To kick off the night, Himalayas took to the stage for a hometown show.
I first saw the Cardiff-based quartet when they played Reading Festival way back in 2018 and I was more than pleasantly surprised.
After the release of their album From Hell to Here earlier this year, I was even more pleasantly surprised so I had high hopes going into the set.
And they did not disappoint me. Himalayas is very much a live band. Their brand of classic rock ‘n’ roll is absolutely sick! It was very well put together and sounded great (whoever the sound engineer was at Tramshed and the specs used at the venue deserve a lot of credit because it was the best sound I’ve heard in years at a gig!). There were tracks such as Darkest Before the Dawn, Alone, Flatline and album title track From Hell to Here which ended with a cover of Gangsta’s Paradise.
Loveless took to the stage on their first UK tour date to a crowd of excited fans. As someone who hadn’t really listened to the band, I wasn’t sure what to expect initially but was blown away by how good they were!
Julian’s interaction with the crowd throughout was brilliant and he looked like he was having the time of his life on stage and was full of energy.
Some people in the crowd were throwing their phones on the stage and he would – without missing a beat – pick them up to do some filming before passing them back down. The things he – and guitarist Dylan – would say in response to the crowd and just to each other really added to the fun atmosphere as at times it felt like watching a public rehearsal rather than an actual show (which is not a criticism as it showed just how relaxed they were on stage).
But onto the actual music and it was lively and energetic and a brilliant set. Julian’s vocal range is incredible and as he hit various notes, you could hear hints of the style of the likes of Derek DiScanio, Kellin Quinn and Tyler Carter.
The upbeat pop rock of the likes of I Hope I’m Not Sick, new single Picasso and Sorry I’m a Downer had the crowd singing along and converted me to a hardcore fan.
Loveless we’re celebrating the first anniversary of their first show too, which despite happening a year to the day before the show, they didn’t have a set that night so counted Cardiff as the first anniversary.
It was a really fun set which I wholeheartedly enjoyed and would love to see Loveless again.