Live

Donde Stars

My-yen Tang 10/08/2006

Call me cynical, but I am always a little dubious upon checking out the local talent. There are already so many brilliant bands out there - can our little local bands really outshine the rest? Luckily, the answer is yes. Already spouting some of the best bands, The Donde Stars are the next best thing to come out of Wales. I may be a little biased having seen many of the gigs this band have performed, but after you have seen them once you will want to catch them again.

First act on stage at the Virgin Mobile Louder event at Cardiff Barfly; Luke Williams, Mathew Acreman and Michael Thompson make up the talent that is The Donde Stars from small town Tonypandy in the Rhondda Valley who well and truly kicked the night off in style.

Opening their set with the faint sound of the guitar accompanied by Luke's vocals on new track "All the Years Gone By"; you could sense that the crowd here to see them tonight were in for a spectacular treat. "America" followed suit demonstrating Luke's vocal ability to capture the audience's attention and hold it there despite anything else that may be occurring in the room! Bearing in mind not many artists have been able to captivate so many people with astounding vocals before, but combine that with a smooth bassline, exhilarating guitars and an outstanding drummer and you're onto a winner.

The set list comprised of a variety of high energy up tempo delights shifting to breathtaking slower numbers.Amongst the old favourites, The Donde Stars made room in their set for some new ones including "It's Easy to Say" and "Falling off my Feet", which went down well with the band's thirsty crowd. There was still love for the oldies however. "Nosedive", with its slow paced intro, steady bassline and gentle guitar sent shivers down the spine whilst also managing to get the crowd moving, when it kicked off to the heavy drum beats towards the middle of the song. The Welsh wonders then finished the set to a very grateful crowd with the anthemic "You Can Keep the Kids", which bursts at the seams with its rocking guitar riffs, Mat's rapturous bass bopping and Michael's vigorous drumming.

It is an absolute wonder that these 3 fine lads are yet to be signed; but there's no denying that it will only be a matter of time before they do. The Donde Stars - do Wales proud.