The indie-punk four-piece have already played at the Cardiff City stadium
ONE of the first questions young bands get asked is where they got ther name but in the case of Roath Bambas it needs little explantion.
The quartet’s name comes partly from where the band lived, and partly from Sol Bamba, the inspirational former captain of Cardiff City Football Club, who died from cancer, aged 39, in August.
.“At a game Sol Bamba scored and ran right up to our ex-drummer’s face, celebrating,” said lead singer Alex Holmes, 27.
“He just loved Sol, and we all know how important he was to the city.”
When Sol Bamba died, the band posted an emotional tribute to their hero: “Without him, there would be no Roath Bambas —a name we chose to honour the incredible impact he had on so many. Sol was the heart of Cardiff City’s surge to the Premier League, and his influence will forever be a part of our journey.”
The band has since switched drummers and now have Callum Picton on skins, but they had been called Roath Bambas since 2019. It was originally the name of the friends’ group chat when they lived together in a student house on Angus Street.
“Me and Steffan (Phillips, guitar) lived together, with our drummer at the time, and Niall (Jones, bass) was working at the Royal George pub down the road and knew a mate of ours,” said Holmes.
The band’s Cardiff City connection has seen them play a gig at the club’s stadium – on the concourse stage where fans enjoy ‘refreshments’ before game.
“When we performed at the stadium no one really knew who we were, but people seemed to enjoy it,” said Holmes.
“There was a drunk old guy just headbanging right up against the barriers which was pretty funny.”
The band has played at Cardiff venues such as The Moon and Fuel Rock Club but they’re now setting bigger targets further afield.
Guitarist Steffan Phillips, 26, said: “Festivals would be a dream, we’ve got a list of Cardiff venues we also want to tick off, like Welsh Club in town. The Globe is just round the corner from where we were formed so is obviously near the top.”
The band all work full time, Steffan as an engineer, the others in a movie prop-making company, and they need the financial stability to allow them to make music.
“It can get expensive, once you forked out for recording studios and playing at venues and you look at your bank account at the end of the gig it can be a bit depressing,” said Steffan.
Alex said: “You have to see it as an investment. We can’t stop now; the dream is to make it big! Hopefully it’ll all be worth it in the end.
“Anyone coming (to see us) can expect a lot of energy, cool riffs and definitely some mosh-pits.”
- The band’s next gig is on February 15 at The Beehive in Bow, London.
