There have been some great talents emerging from Wales over the years such as Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Andy Fairweatherlow, Chris Slade and some legendary bands including Budgie, Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics and now Cardinal Black who are just a couple of weeks away from releasing their debut studio album 'January Came Close'.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding this young band who have picked up some high profile fans including Myles Kennedy and Slash along the way. Guitarist Chris Buck is a much lauded musician possibly best known for his other band Buck and Evans.

Cardinal Black have been around in one form or another for the last decade but the line up which has now been cemented comprises Chris Buck (guitars), Tom Hollister (vocals), Adam Roberts (drums) and Sam Williams (bass) came together in Cardiff in 2020. A self titled debut EP was released in 2021 and the debut album as mentioned earlier is incoming.

The gig tonight was the final night of a sixteen date headline 'Danced On Floors' Europe/UK Tour of grassroots venues and what a triumphant tour this was playing sold out shows throughout. November will see the group playing a series of gigs supporting the legendary Peter Frampton. If anyone who is going to these concerts and hasn't seen Cardinal Black, you need to make a point of checking them out.

The set was made up of songs from the debut EP and the forthcoming debut release showing an incredibly versatile band featuring the intricate, yet virtuoso guitar playing of Buck who is truly exceptional. Then there is the haunting, emotional and soulful vocals of Hollister which are very powerful, especially live, giving their songs an almost gospel feel.

Show highlights included the exceptional 'Tell Me How It Feels', 'Rise Up', Jump In', 'I'm Ready' and 'Ain't My Time'. Cardinal Black have a great future ahead of them and are ones to watch. If you only buy one debut album this year, make sure it is 'January Came Close', if the tracks from the new release played tonight are anything to go by, it is going to be stunning release.