Ffrindiau Fest, Fuel Rock Club, Cardiff
Was there a better way to spend Good Friday evening than at Ffrindiau Fest? I doubt it very much as a few of South Wales finest metal sons and some overseas brothers gathered at Fuel with the aim of celebrating friendship and enjoying some ridiculously good music. And possibly a beer or two at the end of a scorching hot bank holiday. Once again, Cardiff City Centre was awash with hen parties and groups of lads lads lads and the haven that Womanby Street continues to offer was welcomed despite only a short walk across the City. Greeting many a friend at the venue the night panned out in splendid style despite an embarrassing clash of t-shirt with one Julian Birch (who knew two people would wear Exhorder's Slaughter In The Vatican shirt on the same night!).
It’s become the norm to see Blind Divide (7) open proceedings these days which is unfair on a band whose performances are usually worthy of headliner status. Whilst they were dogged by some fading battery challenges, as always, the band ripped through a short 30-minute set with their usual snarly ferocity. In relaxed form, the band will be using their forthcoming gigs to fine tune their set for a very tasty semi-final in the Bloodstock Metal To The Masses competition shortly. If they maintain their intensity and focus, few bands will get near them on the night. One of South Wales most impressive and tight outfits, Blind Divide kicked off the evening in exactly the right way.
It’s been a little while since the death metal trio Cranial Separation (7) strutted their funky stuff at Fuel but with the band awakening from an early 2019 slumber with renewed vigour this was another chunky set which included a new untitled new song! As crushing as ever, the three members of the band took their usual irreverent approach and punched a hole in the roof with their thumping death metal. All the usual favourites were present, and a few left-over prophylactics thrown by bassist Chris towards a couple of select members of the audience was apparently the precursor to the band’s performance at the final of the South Wales Metal To The Masses event. Nothing says class like a sweaty bloke chucking a couple of condoms out of an Aldi carrier bag ...
A few weeks ago, the porn grind of Dirty Des and his Anal Floss Is Boss (7) nearly sneaked a place in the semi-final of M2TM. Des has been travelling across the UK and a long drive from Newcastle had at least got him back to Cardiff in time for the evening he’d promoted. If you haven’t seen this madman delivering his one-man show, then you really should at some point. Cleverly constructed, AFIB provoked laughter and smiles as Des serenaded the crowd with song about bodily fluids and other such delights. A show that concludes with a song entitled Death By Cock followed by Sospan Fach is always going to be fun.
Penultimate band of the night was Cerebral Enema (7) whose self-styled white trash grindcore certainly hit a note with many of the crowd. Pig squeals, balaclavas, underwear as a facemask and some intensive riffing supported by a programmed drum set and lyrically revolting. Yep, that was about the nature of their set. The Berlin crew are obviously part of a niche market, but the trio were certainly enjoyable if a little to the left of my usual tastes. And making the effort for a four-date run in the UK certainly deserves applause.
As the hour closed on ten, local black metal legion Pigtail Pandas (8) took to the stage to close out the night. This year is looking impressive on the gig front for the band, with a range of trips across the country and forays across Europe also in the diary as well as a well-deserved recent opening slot for Anaal Nathrakh and Akercocke. Despite their updated visual appearance, the band’s sinister black metal remains ferociously intense, and tracks including Storm’s End, I Chose To Burn and Immaterium are now firm favourites. The band’s onslaught rarely allows time for breath, although vocalist Taranis’ between song patter did offer brief respite. Closing with Summoning The Void, Agrona look to be working their way back to top form and closed out the night with style.
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