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Back to the Future
Friday was the first night of our Massive 80s Weekend – and it kicked off the extravaganza in grand and (somewhat bizarre) fashion. I got here early because Clint and Ros, two photographer pals of mine, wanted to take some pictures for their portfolios. I had a chat with the other regulars in the bar until they arrived. Paul, the owner, spent his fiftieth birthday in London – with rather more success than I did, I must admit. He outlined his idea for redecorating the music room, which I think sounds very adventurous and striking. It’ll be great when it’s finished.
We went through the music room and were confronted by more hardware than Rick Wakeman used to tour with. It was billed as a night of ‘original music in an 80s vibe’, but I think the sort of gear on display was still in development during the early years of electropop. I introduced the photographers to my good friends Replaced By Robots, and we left our gear in Brill’s capable hands. With beer in hand, we settled down to enjoy the gig.
The Atomic Supermen are, quite simply, bonkers. A gang of hipsters making lo-fi sounds with high-tech gear is daft enough. Dressing like astronauts who’d been kitted out by Primark is taking things to the next level. (I don’t think you could go into space wearing paper crime scene suits, welding masks and colanders – but you never know.) Playing an entire set of what sounded like retro video game soundtracks is beyond anything I’d imagined. But that’s exactly what the Atomic Superman did. With mini keyboards, drum pads, a bass guitar, and enough cabling to electrify the Valley Lines, these three amiable nutters had us enthralled from the word ‘go’. Everyone I spoke to agreed that it was totally off the wall and exactly the right start to the evening.
I did suggest to the guys afterwards that they might benefit from more visual content. Maybe they could project vintage arcade games behind them, or something. That aside, they were definitely the most bizarre band I’ve seen for many a year. The only thing I can suggest is that you check them out for yourselves. They’ll certainly be back at some point.
There was no shortage of visual content for the Circuit Symphony. They come complete with their own laser show. (I’m not making this up!) And they solved the mystery of the massive keyboard array. A fairly young lad – young compared to me, anyway – made some jaw-dropping sounds with them, too. With the lasers synced to the music and throwing dazzling patterns throughout the room, it’s probably the nearest Aberdare has seen to Jean-Michel Jarre.
It was an unashamedly nostalgic sound, exactly what we needed for the evening. The chap was joined by a young lady for a couple of songs, and it was obvious that they were paying homage to the greats of the electropop movement.
But not obvious enough for one disgruntled customer, apparently. She complained to Barrie that it wasn’t ‘a proper 80s night’, even though the posters said that the Friday would be showcasing original music. I don’t know what she was expecting. The playlist between sets was classic electropop, with a heavy bias towards to the big hits of the time. It might have been nice to throw in some LP tracks or B-sides, but I have a theory to explain it. I think Brill was secretly refreshing his memory of the Spectrums’ set, in readiness for his live debut with them on Saturday night.
To make matters worse, our unsatisfied punter had come ‘all the way from Merthyr’. That’s quarter of an hour away in a car, for Goddess’ sake. (Or half an hour in a bus. Or the best part of two hours by train. It’s quicker to walk – although I wouldn’t recommend it. An old schoolfriend of mine tried it a few years ago, and it didn’t end well for the poor bugger.) And if a guy making music with a massive bank of keyboards and a superb female vocalist isn’t 80s enough, I have one word for you: Yazoo.
Which brings us to Replaced By Robots. The first time I saw them was at their second gig, back in May 2012. It was a squatted gig in Aberdare Park, of all places, and a great way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon. Since then the line-up has changed (Craig is living in Brighton now), but the creative core of the band – Andrew, Wayne and Doz – is still intact. Replaced By Robots play electro-dance music underpinned by strong keyboard lines, but with two guitarists, a bass player, a real drummer, and Doz (a noisy bugger) fronting things up. They’re a terrific band live, and always pull a crowd.
Replaced By Robots got people dancing too, which is the whole object of the exercise. There are videos on our Facebook page, and Clint and Ros have put some photos up as well. And, as anyone who’s seen the Robots before will know, bedlam
erupted during their final song, ‘Transmissions From a Digital Heart’. With massive balloons being chucked around, Liz (Wayne’s wife) leaping around with the robot head on and general havoc breaking out, it was the perfect way to end the gig.
If you weren’t here last night, you missed one of the most remarkable gigs we’ve hosted since Barrie and Amanda took over. And if you haven’t already got a ticket for tonight, you’re definitely missing out – it’s completely sold out. Which, I need hardly remind you, is why we’re here: to get people through the doors and put bums on seats (or feet on the dancefloor). Job done!
Remember, boys and girls, the B in Bryngolwg stands for Be Prepared.
