A CMAT headline show in Cardiff was a long time coming. So when Ciara and her sexy CMAT band finally arrived, they carried the energy of a group who’d been counting down the days. After postponing the original date due to a dental emergency, the return felt like a cathartic release. “We loves you, we do,” she told the crowd, and the room didn’t hesitate to echo it back

Making her entrance on someone’s shoulders from the back of the hall - not surprising in the slightest - she crashed into “Janis Joplining” and “The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station,”, a riotous double opening that set the tone for an evening of high kicks, line dances, birthday serenades, and the kind of physical comedy only she can fold seamlessly between songs about heartbreak. By the time she hit “I Don’t Really Care for You” and “2 Wrecked 2 Care,” the crowd, decked out in boots, tinsel, and neon cowboy hats had fully stepped into her world: part cabaret, part panto, yet full of heart.

Outfits aside, a sign in the audience steered the night even further off-script. A placard with a handmade plea for “Coronation St,” caught CMAT’s eye, and the band switched gears instantly. “We’re going to change the set for you,” she announced, slotting the track into the running order with a grin. Performed with a loose, improvisational thrill, it became an unexpected highlight, especially with it being my favourite track from the recently released album, Euro-Country. 

“California” and “When a Good Man Cries” followed, two songs that pushed the room into softer focus. Their raw honesty landed with particular weight live, carried by Ciara’s unguarded delivery and a band that knows exactly when to lean in.

Her crowd work remained brilliantly loose. The segues seamless. At one point she apologised, unconvincingly, to anyone expecting fresh between-song banter after her much-loved Green Man set. “It’s the same, I’m sorry!” she quipped, though anyone holding out hope for another impromptu Catatonia cover was out of luck.

As the set deepened, CMAT balanced humour with sincerity, shifting between glittering pop and bruised confessionals. The emotion never felt forced, even when she stretched songs until they trembled slightly at the edges. And as she pushed towards the finale with “Iceberg” and “Running/Planning,” the room was already primed for an encore. 

Returning for three songs, the momentum kept steady, beginning with a confident run through of “EURO-COUNTRY” before closing on the communal warmth of “Stay for Something”, Ciara briefly swallowed by a friendly mosh pit at centre stage. 

Even with the curfew looming, CMAT stretched the moment with the ease of a performer completely at home, joking that she could stay all night doing Shirley Bassey covers - a threat the crowd seemed more than willing to test. 

If there was any doubt, tonight confirmed it: the “C” in CMAT stood firmly for Cymru 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 A Celtic love-in, and a long overdue one at that.

CMAT Played:
Janis Joplining 
The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station 
I Don’t Really Care for You 
2 Wrecked 2 Care 
Coronation St. (Audience request) 
California 
When a Good Man Cries 
Tree Six Foive 
Have Fun! 
Take a Sexy Picture of Me 
Iceberg 
Where Are Your Kids Tonight? 
Running/Planning 

Encore: 
EURO-COUNTRY 
I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby! 
Stay for Something

*****