So a disclaimer before we start that there won't be any scores on this review, because I feel a charity gig can't really be scored. Instead it'll just be my account of what happened. Moreover it will also be a tribute to the strength and commitment of the Swansea/West Wales/Outside Cardiff rock scene to practically fill out an 800+ cap venue, enjoy every band, chat laugh banter with everyone as if they were old friends. This latter point because in most cases they were such is how ingrained the Swansea scene is, practically everyone knew everyone, the bands, the crowd, the crew.
For someone like me who has been brought up in the small, tight but often fractious Cardiff scene, the community aspect was a little foreign on such a scale I must say but it was amazing to see. With the recent realisation that Swansea is much easier and often faster to get too than Bristol (the other main gig haunt) I get the feeling that Wales' second city may be cropping up in the itinerary more and more. But enough about that lets get on to the gig itself.
A tribute gig in memory of Kat Bombroffe and to raise funds for Maggie's Swansea based in Swansea Singleton Hospital (look up their good work online). Organised by Greg Bombroffe of Suns Of Thunder and Aled Lewis of Big Day Events it was a way to not only showcase some of the best Welsh rock talent but celebrate the life of a woman who touched so many hearts in the audience all while doing some good in the process.
Now the Patti Pavilion is a beautiful looking venue, high ceilings and great architecture, and the stage has now been moved back to where it had been years ago (by all accounts) but the one fatal flaw is that the bar is exactly to the left of where you walk in meaning that every trip to the toilet was hindered by the dense queue waiting to be served. However as I was driving this was a minor gripe and there was a Can Only Bar on the other side of the room.
Strolling across to the other side, back to the open door of the smoking area, as the heat was already rising inside the venue it was time to get some riffs and Fallen Temples duly obliged. Having not seen them since before the pandemic the trio now have a new bass player but still crank out anthemic classic rock built around Adam Vaughn's great vocals and smoking guitar, Joe Stirland' hammer swinging percussion and the thumping basslines of new member Shane Phillips, they picked the tracks people wanted to hear as well as bringing Adam's wife Mirain on stage for some extra violin accompaniment enjoying a bit of Led Zeppelin moment. Still a band that catch fire when on stage, they're always a hard act to follow.
King Goon had that particular job, completely changing the style, sound and vibe with their "genre hopping, rock/dance/ska blend, the rock instruments of guitar, bass and drums aided by keys and sax for what I like to call the full Madness treatment. Though King Goon are significantly punkier than the nutty boys, there's still that anachronistic, f-you mentality as the crowd let loose to the detour in musical direction (more of that to come).
It was back on familiar ground though with South Wales' and lets face it the UK's premier Stoner Glam band Pearler. Heavy stoner riffs with some glam metal posturing and of course that Swansea attitude, in this case coming from a long history playing in bands based in the city. Pearler have a cult following in their home town the number of shirts alone being a give away, and they are unique a band that has grown on me over time, I think I get it now, the music is serious, the riffs are loud but the tongue is in cheek less so than say The Darkness or Steel Panther but it's there just popping out. Pearler are no joke and there's some professional chops and a whole heap of experience that makes them such an interesting watch. In the end they're about having a good time and the crowd were doing that by the time they finished their set.
What came next though was an incredibly emotional, utterly fantastic set by Suns Of Thunder who absolutely ripped through things brilliantly. Greg Bombroffe and Matt Williams sharing the vocals and attacking their guitars as the songs were unleashed at a breathless pace, barely keeping up as the sweat cascaded off them with every stab of the guitar. Matt especially was keeping the energy as high and key to creating a celebratory atmosphere as much as possible due to the circumstances. The powerhouse rhythm section of Chris James' bass and Sam Loring's drums regulating the son's thunder. The bonhomie of the entire night was encapsulated by them bringing on some mates from the Swansea scene for a vicious cover of Pantera's I'm Broken.
It was however the final song that broke hearts around the venue. The atmospheric semi instrumental Under The Control Of Time Part II hadn't been played in over 15 years, Maria Owen of Kintsugi No 21/Grymm reprising her vocal, channelling the musical spirits for a spellbinding performance in the vein of The Great Gig In Sky, showing off the full vocal range as the band cranked out the riffage, so powerfully that at a time it blew the lights. Greg and Kat's sons (of thunder) jamming on the stage side, before coming onto it next to their Dad for the final moments. Fantastic, celebratory but also heart-wrenching, you could see the emotion in the faces, hear it in the music but it unified everyone together in tribute and keeping the memory alive.
After that massive catharsis the change over on between was a chance to get the breath back and for Buffalo Summer to set up. A reformation of sorts as the band have been on hiatus for a while with the members in various other bands, Pearler, Valhalla Awaits and Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons to name a few. However here they back in full flight blasting out their bluesy classic rockers such as Little Charles, Down To The River, Money and many others to the very receptive fandom (they also had a lot of t-shirts in the audience) it was great to see them back in full swing and they hadn't missed a beat.
For me they were the 'headliner' of the evening but the final band playing was Disco Panther a multi-member disco/funk/soul band whose arrival had been healed by the funk/soul DJ's playing tunes throughout the evening, but they are a hell of a party band to end on ensuring that everyone was shaking their money maker until the late night. I had to head back to Cardiff so I only managed to catch half off it but the party was in full swing.
Reflecting on things, as I drove back it was clear that this was one hell of tribute to woman many in audience knew personally, all the bands giving their all, rapturously supported by community of Swansea. It's shows like this that renew your faith in humanity, the rock scene and the healing power of music! I'll see you soon Swansea.
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