Live Review

ROD THOMAS – CARDIFF, CLWB IFOR BACH

• 6th Feb 2008

Hot Rod

Why have a band when you can do it all yourself?

Resplendent in a stylish Fish and a Walrus sweatshirt, the coy charm and technical wizardry of local boy Rhodri Thomas captivated the Tuesday night crowd – a lesson to us all that an isolated upbringing in the Welsh Valley’s can be productive.

Cleverly playing and looping, looping and playing he created a complex wickerwork of sound. Amazing to watch live as recorded your left to assume that he simply has a band hidden somewhere behind him. Despite this making him sound a bit abstract the sound he produces is actually an accessibly sweet blend of infectious indie pop.

‘Your Love is a Tease’ (despite porn connotations – an issue he addressed in the song introduction when instructing how to find it on YouTube) shows the effectiveness of his layering to great effect. Others such as ‘Good Coat’ display his observational lyrical ability and affable appeal.

The only criticism I would have would be that his equipment let him down, had he had the loop pedal of Andrew Bird or Final Fantasy the quality of live looping would have been improved. But as things seem to be on the up it may not be long before he is compared on the same terms and using the same equipment.

Conjuring images of long gone summer days where you can dance in the sun clapping your hands like a fool – these days may never have existed but here tonight I believed they had.