20 Years In The Hole: Lacetillia's 10 Year Anniversary And South Wales Stoner Scene By Matt Bladen

Lacertilia 10 Year Anniversary, Featuring Suns Of Thunder, Infinity Forms Yellow Remember & Made Of Teeth, The Globe Cardiff, 20.10.24

No scores for this one as its a celebration. Not really review either to be honest but a homage to a scene that made me who I am today.

Back when I was young and first started going to gigs, you latch on to bands, many of them are bigger band that play arena but as you start to go to local shows you find 'your people' the group you can latch on to. For me it was the South Wales (and beyond) stoner, doom, greebo, riff scene. While I didn't smoke the green at that time, I was always warmly embraced, included and made to feel welcome on my frequent visits to The Full Moon, The Moon and Bogiez too.

Maybe it's the fact that my parents were brought up into the 70's or that I wish that I was but there's something about big fat riffs and grooves that just spoke to me and while my other favourite style was prog, this scene was livelier, grittier, they didn't come to shows in Mercs like prog fans. I'd see as many bands as I could and those band merged into other bands, making it all one big riffy, rowdy, rocky family. By the time I was in my twenties it was these bands, this scene that took me out of my awkward teens and made me fall in love with live music, providing the inspiration to start this very publication.

I want to shout these bands names from the roof tops, make sure everyone knew what they were missing when they rolled into town. One such band who I've been an avid supporter of is Lacertilia, the South Wales equivalent of Monster Magnet meeting with a little Hawkwind, wild shows, reckless abandon and just a bloody good time for all.

I've featured them many times, supported shows, albums, more, over the years they've become buddies, familiar faces, friends even. On the back of this I've supported the other bands their members joined, or were also in and this has culminated in these being the shows that are cannot miss, these are the shows that make me love what I do, especially as I deep dive into the even more mature Swansea side of things but more on that later.

This was a gig to celebrate ten years of Lacertilia, a show, a party, hell, a family reunion. Four bands closely linked through membership and friendship and room, pretty sold out packed with familiars and family. It was going to be loud (we were warned on the door) and probably emotional too.

First though the ear splitting supports, kicking off with Made Of Teeth, three piece hardcore/sludge that makes your tinnitus worse with every note. Aggressive, abrasive and in it for the raw power I've seen Made Of Teeth many times but here they were louche and loud, loving the moment drinking it in as a salute to old comrades. Loving the moment a little to much as they ran through a set of new ones promising a few older cuts at the end and then ran out of time. But I mean what's more punk than that right?

Next it was time to take a collective trip to the next dimension. The only band I hadn't seen on the bill, extra-terrestrial space rockers Infinity Forms Yellow Remember, who are a bit like The Stone Roses if they stepped on the fuzz pedal and took the Brown Acid, driving towards a lost horizon several lightyears away, their cacophony of noise was brain frying as the thundering hypnotic rhythms were cut with plenty of synth and searing blues guitar.

I suppose professionally chaotic is how you could describe Suns Of Thunder. Swansea riff merchants wield riffs the intent to stun. The most tenured band of the night, they managed to keep everything going despite it nearly always looking like it's about to come off the rails. Dual trade off shouts, punk rock snarling and grooves galore, the Suns are always a bright spot to any show and deserve their flowers too. Stepping up as the main support for tonight, their energy is infectious, the breaks letting you get your breath back ready for the next round. Surf stoner, with the strutting riffs to get everyone ready for the main event and get this party properly started with a set of songs their going to record very soon. 

The alcohol and other substances were flowing and had been all evening, revelry was teetering on the point of debauchery as it was time to celebrate some more, the room filled more, packed to the rafters, photographers readied, videographers stuck gaffa tape everywhere as things were about to reach a fever pitch at The Globe.

Then bang! Crashing Into The Future and we're off! Some thanks for everyone and everything then more riffs on Abstract Reality into the primal spaghetti psych of Furthur, Matt wild and unleashed in face paint and rubber gloves, Mike and Ed shifting the grooves as Carl flays his kit wildly. This rock solid foundation leaves room for Lukas to sweep in with screaming solos.

Combining older stuff with a couple of new tracks, new one Nothing Sacred brought Sky Valley to Albany Road, the long slow building atmosphere putting another side of the band across with bluesy guitar melodies and some expressive drumming, slow and steady into a massive climax towards the end. It's a masterpiece of pace and form, showing that even after 10 years and some moments of relative inactivity live due to families etc this engine is still burning strong creatively.

Limited by time it was two more older ones and a new one to close the night leaving some euphoric faces and plenty of proud people. All of whom made their way into the centre of Cardiff to party long into the night.

Ten years of supporting Lacertilia, (check out the Bloody Hammers review of April 2014 if you don't believe me) Many more of this scene, many fucking more to come. Worship the riff!