THE ACES - CARDIFF, UK.
The Aces at The Globe, Cardiff, UK (29/08/2023).
with support from Belot.
Images by: Megan Jenkins.
THE ACES
BELOT
Whenever a gig listing says ‘Cardiff’, chances are that you’ll be in the city center at one of the many clubs on offer. Just a five-minute car ride away from these options is The Globe, an otherwise unassuming venue that finds itself sandwiched between a pizza shop and a small Italian restaurant in the middle of a terraced street.
Support for the evening comes in the form of Belot, a songwriter from London. Accompanied by her band, she weaves tales of some of the most relatable situations that much of the audience can find themselves in. Her brand of pop is a unique blend of tongue-in-cheek humor, brutal honesty and vulnerability. Each and every song begins with an intricately weaved tale about its meaning, with the audience responding to each joke with screams and laughs, seemingly relating the stories to their own or their friends’ lives. They have managed to command what is already a massive crowd so early in the evening with this unique act and their funky pop music, the crowd finding energy in what is possibly one of the hottest rooms in South Wales to dance along.
The Aces have seemingly skyrocketed in popularity over the last year partially thanks to a little app named Tik Tok that has helped them expand their audience, but in large part to their new album, ‘I’ve Loved You for So Long’. The album is a blend of what makes the band great, with an immediate complexity that isn’t carried in their past releases. Having visited Cardiff last year in support of The Vamps, The Aces are no stranger to the city. But this is their headline show and they have nothing to prove in a room full of already adoring fans.
Bursting onto the stage with ‘Always Get This Way’ the group has managed to command the crowd before even saying a word, with the entire audience bopping along to the infectious beat. Even the most hesitant of companions among the crowd can be seen moving along, quite simply not able to avoid the inescapable groove. It’s an impeccable way to open their set, setting the tone immediately as one of pure joy. So many of the tracks that appear on their setlist this evening has a way of finding its way inside your head, even long after the gig has come and passed – it’s a feat that not many artists can master, yet The Aces do so incredibly.
There is a real sense of community and visibility among the crowd tonight. The Aces value representation in the industry, with a number of their tracks detailing what it's like to be queer. It’s something that has found them an incredibly dedicated audience, one that will dance along like nobody’s watching in a room that is so warm there is a thin veil of mist throughout. This notion is prevalent the second the distorted guitar at the beginning of ‘Suburban Blues’ echos throughout the room. The crowd erupts and is possibly the loudest they have been all night, especially near the end of the second verse. This energy is carried even further when lead singer Cristal Ramirez makes use of the stage and finds herself draped in various pride flags at numerous points during the evening. The entire night holds a sense of joy and freeness with an audience and band that are not afraid to be themselves, both spurred on by each other to create a welcoming and liberating environment.
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