpe and his fellow band mates just slow the pace down especially in the middle piano part to set up a classy and emphatic finish. Post ‘Albatross’ the band apologises to the Cardiff crowd as this turns out to be their first ever headlining show in the Welsh capital. They explain that to make up for this they will take everyone back to an earlier time bursting into ‘The Devil’s Crayon.’ This is the song, which ignited my love for Wild Beasts about five years ago but the opening delicate guitar riff and raw drum part still sent shivers down my spine. I have sung my heart out to this track many a time before in various venues across the country but the excellence of the song just shines through. I appear not to be alone in this as the wave in audience head bobbing significantly increases as everyone enjoys hearing the Beasts hark back to an earlier time in their career.
The audience appear mesmerised by the effortless interchanging of instruments and vocal duties that Hayden Thorpe and Tom Fleming have shown tonight, again demonstrated with a 'Two Dancers' double in the form of ‘The Fun Powder Plot’ and ‘Two Dancers, Pt. 2.’ The middle part of the set sees the pace just slow down into newer track ‘Deeper.’ An interjection of pace is greeted with a roar and a sway as ‘This is Our Lot’ gets going, the drum and bass combo shape the song but it’s the punchy little guitar interjections from Ben Little and Fleming that make the song flow so brilliantly. ‘Loop The Loop’ is another track from the third album which gets a good reception but it is next track ‘Two Dancers, Pt. 1’ which really hits the spot. The contrast in baritone and falsetto vocal styles come together beautifully to create this almost perfect song. The big drum breakdowns from the always impressive Chris Talbot are just given that little bit more as Fleming closes the song by thrashing at his guitar with a drumstick to create a powerful sounding finale.
Penultimate track ‘Reach A Bit Further’ is preceded by another heartfelt thank you from Thorpe and his band mates before explaining that this is a love song that is perfect for this venue. Full of melodies and harmonies the song fits nicely into the set before closing number ‘Hooting and Howling’ steals the show. The opening vocals of Thorpe are greeted with an almighty cheer and a venue wide clap as the wonderful song just settled into its stride. It is a perfect closing number as it builds up from the very bottom with Thorpe’s vocals before picking up the various members of the band (including Katie Larkin from Sky Larkin as a touring member on keys and vocals) before coming to an end. As the band leave the stage to a rapturous applause, they are not off for long as they return for a welcome encore.
‘Lion's Share’ is the first part of the encore, a song from a similar mould as ‘Hooting and Howling’ with its slow build up and well-constructed ending appears to be just a warm up for the second part of the bands encore. Fleming address’ the crowd to thank them again before introducing the next track as a song about being pretty. Everyone in the Coal Exchange knows what is coming next as the melodic drums of ‘All the King's Men’ pave the way for everyone to give their best vocal performance as they try and emulate the truly magnificent wails of Fleming and Thorpe. A great track that will always impress and enthral is met with the biggest cheer of the night before Thorpe ends proceedings with a final speech thanking all for their warmness and kindness, making it a very warm Welsh welcome. The frontman even makes time to refer to the Six Nations game with France the next day in wishing Wales good luck and not quite offering the same compassion to the French before aptly named final song ‘End Come Too Soon’ is beautifully played out.
A truly magnificent first headline gig for Wild Beasts in the Welsh capital and I am sure I am not the only person wishing for a speedy return to Cardiff.
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Although Alt-J impressed it was time for Wild Beasts. The venue was near enough sold out and as the last beats of Roy Orbison’s ‘You Got It’ rung around the Coal Exchange the band emerged on stage to a great reception. Opening number, ‘Bed of Nails’ was executed to perfection with Ben Little’s use of a violin bow on his guitar creating an eerily good sound that complimented the whole tone of the track. With the cheers from the crowd still fresh, the falsetto wailing of Hayden Thorpe prompted the start of ‘We Still Got the Taste Dancin' On Our Tongues.’ Taken from their second album 'Two Dancers' this song is all about the lyrical genius of the band, a line like “Trousers and blouses make excellent sheets, down dimly lit streets” sums up the story behind the song. Thorpe is singing about a seedy act that is often referred to in the hip-hop and r’n’b world in a blunt and quite vile manner but the elegant nature of the Wild Beasts’ lyrics is just brilliantly contrasting.
