For those who have never been to Cardiff, Womanby Street is the heart of the city's music scene. Many of the Welsh capital's independent venues line narrow streets and are regularly overflowing with live attendees mingling in the shadows of the city's ancient castles. In the middle of it sits Clwb Ifor Bach. A pillar of the city's music culture, tonight this establishment will host the premier opening night of his DIY Now & Next Tour 2024.
Roaring black country duo Big Special will headline the first five shows of the tour, including Grandma's House, but each night will also be opened by a different lively local support band. Taking that slot tonight is his four-piece Slate, who play a brand of retro-post-punk that's as breezy and moody as the Slate-filled hills of North Walian. Their effortless presence on stage tonight gives you the sense that once this young band emerges from the shadow of their influence, they will be a force to be reckoned with.
“This is the sweatiest show we've ever done,” declares Grandma's House frontwoman Yasmin Berndt, as the Bristol trio packs a short, charismatic, pit-starting riot grrrl/queercore bop. They ran through an energetic set. All three members of the band share vocals during tonight's set, but the lead role is taken by Berndt, whose wonderful growl brings to mind a young Courtney Love. There's also plenty of time for banter between songs, with the trio swapping funny stories about tooth damage on stage.