Well, that was it. Kiss Me, Killer’s first big international date saw us leave the arid wasteland that is England for a trip to the Land of My Mothers, God’s own country.
We were invited to play by Nick, who runs Pontypool venue, The Dragonffli, a joint with a reputation for punching above its weight by bringing top acts to the area, or the ‘TJ’s of the Valleys’ (TJs was a legendary Newport club) as their hashtag states. Indeed the billposters lining the walls boasted of bands like Graveyard Johnnies, Wales’ mighty Pizza Tramp and the Blaze Bailey’s (Iron Maiden’s vocalist in the mid-90s) Wolfsbane. The venue’s a great little place with a really nice band room, proper stage and solid PA system.
We rocked up in Ponty a bit on the early side and Holly, enthused by a pub up the road called The Unicorn (she has a thing about unicorns you know), said we should go eat there. So the band and our hardcore travelling fan-base (Ysatis, Joelle and Cheri) sat down for some tasty pie’n’mash. I hadn’t expected anything quite so civilized, perhaps a bag of chips for a takeaway round the corner, so it was a pleasant surprise to chill and chat with the crew. Check out The Unicorn if you’re in the area – proper pub, proper grub, none of this ‘best food scene outside London’ wank you get in Briz. Anyway, Trip Advisor bit over, let’s move on…
The headliners at the show were Welsh outfit, Cat’s Lost its Tail (or CLIT for short – geddit?) who combined an eclectic collection of rock covers with some happening original tunes.
An easy, problem-free sound check meant there was time for a quick round of pool before KMK hit the stage. It was a smaller crowd to be fair but they were well up for some gnarly, blistering punk rock right enough.
Nat attracted attention for his quality bass playing, Phantom Guitarworks Vox-style bass and classic Ford Escort. Speaking of Nat, you’ve all got to check out his other band, The Sinic Tones, at their debut gig at The Red Lion, St. George, 10 August. I received some positive feedback on my shirt, a fetching green paisley.
All agreed we’d been particularly tight as we powered through the set list, which should give us an extra dose of confidence when we support the legendary Chicago rockers 88 Fingers Louie at the Exchange, Bristol next week (4 August). You’ll all be there, right?
Cymru am byth!
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