The Gate, Cardiff
Fri 14-Sun 16 Apr
Cram your eggs into your bonnet, dust down your bunny ears, and butter up your hot cross buns, for Easter is a time when spring will be thoroughly sprung, and pop will rise again, not eat itself.
Wales Goes Pop! has come up trumps by stitching together another fizzy lineup of misshapen pop for Easter weekend, for the fifth year on the bounce. Back again at the arts community venue that is Roath’s The Gate, WGP! was started by promoter Liz Hunt, expanding all-dayers into triples, at a time when the Cardiff gig scene was looking a little threadbare over the holidays. Nowadays it’s less a micro-festival and more of a Morgan Arcade of a festival, with a smattering of indigenous residents, some ascendant peddlers from the UK and beyond, a few obscurities, some grub to clamp your gums on and a little something else to occupy the kids, all under one roof.
With a capacity of 400, this is a cosy weekender where you can see all the pop pickers – one after another with no clashes – for just £42 for the whole three days, or £16 per day. But why skimp when you can bring along your pre-teen offspring for free, and choose to sit down and wiggle your toes, or bop along to the likes of The Ramones on oestrogen Joanna Gruesome, the dreamy pop of Bella Union’s BC Camplight, Domino Records’ grungesters Spinning Coin, hot tip The Orielles or psych band Toy; and many of Hunt’s tips, like the honeyed harmonies of London trio Girl Ray, the lush sounds of Martha Ffion, plus Sacred Paws, who summon up the Belle Stars via Vampire Weekend.
Hunt, who says the family-friendly atmosphere puts a smile on her face the whole weekend, cites polite stage invasions and the likes of Gwenno and the Wedding Present as previous highlights. Her 10 years of promoting come in handy, as she’s previously scheduled Ultimate Painting and Jessica Pratt, so come early and unearth a gem or three at WGP, for the price of a posh burger or two.
Tickets: £42 weekend/£16 per day/free under-12s. Info: 029 2048 3344
words CHRIS SEAL