Tickets are on sale for Guns 2 Roses‘ gig in Newport this week- Friday 29 April 2022- at The Neon. Cwmbran Life first interviewed Gavin in 2012 about life as the band’s frontman Axl Rose. This week I caught up with him again to find out what it feels like to be returning to Wales.
He said: “We actually returned in May 2021 albeit socially distanced events in the South East of England but we returned to full capacity and festivals in July 2021. To be back was great and to be able to put a smile and give people a good night out again after so long made it all worthwhile. After all that time away and hosting many YouTube or Zoom events it was fantastic to finally be able to perform again. In hindsight the time off gave us time to regroup, recharge and bring back the enthusiasm all over again.”
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The former Fairwater Comprehensive School pupil shared some fond memories of nights out in Newport: “Newport was always the town to be in on the weekend back in the day. No matter what music you were into there was something for everyone. Ritzys, Brooklyn Heights and of course the legendary TJ’s. Living in Cwmbran back then they were always the places to be of a weekend. Sadly since leaving South Wales 20 years ago I came to find over the years that all these places were no more. Guns 2 Roses came back to Newport in early 2020 for the first time in a decade to play a show at The Neon and it was great. I’m really looking forward to returning there as it is one of the best venues in South Wales.
“The Neon is a large hall / club with a large stage and lighting very similar to the band’s hometown shows in London like the O2 Academy. With no such venues existing in Cwmbran and with Newport being so close this is the next best thing for us to be able to do a grand scale show similar to the ones we host in London and Bristol.
“So this event we have also brought something for the Metallica and Motorhead fans with the legendary tribute bands Metallica Reloaded and Motorized joining us. So it’ll be 3 bands in one night along with us with the Guns N Roses show. This event will also take place on my birthday so we have invited many of my old friends from the Cwmbran, Newport and Cardiff areas. It will be a bit of a reunion inside a multi-bill rock concert.
“Cwmbran along with Newport has changed so much since I last lived there. I still have the vision in my head of how it looked before I left for London in 2002 but when I get to the town and surrounding areas I always find something new. I even recently found that someone else in the same town actually shares the same name as me. I mean in the whole of the world the only other person called Gavin Felvus just so happens to live in Cwmbran, what’s the odds on that? Ha ha. I don’t know if we are related and we’ve never met but as I said with Cwmbran I always find seem to find something new.
Book tickets for Guns 2 Roses in Newport
Tickets are now on sale via the gig’s website. Doors open at 6.30pm
