Titchfest Rocks
The Rock Scene with Trudi Goldsmith.
First published in Llanelli & Carmarthenshire Herald Oct 16)
On Saturday 1st October Carmarthen venue ‘ The Laser Station’ was packed to the brim with people who all turned out for a night of live music in honour and celebration of Mark ‘Titch’ Thomas who suddenly passed away earlier this year.
This was the first time I had visited the Laser Station and I was unsure what to expect. On arriving at the venue I could see the place was likely to be busy due to the queue of people outside waiting to go in. I was not wrong and inside the venue was packed! After squeezing my way to the bar I was able to make it through the bottle neck of people to the front of the stage where the first act of the night, Kevin Davies, was already in full swing. In a one man show, Kevin sung and played his 12 string acoustic guitar warming up the crowd nicely, performing songs such as Metallica’s ‘Nothing Else Matters’.
The gig was awash with people wearing Titchfest T-shirts and over at The merch stand you could purchase your own Titchfest T- shirt, bag, Keyring and wrist band as a lasting memory to Titch. I was even lucky enough to get a CD which contained some of Titch’s top tunes with Tracks including Metallica, Motorhead, ACDC, Black Sabbath, Van Halen and Aerosmith. Setting the scene between live performances and spinning some of Titch’s favourite tunes off the CD was Marc Snell.
The second live act of the night was the ‘very super’ three piece band ‘Idiotbox’. I have not seen these guys live in some two years and they were on fire, cracking out their original alternative punk rock, grungy tunes with intricate guitar lines and hard hitting melodies. Even a guitar malfunction mid set, did not stop these guys for long thanks to Marc From The Frights who loaned Idiotbox guitarist/vocalist Matt his guitar for the finale of their set.
Hot on the heels of Idiotbox were ‘The Frights’. This was the third time in the past fortnight that I have seen them play live and much like their previous gigs, The Frights hugely impressed. Stand out songs for me in their 30 minute slot include opener Vampire Love, the haunting Unfortunate Son and set closer Bullet. My personal favourite, the blistering Rocket Surgery, with its intensely catchy guitar riff, remains etched in my mind even three days later as I’m writing this column. Surf punkers The Frights are one of the most original bands on the South / West Wales scene today!!
Next to hit the stage was The Martin Arundell Duo who were joined by John Morgans on drums who got the crowd dancing to some good ol’ rock n roll music which included an upbeat and lifting cover of the track ‘I Wanna Be Like You.’
Ending the night David Herbert playing an acoustic set joined by various people on stage for some tracks including John Morgans on drums and Matthew on vocals. Sadly I didn’t get to see the final set as my transport home did not allow it but nevertheIess I could see from all the photos and videos shared on social media that the guys closed Titchfest with a huge bang.
The night was a huge success with in excess of £1100 raised on the night, through door and merchandise sales and via the Just giving page. Monies will be used to support Titch’s family with the purchase of a gravestone in his memory. Rest in Peace Titch.
For me it was a memorable night filled with both familiar and the not so familiar faces. The atmosphere whilst very emotional was one of celebration and a testament to the many people whose lives Titch touched over space of his short life.
