From Inside, Calling Apollo, These Five Years, I Am Gravity Fuel Rock Club, Cardiff
Typically speaking, small gigs taking place on Sundays rarely garner a massive turnout. Parley to those shows are local regulars, dedicated fans, and music reviewers. Tonight’s low turnout is not helped by the fact that Wales has a collective hangover from celebrating their victory over England in the Six Nations, the night before. To those of us who are huddled in Fuel tonight though, it seems as if the rest of Cardiff has missed out on a treat. A landscape of alternative rock is represented today, not least by From Inside, who are topping the bill in support of their new EP, When I’m Breathing Without You. In a weird sense, the sparsely populated room lends intimacy, creating a feeling of a small but warm gathering of passionate music fanatics.
I Am Gravity (8) begin the night, their torrent of cascading guitars, changing rhythm alterations and haunting lyrics proving a particularly effective start to the show. Seemingly happy to play, regardless of the size of the crowd, they joke with between songs, while allowing enough time for their dark and strong style of an alternative to dominating their short allotted set time.
Emanating energy, These Five Years (8) take to the stage. Admittedly, my relationship with pop-punk is mixed. I tend to shrug off the bands which abide largely by the ‘pop’ element, while absolutely adoring some of the high vigour, fast tempo, and punk music, which kickstarted the genre. This particular band falls into the latter category. Everything about them exudes dynamism, as they play to the still mostly empty room as if they were performing to a full house. In order to reinforce that sense of sparse intimacy which I mentioned earlier, lead vocalist: Harry, orders us to gather in a circle round him and scream back every word which he belts into his microphone. Meanwhile, the band brings a fast-paced punch to their songs, which recalls some of the best acts from their particular style of music! Yep, that’s how I like my pop-punk. More of this in the genre, please!
Last time I saw Calling Apollo (9) I vaguely recall them having some futuristic and flashy lighting effects, which added a visual element to their style of progressive influenced, space rock. They haven’t brought the lights along tonight as they are only a support act, yet frankly, they don’t need them. They dazzle and impress with just their guitars and voices for a sensory experience. Entrancingly experimental, the composition sways from seconds of harmonic bliss to visceral distortion, these musicians capture a feeling as well as a core sound and technical prowess. In earnest, I consider them to be one of the best of all the great acts I have seen perform the Womanby street circuit, and definitely a worthy addition to the already impressive lineup on display tonight.
Richly stylised, the image does not detract from the powerful sound of our headliners, From Inside (8). Combining metalcore stylings, with a strong melodic foundation, they certainly justify their place at the top of the list of great bands appearing this evening. Paying respect to them, they blast through just over half an hour of anthems from their new album. Meanwhile, their gigantic stage presence compels the slightly larger but still small audience, to sing and chant along. Having already received some notoriety and a fanbase, From Inside are on the ascendancy.
Nights like tonight give music commenters like me a chance to see why acts with a sizable following achieve the success they do. Firstly, by performing with a passion for the music they play, and second by respecting those smaller acts who collectively contribute so much to music, they create a reputation for themselves. I must say that despite the small crowd size, all acts were in excellent form, and the atmosphere proved an incredibly welcoming and warm.
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