You would think the atmosphere would be low with it being an early show, not in this case. A packed Clwb Ifor Bach crowd gathers to view the first band on the stage, Florida’s You Blew It! - there doesn’t seem to be much enthusiasm in the crowd for the band’s first time in Wales. They waste no time at all launching into a couple of songs from their new record ‘Keep Doing What You’re Doing’ recently released by Topshelf Records. The band also throw in some tracks off their debut LP ‘Grow Up, Dude’ which draw some interaction from the crowd with a couple of fans singing along. Out of nowhere in the middle of the set a mini circle pit forms during ‘Pinball House’ which is superbly delivered. Despite the standstill of most the crowd, the band produced a solid showcase of their angsty emo influenced and they certainly left the crowd with something to think about.
As Philadelphia’s Modern Baseball came on to stage, there seemed to be more shuffling in the crowd. A huge movement of bodies began as the band opened up with ‘Re-do’ which was shouted loudly back at the band by the crowd throughout the song. The first few tracks flew by and the whole set had this basement show sort of atmosphere to it, the faster tracks started an influx of crowd surfers and stage divers even in what seemed a very confined area. The venue suited the band perfectly, a packed crowd singing along must have made the band feel like they were back in Philly playing to a local crowd, it was very interesting to see a band who have not been talked about much in the UK get such a fantastic reception. I’m sure they would
have left Cardiff with some great memories and an incentive to return in the future.
Finally the Windy City’s Real Friends take to the stage facing a crowd ready to tear the place up and ready to break their vocal cords. I remember the band getting a rousing reception when they played Clwb last time and I expected no different and more. What was to follow was to exceed my expectations; an hour of pure emotion and a whole lot of sweat. Straight from the off with the fantastic ‘Floorboards’ the young girl fans were getting peppered and bruised by dudes diving off speakers and the stage, there were several moments in the set where vocalist Dan Lambton stood back and smiled in amazement at is his own voice being drowned out by a fully charged and hectic crowd.
Real Friends gave a taster of what’s to come with a new track ‘Loose Ends’ which several people in the crowd had already known off by heart. The performance of slower numbers like ‘Hebron’ and ‘I’ve Given Up On You’ proved to be memorable highlights from the set with everyone present in complete unity and showing raw emotion. The set closed with ‘Late Nights In My Car’ which sparked a frantic frenzy which provided a perfect end to a special gig. Real Friends release their highly anticipated new album ‘Maybe This Place Is The Same And We’re Just Changing’ in July. I think their South Wales fans including me will hope that they return later in the year with an album tour.
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