“Unit 31” I sceptically tell our taxi driver as we hurtle towards an evening with a difference.
It’s always exhilarating to be out of my gigging comfort zone in Cardiff, so walking into the TV studios in an industrial estate in Cardiff and being told to “go crazy” with some face paint was just the start of it.
War paint on, sweet cider bought and Metabeats playing from the ones and twos - the vibe was certainly a happy one in the makeshift club.
The dark steel set before us was intriguingly covered in an ultraviolet web of colour.
A comedian challenges our minds and there are smiles all around as the anticipation mounts.
Sadly the illusion is shattered for a moment, with an obligatory health and safety announcement from a television crew member (yes, you’ll be able to see the show on BBC Wales soon!). And then we begin.
Charlotte Church dons face paint for her new EP launch. Image by Lorna Newman.
Charlotte Church has lived her whole life in the public eye - a figure of interest from an early age, a tabloid obsession, a wild child, and more recently a straight-talking political figure with the Leveson Enquiry and the BBC 6 Music Peel Lecture in 2013.
It’s hard to fathom how she has an ounce of normality left in her after everything she’s seen and done at such a young age, but the humanity and humility is heart-warming.
I say normality…it’s like we’ve stepped onto the set of a Mighty Boosh movie only with better songs.
Her musical inventions and creations over the last few years have also been a fascinating journey to follow.
Charlotte Church wows the crowd at her recent EP launch gig. Image by Lorna Newman.
She made the brave and bold step of breaking away from her pop past, and embraced avant-garde, jazz, electronica, prog, indie with wild musical patterns, movements and styles - often within the same song.
EP One was launched in 2012 and here in 2014 we are seeing a more concise, fun, upbeat EP in the Fourth one, with an all-out show to launch it to the world. I feel like we’ve come a long way.
Entanglement, the physics phenomenon of quantum entanglement - is the lead track on this EP and we hear snapshots of the theory throughout the gig.
At pleb level, both musically and thematically it works too. The ultraviolet rays and darkness totally draw us nearer to the pulsating band.
They are a phenomenal live band - a powerhouse of enjoyment with two drummers, two guitarists and a man doing a whole lot of wizardry from behind a desk.
Ultraviolet rays and darkness drew the crowds. Image by Lorna Newman.
Charlotte’s musicality and timing is flawless. She loops her voice and uses it as the most powerful and flexible of instruments. She’s captivating to watch from start to finish and she’s got some amazing dance moves.
I enthuse with my gigging neighbour about certain tracks; Love Alone is out-and-out Prince, with just pure disco joy, while Nerve could easily be a former Bjork hit.
Like a Fool is Madonna doing gospel and How Not to Be Surprised When You're a Ghost is a quieter but mesmerizing song.
I absolutely love the tracks I’ve singled out and still growing to know and love the rest of the set.
We get a healthy encore for double TV takes and head off into the industrial night to party on – face paint and all.
BBC Wales News: Charlotte Church plans to study for a degree in physics
