LIVE FROM THE PIT: Mother Vulture, Revenant and Rainyday Rainbow

Cardiff got another dose of chaos and colour when Mother Vulture headlined Clwb Ifor Bach, supported by two local bands who each brought their own character to the night. The room was roughly half full, maybe a little more once people settled in, but it didn’t take long for the atmosphere to warm up.

Rainyday Rainbow opened the evening with a bright, psychedelic-leaning set that instantly added colour to the room. Their sound shifts between dreamy grooves and more upbeat, playful moments, and their laid-back stage presence made it easy for the crowd to settle into the night. One of the standout surprises came near the end of their set, when they brought out what looked like a hardpoint saw and played it as an instrument. The metallic tone it produced cut through the mix in a really unexpected way, giving the song a strange, almost otherworldly edge. It caught the room off guard in the best way and left people smiling.

Second on were Revenant, who steered things into heavier territory. Their set leaned into thick riffs, gritty vocals and a strong alt-rock/grunge backbone. They had a noticeable pocket of fans in the room who reacted straight away, and that energy quickly spread across the floor. Revenant play with a confidence that feels grounded and unpretentious - no theatrics, just solid musicianship and a clear sense of identity. They were the perfect bridge between the warm haze of Rainyday Rainbow and the full-tilt chaos waiting to take over.

By the time Mother Vulture hit the stage, the mood in the room had shifted - people were ready for something a bit unhinged, and the band didn’t make them wait. Their frontman barely stayed still, pacing and prowling across the stage, leaning out toward the crowd and throwing himself into every moment. He didn’t need any big dramatic gestures; the constant, twitchy energy alone was enough to keep the whole room hooked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDDdb6VrP1UEE&v=Ddb6VrP1UEE

With no barrier at Clwb, everything felt more immediate. He spent a lot of time at the very edge of the stage, locking eyes, shouting lines directly toward the front row and dissolving the space between performer and audience. It felt raw, direct and unmistakably like a Mother Vulture show.

The rest of the band matched that intensity. Guitars swung low, bodies moved with force, and the drummer hammered through the set with a precision that held the chaos together. Musically it was sharp, loud and relentless. Even people who looked unfamiliar with the band at first were fully drawn in by the middle of the set - heads nodding, bodies moving, and that shared grin you see when a crowd realises they’re witnessing something fun and slightly unhinged.

What made the night stand out was how human it felt. No massive crowd, no pressure, no sense of pretense - just three bands giving everything they had because they clearly wanted to be there. Smaller shows like this have their own charm: you can see expressions, hear people react between songs, feel the room shift when a big moment lands. This one had all of that.

By the end of the night, people walked out buzzing - some laughing about the saw moment, others still processing the finale, and a few wearing the classic “I didn’t expect that, but I loved it” look.

Words and Photos: Klaudia Skalska