Ghosts as Alibis & Led by Lions at the Masons 1/4/16

Friday night saw the first visit of Led by Lions to Llanelli. This five piece band from Cardiff play hard rock ranging from some quite heavy tunes to more melodic songs. This contrast of styles was complimented by having a vocalist who could vary his technique to suit the mood of the song and by having a backing vocalist on guitar when screaming, rather than singing, was the order of the day. Despite the energetic performance and the busyness of the lyrics, singer, Scott, managed to get through the songs without ever losing breath, although he did look knackered by the end of the set. It always helps to enjoy a gig when a band has a good sense of humour and when the band opened their set with the Cantina Band from Star Wars, I could tell that they were going to be a lot of fun.

Returning to the Masons to headline the night were Ghosts as Alibis. These have always been a popular band at the venue and I was looking forward to hearing what the boys had in store tonight. I could tell that they were up for this gig when their guitarist, Ben, made the rest of the band drink a round of shots before going on stage and when he proceeded to throw himself about the stage. Last time the band performed in town, I picked up their CD, Where the desert meets the mountain, and they opened with Wolves, one of my favourite tracks from it. The band also performed tracks from their forthcoming CD which is also sure to be a treat when it comes out, as well as The death of the boatman, another stand out track from the CD. I've always enjoyed the band and they were on top form tonight. This was yet another Cardiff band to declare the Masons as their favourite venue so I'm sure we'll get to see them back soon.