What's On in Cardiff

Blackbird Festival: Alter Bridge with special guests Skindred + more — Cardiff Castle transforms into one of the most atmospheric open-air rock venues on the planet as Alter Bridge headline the Blackbird Festival, with the inimitable Skindred — local heroes and genre-defying force of nature — among the special guests. This is a rare chance to catch world-class hard rock against a backdrop of Norman stone walls and summer sky, and with doors from 2:00pm there is a full afternoon of music to soak up. Check the website for tickets and, if you need it sorted in one go, there is also a handy hotel bundle option available.

Beverley Knight - Born To Perform Tour — One of Britain's most consistently electrifying live performers, Beverley Knight brings her Born To Perform Tour to Utilita Arena Cardiff at 6:30pm, and if her reputation is anything to go by, the roof may not survive the evening intact. Her voice is the kind that makes large arenas feel intimate, and this tour has been drawing rapturous responses night after night. Check the website for tickets — this one is not a night for deliberating.

Rachmaninov 2nd Piano Concerto by Candlelight — For something altogether more hushed and transcendent, Llandaff Cathedral hosts a candlelit performance of Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto at 7:30pm — one of the most emotionally overwhelming pieces ever written for piano and orchestra, performed in a medieval space that seems almost purpose-built for it. Tickets run from £20 to £45, and the combination of flickering candlelight, soaring acoustics, and that cascading first movement is the kind of thing people talk about for years. An absolute jewel of an evening.

Sam Newman: The Ultimate Bob Marley Tribute / CaribbeanAllStarz — Canton Rugby Club becomes the most joyful room in Cardiff at 6:00pm as Sam Newman and the CaribbeanAllStarz bring the spirit, the songs, and the sunshine of Bob Marley's catalogue to life in what promises to be a warm, inclusive, and wonderfully unpretentious evening. At just £12 this is the kind of neighbourhood gig that reminds you why live music matters, and the relaxed rugby club setting only adds to the good-time atmosphere.

KØR / Bumble / Exile Cardiff - Junkie kid , Skearney +More — Vaults Cardiff opens its doors at 10:00pm for a serious late-night club bill, with Junkie kid, Skearney and more bringing a heavy, meticulously curated electronic programme to one of the city's most respected underground spaces. Tickets are £15 to £22 and this is the kind of night that rewards commitment — go in with open ears and stay until the lights come up.

Euphoria presents: Erosion — Bar 105 in Cathays kicks off at 7:00pm with Euphoria's Erosion night, a brilliantly accessible entry point into Cardiff's club scene with tickets ranging from free to just £8. It is the sort of event that draws a lively, unpretentious crowd and captures exactly why this city's grassroots nightlife scene punches so far above its weight.