Cardinal Black

About

They say that good things come to those who wait. A little over two years after their launch, you could say that Cardinal Black are testament to the power of patience, thought and persistence.

A debut iTunes #1 single and E.P.; a first gig to a hometown capacity crowd at Cardiff Castle; back-to-back sold out Academy tours with Myles Kennedy, then The Struts; a standing ovation at a Sold Out Royal Albert Hall supporting Peter Frampton; a live set recording in the Beatles’ legendary Studio Two at Abbey Road in London and a debut album that, within 24 hours of its release, had toppled both Taylor Swift and the Beatles from the top of Amazon UK’s album chart. An eventful first 2 years for any band. It takes years, so the saying goes, to become an overnight success...

Rewind to 2010 and the Welsh-born trio of Tom Hollister, Chris Buck and Adam Roberts were riding a wave of hype, hotly-tipped by some of the biggest names in rock - most notably Steve Winwood who invited the band to record at his storied Wincraft Studios. A triumphant live set at Sonisphere was followed by a flight across the Atlantic to begin work on their first record, with veteran manager Alan Niven (Guns N’ Roses) at the helm. The lure of the U.S. proved irresistible to the nascent trio but, as is often the case, expectation rarely mirrors reality and the band struggled to adapt to the new country, culminating in singer Tom Hollister unexpectedly calling time on the band before returning to the U.K.

“We tried to do the acrimonious split; creative differences and all that. We then quickly realised we were fairly reliant on one another,” says Buck.

In the decade that followed, the lifelong friends cut their own individual paths whilst remaining close. Most notable has been the well-earned rise of guitarist Chris Buck, named in 2019 as ‘Best New Guitarist in the World’, who has forged a reputation as one of the most inventive and recognisable guitar players in music; winning plaudits from peers and the industry’s most iconic players alike. Drummer Adam Roberts found work as a first-call session player, whilst vocalist Tom Hollister moved into tour management - the three maintaining their musical connection by sporadically meeting up to perform together.

It was just a matter of time then, before they were ready to make new music again. The writing and recording of new material began in 2020, under the name Cardinal Black, bolstered by the arrival of bassist Sam Williams. Fast forward to 2023 and the band embarked on an extensive European headline tour, culminating in an Americana Music Awards (UK) nomination for Artist of the Year.

They may have taken the scenic route but Cardinal Black are finally here, and they've got plenty of stories to tell...