(((O))) Live: Litovsk • Krondstadt • Deadlines – Undertone, Cardiff

Cardiff’s Undertone is an extremely cold and dimly lit underground venue, so dark that the barman struggled to count my change. Tonight it was the setting for one of the most surprising gigs the Welsh capital will see this year. Whilst 7,000+ people shuffled into the Motorpoint Arena to watch Stereophonics, a group of 40–50 were heading beneath the surface to enjoy touring French punk bands Litovsk and Krondstadt.

Local gritty pop-punk band Deadlines (who were ironically late on stage) warmed up the audience with a strong half-hour set of mostly new material; they are releasing an album in May. Their music finds a dynamic balance between pure energy and attractive melodic histrionics – it left me looking forward to the record.

Fans of Eagulls will enjoy Litovsk’s take on post punk. Surprisingly, they had two tag-team singers who swapped out every couple of songs – a bleached-blonde high-voiced man who sung in English, and a taller guy with a beefier range, singing in French. It was fascinating to hear how they completely rebalanced the rest of the band with their differing takes, either cutting through the sound or bolstering it. They were keen to  give us a flavour of their life throughout the set with lines like “this is a song called ‘We Do Not Belong Here’ – it’s about a place we hate called France”, or “this is a song about hanging around town, graffiting”. Co-headliners Krondstadt were singing along, dancing passionately and gesticulating with their hands throughout the more anthemic songs.

Even during Krondstadt’s sound check the machine like qualities of their drummer were on full display. He had thick arms purpose built for hitting things with sticks. They shared gear with Litovsk, but their set was brighter with higher, clattering frequencies. They introduced their songs in a similar fashion: “this is a song about the incredible rhythm of capitalism”; “this is a song about our friends the immigrants – not bombs!” They do not yet have any music available for public consumption, or even a Facebook page.

During Krondstadt’s set, an old man in a blue puffer jacket appeared in my peripheral vision. My initial instincts told me to stop him from approaching the stage but I got the feeling he might be on tour with the bands (I was wrong). He enthusiastically went to grab a mic stand before falling onto the stage sending beer flying  over the guitarist’s shoes and pedals. The band began pulling the most sarcastically French expressions I’d ever seen. The drummer was a shrugging caricature, the singer had his lips raised and pursed in a way never before been seen this side of the channel. The old Welsh man was lying in a puddle at the feet of Krondstadt for what felt like an eternity. Event promoters Slush Puppy Presents had difficulty herding him out of the building (apparently he had been causing trouble in the pub next door and intimidating a homeless person outside the venue). This scene was almost captured by a photographer at the side of the stage but he was too amused to act in time. The band got stuck straight back into the action undistracted, closing the set with some excellent bangers.

I thanked the bands for coming to Cardiff before making my way home. Slush Puppy had managed to sell a pleasing amount of merch over the course of the evening, reminding me how lovingly their events have been embraced by Cardiff music fans since their inception in 2016. They do not always support bands with names you recognise, but their consistently good taste keeps people coming back. Their long tees had narrowly missed a woman’s gin and tonic spilling over them, which pretty much encapsulated the feel of the whole night.