Traams, Live at Clwb Ifor Bach Cardiff
8 Nov 2015
Post punk rockers Traams from Chichester recently played Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff on their latest tour of the UK. The band take the stage after an energetic set by openers Vulgarians who get the crowd enthusiastic for the band. The atmosphere in the room is extremely intimate, there isn’t really a raised stage in the room and there is no barrier between the crowd and the band. The show although not sold out, really seemed as though it was. There were plenty of people in the room that was near full trying their best to huddle towards the front to see the band. Traams start their set off with the first song off their 2015 album Modern Dancing titled ‘Costner’ which is an upbeat and catchy number that instantly has everyone bopping their heads along to the rhythmic beat of the melody. The crowd don't hold back shouting the lyrics especially the word ‘stop’ every time it comes around in the song. This excitement continues as the band ease straight into AnB with the transition being as smooth as it is on their album. Even though the band are known for having fast paced tracks even during the slightly chilled out numbers such as ‘Sister’ the crowd are overjoyed and seize every second of the song available to frantically dance around. Traams are incredibly interactive with the crowd and as one of the fans shouts play ‘House On Fire’ their latest single, the band oblige and launch straight into the track to the delight of the crowd. Throughout the evening, the band play an incredibly well rehearsed and well polished set. It is quite impossible to fault the band on their live performance at all. From the excellent guitar work, to Stuart Hopkins' clear and passionate vocals and the lively drums it is clear the band have managed to form a strong sense of synergy between each musical element that allows the band to sound as good as they do. When the set drew to a near end it was quite telling that the band were not going to do an encore. This was probably due to the fact that with a small venue it would have made little logistical sense to do one. However, their sheer excellence throughout the night made it understandable that members of the audience wanted them to do an encore or even just stay on stage a while longer.
