Rhondda Rocks

Rhondda Rocks 2009 A summer’s day, sunshine & a sponsored walk, well a sponsored walk with a slight difference! This is a warm up to next Saturday’s Snowdon Rocks 2 trek to the summit of Wales’ highest peak & Wales’ highest gig! Alarm front man Mike Peters is no stranger to walking for charity & no stranger to the effects the disease that he’s raising money for, leukaemia! The Love, Hope, Strength Foundation was set up by Mike & fellow sufferer James Chippendale soon after recovering from their illness to help those with leukaemia & cancer. Mike & a group of nearly 100 strong left the Dare Valley Country Park in Aberdare with their sights set firmly on the top of Darren Yr Bwllfa Mountain. When the happy troop reached the summit Mike & fellow Welsh musician Chris Summerhill, got out their guitar and mandolin and span off a few tunes. This acoustic gig was electrifying & what made it even more special was that it was set deep in the heart of Wales’ industrial past, the Valleys, the place Mike sang about in his 1989 hit ‘A New South Wales’. If the arduous walk wasn’t enough, it was just a lead up to an amazing live concert in the Coliseum in Aberdare. This was a rare event in this once centre of Welsh mining. The anticipation amongst those who attended was high & Mike & his friends were not going to let them down! The night started off with Mike Peters, now fully recovered from his walk that finished less that 2 hours before, singing with the Penrys Male Voice Choir. The choir then sang a set of three songs and thrilled the audience with their cover of Barry Manilow’s ‘I Write the Songs’, Following on from this were more top local Welsh musicians that have given their time and effort to helping Mike raise money for a very worth while cause, these artists include, 3G Community Choir, Daz Edwards and Dave Williams, Viva machine and Greg Roberts. After an small interval, with the audience excited and in very good spirits, on came Stuart Cable’s Band, Killing for Company and the place went nuts, I kid you not! Stuart is not just a local boy but also a local hero, after all he’s lived in the Aberdare area all his life. Such contrast in Welsh talent from a male voice choir to an out & out rock band & all for such a worthy cause. Could it get any better as Stuart & the boys were a seriously tough act to follow! Next up were Bridgend’s The Automatic. They bounced onto the stage larger than life and did 4 acoustic songs including their massive hit single what’s that coming over the hill, is it a monster? No it was Just Mike and his group of fund raisers raising money to help the massive fight against cancer. Last but by no means least Mike Peters returned to thrill the packed theatre with such hits as Rain in the Summertime (with Merthyr’s 3G children’s choir) 68 Guns and New South Wales to name but a few. How was he going to end this awesome evening, well that was something even Mike hadn’t thought of! So he went off stage & two minutes later came back with the rest of the artists that gave their all for cancer aid and ROCKED the coliseum with Bob Dylan’s infamous Knocking on Heaven’s Door , The whole place stood up and danced and clapped and they were in Heaven themselves!!!!!!! I can’t possibly start to put on paper how good being part of this eventful day really felt! I’m sure like Snowdon Rocks there will be a part 2 so why not come along & see for yourself & help take the fight against cancer to new heights. The Love, Hope, Strength Foundation do tremendous work and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took part by sponsoring, walking and attending both the walk & gig. Together we can make a difference! The monies raised from the day will stay in the local area and go towards the Tenovus mobile cancer unit. Review by Jay Buckley Photographs of both the walk & gig by Graham Harries – www.gphotography.org.uk