South Wales hardcore
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South Wales is home to a scene in turn home to a number of influential bands within the hardcore, post hardcore, metalcore, alternative metal, punk, and emo musical genres. The towns and cities most often associated with the South Wales scene are Cardiff, Pontypridd, Swansea, Newport, Merthyr Tydfil, and Bridgend.
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[edit] Scene History
The scene has, naturally, changed over time. Bands like Public Disturbance and Of Noble Blood built the DIY scene that bands today continue to maintain. To many, "South Wales Hardcore" refers to world-famous bands such as Lostprophets, Funeral For a Friend, and Bullet for My Valentine. South Wales is home to a rich and thriving underground scene however, relatively unknown to most.
The South Wales hardcore and alternative scene started breaking through during the mid nineties. One of the first widely successful representatives of the scene during the period was Skindred (formed by members of the renowned Dub War), fusing ragga, metal, and punk. The band's sound was noticeably unique at the time and garnered much praise.
Lostprophets was formed in Pontypridd in 1997 and built upon the success of the members' previous roles in various hardcore and alternative metal acts. The band's debut album The Fake Sound of Progress (released in 2000) caught the attention of the international alternative community and paved the way for other ambitious bands. They went to become one the biggest alternative metal bands in Britain, their more recent material has built on the more accessible and melodic elements of their music however.
Following in the wake of Lostprophets' success, Funeral for a Friend of Maesteg and Bridgend, originally formed as January Thirst, released their second EP Four Ways to Scream Your Name in 2003 to widespread acclaim, with their first album Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation released soon after.
In 2004, the metalcore band Bullet for My Valentine (formerly Jeff Killed John) of Bridgend released their debut EP Hand of Blood to some success before releasing their debut album The Poison in 2005 to rave reviews and widespread success.
[edit] The Underground Scene
While some of the above listed bands may have originated from the DIY hardcore scene (e.g. Lostprophets, Funeral For a Friend), none can now legitimately lay claim to the status of being a 'hardcore' band (indeed; it's unlikely that they would classify themeselves as hardcore). Each has abandoned the principles of DIY music, they no longer have any connection with hardcore or punk, arguably in even a purely musical sense.
Some underground hardcore and punk bands of South Wales (past & present) are listed below.
[edit] Notable Scene Bands
- Public Disturbance
- Of Noble Blood (RIP)
- Disco Assassins (RIP)
- Fleshbind (RIP)
- Diablo (RIP)
- Dignity Dies First
- Captain Insano
- Dispatch
- Homo And The Sexuals
- Sammi Hunt
- Wraith
- Ironclad
- The Keep
- Shaped By Fate
- Chains Of Hate (formerly Twist The Knife)
- Misuse
- Brutality Will Prevail
- Kennedy's Curse
[edit] Venues
- Clwb Ifor Bach (The Welsh Club, Cardiff)
- Buffalo Bar (Cardiff)
- The Barfly (Caridff)
- The Point (Cardiff)
- Toms Bar (Treforest)
- The Studio Bar (Mythyr)
- Le Pub (Newport)
- TJ's (Newport)
- The Meze Lounge (Newport)
- The Pop Factory (Porth)
- Sin City (Swansea)
- Escape (Swansea)
[edit] Links/Venues
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