Cardiff Tsunami Relief Concert 2005

United Kingdom | by Julian Savitch-Lee | 22 January 2005

Mist and rain hangs cold in the air. All around the stadium mouths chatter and scarves are pulled up tight to keep warm. And then the reason we're all here floods back and any inklings of self pity flow away in an instant, replaced by excitable apprehension of what we're about to witness.

Stadium staff had three weeks to assemble the Cardiff Tsunami Relief Concert, the biggest charity gig in the UK since Live Aid. It sold out within three days before a few thousand more tickets were put on sale due to massive demand, the public rallying to this musical cause and historical event, encouraged by an unquenchable desire to help those on the battered Asian coastlines and by a line-up pitting Brain McFadden alongside Embrace, the Manics before Heather Small, and Lulu warming up for Jools Holland. Bizarre? That's what we came for.

Wrexham band Camera are the first band to play under the closed roof of the stadium, playing a couple of songs from their forthcoming debut album and showing why they're already supported the likes of The Delays and Supergrass. Wales' latest export Katherine Jenkins follows, the ex-choirgirl of the year delivering 'You'll Never Walk Alone' with a new meaning and poignancy considering why we're here. After her performance a recorded video message by Tony Blair is practically booed off stage, before Keane routinely holler out the hits, ending on the excellent 'Bedshaped'.  

Five year's ago, a video message by Charlotte Church was booed almost as loudly as Blair's in this same stadium. The fear is obvious as she pre-empts any criticism, admitting "I don't sing and dance so that was a first" following an r 'n' b number that never gets past zero. The set improves with a beautiful version of Sting's 'Fields Of Gold', but the nerves remain and every time she opens her mouth in between songs she machineguns her lines like Vicky Pollard. 'Voice of an angel' perhaps, but Katherine Jenkins is by far the more complete.

Lemar and Craig David pass off with as much attention grab as Richard and Judy, before Snow Patrol provide the first performance of any real weight of the day, playing five songs, including 'Chocolate' and the ever soul tendering 'Run' in front of an increasingly shivering crowd. The army of in-between presenters, plucked from Channel 4 and the BBC, encourage everyone to buy more merchandise, to help the millions of tsunami victims now facing monsoons and disease, as well as to keep warmly wrapped up. Goldie Lookin' Chain take to the stage to heat things up, opening with 'Guns Don't Kill People, Rappers Do' and entrancing the home crowd from then in. Ever a highlight of any festival, they knows it.

Badly Drawn Boy should stick to his piano, because as soon as he moves onto his guitar, sound problems start to blight his set. The pain is etched on his face but the crowd don't seem to care and celebrate 'Badly' with a Mexican wave - at a tsunami benefit gig? You couldn't make it up. Aled Jones then makes a late career stake for coolness, appealing on stage for a duet with the GLC, before launching into classical dirge which receives the second worst reception after Tony Blair. And he's Welsh.

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