The Automatic, Clwb Ifor Bach

Posted 776 days ago

Tue 28th Mar, 6pm

It’s 11am when the tour bus door flies open and out stumbles a disorientated Iwan, the Automatic’s drummer who bears an uncanny resemblance to Bloc Party’s Matt Tong. I’m going to Cranes he mumbles, staggering off. As we begin to unload, James, their sound technician explains, At the start of the tour they were like ‘Oh’, it’s too weird having people carry our stuff.’ Now where are they? In bed! Next out is bass playing singer Rob Hawkins, hangover in tow. We played the Camden Barfly last night he croaks, It was going really well until 5 songs in when Pennie’s keyboard broke. We had to think quick and change the set to play without him, but the crowd still seemed to love it.

Today is a homecoming for the Automatic. After several months of continuous touring, a performance in Italy for TOTP and an Astoria gig supporting The Cribs, this is it the last date on their first ever headline tour and they’re playing two shows; an acoustic set for Xpress Radio and tonight’s sold out show at Clwb Ifor Bach.

An hour later the Taf is packed and Iwan has arrived back, I had to buy some sticks for this acoustic thing. The Kooks drummer nicked mine. All four boys take to the stage, Pennie having fixed his keyboard an hour before. They kick off with first single Recover, fumbling and laughing their way into new single Raoul. However, it’s smiles all round as Jack Daniels, the B-side to Recover goes down as well as a double with coke. The set finishes with crowd favourite Monsters as Pennie unplugs and takes a seat and swig of beer. Rubbish! he yells. Not the popular consensus.

I meet up with Rob later in the Gatekeeper, his favourite Cardiff hangout. The NME tried to make it sound like we don’t like Wetherspoons, but I love them. he complains. Talk turns to other acts coming out of Cardiff; The Boyfriends are touring with Morrissey. The thing with Morrissey is, he just sings about what he sees explains Rob. Then, bursting into song with full Irish accent And there was a table, and a lamp, on the table!

Walking onto the top floor of Clwb there’s an air of anticipation as parents line the walls and school friends the front. The Cowbridge lads take to stage and from the opening power chord to the final crash cymbal never let up as Pennie throws himself across the stage with all the vigour of a shiatsu having it’s testicles clamped. Forget Valley Emo kids – this lot are like the Cooper Temple Clause on E numbers. Each song catches in it’s own way from the soaring chorus of Rats to the pounding bass drum of Raoul, but it’s not all about aesthetics. Lyrically, the songs go deeper exposing the misery of unemployment on Recover to the pains of touring in On The Campaign Trail. Unsurprisingly, they close with Monsters to an overtly receptive crowd. Give me an M shouts Rob, oh, whoops. What’s that coming over the hill? It’s the Automatic.