Air Guitar Rating: ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ / 5 โ Absolute mayhem, proper job!
What do you get when you mix three of Walesโ finest rock bands, a historic castle, and a crowd hungry for live music? One hell of a night that still echoes through the Cardiff air like a power chord on a mountain top! ๐ด๐ค
On 29 August 2021, Scarlet Rebels, Cardinal Black, and Those Damn Crows took over Cardiff Castle and turned it into a cathedral of riffs, roars, and raw emotion. If you missed it โ you missed a flipping slice of Welsh rock history, mun!
๐ค Scarlet Rebels โ Rock Soldiers from Llanelli
Kicking things off in full force, Scarlet Rebels hit the stage with grit, heart, and tunes that punch you square in the soul. Hailing from Llanelli, these boys wasted zero time waking up the early crowd.
Setlist standouts:
๐ต Heal โ a proper anthem of defiance
๐ต Take You Home โ shoutalong heaven
๐ต Let Me In โ pure rock uplift
Frontman Wayne Doyleโs voice echoed off those castle walls like a siren call. There was no โwarm-up bandโ vibe here โ this was a statement: โWeโre here, and weโre staying.โ ๐ฅ
Crowd reaction? Jaw-drops, hands-in-the-air, and โWho are these guys?โ โ followed by new fans being minted by the second. Tidy!
๐ธ Cardinal Black โ Smooth, Soulful & Classy As Hell
Next up, the ridiculously slick Cardinal Black brought the groove to the granite. Their blend of blues, soul, and rock was like sipping a fine whiskey while the sun set over the castle towers. Diolch, lads โ that was lush ๐ฅ๐ถ
Highlights included:
๐ต Tell Me How It Feels โ goosebumps galore
๐ต Jump In โ smooth and seductive
๐ต Warm Love (Van Morrison cover) โ like wrapping yourself in a velvet blanket
Guitar wizard Chris Buck melted faces in the chillest way possible, while Tom Hollisterโs voice could charm the dragons off a Welsh flag. They werenโt just a support act โ they were flipping spellcasters ๐ฉโจ
๐ฆ Those Damn Crows โ Kings of the Castle
Then came the main event โ and holy hell, did Those Damn Crows deliver! They didnโt just headline Cardiff Castleโฆ they stormed it like a medieval army with riffs instead of swords. โ๏ธ๐ธ
Setlist of dreams:
๐ฅ Rock n Roll Ainโt Dead โ pure firestarter
๐ฅ Sin on Skin โ full swagger mode
๐ฅ Blink of an Eye โ emotional knockout
๐ฅ Who Did It โ absolute chaos
๐ฅ See You Again โ tears, arms raised, pure unity
Shane Greenhall was everywhere โ up the rigging, in the pit, on the rail, commanding the night like a general of noise. He screamed with fire, laughed with joy, and had every single person in the palm of his black-nailed hand.
And letโs not forget the flames, the crowd surfing, and the giant Welsh flags waving proudly in the encore. Only in Wales, munโฆ ๐ฌ๐ง๐ด
๐ฅ Final Thoughts
This wasnโt just a gig. This was a celebration of Welsh rock supremacy, of resilience, of unity, and of loud-as-hell love. After lockdowns, silence, and uncertainty, this show brought it all flooding back โ louder, prouder, and louder again.
From Scarlet Rebelsโ fiery opening, to Cardinal Blackโs smooth sorcery, to the absolute siege of sound that Those Damn Crows delivered, it was an unforgettable night in one of the most iconic venues in the country.
๐ฃ๏ธ Were You There?
Did you headbang ’til your neck gave out? Did you cry during See You Again? Did you scream โCโMON BUTT!โ at Shane from the front rail? We wanna hear your castle chaos stories โ drop a comment below or shout at us on socials! ๐ฐ๐ค
Rock’s alive in Wales, and itโs got feathers, fire, and fangs.
#YESSMUN ๐ค๐ฅ
#CardiffCastleGigs #WelshRockRoyalty #ThoseDamnCrows
