May 16, 2026

ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE @ RHYL LATE LOUNGE

[by steve rastin]

I’ve avoided saying this for a while as one swallow doesn’t make a summer, as the old saying goes, but something potentially very special is percolating on the North Wales coast.

The scene in the region was going through a barren period even before lockdown delivered its hammer blow and the years since have seen very few interesting young bands forming and playing their own material.

I first realised that things might be changing when I attended, of all things, an all-day battle of the bands at the Queens Market when several encouragingly young combos showed up among the ranks of by-the-numbers covers bands and bewigged tribute acts.

On that day the likes of Glass Angels, Alabaster, Endura and Chariot – soon to be rechristened Anyway Champion – all laid down their markers, as did two of the bands who featured on tonight’s bill at the Late Lounge.

First up however were Roadside Assistance who made the trip up from Wrexham and who seemed pleasantly dazed by the size of the audience and the readiness with which the locals embraced them.

Of course it helps when you’ve got the coolest pedal board ever – a repurposed skateboard no less – but Roadass (as they term themselves on their social media tags) are in no need of gimmicks to make their mark.

A tight rhythm section acts as the bedrock for two guitarists who use subtlety and nuance as much as power, all of it topped off by a singer whose vocal style can best be described as Bolanesque.

Unreservedly recommended.

Next up are Red Wharf, a ridiculously young quintet based in Anglesey (hence the name), though the singer spoils that illusion somewhat by daring to come from Deganwy.

Three guitarists, which immediately had me thinking of the legendary Jive’s Room, a manic drummer who could be the love child of Clem Burke and Animal from The Muppets and a band with enough collective energy to power a medium-sized city and the kind of self-confidence and belief that only the young can possess in these quantities.

There was a smattering of covers in the set from the likes of DC Fontaines, but the real revelation was when they tackled Acquiesce and launched an iconoclastic 90 seconds intro that ripped a new one into that Gallagher brothers chestnut in which you could have rammed the whole 115 charges faced by their beloved MCFC – absolutely thrilling stuff.

And so to the headliners Catriona.

The last band to pull a crowd of this size into the Late Lounge were Electric Sheep and in the absence of any activity in that band’s camp – drummer issues seem to be the problem – Catriona are perfectly positioned to fill the void.

Walking onto the stage to the strains of Kasabian’s Klub Foot, the band have a swagger about them that is very similar to the Sheep and they duly deliver a set of mostly original material that is a perfect blend of power and melody.

They’ve got balls too – anyone willing to choose I Am The Resurrection as one of the few covers in their set is potentially setting themselves up for a critical kicking, but they pull it off with an insouciant aplomb that underlines that they know how good they are and are enjoying it.

They’re called back for an encore, not by the odd hesitant shout but by a full-throated roar from the audience and it is the very least that they deserved.

The key now is for promoters to help this wave of new bands springing up in the region to coalesce into a definable, mutually supporting, cohesive scene, something that has been largely missing since the days of the Bar Blu/ Dudley Arms/ Speakers Corner triumvirate.

The talent is there and the audience is there so organisation is now a must – watch this space!!!!