In "Music meets Football", we speak to some of our artists about their love of the beautiful game and the teams they support. Our latest feature is with Adam Roberts of Cardinal Black.
The Welsh-formed rock trio’s drummer is a lifelong fan of Premier League giants Manchester United. Having cemented themselves as live powerhouses, Cardinal Black – Roberts, vocalist Tom Hollister, guitarist Chris Buck – have earned their glowing reputation thanks to electrifying performances across the UK, Europe and the USA.
The band’s resplendent new Midnight At The Valencia, set for release on May 23, is a testament to the band’s self-carved path from their humble beginnings in university dive bars to sharing stages with legends like Peter Frampton, Joe Bonnamassa and Myles Kennedy. The album announcement in March was accompanied by the release of the single ‘Keep On Running’, which you can listen to now on Red Devils Records – our unofficial Manchester United playlist
Sport Playlists: Tell us about how you became a fan of Manchester United.
Adam Roberts: My family have never been football fans, aside from my uncle who was a big United fan since the 60s. So that, coupled with United being pretty well represented by Welshies with Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs and Clayton Blackmore in the team, they got me hooked.
I started playing under 10s football for my local team, Pentwynmawr AFC during the first Premier League season and the buzz was around this young Welsh winger who was tearing defences apart and scoring wonder goals. All the boys idolised him and all the girls fancied him, so I fancied a bit of that!
SP: What are your earliest memories of attending a game at Old Trafford?
AR: I seemed to go to a lot of away games and Wembley initially, but my first game at Old Trafford was a Champions League match against Valencia in 1999. I’d done the stadium tour a few times before that, but was in awe of the old place under the lights on a big European night. Great atmosphere, we won 3-0 and I met my old hero Sparky [Mark Hughes] in the car park! Class!
SP: Who were your footballing heroes growing up – whether that be Manchester United players or otherwise?
AR: Growing up in the early 90s I idolised Sparky. Welsh – tick, Academy graduate – tick, and the scorer of bangers – big tick! He was a no nonsense player, not flash, didn’t bother with the lime light and had a great curly mullet! That goal in the ’91 Cup Winners Cup Final against Barcelona was iconic at the time, as well as his last-minute equaliser versus Oldham in the ’94 FA Cup Semi-final to force a reply – which set up the double.
I was devastated when we sold him to Chelsea, so I moved over to Paul Scholes, a young kid who wasn’t flash and just scored a hat trick on his debut against Port Vale in the league cup! Off the back of that I had his name printed on the back of my shirt and people thought I was mad because they’d never heard of him!
SP: Did you ever have any aspirations about becoming a professional footballer when you were a child? If so, how far did they go towards becoming a reality?
AR: Haha, dreams maybe but not real aspirations! I wasn’t a particularly gifted footballer, but loved it and was a pretty dependable defender. Could probably be likened to a poor man’s John O’Shea!
SP: What’s the best moment been in your time supporting Manchester Utd?
AR: As cliche as it sounds, it’s definitely Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s winner in the Champions League final in ’99. I hadn’t seen us win the European Cup which was a long-failed journey throughout the 90s. As dominant as we were domestically, we couldn’t crack Europe.
That night at the Nou Camp was something I’ll never forget…I still get goosebumps thinking about it now. We didn’t really lay a punch on them all game, until probably the best two substitutions in the history of the Universe were made. “Giggs with a shot…SHERINGHAM!” Then “…and Solskjaer has done it!!” – iconic commentary from the iconic Clive Tyldesley is forever ingrained in my mind! I completely lost my head and ran out into the street screaming! Football – bloody hell!
SP: What are your thoughts on how the 2024/25 season has gone so far for United?
AR: Can’t we skip this one?? It’s well documented it’s been our worst ever Premier League season, and our worst since 1989. It’s been a car crash! We made a poor start under Erik Ten Hag, who probably should have left in the Summer. So since Ruben Amorim has come in with such a radically different system, probably not possible with the current squad of players, I’ve accepted the fact that the season has to be written off with a big focus on recruiting players suitable to his system in the Summer.
The flip side of course has been the Europa League, which has been entertaining and ridiculous in equal measure. If we manage to win that and somehow gain Champions League qualification, it will go down as probably the most bats**t crazy season in our history!
SP: What are your expectations with a few weeks remaining this season?
AR: Probably to lose the majority of the league games but win the Europa League.
SP: Who are your favourite players in the current Red Devils squad?
AR: Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes. I’ve always had an Academy graduate as my favourite and Kobbie has shown such maturity beyond his years in a team that looks lost. He’s scored some really important goals and looks like a future captain. I’d also have to say Bruno, whose has just been head and shoulders above everyone else since he signed. Without him would probably be going down this year…something I never thought I’d be saying!
SP: How important has the crossover between music and football been in your life?
AR: They go together like Cole and Yorke…or Shearer and Sutton! Growing up in the 90s was such an incredibly vibrant time for music and football. The Premier League had just started and Britpop was everywhere! There always seemed to be a soundtrack to what was happening on the pitch, with Oasis being so heavily associated with Manchester City, the Stone Roses with Man United and the New Order singing the Italia 90 song. And of course, ‘The Life of Riley’ by The Lightning Seeds being the soundtrack to Goal of the Month on Match of the Day.
I was a huge fan of the Indie bands coming out of the UK at that time, and completely lived music and football! I actually now run a Vintage Football Shirt store and Instagram account (@thefcvintage), that celebrates the stories of the shirts on sale and the soundtrack that existed alongside it. I’m a complete 90s nerd!
SP: What song do you associate with a cherished footballing memory?
AR: As cheesy as it sounds, probably ‘Come On You Reds’ by the United team and Status Quo! It was pretty much the first song my Dad taught me to play on the drums, and was the FA Cup final song of 1994!
SP: If you had to pick one Cardinal Black song for Manchester United to walk out to before kick-off at Old Trafford, which one would it be?
AR: Probably ‘Where Do You Go?’. It’s always been my favourite song to play live, as it’s pretty high octane and rock! There’s plenty of energy and balls to it, which would hopefully get the boys jacked up!
SP: You recently released new single ‘Keep On Running’. What’s the reaction been to the song since it came out, and what sort of preview does it give fans of forthcoming album‘Midnight At The Valencia?
AR: It’s been amazing in fairness. You’re never quite sure how a new song is going to be received, especially given the time that’s passed since our last. But our existing fans have really embraced it, and it’s probably opened us up to a slightly more diverse audience – given that it’s a slight departure from the sound of our first record.
The same can be said for the upcoming album. [Previous album] January Came Close was largely made up of songs written over a decade ago, whereas Midnight at The Valencia is a fresh collection of work that better reflects where we are as a band and individuals right now. There was a distinct sound that we wanted to achieve with these songs, and the recording techniques and vintage equipment used really captured that.
‘Keep On Running’ is largely rooted in the broad ‘Americana’ sound, and that definitely gives a good insight into the rest of the record. We hope you like it!
SP: What plans do the band have in store for the rest of 2025 that fans can look forward to?
AR: It’s a pretty big year, starting with the release of our second record at the end of May. I’m really excited to get this into the world, as, in my humble opinion, it’s a better and more contemporary record than our first.
We’ll be heading to the United States and Canada in August for our first full tour of North America, which fulfils a bit of a lifelong dream so I can’t wait to get stuck in! Then we’ll be touring the UK and Ireland in October, finishing the year around Europe.
