Cerys Matthews has certainly been busy this year! From intimate sets at the Glee Club in Birmingham to touring on the festival circuit including Brecon Jazz Festival, Glastonbury and The National Eisteddfod- now she’s on the road yet again! This time she’s travelling around the UK as a support act to Paul Heaton, of previous House Martins and Beautiful South Fame. I had the very fortunate chance of catching her at the Wulfrun in Wolverhampton on 6th November 2008.


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The Wulfrun, a cavern-like, gymnasium-style venue with dark walls, red lighting and stark metal barriers that segregate the crowd from the stage, was empty as I quickly made my way to the front for the best view in the house of this all standing venue with capacity for just over 1,100 people. It never got more than ¾ full all night, and even though the 40+ crowd was full of ardent Paul Heaton fans, they remained respectful and appreciative of Cerys Matthews’ obvious talent that has gained her every right to gain critical acclaim as a soloist. It’s about time that reviewers rid her of the shackles of previous Catatonia and I’m a Celebrity get Me Out of Here! fame and let her stand as an artist in her own right. Can you tell I’m a huge fan?!

Cerys Matthews sprung on stage after a surprise short set from Attic Lights, a promising Glaswegian band who kept the crowd entertained with their Beach Boys influenced guitar pop songs like Walkie Talkie, Bring You Down and their new release Wendy (from their debut album Friday Night Lights). Cerys looked resplendent, as always, in a simple black jeans and blouse outfit as she and Nicolai, a new and definitely talented Danish band member playing guitar and steel lap guitar, kicked off a totally stripped down 9 song acoustic set that was obviously picked and manipulated to appeal to the older clientele that filled the Wulfrun tonight.

She showcased the powerfulness and prowess of her voice whilst belting out the vocals to well known Chardonnay, Galway Shores / Strange Glue from the Catatonia era, and yet to be released Arlington Way. These were cleverly interspersed with songs that highlighted the soft, mesmerising qualities of her voice such as Weightless Again from her Cockahoop album, new Fire (which is known to her fans as the Spider & the Fly) and a surprise cover of the Elvis hit Love Me Tender. Top it all off, with some surprise guests and the bravery to sing a completely new song, the set finished with big band Smash the Glass, which delighted Cerys Matthews’ fans, Cerys herself and even Paul Heaton fans!

Cerys Matthews didn’t disappoint in the entertainment value stakes either. Known for her inter-song babble, tonight was no different, especially after having drunk a cup of coffee right before going on stage! Her obvious addiction to Wikipedia became apparent when she spouted off several facts about Wolverhampton and made a tenuous link to Nicolai and the fact that Wolverhampton was apparently named after a Danish man! One memorable saying that I took from the set was in reference to Weightless Again, which was written during her time in Tennessee where she had lots of time on her hands as she “sat around watching her babies play, eat and poo whilst listening to loads of music”! Even the fact that she broke the mike before singing her last song and her trademark groovy dancing was totally endearing!

If you were a die hard enough fan you would have caught up with Cerys leaving Wulfrun Hall, only too happy to sign autographs and chat to fans before heading into Wolverhampton for a well earned curry. You would also have heard that her new album is finished and hopefully ready for release early next year. Whether that’s another Welsh EP like Awyreyn = Aeroplane, or a cracking follow up to the amazing albums Cockahoop and Never Said Goodbye, its yet to be seen. You’ll just have to be patient and wait to see what 2009 holds in store! Rumours abound that Cerys Matthews will be undertaking a big band solo tour in the Spring of 2009 to promote her new album. Whether you’ve been a fan of Cerys Matthews forever and a day, or you heard her tonight at the Wulfrun for the first time, this is one tour you can’t afford to miss! I know that I for one will be at the front of the queue for tickets!


Review Tricia Williams