SCENE AND HEARD
Are you ‘avin a laugh? Sammy Maine’s cracking up at the comedy capers on offer in Cardiff
Cracking Comedy
Once you’ve finished crying into your post-Christmas bank account statements, you can wipe away your tears with some of the best comedy Cardiff has to offer. Great British Bake Off and QI star Sandi Toksvig (Cardiff , St David’s Hall, 24 Jan) will be dusting off your January blues with a brand new, one-woman comedy show that’ll feature a quick- fire Q&A where you can finally ask her if Paul Hollywood really is that smug in real life. Elsewhere, critically acclaimed funny guy Rob Auton (Cardffi , Chapter, 1 March) will be trying to convince you that he should’ve actually bagged the first – not second – best reviewed show at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, while comedian, choirboy and host of Soccer AM Lloyd Griffith
(Cardffi , Motorpoint Arena, 2-3 March) will be tickling your funny bones with tales about toilets and err, A-roads.
"Fancy a bit of filth with your funnies?"
Julian Clary (Cardiff, St David's Hall, 27 March) will be bringing his soul-baring, brand new show Born to Mince to the masses - expect adult-only anecdotes and a sneak preview from his next memoir A Night At The Lubricant. German Comedy Ambassador Hennig Wehn (Cardiff, St David's Hall, 6 April) definitely won't be mentioning the war in his new show, Just Get On With It; instead he wants the public to stop pondering and put their nose to the grindstone. Finally, our Mock the Week matey Ed Gamble (Cardiff, Chaoter 26-27 April) will be gracing us with Blizzard - a performance that'll highlight this idiotic brand of brilliant comedy.
Now That's What We Call Music
Everyone's favourite indie-pop lads The 1975
(Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena, 14 Jan) will be treating fans to questionable dance moves and tracks off their latest album 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships', plus old favourites 'Somebody Else' and 'A Change of Heart'. If you're after a band that definitely know how to turn it up to eleven, Brighton's Architects (Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena, 18 Jan) will be proving why they bagged Kerrang's Best British Live Band award in 2018. It is also the first tour since the passing of guitarist Tom Searle so pack your tissues. Speaking of great musicians who are no longer with us, the King of Country Johnny Cash will be celebrated with the 50th anniversary of the Johnny Cash Roadshow (Cardiff , St David’s Hall, 26 Jan). Actually endorsed by the Cash family, Clive John will perform legendary tracks from Cash’s San Quentin State Prison show in 1969 as well as a plethora of fan favourites.
Cult hero and modern-day troubadour Jay McAllister a.k.a. Beans on Toast (Cardffi , Clwb Ifor Bach, 30 Jan) is still at it, releasing a new album on the same date each year. 2018 saw the release of ‘A Bird in the Hand’, which was packed full of his trademark alt-folk that tells it like it is. Cut through the bullshit and catch McAllister doing what he does best. Sticking with alt-folk favourites, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls (Cardiff , Motorpoint Arena, 2 Feb) will be spreading love and banging tunes with their Be More Kind 2019 tour. Emo fans will be pleased to know that Jimmy Eat World will also be tagging along for the ride, providing a special support slot at the show.
Looking to relive one of the greatest decades of music? Bath’s best duo of the 80s Tears for Fears (Cardiff , Motorpoint Arena, 3 Feb) will be showing off the best bits from their spectacular 35-year recording career. BRIT Award-winner and Grammy-nominee, Alison Moyet will be joining the lads as the support act for this special show. If you prefer glow sticks over guitars, Fatboy Slim (Cardiff , Motorpoint Arena, 23 Feb) is aiming to create the UK’s biggest dance floor by turning massive arenas into unique night club experiences. He’s promising big production, a revolving stage, rave ushers and a live smiley face experience, whatever that means. Bristol’s golden boy George Ezra (Cardiff , Motorpoint Arena, 13 March) continues his impressive ascent with his first ever headline arena tour, while one of Brit-pop's best bad boys Richard Ashcroft (Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena, 20 April) will be performing in support of his fifth - yep, fifth! - solo studio album 'Natural Rebel'
Terrific Talks
Have your mind blown by Professor Brian Cox OBE (Cardffi , Motorpoint Arena, 1 March) as he brings his world tour to Wales. He’ll be chatting about all things out of this world, making the ever-complicated ideas about the universe more accessible than ever – let’s hope that Science GCSE comes in handy. Prefer cooking over the cosmos? The Hairy Bikers a.k.a. Si King and Dave Myers (Cardiff , St David’s Hall, 7 March) will be hosting an evening packed full of scrumptious grub, great chats and tales from their time travelling the world. Spreading their nerdery to the masses are the brains behind QIand their podcast No Such thing as a Fish (Cardi , St David’s Hall, 13 March). Meet your fellow fact-fans and experience the thinking process behind the BBC Two series in real time.
Changing Gear
Find out what it’s like to be the first ever Welshman
to win the Tour De France with a special one-night- only event with Geraint Thomas (Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena, 26 Jan). He’ll be chatting all about his journey from the Welsh valleys to the cobbles of the Champs Elysees, while also offering advice to fellow cyclists. It’s set to be a wheelie great evening. Don your best bow tie and witness snooker’s longest running world ranking event, The ManBetX Welsh Open (Cardiff , Motorpoint Arena 11-17 Feb), for a full week. With up to eight tables in play at once, it’s the stuff of dreams for snooker fans. However, if snooker is your idea of a snooze fest, you might want to opt for an evening with Anfield legends (Cardiff , Wales Millennium Centre, 3 April), where John Barnes, Jan Molby and Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock will kick back and tell all about their phenomenal footie careers.
Theatre, But Not As You Know It
Theatre, But Not As You Know It If Quentin Tarantino created a circus, it might turn out like e Circus of Horrors (Cardiff , St David’s Hall, 11 Jan) - an adult-focused amalgamation of amazing, death-defying acts, backed by a rock n roll soundtrack, the Britain’s Got Talent contenders even played
Download Festival last year. Sticking to rock n roll, Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ remains as relevant as ever, despite being released 15 years ago. So relevant in fact, that the band’s explosive rock musical of the same name (Cardiff , New Theatre, 29 Jan-2 Feb) is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a world tour - Devil-horned hands at the ready! Moving from a terrific trio to a fab four, Mark Morris’ Pepperland (Cardffi , Wales Millennium Centre, 12-13 April) takes its inspiration from The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and transforms it into a tribute like no other.