John Cale: Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff – live review

John Cale feat. Sinfonia Cymru, House Gospel Choir, Cate Le Bon, James Dean Bradfield, Gruff Rhys
Llais Festival
Wales Millenium Centre, Cardiff
28 October 2022

A special show at Wales Millennium Centre belatedly marks the 80th of the most-known Welsh sonic auteur that is John Cale.

Located in the harbour area, Wales Millennium Centre is a contemporary reflection of the opposing Pierhead, a late 19-century building of the Welsh Parliament. With its facade that conjures up Icelandic basalt rocks, the venue looks well-embedded in the breeze-and-light scenery of the capital. In the mind of the Scandinavia enthusiast, the area might bring up associations with other places like Aalborg, Helsinki and Reykjavik. The genius loci resonate with the music of John Cale, who despite being Welsh has always felt foreign in his country. Nevertheless, his status in Wales is undeniable. At Wales Millennium, he is performing with local acts – Sinfonia Cymru, Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield, Gruff Rhys and Cate Le Bon all of whom admit John Cale being a role model.

A role model for the younger generation of artists in Wales and worldwide, Cale doesn’t need the audience to love him. He is far from being a crowd-pleaser, and the show is not what one might expect it to be. Despite the number of artists on the stage, the sound is stripped-down. Each instrument, including Cale’s keyboard, is as distinct as atom-like round-shaped projector screens above the stage. Featuring hypnotising riff, a two-chord Moonstruck (Nico’s Song), a mesmerising song from Cale’s forthcoming album Mercy, has a simplicity of a nursery rhyme and the spiritual depth of a mantra. “Don’t be afraid of this light / Be afraid of this light”. The image of Nico appears on the small round screens. Of all members of The Velvet Underground, Cale had the most prolific creative collaboration with the singer, having produced almost all of her albums.

Ironically, some compositions evoke the vibe of post-Cale The Velvet Underground. In fact, what Cale did in the early 70s doesn’t sound miles away from the oeuvre of late VU, particularly their Loaded album. Gideon’s Bible from the 1970 album Vintage Violence features Cate Le Bon on vocals. With its sonic halo of upbeat psychedelic pop origin (The Flower Pot Men’s Let’s Go to San Francisco comes to mind), it brings up a slightly sinister vibe of David Lynch’s films, with 60s music playing on a radio in the dark. The quirky visuals make references to the album cover, showing a strange glass mask concealing the artist’s face.

The Velvet Underground’s repertoire inevitably resurfaces with I’m Waiting for the Man. The familiar drone ignites a spark. Cale switches between New York and Welsh accents – closing eyes for a second, one could imagine the whole band performing. He pays homage to Lou Reed more explicitly with Style It Takes from their 1990 collaborative album Songs For Drella. The current rendition sounds darker and more cinematic, permeating the space with eerie strings and impressionistic guitar. The lyrics of the song as well as of the rest of the album address their mentor Andy Warhol, who died a few years before the release. “This is a rock group called the Velvet Underground / I show movies on them / Do you like their sound”, sings Cale, causing an expected splash of applause.

Despite his connection to The Velvet Underground, John Cale has always stood out as a sonic auteur on his own. At Wales Millennium Centre, he generously displays various facets of his musical oeuvre, playing songs from albums across his nearly fifty-year solo career. The two-hour show runs seamlessly with no intermissions or encores. Waving goodbye after the final Ooh La La, Cale smiles coyly, saying “See you when I see you”. Tan y tro nesa.

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More news and music from John Cale on the official website of the artist.

Words by Irina Shtreis, you can find more of her writing here.

Photo credit: Polly Thomas

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Source: louderthanwar.com