Buddy Holly in Cardiff

Here’s a review from March, 1958, of Buddy Holly and the Crickets at the Capitol Theatre, Cardiff. It was the penultimate gig of their one and only UK tour. The short write-up is taken from a defunct newspaper of the time the Cardiff and Suburban News. They also gave an amusing monosyllabic interview to the South Wales Echo, completely confounding the journalist with their Texan accents. They may as well have come from Outer Space. Holly died tragically in a plane crash a year later – band members Jerry Allison and Joe Maudin were amongst his pallbearers.

HOLLY AND THE CRICKETS GIVE US LOUDEST ROCK SHOW YET!

If rowdyism, drive and down-to earth abandon are the ingredients necessary for success in the rock’n’roll field, then Buddy Holly and The Crickets are all set for a long and eventful run of popularity! They rocked their way through a tremendous, belting 25-minute act without letting up for one moment at the Capitol Theatre on Monday, and the audience shared their approval in no uncertain terms. Much of the trio’s success can be attributed to the fact that their “in person” sound is almost identical to the sound they produce on record. They generate a brand of contagious excitement that is irresistible. On Monday, they completely overpowered the 13-piece Ronnie Keene Orchestra in relation to the volume of sound produced and, at times, I felt that leader Holly’s guitar was badly over-amplified. Drummer Jerry Allison attacks his kit with murderous intent, but bassist Joe Maudin remains relatively calm, and looks rather miserable most of the time! But how these 3 boys manage to make such a big, big sound with their limited instrumentation still baffles me!