Cardiff Castle played host to one of the summer’s most theatrical rock spectacles last night, as Hollywood Vampires and The Damned delivered a high-energy double bill packed with classic covers and plenty of crowd-pleasing showmanship.
Hollywood Vampires, the supergroup featuring Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and Johnny Depp, leaned hard into their identity as a band built on celebrating rock’s greatest hits. Their setlist read like a greatest hits tour through rock history, pulling from The Who, The Doors and Jeff Beck among others. It is the kind of lineup that gets a certain generation of music fan grinning from ear to ear, even if it does not exactly push any creative boundaries.
And that is sort of the point. Hollywood Vampires were never about reinventing the wheel. They exist to honour the rock legends who came before them, and on that front they delivered in style. The castle grounds gave the whole thing an almost surreal backdrop, ancient stone walls surrounding a crowd soaking up decades-old anthems played with genuine gusto.
Alice Cooper, as ever, was the magnetic centre of it all. Well into his seventies and showing no signs of slowing down, he commanded the stage with the kind of easy confidence that only comes from doing this for fifty-odd years. Joe Perry brought serious guitar firepower, and Depp, whatever you think of him off stage, held his own and seemed to be genuinely having a good time.
The covers kept coming thick and fast. Hearing those Doors and Who classics ring out across Cardiff city centre was a strange and brilliant experience, the kind of moment that reminds you why outdoor gigs in historic venues can be so special.
Opening the evening, The Damned brought a very different energy. The veteran punk outfit have been at it since the mid-seventies and they remain a force of nature live. Loud, chaotic and completely committed, they warmed the crowd up perfectly and got things moving long before the headline act appeared.
Frontman Dave Vanian cut a striking figure as always, all gothic drama and theatrical presence. The band tore through their set with real urgency, reminding anyone who needed reminding that punk is far from dead. Cardiff seemed to love every second of it.
The pairing of the two acts worked well. The Damned’s raw punk energy gave way to Hollywood Vampires’ more polished but still hard-rocking approach, and the crowd flowed naturally from one mood to the other.
Cardiff Castle continues to prove itself as one of the best live music venues in Wales. The combination of the historic setting and strong acoustics creates an atmosphere that is genuinely hard to beat, and last night was another reminder of why so many big acts are choosing it as a tour stop.
For those who caught the show, it was a proper summer night out. Plenty of familiar songs, big performances and a crowd that was clearly delighted to be there. Not every gig needs to be groundbreaking. Sometimes a celebration of great rock music, played loud and with obvious joy, is exactly what you need.