Allow me to paint a picture… it’s a warm summers day in one of Wales’s oldest castles in Chepstow. There’s an incredible line up of talented artists who will be performing outside during the Perseids meteor shower… what else can make this more breath taking? As it is Chepstow Castle, it did mean it was open to the public during the day giving some of us the opportunity to wander around the venue, hear the sound practise and potentially bump into some of the artists who are walking around. The queue outside started a few hours before the doors opened as fans eagerly and patiently waited outside. Holding Absence’s Ash, kindly tied signed drumsticks to the stage barricade for fans to take home, which was a thoughtful gesture albeit most were gone before the event started.
First on the line up were our very own Cardiff alternative rock band Glass Hearts. They opened with their new single The Worst Part Of Me, which was released just a few days before and it was met with good reception from the crowd. They provided energy to kick off the event as the castle was still filling up, giving the crowd a buzz as they were walking in bopping their heads. Although, as it was still day, we couldn’t get the full effect of the stage lights, but the audio quality, vocals and performance overall were great. The highlights included The Worst Part Of Me and Letting Go.
The Leeds quintet Caskets cascaded the stage with Drowned In Emotion. They were energetic from the get-go, with fantastic vocals from both Matt and Craig throughout the set. Benji owned the stage with the guitar and James smashed out a drum solo that riled the crowd up. They got the crowd singing and surfing. Highlights include Lost In Echoes, Glass Heart and Drowned In Emotion – mainly songs from their 2021 album Lost Souls.
Before the next act, we were treated to a lovely palette cleanser of the Welsh national anthem, again highlighting how important the event is to the Welsh community.
Casey provided some of the heaviest songs of the night and, they went back to their roots by playing one of their oldest songs first, Bloom which was released in 2016. They then brought the crowd to an emotional standstill with Happy and brought it right back up again with the guitar riffs from Toby which got the crowd going, causing mosh pits to erupt.
It started to get darker during this set, so the stage lighting was becoming more prominent. Tom confessed that he would hear about his heart surgery in two days and exclaimed that it is a humbling experience to perform after Caskets. Tom has been open about the need for open heart surgery as the reason Casey had to cancel some of their shows a few months ago. I wish Tom the best recovery. Highlights include Little Bird, For Katie, Happy and Bloom – songs predominately from Love Is Not Enough.
As the sun set and the meteor shower was at its peak, the lights from the stage illuminated the crowd. The headliner of the night, Holding Absence echoed “Heart in hand. Here I am.” From Head Prison Blues and the crowd erupted. This was followed by fan favourites Like A Shadow and Her Wings, respectively. Holding Absence performed 16 songs, with the live debut of Drugs and Love, Death Nonetheless and These New Dreams. Lucas’ shout outs are just as poetic as the lyrics to their songs as he bellowed “Reach for the stars. None of us have the right to be doing what we are doing.” They also proceeded to throw paper aeroplanes into the crowd, with Lucas exclaiming “Thank god Holding Absence can play instruments because they can’t throw paper aeroplanes” providing laughter.
As the sun set and the meteor shower was at its peak, the lights from the stage illuminated the crowd. The headliner of the night, Holding Absence echoed “Heart in hand. Here I am.” From Head Prison Blues and the crowd erupted. This was followed by fan favourites Like A Shadow and Her Wings, respectively. Holding Absence performed 16 songs, with the live debut of Drugs and Love, Death Nonetheless and These New Dreams. Lucas’ shout outs are just as poetic as the lyrics to their songs as he bellowed “Reach for the stars. None of us have the right to be doing what we are doing.” They also proceeded to throw paper aeroplanes into the crowd, with Lucas exclaiming “Thank god Holding Absence can play instruments because they can’t throw paper aeroplanes” providing laughter.
Holding Absence always provide high energy stage presence and the crowd mimicked this as there was a lot of crowd surfing, dancing and emotional moments such as a proposal. The crowd were enjoying it so much that they were advised to hold back a bit because the barrier at the front might collapse. Highlights include Head Prison Blues, Like A Shadow, Her Wings, Honey Moon (with Lucas playing the guitar), These New Dreams, The Angel In The Marble, A Crooked Melody and Afterlife. (Special shout out to the merch design for the hoodies and tops, they looked amazing, and I couldn’t help but buy two).
From the outset, all the bands’ emphases how meaningful this night was for them and how important this night is for the fans. There was clearly a huge amount of respect for each other amongst the bands, with each band giving their thanks to one another and the staff who came together to put this show on. It was a magical night from the culmination of the venue, the meteor shower, friendly staff, high quality stage production and a passionate line up that can’t be replicated. It will be a fond memory for years to come.
From the outset, all the bands’ emphases how meaningful this night was for them and how important this night is for the fans. There was clearly a huge amount of respect for each other amongst the bands, with each band giving their thanks to one another and the staff who came together to put this show on. It was a magical night from the culmination of the venue, the meteor shower, friendly staff, high quality stage production and a passionate line up that can’t be replicated. It will be a fond memory for years to come.
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