There’s something quite nice about walking into a gig knowing you’re probably about to discover your new favourite band.
That was the feeling at Tramshed last night as Radio 1’s New Music Live returned to Cardiff for its second year, bringing four of the station’s latest new music favourites to the Welsh capital.
The line-up took us from Limerick to Brighton, Manchester and South London, with THEATRE, Lime Garden, Westside Cowboy and Fat Dog taking to the stage one after another.
And while they’re all very different bands, that was exactly what made the night work.
THEATRE
Opening the night were THEATRE, a five-piece from Limerick who have been making a name for themselves across Ireland’s alternative scene.
Their sound sits somewhere between ethereal rock, folk and shoegaze, making for a slightly dreamy start to what would eventually become a very sweaty evening.
They’re still very much in the emerging stage of their career, having released their debut single The Fall alongside their Incarnate EP, but there’s already a real sense of identity to what they’re doing.
It felt like a fitting way to start the night: give a room full of people who probably came for one particular band a chance to discover someone they might not have heard before.
Lime Garden
Next up were Lime Garden, the Brighton four-piece who brought a completely different energy to the room.
Blending indie rock with disco, pop and surf influences, their set felt bright, bouncy and ridiculously easy to get into.
The band have headlined the Far Out Tent at Green Man and have already picked up plenty of Radio 1 support, particularly from Greg James and Alyx Holcombe, following the release of their second album Maybe Not Tonight.
And live, you can see why they’ve caught the station’s attention.
There’s something wonderfully uncomplicated about watching people absolutely throw themselves into a good indie tune, and by this point Tramshed was
Westside Cowboy
Then came Westside Cowboy, travelling down from Manchester with their raw, infectious take on indie rock.
They’ve been picking up momentum pretty quickly since supporting Geese on their US tour, with Radio 1 support and a Hottest Record on Jack Saunders’ New Music Show already under their belt.
Their set had that slightly scrappy energy and a radiating warmth that makes emerging guitar bands so much fun to watch live. By now the room was properly warmed up, which was probably exactly what was needed for what came next.
Fat Dog
Because closing the night with Fat Dog was always going to be a little bit chaotic.
The South London band have built a reputation for their completely unhinged live shows, throwing punk, techno and electronic influences into one very energetic package.
Their live shows are already becoming a bit of a talking point and seeing them in a packed Tramshed makes it pretty obvious why. There’s very little standing politely at the back when Fat Dog are on stage, with frontman Joe Love being unafraid to launch himself into the Cardiff crowd.
It was loud, messy and exactly the kind of ending a night like this needed.
A proper night of new music
What made the night particularly enjoyable was the fact that Radio 1 didn’t just bring one big name to Cardiff and surround them with support acts.
Instead, the whole evening was built around discovering new music.
Hosted by Jack Saunders, Sian Eleri and Alyx Holcombe, New Music Live is part of Radio 1’s wider push to champion emerging artists while taking its programming outside of London and into venues across the UK.
And Cardiff feels like a pretty natural home for it.
Tramshed is exactly the sort of venue where you can watch a band before they inevitably start moving into bigger rooms, and judging by the atmosphere last night, there was no shortage of people willing to discover what comes next.
The performances are also being broadcast on Radio 1 on Wednesday 30 September, giving listeners who weren’t squeezed into Tramshed the chance to hear what went down.
