Cardinal Black tear it up at The Junction Cambridge UK on their new tour

Live albums are seen as a mixed bag by many music fans. You either love them or hate them. But there’s no such discord when it comes to live music. Seeing a band or musician live is a real boost. Especially when it’s up close and personal in a smaller venue rather than on level four at the back of some soulless arena. 

Of course, there can be bad gigs; thankfully, that is a rarity when it comes to Welsh band Cardinal Black. They have been gigging heavily for a while now and have their act honed tightly. The band is about to launch a new album and has recently released Welcome To The Valencia, a three-track EP. So there was a lot to look forward to for the second gig of their new tour at The Junction, Cambridge, UK, this week. 

First up was support act Rosie Frater-Taylor for a 30-minute set. Her jazz-rock style was very well backed by drummer Tom Potter Potts and bass player Dave Edwards. Frater-Taylor plays lead guitar extremely well with some spectacular playing throughout her songs. 

Great support for Cardinal Black in Cambridge

She’s the first guitarist I’ve seen in a long while who vocalizes her solos in a scat style. Her set included numbers from her latest album, Featherweight, and a newly released cover of Kate Bush’s  “Running Up That Hill,” which went down well too. An accomplished guitar player, her set and solos nicely whetted the appetite for what was to follow.

Cardinal Black had a nice, simple staging, a new version of their customer name backdrop, a few old radio sets, and some standard lamps, which led to a neat and atmospheric intro as they began their set. As frontman and singer Tom Hollister himself noted, it's a bold move to kick off with a couple of new songs. Yet they sounded warm and familiar already. A neat trick the band deploys throughout the night.

We’re four songs in, and already Hollister has organized a sing-song from the crowd. Guitarist Chris Buck has shown what a star he is with some simple sounds and a foray into a couple of solos. Drums from Adam Roberts and the bass of Sam Williams provide a foundation for Hollister and Buck to display their extraordinary talents. There’s also the great addition of Hollister’s brother Greg on keyboards for the tour. Not to forget Tay Cousins with her added backing vocals. 

Chris Buck and Tom Hollister work together so well

Their song “Tell Me How It Feels” was excellent live, the crowd was bouncing and ready for more. The band, and Tom Hollister in particular, are evidently having fun too. He chats to the crowd, introduces the songs, and shimmies around the stage when Buck lets rip with his stunning guitar playing. He is a phenomenal guitarist without a doubt and, like the band as a whole, deserves a much bigger stage.

Hollister is the other driving force and influence for the band's music. Soulful bluesy rock underpinned by his smooth vocals and obvious passion as he sings. At times, with minimal, backing and just his pure voice, elsewhere to the forefront of the full band. 

There is a reminder towards the end of the set that Hollister and Buck complement each other so well. The pair remain on stage alone for a cut-back number, just Buck on a shimmering, laid-back, and reflective guitar tone with Hollister's voice. That led to the return of the others and one of their top numbers “Tied Up In Blue”. It’s another amazing side to their rocking set. 

Cardinal Black's new album to follow soon

Time flies so quickly when a gig is going well. Now it’s another of those clever moves as Hollister leads into the final song of the night. The band has already played several that could easily have been great encore tunes. They finish on another new song with Hollister able to organize another crowd to sing along to a song the majority barely knew. And it worked superbly. 

Cardinal Black is at the beginning of their latest tour. Their new album will emerge soon. They are such a stunning live band, you can get your own taste of that from their recent Live At The Memo album. They deserve to take another step forward and break through to bigger things. 

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