Review by Gary Spiller for MPM
It’s time to get ready for that song and dance
Let’s go my friend, it’s time to take a chance
We’re back in town, we’re gonna get it done
You’ve got nowhere to hide, you’ve got nowhere to run
The Boys Are Back – Dropkick Murphys
Early March just a few short days after St. David’s Day, and indeed the commencing of meteorological spring and there’s a warmth in the Cardiff air. Abundant patriotic daffodils provide vibrant splashes of yellow whilst the purples and whites of crocuses provide a most able supporting cast. A blackbird grubs about in the last remnants of the autumnal leaf fall whilst above the bustling city centre most welcome blue skies embrace; it certainly feels like spring has finally sprung as we make my way down the side of the castle towards Womanby Street.
One of the oldest streets in the capital, once a conduit of passage between the castle and the city’s old quay, Womanby Street can trace the origins of its name back to the Norse language. No roaming Vikings this evening but this vibrant street never rests; in the late afternoon sunshine music spills forth from Fuel Club and Bootleggers opposite Clwb Ifor Bach. Jazz and metal providing an incongruous brew before we dive into our venue for the night.
Soon the ‘Sausage Army’ will descend upon this cultural hub for an intimate evening with their heroes Punk Rock Factory. Celebrating a decade since formation PRF are hitting up their native Wales for a whistlestop seven date tour in venues at the grassroot end of the spectrum. From Llandrindod Wells to Narberth and points like Buckley and Swansea lodged in between the madcap quartet are tearing up, down and across Cymru. It’s a neat touch, as they ride in upon the back of a hand-fed red dragon, that the mixture of the tour’s support acts are, indeed, Welsh too.
This evening the opening spotlight is turned upon Bridgend alt-metal outfit Edit The Tide. Although a relatively new band, having formed in the early part of last year, their backstory is entwined within the Bridgend scene that gave rise to the likes of Funeral For A Friend, Bullet For My Valentine and, a bit more recently, Those Damn Crows. In fact, ETT’s sparkling lead guitarist Gav David played alongside PRF’s bass-master Benj in Miss Conduct a few years back, a highly promising pop-punk band that also featured a couple of Crows-in-waiting.
Nestling in a realm, very much of their own, somewhere on the highway between the nu-metal of Bullet For My Valentine and the hard-edged rock of Those Damn Crows it’s clearly apparent from this evening’s brisk but totally headlong performance that Edit The Tide are, thrusters at full afterburn, firmly lodged upon an upwards trajectory.
The set-opening carnivorous pith of muscly ‘Unite And Rebel’, the band’s latest single, draws in the crowd with its heady broth of heavy power and a nu-proggish fringe – a kind of melding of Linkin Park and Dream Theatre. Vocalist Ben James’s ebb and flow vocals, raging and cascading, along with Gav’s hooky six-string shine bright. Bridging the hard-hitting rhythms, laid down by effervescent drummer Rudy Mason and stoic bassist Dav Snell, rhythm guitarist Rob Norris strongarms the binding that holds everything together in one spellbinding package.
The ever-filling Clwb Ifor Bach is quickly onside with the melodies of ‘Ambience’ captivating. The vocal interchange between Ben and Rob are on a subliminal level and with backing up from Rudy there’s much to be enthralled by in this rock-solid alt-metaller. Already making friends amongst the PRF fanbase Rob and Ben encourage the healthy-sized crowd to show their appreciation of PRF “They’re chilling downstairs!” The load roar, in response, is surely heard a floor down.
The brooding opening of ‘The Moment’ slams wide open, exploding with a delightful touch of prog-metal. Power-stanced, either side of Rudy, who is studiously intent on joining PRF chilling kit and all, Rob and Gav drive the maelstrom ever deeper. “That’s a hard one to sing that one!” notes Ben; “You got it!” comes the reply from somewhere within the sold-out crowd.
Dav’s rumbling bass, quaking city foundations, brings in ‘Paradigm’, the fourth consecutive track to be lifted from the forthcoming debut EP ‘Reflections In Sound’ is heavy as hell itself. The crouching tiger leaps upon its unsuspecting prey; left hand across his chest Ben powers the lyrics as they lay waste to all in a considerable radius.
Personal favourite ‘Skylines’ sinks its talons and incisors right into the soul. “I am a lone wolf in a sea of thieves” laments Ben; there’s a definite lyrical strength and depth industriously employed within this outfit. No time to expend upon wasted vendettas, better to pen quality tracks like this.
‘Will Or Fate’ is slotted in before the curtain call of the searing dominance of ‘Strangest Call’. The former borne of the conflict between angels and demons whilst the latter is driven afront the tempest upon which even the strongest of fortifications shall crumble to dust. Simply put be sure to ink in Edit The Tide on the list of ‘Ones to watch in 2024 and beyond.’
Punk Rock Factory, serious musicians indulging in humorous output, emerge, with full pride in their Welsh heritage and identity, to a spirited and faithful ‘Land of My Fathers’. A land of poets, singers and celebrities no doubt of it.
To a Cornishman, on St. Piran’s day, this strikes the most resonant of chords, everywhere I look about the words are song with a gusto normally reserved for the most emotive of moments. Having filed on stage the band, unified as one, rejoice with their Sausage Army faithful, a joyous moment. The boyos are most certainly back in town!
“Fuck yeah it’s been a long time since we’ve been in here!” notes powering frontman Peej a few tracks in; “Decades!” banters Benj out stage right. Clwb Ifor Bach possesses a proud history stretching back over forty years cherishing and nurturing a broad spectrum of Welsh music and beyond. Musicians who went on to form the likes of Catatonia and Super Furry Animals have played here along with the likes of Kasabian, Stereophonics Biffy Clyro and The Killers.
Their website states nothing is considered off limits for Punk Rock Factory and this is 100% fact as borne out during this evening’s mayhemic 75 minutes of off kilter madcap kinetics. Imagine what the bonkers Dirty Sanchez would sound like if they turned their collective hands to music rather than emulating Jackass and you’ll be in the correct vicinity.
From playfully ‘brutalising’ the saccharine sweetness of Disney to melding well-known hit singles into a pop-punk fecundity beyond the bounds of what’s normally described as socially acceptable. Very much like Dirty Sanchez PRF give not a singular jot about this; rather engaging in their particularly brand of punked up recklessness with abundant aplomb.
Herein lies the very joke that is the beating heart of all things PRF-related. Forthrightly, and with a considerable amount of tongue inserted into cheek, Peej quips, midset, somewhat sardonically, “We don’t even write our own material!”
Unashamed – and why should they be any other way? – PRF blitz through a whole raft of covers blending them in the punky blender that holds, rightfully, pride of place in their particular rock n’ roll kitchen. That this seemingly unlikely alloy works is where the genius lies, applied with a good dose of ingenuity and inventiveness it right royally entertains.
From the furiously enraged riffing of the ‘Pokemon’ theme tune right through to the punky demons of Moana’s ‘How Far I’ll Go’ PRF take the Pokemon mantra of “You want to be your very best!” and playfully paint it gaudily throughout. It’s quickfire and rapid with other theme tunes such as ‘Power Rangers’ breaching the dam in typically joyous manner as the guitar-slamming rage is ratcheted up track upon track.
The Little Mermaid’s ‘Under The Sea’ receives a machine-gun scattering treatment whilst I can’t improve upon Benj’s “ABBA like you’ve never heard them before!” description of a pounding reworking of their classic ‘Mamma Mia’.
Further TV themes in the shape of ‘Thundercats’ and ‘Gladiators’ have new high-level, skyscapering energies breathed into them with the Sausage Army baying, enigmatically, for Duck Tales in between. The latter thunders from the heavens with a broadly smiling Peej noting “55 second theme tune, who says you can’t?”
‘Just Can’t Wait To Be King’ brought into the fray from the ‘The Lion King’ enthrals in amongst the pop-punk stampede. Clwb Ifor Bach detonates loudly with the unleashing of ‘Down Under’, Men At Work’s early 80s worldwide smash hit, complete with its reworded reference to “a sausage sandwich”. What no Vegemite gents? No matter, PRF’s dynamic rendition ensures, in a welding of sports, a slam-dunking home run is emphatically notched on the evening’s scorecard.
Peej relates of a recent message to Bowling For Soup’s Jaret Reddick that led to PRF taking to the Cardiff International Arena to perform a track with the Stateside punkers a few weeks ago. Thus, we’re appropriately treated to a frenetic version of the theme song to ‘Phineas and Ferb’ which BFS is renown for performing.
PRF totally ‘own’ Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ that records an energy normally reserved for a category five hurricane. The band are in a playful mood teasing the expectant crowd before ripping into a fire-snorting super-extended version of ‘Spongebob Squarepants’ replete with two members of the crowd, Dylan and Saxon, taking to the stage for a battle-rap that results in an honourable tie between Benj and Ryan’s charges.
Another Australian artist is put to the PRF sword with John Farnham’s golden ‘You’re The Voice’ with its apt lyric “We’re not gonna sit in silence” bouncing about wildly. Ryan’s searing solo burns coruscant whilst behind Kob, keen to emulate what has gone before, threatens to descend downstair such is the energy employed.
Returning to ‘The Little Mermaid’ for a lively ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ full of cackling witchcraft PRF build up to one of PRF’s piece de resistance. Quite what Sir Elton would think about the treatment of his joint composition with Tim Rice ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight’ is a joy in itself; a rammed Clwb Ifor Bach rages in perfect synchronicity with the emanating strengths.
Matters are brought down a notch with the pop-punk glory of ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ before the undeniably and strangely captivating scene of a packed room of pop-punk aficionados, metalheads, rockers alike singing with full verve to Frozen’s ‘Let It Go’. This is where the magic lies I fathom as we exit into the fresh night air of the Welsh capital city. Another cracking night in the amusingly eccentric and zany company of the ever-resourceful Punk Rock Factory.
Photography by Kelly Spiller for MPM
