I went to the Cardiff date on the Normandie tour. This was their first time in Wales.
First up was the four-piece metal band Epsilon from Caerphilly, Wales. As they were the first act, the crowd was very small. However, Frontman Josh Ball did some incredible screams and the whole band had a heavy sound which caught the attention of the audience that they had. It’s always hard being the first act as not many people watch opening acts so it was hard to detect any crowd interaction. But, as they got through their set the crowd grew bigger. I noticed that Frontman Josh was very energetic and made full use of the stage. There were some really good guitar work from Jordan Ali. As a whole, I really enjoyed this set. Their setlist included Paralysis, Counterclockwise, Intertwine and Epiphany.
Next up were Swansea based Revelation. I’ve seen these guys live a few times before and yet again I really enjoyed their set. Very good vocals from Sam Casey with some impressive heavy vocals during a few songs. Great guitar work was seen from Ivan Ristić and Tom Rees which I loved. It was nice to see that Sam was super energetic and lively during the set as I thought the heat of that room was unbearable. They played my favourite track “Me, Myself and I” which is also their debut single. Their set was also full of other songs; Mirrors, Voices, VI and Until We Meet Again.
Another Swansea based band were up next in the shape of Nineteen Fifty Eight. I’ve seen this female fronted band so many times live and they always put on an excellent set. I love how energetic they all are from Jared Planas and Charlie Pitson on guitars jumping on stage, even though at the beginning there were a few difficulties with bass from Isaac Griffiths but once it was sorted he was also jumping around stage. Drummer Liam Grundie is always crazy and full of energy on the drums. The catchy tracks on the setlist were sang beautifully by Ceryn Evans, her vocals are just incredible every time. Their setlist included one of my favourites “Backbiting” along with other tracks from their EP titled “When Will I Get To You?”.
Breathe in the Silence were the main support of the night. I’ve also seen these many times before and they always put on an outstanding set. Their set included some fan favourites “Forget the Light” and “Feathers”. Their set-list was full of catchy and powerful songs along with some new tracks. As this is their hometown show on the tour the crowd was filled with their fans and friends singing along to every song. Frontman Adamross Williams vocals were beautiful with some screams from himself and Jake Bowen. Awesome guitar work from Nathan Campfield and Zakk Joshua. They were all energetic throughout the set, keeping the crowd involved at every moment. It was my first time seeing them with their new drummer Thom Pike and he did a great job on the drums.
Finally it was time for the headliner, Sweden-based band Normandie to take the stage. Their stage was beautifully decorated with colourful lights which brightened up the usual dark Fuel stage. Frontman Philip Strand’s vocals were incredible hitting every note perfectly and he was always keeping the crowd involved as the crowd sang along to every song. There were some outstanding guitar work from Håkan Almbladh and good bass lines from John Löfgren. Drummer, Jesper Malmberg did great work on the drums too. They were all energetic and lively and using the whole stage. Their set included some fan favourites Collide and Believe and also a very well known cover of “Chandelier” which had the crowd singing along.
As a whole the night was amazing. However, some bands had to cut their sets short due to sound tech difficulties.
– I filmed Collide by Normandie during their set and it can be seen on my YouTube.