Gridiron, doping and sporting redemption

Jason Livingston went from the Olympics to a Welsh American Football team via Cardiff City

BRITISH American Football has agreed an anti-doping code – which might seem strange for a sport that off the field has more in common with Sunday league than it does the NFL’s Monday Night Football – but it brings back memories of the game’s connection to one of British sport’s most infamous doping cases.

Jason Livingston # 44

In July 1992 the world’s best athletes had gathered in Barcelona for the Olympic Games but as the track and field events were due to begin promising British sprinter Jason Livingston was heading home in, as these things are always reported, “disgrace”.

De La Soul @ Newport Centre

“Most crews are post-current while we’re forever”

“We go by the name of De La Soul and we’ve been doing this for quite some time,” explains Dave, aka Trugoy, unnecessarily as everyone in the Newport Centre appears familiar with the Long Island trio and their contribution to hip hop.

Dave, aka Trugoy, of De La Soul

2016 marks 20 years since De La released ‘Stakes Is High’ – their response to the ghetto fabulous state of hip hop at the time and considered a re-introduction from some of the game’s elder statesmen. “Man every word I say should be a hip hop quotable,” raps Pos during that title track – and the crowd do know every line.

Album of the Year: I Haven’t Been Nicking in Ages – Benji Webbe

A celebration of roots rock reggae

YOU probably don’t really like music if you’re unable to pick an album of the year – and if choosing your album of the year is easy then it’s likely you don’t listen to that much music.

But Benji Webbe’s ‘I Haven’t Been Nicking in Ages’ is easily the stand out album of 2015. It’s not often the frontman of a rock metal band releases a smooth as silk album of lovers rock and reggae.

Soul in motion: Blackstreet, Keith Sweat and Omar

THIS autumn saw two of the most influential figures of modern soul and rnb performing in South Wales.

Omar at the Globe in Cardiff

Teddy Riley and his reformed vocal group Blackstreet toured Europe with Keith Sweat, stopping in Newport in October, while British soul singer Omar’s latest UK tour included a Cardiff gig at the end of September.