We thirteen full stomachs speed out of the campsite on our bright white Charter Van Hire Chariot. We are late and I worry whether our speakers will wait. Will they even turn up? Many anxious questions flood in through my gaping mouth. Is Cerbyd done for before it has even begun? We put our foot down and are destined to find out.
We arrive and park outside National Museum of Wales and I’m off, legging it full pelt to the Owain Glyndwr leaving Briaan to mosey along with the Cerbyd artists. Having reached the Owain I am greeted by the cool breeze of reassurance as all our speakers have already arrived.
The alternative title for tonight’s entertainment will be artists like the funniest things (to what could be seen as an unhealthy, bordering on disturbing, level, if these people weren’t your friends). Of course I am hugely grateful to each of them for kicking off the Cerbyd experience. That line up again:
Gordon Dalton on the man of steel and scars Evel Knievel
Tom Porridge on spinning on your head and tagging walls
Richard Higlett on football’s equivalent to Jesus Christ, Jimmy Hill
Helene Roberts and Tiffany Oben on South Wales’ answer to New York, Newport.
Sean Edwards on rock and roll’s future, the boss, Bruce Springsteen
Not a disappointed human, let alone humanist, in sight. Thank god or Darwin or whoever. It was a great start to the tour with artists speaking openly, passionately and humorously about their chosen subjects.
I work tirelessly. At once acting as compere, cameraman and waiter making sure that our speakers are adequately refreshed. Briaan snaps the night away capturing all of the action. Despite my original concerns the evening went off well, making for a relaxed but focused beginning to the project. The ‘speed dating’ format allowed for the Cerbyd group to mingle and meet with enough direction to keep everything flowing along nicely.
Both Richard and Sean had responded to my call for mix tapes for our trip. Richard had created a quiz like double album. One side made up of day songs and the other of night songs but no titles. We have to guess them while on the journey!
Sean proudly presented the newly converted Springsteen fans with a mixtape of some of the Boss’s best. The unmistakable sound of Springsteen and the E street band fuelled us all the way back to our campsite in Llandow, sleepy but in my head I was punching the air along to ‘Born in the USA’. Cerbyd had started and so far, so good.
List of songs from Sean Edwards’ Springsteen album:
Side A
1) Thunder Road
2) Blinded by the light
3) Promised Land
4) Backstreets
5) Dancing in the Dark
6) 4th July, Aysbury Park (Sandy)
7) Open all night
8) Racing in the street
9) The River
Side B
1) Born in the USA
2) Hungry Heart
3) Lost in the Flood
4) Kingdom of the Days
5) Sinaloa Cowboys
6) Nebraska
7) Born to Run
8) Rosalita (Come out tonight)
9) Jungleland
Unfortunately a list of songs from Richard’s mystery album remain a mystery! Although I am still working on it…
