BUZZARD BUZZARD BUZZARD announce historic Cardiff Castle live show

BUZZARD BUZZARD BUZZARD announce historic Cardiff Castle live show
© Lily Brown 2021

Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard have today announced they will be the first Welsh band to play a live show again in Cardiff after the national lockdown. Continually testing new and exciting waters – and garnering swathes of tastemaker support in the process – Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard’s historic show will take place in the iconic 1,500 capacity outdoor setting of Cardiff Castle on 27 August. The event is part of a Cardiff Council plan developed with Cardiff Music Board to put culture at the heart of the city’s recovery from the pandemic and welcome live music back to Wales. Tickets are available HERE

In a statement, frontman Tom Rees says, “We haven’t played in Cardiff since Tyler, The Creator released Igor so it feels only right that we should make a massive overstep and play the biggest venue we could get our hands on.”

The latest single ‘Crescent Man vs Demolition Dan’ is inspired by the real-life politics of Cardiff, where a beloved street of independent businesses was demolished despite the protests of the local community and follows a fictional superhero (Crescent Man) and villain (Demolition Dan) narrative.

Frontman Tom Rees explains, “There’s a street in Cardiff called Guildford Crescent that was recently demolished to make way for some high-rise monstrosity that left a long line of independent businesses dead and buried. Cardiff is kind of morphing into such a culturally devoid hellscape littered with boarded up venues and sun-blocking student residencies, that the only solution the mind can conjure is relying on the intervention of some all powerful superhero capable of turning back time or maybe allocating public funds responsibly.

“Most annoyingly while we all acknowledge that a superhero could never exist, the villain still does – they knocked down an established music venue and a family owned restaurant, leaving the facade to tremble in the shadow of what antiquated structure will presumably tower over it, much like how a fox would leave an excess of dead chickens lying in the pen, just to remind you who’s boss. The situation seems to be getting bleaker and bleaker and with every failed protest I’m increasingly of the opinion that anyone who believes in effective protest (on this matter at least) might as well believe in superheroes, and even then I still think the fat cats would get one on us.”

He concludes, “All this said though I certainly don’t know what the answer is, if protest doesn’t work then what will? We’re not all going to run for office in a hurry, or maybe we should? Should I practise that thumb-on-top-of-your-fist-I’m-an-honest-and-non-confrontational-person hand gesture thing? I don’t even know how to rack up expenses.”

Watch the video for ‘Crescent Man vs Demolition Dan’ – BELOW:

‘Crescent Man vs Demolition Dan’ follows ‘New Age Millennial Magic’ (and its B-side ‘Warm It Up’) which continued the band’s impeccable run of radio support. ‘New Age Millennial Magic’ saw BBC Radio 1 support from Jack Saunders (who featured the track as a Daily Delivery), Annie Mac, and Gemma Bradley, was heavily supported by Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 2 (the band performed live-to-air for Whiley’s show just last week), John Kennedy at Radio X (where it was added to the X-Posure playlist), as well as Steve Lamacq and Huw Stephens at BBC Radio 6 Music. ‘New Age Millennial Magic’ also drew praise from the likes of The Line Of Best Fit, DIY, Dork, Upset, and more, while ‘Warm It Up’ was further lauded by The Independent.

Since forming in 2017, the Cardiff-based four-piece have become one of the most talked-about new bands in the UK. Driven by an exciting, dynamic energy presented at a host of magnetic, hype-building live shows, the band’s debut EP The Non-Stop then followed in summer 2020. As presented on The Non-Stop, the band – Tom Rees, guitarist Zac White, drummer Ethan Hurst and Rees’ brother and bassist Eddie – draw from classic ‘70s rock with a distinctly 21st Century twist, dragging the sounds of T-Rex and Steely Dan kicking and screaming into the 2020s. Operating out of their studio base in Cardiff, the band are also an integral part of a blooming Welsh indie scene. Alongside his work in Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Rees is also a fast-rising producer, working with the likes of Do Nothing, Private World, The Bug Club and Panic Shack.

The Non-Stop EP received glowing praise with magazines Q (“Rock’n’roll at its most direct, fun and stupid-yet-deadly-serious”), Dork (“Feels like a classic”) and DIY (“One to be cherished”) all awarding the EP 4*. Gigwise described the record as, “Brimming with high octane rock’n’roll” and NME’s review summed it up as, “Fun, intoxicating and powered by pure feeling.” Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard rounded off 2020 with spots on the Dork HYPE List 2021 and were also included in DIY’s Class of 2021.

The band enjoyed a similar wave of tastemaker acclaim from UK radio last year with the likes of Huw Stephens, Jack Saunders and Annie Mac championing their releases on BBC Radio 1 – culminating in a first daytime playlist for ‘Hollywood Actors’ as BBC Introducing Track Of The Week. Alongside those BBC Radio 1 tastemakers, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard were supported by Steve Lamacq, Lauren Laverne, Shaun Keaveny, Tom Robinson and the legendary Iggy Pop at BBC Radio 6 Music, Jo Whiley at BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio Wales, John Kennedy at Radio X, and Amazing Radio.

Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard realise that honesty is the best policy with songwriting, shining through beyond any trendy sheen or preconceived notions of what a band should be in 2021. The simple desire to make honest, catchy music with no pretence is a recipe with which to create a timeless debut album, and with that, frontman Rees says, “you really can create a difference and a change with something as fickle as rock music.”

See Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard live in 2021:

7 August Liverpool Festevol

8 August Sheffield Get Together

27 August Cardiff Castle

29 August Brighton Find Joy

30 August London All Points East

16 September London Electric Ballroom*

18 September Leeds Brudenell Social Club*

19 September Newcastle St Dom’s*

20 September Glasgow – The Garage*

22 September Sheffield Leadmill*

23 September Nottingham Rescue Rooms*

24 September Birmingham O2 Academy 2*

25 September Oxford O2 Academy 2*

27 September Bristol Thekla*

28 September Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms*

29 September Brighton Chalk*

30 September Manchester Albert Hall*

8 October Wrexham – Focus Wales

15 October Norwich Wild Paths

20 October London – The Social (SOLD OUT)

21 October London – The Social

30 October Amsterdam – London Calling

* supporting The Blinders

Xsnoize Author
Mark Millar is the founder of XS Noize and looks after the daily running of the website as well as hosting interviews for the weekly XS Noize Podcast. Mark's favourite album is Achtung Baby by U2.

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