Wales At Number One, A Unique St David's Day Celebration - Sophie Evans Interview

"Its going to be really nice celebrating being Welsh, the music and the success of Welsh artists" Sophie Evans tells Andy Howells of Wales at Number One, which takes place at Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff on St David’s Day.

Sophie, who captivated theatre audiences in the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz after becoming runner up in the TV series Over The Rainbow has gone from strength to strength since taking on the iconic role including presenting The Really Welsh Christmas Show on the BBC to having a starring role in the film success Pride.

Sophie will be joining stars such as Shakin' Stevens, Ricky Valance, Amy Wadge and Manic Street Preacher James Dean Bradfield to recall Wales' greatest hits this Sunday.

"I'm singing number one songs that were originally done by Welsh artists," explains Sophie who will be performing the Amen Corner 1969 number one If Paradise is Half As Nice as well as the first ever UK number one from a Welsh artist, Shirley Bassey's As I Love You. "I'll sing it in my own style while keeping the essence of Shirley Bassey," says Sophie while saying of the Amen Corner smash, “I’ll be singing that very differently."

Sophie who is currently touring with Britain's Got Talent stars Richard and Adam will be making a one-stop performance at The St David's Day event before rejoining the duo on their 19 date tour.

Sophie's love of classic pop goes back to childhood. "Since I was about four I've always loved music, I've listened to Barbara Streisand and Elaine Paige probably when I should have been listening to S Club 7. I was always interested in the more mature sounds probably more with the influence from my Mother, but that was the music I loved."

Rubbing shoulders with Welsh greats such as Shakin’ Stevens and James Dean Bradfield is something Sophie is quickly becoming accustomed to as she will be working alongside further musical heavyweights from the world of pop later this year. "I'm also doing the Eisteddfod this year in Llangollen which has an absolutely unbelievable line up including Burt Bacharach, UB40 and Gareth Malone. That’s going to be amazing."

Wales at Number One will be hosted by the One Show’s Alex Jones. Other stars participating in this unique music event will be Steve Balsamo, Jessica Lee Morgan (daughter of Mary Hopkin) Lucie Jones, Alys Williams and Shaheen Jafargoli.

The night will include tracks made famous by Dame Shirley Bassey, Ricky Valance, Spencer Davis Group, Mary Hopkin, Dave Edmunds, Shakin' Stevens, Bonnie Tyler, The Flying Pickets, Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics, Duffy, and of course Sir Tom Jones, whose huge hit “It’s Not Unusual” got to No 1 50 years ago, in 1965.

The stars will be accompanied by the Welsh Pops Orchestra featuring pianist Gwilym Simcock and conducted by Matthew Brind.

The Centre will celebrate St. David’s Day throughout the weekend with free performances from Welsh artists on the Glanfa stage plus a chance to experience the taste of Wales in the Centre’s ffresh Restaurant. On the menu will be an array of traditional Welsh dishes including Cawl, Roast leg of Welsh Lamb and Slow Cooked Welsh beef.

• Wales at No.1 is at Wales Millennium Centre on St David’s Day, 1 March 2015. Tickets range from £17.50 - £35. For more information and tickets visit Wales Millennium Centre's website.
• A version of this interview by Andy Howells was published in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on February 27, 2015.

Meet The Band: Man Without Country

Acclaimed electronica duo Man Without Country are currently embarking on an extensive headline UK tour. The tour follows the release of their new album Maximum Entropy, on Lost Balloon.

On Maximum Entropy Man Without Country - Welsh duo Ryan James and Tomas Greenhalf - combine sleek electronic minimalism with a love of classic pop music, merging the pared-back synths of Ulrich Schnauss and East India Youth with the adventurous quest to redefine pop shared with early electronic pioneers like The Human League.

The album was recorded, produced and mixed entirely by the band in their home studios in South Wales, and features a stunning cover of The Beloved’s Sweet Harmony, reimagined for a new generation of clubbers while maintaining the original’s state of bliss.

Man Without Country’s Ryan James provided the hypnotic, fragile vocal on Röyksopp’s recent single Sordid Affair, travelling to the seminal Norwegian duo’s Bergen studio to record the track, which is taken from their new album The Inevitable End. As remixers, Man Without Country have a varied CV that’s seen them remix everyone from Two Door Cinema Club and Band Of Skulls to Moby, Miike Snow and Active Child. In a package that includes Erol Alkan and Factory Floor, the band recently remixed the Interpol single My Desire.

Ryan James recently answered questions poised by Andy Howells

Who are you and how did you come together?
We are an electronic, contemporary shoegazey band called Man Without Country. We met at Glamorgan University and have been making music together ever since.

Where are you from?
I (Ryan) am from Bridgend and Tomas is from a small village near Kidwelly. We also have a live drummer, who is based just outside of Oxford.

How would you describe your music style?
It’s a combination of programmed digital and analog synthesisers mixed with live drums, drum machines, and often densely reverberated vocals. Overall it’s emotional, intense, powerful, honest, and intellectual.

What’s been your best live experience?
Supporting M83 at Paris Olympia and Brixton Academy was quite special. We’ve also had some very memorable headline shows in San Francisco, Santa Ana, Washington DC, Berlin and Prague to name just a few.

What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment we’re mostly just doing interviews and preparing for our tour. But our writing process never really stops. Ideas for our third album are slowly starting to take shape.

Where can people hear your music?
Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, everywhere really.

Where can we see you live?
We’re playing all over the UK throughout February and March, but more specifically we’re playing at the Norwegian Church Arts Centre in Cardiff on Feb 26th.

• For more information on Man Without Country visit their official website.
• A version of this Q&A appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on February 20, 2015.

In Concert: The Blues Band, Newport Riverfront, 2015

The Blues Band were back in town on Friday night and what a welcome they received with a fabulous turnout at The Riverfront Theatre.

Paul Jones, Tom McGuinness, Dave Kelly, Gary Fletcher and Rob Townsend play a variety of blues styles in such a way that they deliver with ebb and flow whilst pulling their audience in with them for the journey.

Such was the case with a concert that began taking inspiration from their latest CD/DVD release pf their televised concert Live At The Rockpalast 1980 with Come On In and Talk To Me.

The focus then shifted onto individual members solo recordings performing very much as a team effort with every individual band member bringing their own unique musical talent to the party. Tom McGuinness’s rendition of The Wrong Woman, Gary Fletcher’s bittersweet take on political spin with I Am the Doctor, Dave Kelly recalling playing with Howlin’ Wolf on Dustman Blues and Paul Jones encouraging audience participation on Suddenly I Like It.

Following a brief interval in which the Blues Band met fans and signed copies of their albums, it was back to business with an upbeat second half.

Tom lead the band with the blues wailing Sitting on top of the World while Paul delivered a sublime version of Sonny Boy Williamson (his personal harmonica tribute to the Blues legend) and Gary lead on Ukulele with Say You Will.

The audience by now were not averse to joining in with some numbers and followed Dave’s lead on Can’t get my ass in gear and also Paul on Let the good times roll.

With music coming to an end after two and a half incredible hours it has to be said The Blues Band certainly delivered the goods and Newport lapped it all up!  A good show all round!

• In Concert: The Blues Band, Newport Riverfront, 2007
• In Concert: The Blues Band, Newport Riverfront, 2011
• The Blues Band Official Website
• A version of this review by Andy Howells appeared on The South Wales Argus website on February 23, 2015

2015 Tour Brings The Stranglers To Wales - Baz Warne Interview

Following 2014’s spectacular, sell-out Ruby Anniversary Tour and accompanying celebratory box set album release, Giants & Gems, The Stranglers are now preparing for a new tour which brings them to Cardiff in March.

“We worked like absolute swine’s last year,” says vocalist and bass player Baz Warne, “With the fortieth anniversary, we had a massive British European tour and by the time we'd got into the festivals I’d had some trouble with my knee. We finished festivals in August and in September I had to go under the knife for an operation which put me out of action for three months. Of course after that happened it was Christmas holiday time, so we're all looking very much forward now to March.”

Baz who hails from Sunderland joined The Stranglers fifteen years ago after working in the music industry for the best part of two decades. “I first picked a guitar up when I was about 9 and it’s never gone away,” he says.

Baz rose to prominence as a member of The Toy Dolls who scored a hit in 1984 with their rendition of Nellie the Elephant. “I was actually playing bass on that record,” he laughs, “but I'd left the band by the time it came out which I was quite pleased about! I was only 19 and it gave me the thought that maybe I could do this for a living, so after that I formed a band with my brother and some other lads from Sunderland (The Smalltown Heroes) and had some minor success a couple of albums and a few singles. Then I met The Stranglers in 1995.”

Five years later, Baz was asked to join The Stranglers alongside long-time members Jet Black, JJ Burnell and Paul Greenfield. Along with Hugh Cornwell, Black, Burnell and Greenfield had scored over 17 chart hits in the late 1970s and early 80s including No More Heroes, Peaches, Golden Brown and Walk On By.

“They were like the soundtrack of my youth really,” remembers Baz, “I used to be a newspaper delivery boy and part of that was delivering papers like Sounds, Melody Maker and NME. The Stranglers used to be featured regularly in there and occasionally you’d capture a glimpse of them on Top of the Pops or you’d hear them on the radio.”

Does Baz have any particular memory of his first Stranglers engagement? “It happened so fast, we didn’t have time to think about it. We went out and played for the peace-keeping forces in Kosovo in 2000 and I had about 10 days to acclimatise, learn the songs and meet the guys. It was a real baptism of fire.  I didn’t really think about it so much until the end of the first gig when we had the first unwinding beer, thinking "...I've just played a gig with the Stranglers! You’d remain a stone not to get some kick out of it, which I did in the early days”.

Being a member of The Stranglers doesn’t give you chance to admire the scenery for too long, they continue to be one of Britain’s most successful live bands and have conquered new territories in recent years. Resisting genre tags they have played The BBC Proms.

“The Proms was a thing we very much embraced,” says Baz, “They were trying to cross over between BBC 6 music to BBC Radio 3. They said “who are a pop band with classical baroque influences?” and they asked us to do it.  We rehearsed with the London Sinfonietta at Maida Vale. It was completely sold out, a bit of a culture clash, but amazingly enjoyable, a real cherished memory.”

The organisers of Glastonbury Festival also gave in to fan pressure in 2010 by inviting The Stranglers to perform “There were 85,000 people there just to see us. The post-gig reviews came out a few weeks later with The Stranglers announced as one of the top five bands to see for the whole weekend. Strangely enough, they won’t have us back.”

As The Stranglers begin rehearsals for their forthcoming tour, I ask Baz if there could be any new recordings in 2015. “There are always tentative plans,” he says, “there’s a lot of anticipation for the tour and that always fuels us, so it’s a case of striking when the irons hot. There’s every chance.”

And what can fans expect from the forthcoming Cardiff show? “To coin a cliche expect the unexpected,” laughs Baz, “Although we've been together a long time, it still refuses to be a nostalgia trip for us otherwise we wouldn't bother writing and recording new material. So there will be a mix of old and new. There will be some hits in there and some surprises. Being The Stranglers, anything can happen at our gigs and often does!”

• Catch The Stranglers at Cardiff University on March 10. Tickets are available from gigsandtours.com / 0844 811 0051
• A version of this interview by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide during January 2015.

Joe Pasquale Discusses Monty Python Musical Spamalot

Monty Python’s Spamalot gallops to Cardiff in March as part of its 2015 UK tour featuring comedian Joe Pasquale reprising his much loved role of King Arthur alongside Todd Carty as Patsy.

Lovingly ripped off from the classic film comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot is a kind-of new musical with a book by Eric Idle and an entirely new score for the new production, (well, almost) created by Eric Idle and John Du Prez.

Spamalot tells the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and features fantastic tunes more magical than a Camelot convention, including He Is Not Dead Yet, Knights of the Round Table, Find Your Grail and of course Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.

Ahead of the show’s forthcoming visit to Cardiff's New Theatre, Andy Howells recently chatted to Joe Pasquale.

Can you tell us about the role you’re playing in Spamalot?
I'm playing King Arthur which is one of the best things I've ever done. I love the part and I love the show.  I grew up watching Monty Python so it’s my generation!

How did you get into comedy originally?
I was always such a fan growing up and watching comedy on the telly, Tommy Cooper, Norman Wisdom, Eric and Ernie, Bob Monkhouse, were all great comics I grew up with. Then when I got the chance to go out on stage I was never scared, it was just a case of showing off. I had two older sisters and a younger brother, I was the one in the middle who had to find his own entertainment and I think that had a bearing on trying to get noticed.

When you got into comedy and started getting noticed what that like was for you?
I only ever wanted to get up on stage, I never thought of it as a long-term career or making money from it, it was just a way of showing off  and that’s what you do on stage - show off!
When it came together I started enjoying it more than I thought I would. Then it becomes your job and you have mortgage payments and things like that. It becomes more than a job and you've got to keep working. There's pressure as well, not a pressure to be funny but a pressure to find work. I had a great friend and mentor in Bob Monkhouse. He helped me out a lot in the early days and in particular my first appearance on the Royal Variety Show, he just looked after me all the time - a genius and a gentleman.

You enjoy your work?
I love what I do, to go out and do an Eric Idle script any comic of any generation these days would give their right arm to do this show. Its two hours of non-stop laughter.

What’s Todd Carty like to work with?
I love working with Todd, he’s deaf as a post in one ear so I have to make sure I'm on the right side of him when I talk to him. We’d both done the show before but not together, it’s lovely because we’ve formed a little partnership in the show. I do most of the talking between the two of us as he only has about eight lines but he makes every single one count. I can’t look at his eyes on stage without starting to laugh.

How would you sum up Spamalot?
Its just funny. It hasn’t dated, it changes on a nightly basis depending on whose in the news and what situation were in. Everything is carved and created around where we are. Its always bang up to date on topical stuff as well.

How long are you carrying on with Spamalot for?
Its open ended at the moment so who knows?

Have you got any other projects lined up for this year?
I’m going back on the road for a stand up tour in August but anything after that I’m not quite sure yet. I enjoy my acting but I like to keep my hand in with stand up as well.

Do you prefer that to TV work?
No, I don’t do anything for too long I don’t do much telly, stand up or stage work, I do a bit of voice over work. Its an eclectic career I have which was more by accident than design and I’m lucky enough to do a job that I love so I never get stuck  in anything for too long.

• Spamalot plays Cardiff New Theatre from March 2 to 7. Visit newtheatrecardiff.co.uk or call box office on 029 2087 8889 for ticket details.
• A version of this interview by Andy Howells was published in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on February 20, 2015

Meet The Band: The Dunwells

The Dunwells are currently undertaking a UK tour which sees the band perform at Bristol's Louisiana this week before finishing up in their hometown of Leeds on 28th Feb with a gig at The Wardrobe.

The four-piece, made up of brothers Joseph and David Dunwell and friends Robert Clayton and Adam Taylor, released the Show Me Emotion EP in September last year. Produced by Steve Harris (Kodaline, Kaiser Chiefs) the EP features an incredibly emotional set of songs, with heartfelt lyrics and four part harmonies to melt even the hardest of hearts.

They were drawn together by their shared love of bands like Bon Iver, Elbow and Damien Rice and they've been making music together since they first met in school.  With one album under their belt and several rounds of successful touring in the US and UK, the current tour coincides with a brand new single. Andy Howells recently caught up with Joseph Dunwell from the band:

Who are you and how did you come together?
We are The Dunwells, we have been a band since 2009, Dave And I are brother's, Rob and Dave were best friends at school, me and Adam went to music college together in Leeds and have been friends ever since.

Where are you from?
We all come from Leeds apart from Adam who is from Doncaster.

How would you describe your music style?
I would describe our music as Up beat, melodic, rock.

What’s been your best live experience?
There have been so many, we feel so lucky to be doing what we do as a Job, it's incredible. Playing Red Rocks in Colorado has to be up there. We also got to play our First Arena support show in the UK this year. We played our home town Leeds. It was Nuts.

You have a new single and album coming soon can you tell us more about that?
Yeah the album should be out later this year, but we are having fun releasing little EP's and bundles of music. Last year we had the Show Me Emotion EP that got such a great response and really soon we will be releasing another EP called. Lucky Ones which is also our next single. Lucky Ones has been a song that we have been working on for nearly a year to get it exactly the way we want, I really think we have done exactly that. We can't wait for you to hear it! It's a song to give hope to others, to look at the now and to realise and appreciate what we have.

Are you enjoying the tour?
Like you wouldn't believe, it's why we do this Job. Standing on stage playing your own songs. That always been the dream, now we are in it, now we are living it. We finish the tour with a show in Leeds to a home crowd.

What can people expect from your forthcoming Bristol gig?
Lots and lots of new material, including our new single Lucky Ones. We have been working really hard in creating the sound and working on the live shows, Its a sound we are now proud to say is "The Dunwells" We just want the shows to be full of energy and for people to enjoy themselves. We spent the last few weeks in rehearsals working on the set.

Will you be coming to Wales sometime in the future?
We have played once in Wales when we first started out, it was in Cardiff I remember the place being so beautiful we would definitely love to come back. Hopefully we can make it happen on the next tour.

Where can people hear your music?
You can listen to all of our material on Spotify and it's available to buy on iTunes and Amazon,
We also sell our music at our shows. You can Follow us on @thedunwells for more info or find us on Snapchat The Dunwells

• Catch The Dunwells at The Louisiana in Bristol on February 21.
• A version of this Q&A by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on February 20, 2015.
• The Dunwells Official Website

In Concert: 10cc, St David's Hall, Cardiff, 2015

On completion of a meal at a restaurant on Tuesday evening, I was asked by the waiter what I was going to be doing for the rest of the evening. “I’m off to St David’s Hall to see 10cc” I responded. I was met with a rather blank look, “is that a bike?” he replied.

Thankfully when I got to St David’s Hall there were many other people in attendance that actually knew who 10cc were. Fronted by founder member Graham Gouldman the current touring band consisted of three further key members who have had associations with 10cc since the 1970s, guitarist Rick Fenn, drummer Paul Burgess and percussionist Mike Stevens. The line up was completed with the inclusion of guitarist Mick Wilson.

The first half of the show was made up of a complete run through of 10cc’s 1975 album Sheet Music featuring live recreations of tracks Wall Street Shuffle, The Worst Band in the World and Silly Love. One of the many highlights of the first half was an all singing and dancing video contribution from another 10cc founder member Kevin Godley leading the band for a rendition of Somewhere in Hollywood.

The second half of the show consisted of back to back 10cc hits. The Things We Do For Love, I’m Mandy Fly Me, and The Dean and I were all featured, but the atmosphere rose to a peak as the audience showed their appreciation for Number One hits I’m Not In Love and Dreadlock Holiday with the adjusted lyric “I don’t like Cardiff, I love it!”

The real highlight came with the encore, an a Capella version of 10cc’s debut hit Donna and an out of your seats and dance version of Rubber Bullets all resulting in an entertaining evening from one of the best bands from the 1970s. Here's to the next time!

• This Review by Andy Howells appeared on The South Wales Argus website on February 18, 2015.
• Andy Howells' Interview with Graham Gouldman of 10cc