8ft2 are like a fish out of water at the Tiv tonight. I miss the very start of their set due to the M56 being slower than a slow thing, and arrive just in time to catch them finishing off a version of Taylor Swift’s ‘Never Ever’. OK, I wasn’t expecting that. Turns out that their own material is a sort of summery jangly indie pop fused with some lightweight bursts of rock. I quite like it, but the rest of the crowd seem to be a little nonplussed and the applause is enthusiastic if a little puzzled. They try a bit harder by chucking a cover of ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’ towards the end of the set, but it seems to be a little flat, it feels like they are stepping outside their comfort zone. I actually preferred their own stuff, I’m just not sure this was the right audience for it.

Continuing the piscine references, tonight’s second support Wasted Fate are a different kettle of fish altogether. They are a bonafide rock band playing their own original songs. The songs are catchy and well crafted and I really enjoy the music but…. Deep breath. I don’t like the singer’s voice. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it, it’s just one of those personal taste things, I think. At first, I think it’s because the sound is a little muddy for the first couple of songs but no, that clears up quickly and I find myself still not enjoying it. Don’t get me wrong, this is a competent band and the rest of the crowd are loving them, it’s obviously just me. Standout tracks are opener ‘Wishing Well’ and closer ‘The Quest’, and there’s a nifty cover of Kiss’s ‘Cold Gin’ sneaked in there too which is done well. Or would be except for…. Ah. It’s me, it’s definitely me. Wasted Fate have just released an EP which you can purchase directly from them via their Facebook page, so I recommend you do that and make your own mind up.

I first encountered tonight’s headliners, Those Damn Crows, about 2½ years ago when they supported fellow Welshmen The Texas Flood at the latter’s album launch party. I thought then that they were a great band with some cracking songs and over the course of time since it’s been a pleasure to watch them grow in confidence and reputation. So now here we are at their own headline show, how great for them!

Tonight’s set is a mixture of their older material taken from last year’s “Murder And The Motive” album along with a handful of new tracks that will feature on “Point Of No Return”, their upcoming album due for release in Feb 2020. They actually start the set with two new songs, ‘Who Did It’ and “Longtime Dead”, which is quite a brave move. Both are punchy classic rock, very catchy and easy to jump around to. I should perhaps also mention here that the crowd tonight is pretty phenomenal. I come to gigs here at the Tivoli on a regular basis and I can honestly say that this is the biggest crowd I’ve seen here since Skid Row played a few years back. It’s not sold out, and there is room at the back, but it’s really great to see so many people turning out to support a band who are riding the crest of the current wave of new British rock.

They show that they are a band of the people during the next song ‘Behind These Walls’, a song off the current album that the crowd know, love and sing back to them. It’s a modern classic and the whole room is jumping now. ‘Don’t Give A Damn’, ‘Seven Days’ and ‘Fear Of The Broken’ follow, the latter allowing the band to really rock out. They somehow manage to do this without losing any of the powerful emotion or the melody though, which is some feat. I also like that they bring what I call ‘pose-boxes’ with them, just small metal-framed boxes at the front of the stage that they can stand on so that even the shortest of arses (yes, me!) can see them clearly. ‘Someone Someday’ is another slice of clapalong rock that somehow manages to sound both classic and modern at the same time. They chuck in a few bars of ‘Pinball Wizard’ at the bridge and a touch of “Live And Let Die” at the end and the crowd is now in the palm of their hands.

It's definitely the right time for something special to happen, and indeed something special does. Singer Shane sits down at a piano to sing ‘Blink Of An Eye’ accompanied only by his own playing. Well apart from Doris the Dragon, who invaded the stage a little while ago and has now settled herself on the piano to watch. It’s beautifully done, and then gets even better when the rest of the band come back in to finish the song off. A real high point of the set, a definite shivers-down-the-spine moment.

It’s back to the hard and fast rock with ‘The Fighter’ which is punchier than Rocky and catchier than Ian Botham. This band’s songs are so well put together, it amazes me every time I see them. ‘Breakaway’ is next, another huge crowd favourite with its singalong chorus.

There’s a big drum roll intro to the main set closer, the anthemic ‘Rock & Roll Ain’t Dead’. It’s another slice of perfect, accessible rock, and sums up this band perfectly. With bands like Those Damn Crows around, rock and roll is very much alive and kicking, even on a rainy Friday in Wales. They come back on to finish with the just-released ‘Set In Stone’, another piece of pure class that has overtones of the Foo Fighters, only kind of, well, better. Even the Grumpy Husband was impressed, and said that he thinks Those Damn Crows “are the next Black Star Riders”. Well I don’t know about that, but I’m pretty sure this band is going places and I’m looking forward to tagging along for the ride with them.