Mudhoney & Hole
Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton.
14th August 1991
The deafening rumours of Mudhoney’s impending split were out-sounded tonight in a cauldron of noise, sweat and clogs.
The bands future was placed in jeopardy when guitarist Steve Turner announced that he had decided to return to college.
That was a year ago. This is now.
Mudhoney are currently in the middle of a UK tour, which coincides with the release of their third LP, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge.
The band exploded onto the Sub-pop thrash scene in 1988 with tonight’s opening song, Touch me I’m sick. It was an ace song to open with, and one appreciated greatly by the 600 or so baying fans.
Here comes sickness was also included in tonight’s set along with other favourites old and new.
The crowd were enjoying every moment of the concert, losing their minds and their clogs. Then, as you thought they could do no wrong, it happened, Mudhoney entered into their ‘Spinal Tap’ mode. The in-band banter between songs didn’t impress the crowd; none more so than when the bassist held aloft a can of lager and sneered, “And you lot paid to watch me drink beer.”
Among the chants of ‘wanker’, there was an ever present chant for Sweet Young Thing.
On went the show, the new single, Let it slide made an appearance and that was it.
While they mused about an encore the spport, Hole, popped up once more. Singer, Courtney Love, who’s rumoured to be seeing a lot of Mudhoney’s frontman, Mark Arm, threw herself on stage and tried to swim the floorboards.
This must have encouraged Mudhoney to act. An acoustic version(or should that be piss-take version?) of Sweet Young Thing soon followed. It lasted just 30 seconds. Where the lead chords should have been, Mark mimed them; the rest of the band erupted into fits of laughter.
Mudhoney are back on the road they helped pave, but leave the tomfoolery in the dressing room lads!
Review by Karl Powell
Anhrefn & Cerrig Melys
Pentre Legion Club, Pentre, Rhondda.
Friday 11th October 1991
This was good, very good. Cerrig Melys kicked off at medium pace and worked up to a frantic level, climaxing with a cover of Mudhoney’s, In and out of grace.
Cerrig Melys are four lads from Aberystwyth who would rather play to 10 people who listened than 300 who didn’t; and quite simply, that’s their mission, getting people to listen. I must admit, they were an unknown quantity to me and boy did I listen. This was the most refreshing set I’d heard in a long while, touches of Dinosaur Jr and Nirvana, driving drums and stirring rhythms. Cerrig Melys are worth looking out for, sweet rock indeed!
Anhrefn are relatively old hands at this and they’re still enjoying every minute of it. The mood was good. The new album, Dragon’s Revenge had just gone top 10 in Czeckoslovakia. The boys were keen to play and the first few bars of Y Ffordd Ymlaen were already belting out as the curtains slipped open.
Y Ffordd Ymlaen (the way ahead) is a protest song attacking the building of roads in unspoilt countryside; and this was the theme – protest songs. Each one addressing a social injustice, not only at home but worldwide.
As always, Sion and Co. were giving it their all. Rhys was stripped to the waist, throwing his bass around as though it was weightless – a familiar trademark these days.
Anhrefn are sometimes described as a punk band, something they wouldn’t thank you for. They don’t adhere to any trend or style, they write and play what they feel. Their 45 minutes set included two encores, a sure sign of their success. These boys know how to entertain and to use a cliché, they play some darn good rock ‘n’ roll.
Everything felt right – the bands, the sound and most of all, the attitude!
Review by Darren Jones
The Idyllic Pop Invention & The Section
Polikoff’s Social Club, Pentre, Rhondda
Saturday 20th July 1991
For an evening that starting out on such a bad note, this turned out to be one hell of gig. Well what was so bad? Well for one the P.A. didn’t arrive. Our man’s van broke down, but where, he couldn’t tell us! Sounded a bit dubious to me.
After spending over £4 on the ‘phone and still without a P.A. the bands decided to make do and go ahead with what they’d got.
The Section took to the stage at around 9:30, looking more like pub rockers rather than hard-edged, indie guitar heroes. Where did you get that gold overcoat Mark?
Forty-five minutes later and all fears had been destroyed. The gold overcoat was in a heep in the corner of the stage, and blood dripped from the fingers of these cool guitar boys. With a Buzzcocks cover thrown in, The Section were good value.
Now then, The Idyllic Pop Invention are from Newport and are, by all accounts, excellent. They entertained with nine classic tunes; all from the same stable as Ned’s Atomic Dustbin. Although with titles such as Silly Celia, Drunk again and Mr. M. (“for the Smiths fans”) I don’t think they take themselves that seriously.
They opened with I’m lost, a frantic little number with plenty of wah wah and dancing drum sticks. Rhondda’s rent-a-dance-crew were soon on the floor (literaly), doing what they do best.
The highlight of the evening was I.P.I.’s finale, Understand me, a mega dose of groove, music to get lost in.
The Idyllic Pop Invention are going places, groovers on manoeuvres indeed!
Review by Darren Jones
In Heaven & Dreamscape
Pentre Legion Club, Pentre, Rhondda
16th August 1991
First to take the stage were Dreamscape. Formed in November ’90, the 3-piece (Scott, Jamie and Rebecca) have already secured a deal with the German label, A Turntable Friend. A double A side single, ‘Blackflower’ / ‘Evergreen’ hopefully being the first of many.
Both tracks were played tonight, and were included in what was, a soft, melodic set. Lead singer, Rebecca, appeared nervous, and quite understandably so, in a large hall packed full. Nevertheless they were excellent throughout, with ‘Flicker’ being the stand out track.
Next came In Heaven, who apparently spent the whole week before the gig practicing in a kitchen in Cardiff. Come the gig, they played their entire ‘Cinematic’ demo with ease. An excellent ‘Hollywood Dream Scene’ was followed by the slower, ‘Landslide’, which in turn flowed into the much faster, feedback frenzied, ‘Colours Change’. They were mesmerizing throughout, finishing up with the inaptly titled, ‘Uneasy’.
All in all, a band that looked and sounded confident, and one to be listened to with the dial turned right up!
Review by Darren Jones