Rachel Howells reviews Punk Rock Factory’s Cardiff gig at Clwb Ifor Bach on their 7-date Welsh tour.
The atmosphere in a very full Clwb Ifor Bach was buzzing in anticipation of the opening chords of Punk Rock Factory concert tonight. As the lights went down, the speakers played the Welsh National Anthem and it didn’t take long for the whole audience to sing along. The atmosphere didn’t drop at all when they played their first song Pokemon.
The set flowed fast and frantic with so many different styles and genres of music covered in just over an hour. Their expertly played pop punch style guided us through a set of constantly changing styles (and instruments) that were expertly mixed to keep the audience guessing what was coming next. They were seamless moving between TV theme tunes, Disney songs and classic pop songs.
The Band also enjoyed conversing with the audience, especially in the buildup to one of their TV themes SpongeBob Squarepants encouraging everyone to get involved in the performance of the song.
The songs Down Under and You’re the Voice worked so well in the punk genre.
It’s hard to pull out one performance from the evening that stood out but for me the highlights were the Disney classics, especially the ones from The Lion King, I Just Can’t Wait to be King and Can You Feel the Love Tonight as these really brought out the punk in the performance.
Read and watch our interview with Peej of Punk Rock Factory at Entertainment South Wales