PYRAMID SCHEME | LIVE REVIEW
Kings Road Artist Studios, Cardiff, Thurs 28 Aug
It’s always great to see a new literary event taking place in Cardiff, a capital city which has so few of the things happening in it at all. Pyramid Scheme promised in its press release “a fresh take on the usual warm wine and stale conversation of most literary nights”. I wasn’t sure what these other nights were, since I can count the regular events taking place here on fewer fingers than I have on one hand. For me, any event that gives space to those wanting to share their voice is an inherently good thing, no matter the demographic. In any case, it was good to see some people coming together to make an effort to remedy the lack of literary space in this swift-growing city of ours.
Set amidst a backdrop of paintings-in-progress at the trendy Kings Road Artist Studios in Pontcanna, the general atmosphere of the evening was warm and welcoming. Breaks between readers were very long, but due to the fact many of the people attending knew each other, this was not unpleasant. A mic might have been helpful, but was not strictly necessary, although computer speakers would have been a great asset to the reading given over the internet by Guillaume Morisette, who I could hardly hear at all.
I enjoyed most of the other prose that was shared. Dan Tyte and Richard Owain Robert’s joint, intertwined, back-and-forth piece was the highlight for me, taking place as the penultimate part of the night before music from Summer Ghost. Full of humour and tersely written, this was highly entertaining and deftly done. I also liked the piece by Steve Lucas, a nostalgic story inspired by a pen knife at school. The lightness of the prose, and the tension within the tale, was superb. Joao Morais, Keara Creed, and Adam Christopher shared well-written pieces, too, and the audience appeared to enjoy all immensely.
In all, this was a lovely event, very welcoming, and showcasing a selection of talented new voices. A great thing, and I do hope it continues in the future.
words MAB JONES