It’s a miserable Tuesday night in Cardiff, but two of my favorite things are about to come crashing together, just 10 minutes away from the city centre. Star Wars and heavy metal will merge this evening when Galactic Empire hit the stage.

First things first though. South Wales very own Epic Fail open to an already packed Globe. Heaviness and harmony in equal measure they seemingly hold aspirations to be a heavier version of Avenged Sevenfold. Some of their tracks are written for bigger stages than this, which hopefully they will reach, but more work will be needed. Next up is guitar virtuoso Sithu Aye. Accompanied by a powerhouse band, Sithu Aye’s prog-metal – At The Drive In meets Floyd, is greeted warmly by the Cardiff crowd. No vocals necessary here as Sithu’s words are played via his guitar. Mesmerizing stuff.

Striding onstage, wielding a lightsabre and flanked by an Imperial Guard, Stormtroopers and Boba Fett, Darth Vader has clearly been using his spare time well. Launching the band into the iconic Main Title from Star Wars, those hours waiting for the Death Star to be built, were not in vain. Clearly since the demise of his father, Boba Fett, channeled any anger he held into learning drums and obviously enrolled in the Dave Lombardo school of drumming. The fearsome Imperial Death March follows in all its majesty, while Vader dedicates Across the Stars to Padme and his “hatred of sand”. You’ve not heard the Cantina Song until you’ve heard it Galactic Empire style, complete with a huge breakdown. There’s time for Vader to  force choke Sithu Aye’s bass player before launching into Battle of the Heroes from Revenge of the Sith, before rounding the night off with Duel of the Fates. The band stick around for photos before a happy crowd leaves the Globe, after a genuinely fun evening for any Star Wars fan. To mis-quote Star Trek “It’s the Star Wars soundtrack, but not as we know it”…… Chris Andrews