Cardiff Castle was the venue for last night’s gig as Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan took thousands of people back to their childhood, celebrating more than two decades of hits. It was the first time I’ve seen a gig at the castle – and it seemed to be a focal point for the acts who all mentioned how amazing it was - and I was extremely pleased as it was one of the best shows that I’ve seen. Before we were taken back to our childhoods with the aforementioned acts, we first had one of Los Angeles’ newest talents in alternative artist Phem.
Phem had previously toured the UK with Avril and returned for this short run of dates to the delight of those who had previously seen her. Performing as a duo, Phem showed her diversity with a range of songs including my favourite American Beauty, Silly Putty and recently released single Donuts. The sound for her set was on point – something I have noticed has been an issue with a number of outdoor gigs but the engineers worked wonders last night – and Phem showed off her talents by taking to the drums for a cover of Teenage Dirtbag.
Next up, it was time to get the party started with Simple Plan. Having been a fan for 22 years, I was delighted that this would be my second time this year to see them, and it was unsurprisingly great fun. The Canadians wasted no time in ramping up the energy, coming on to the Main Theme from Star Wars and getting the crowd involved as they powered through some of their top hits including I’d Do Any.
