Culture

Explore the culture of Wales through Buzz Magazine's extensive and exclusive cultural features, previews, reviews, interviews and listings.

Swedish metal titans ARCH ENEMY don’t let up on triumphant 11th album

August 12, 2022

As melodic death metal goes, Deceivers ticks all the boxes: classical undertones, fast guitars, obligatory solos, heavy basslines and demonic vocals.

Category: Albums, Reviews

KASABIAN’s first album post-Meighan plunders new and familiar territory

August 12, 2022

Kasabian’s seventh studio album - The Alchemist's Euphoria - is also their first since the sacking of frontman Tom Meighan for domestic assault.

Category: Albums, Reviews

Almost 20 albums on, ERASURE are as thrillingly inventive as ever

August 12, 2022

Futuristic sci-fi cinematic soundscapes and heart-and-soul-fuelled pop cleverness: not many artists can sound this inventive 19 albums in.

Category: Albums, Reviews

DUB WAR bring out their finest for packed Newport comeback show

August 11, 2022

Suddenly, the penny drops causing a cheer to break forth. Cranking it, the siren wails, and immediately... you know. This is war. Dub War!

Category: Culture, Live, Music, Reviews Region: South Wales

EIFFEL trades historical facts for romantic fiction in so-so story behind the French monument

August 11, 2022

Solid and always watchable, Eiffel never quite reaches the Tower’s actual dramatic heights, and has a Sunday afternoon movie feel.

Category: Culture, Film, Reviews, Uncategorized

LAND OF CHANGE champions working-class resistance & creativity in Wales

August 10, 2022

Intended as a “record of resistance”, Land Of Change offers up a plethora of voices and views, with some central themes and threads being those of injustice, power, and politics.

Category: Books, Reviews Region: Wales-Wide

Intellectual yet accessible, ANIMAL JOY is a juicy, joyful read

August 10, 2022

Intellectual, accessible, and stylishly bound, Nuar Alsadir's Animal Joy is another clever, meaty, unpatronising book from Fitzcarraldo Editions.

Category: Books, Reviews

THE PASSENGERS strips away our differences to explore our common urges

August 10, 2022

The Passengers is an intimate and incredibly relatable look at what drives, moves and worries us as both individuals and a species.

Category: Books, Reviews

Dazzling short story collection from Omer Friedlander focuses on Middle East

August 10, 2022

A magnificent debut short story collection from Omer Friedlander, The Man Who Sold Air In The Holy Land is just one of the many intriguing titles featured herein.

Category: Books, Reviews

“When did you know?” – NONE OF THE ABOVE explores life beyond the gender-binary

August 10, 2022

Travis Alabanza's book is both an empowering and enriching read for those that are treated like outsiders on this confusing and cluttered planet.

Category: Books, Reviews

BRITTLE WITH RELICS: Searching for the Welsh identity, author Richard King traces 35 key years

August 9, 2022

Brittle With Relics’ author Richard King’s chronicling of Welsh oral history has been 10 years in the making. Luckily, he tells Adam England, it’s all been worth it.

Category: Books, Interviews Region: Wales-Wide

People of Wales: Emily Hicks – life on the ‘board for rising south Wales skater

August 9, 2022

Graphic designer, semi-pro skater and Avril Lavigne apologist Emily Hicks christens the return of our regular profile feature, spotlighting interesting but under-the-radar folks in Wales.

Category: Interviews, Sport Region: South Wales

Teens, toxicity and time travel: why THE ETERNAL RETURN OF CLARA HART will shake up the YA book world

August 9, 2022

Karla Brading speaks to first-time YA novelist Louise Finch who addresses teen-boy toxicity and the perils of time travel with The Eternal Return Of Clara Hart.

Category: Books, Interviews

GIVEAWAY: MMA’s Professional Fighters League smacks down in Wales – here’s your chance to go for free

August 8, 2022

MMA fans are in for a treat this August: the PFL is bringing a double-bill of welterweight and heavyweight playoffs to the UK – starting in Cardiff, and we've got a bunch of tickets up for grabs!

Category: Previews, Sport Region: South Wales

GREEN MAN at 20: “The industry is brutal, but I still love it” – director Fiona Stewart on running Wales’ staple festival

August 8, 2022

Following up his own look-back at the rise of Green Man since its 2003 debut, Adam England quizzes GM director Fiona Stewart about what makes it tick.

Category: Interviews, Festivals Region: Mid Wales

Final call: NOFIT STATE’s smash-hit SABOTAGE tour returns to Cardiff

August 8, 2022

As NoFit State Circus return to home turf from touring their newest, unflinching show, Hari Berrow checks in with Artistic Director Tom Rack before he hits the road again.

Category: Interviews, Theatre Region: South Wales

Can heartbreak be good for you? THE BREAKUP MONOLOGUES host Rosie Wilby thinks so

August 6, 2022

Ahead of a live show at Green Man festival this month, The Breakup Monologues author Rosie Wilby talks with Ewa Pałka about her podcast, book and the science of heartbreaks.

Category: Comedy, Interviews, Podcasts

Analog Africa unearths laidback grooves from overlooked band THE MOVERS

August 5, 2022

The overall vibe here is one of laidback good times, with almost ska-like propulsion to tracks like Hot Coffee, while other tracks could be mistaken for lost Northern Soul classics.

Category: Albums, Reviews

JAMES TAYLOR QUARTET: playful big-band jazz with sublime substance

August 5, 2022

Man In The Hot Seat, recorded with amazing clarity at Abbey Road, is a satisfying, convincing blend of JTQ’s acid jazz roots and the predominant influence of ‘70s soundtracks.

Category: Albums, Reviews

DUB WAR: Welsh rap-rock group return with relentless political heft

August 5, 2022

Political, discordant and relentless, Dub War’s return ought to both delight older followers and attract new ones to their message-laden, Welsh-infused take on the genre.

Category: Albums, Reviews Region: South Wales

NOISE & FLOWERS: live album from NEIL YOUNG beautifully crystallises an artist of extremes

August 5, 2022

Noise & Flowers is both a brilliant introduction to Young’s music with modern production and a treat for completists.

Category: Albums, Reviews

DC GORE takes Orwellian sideswipe at modern humanity on ALL THESE THINGS

August 5, 2022

Like the novels of Orwell that have inspired the imagery of DC Gore's debut release, there is something chilling and affecting that stays with you after listening.

Category: Albums, Reviews

GREEN MAN at 20: the highs and lows of Wales’ biggest music festival

August 4, 2022

As the pagan folk-rock festival mecca hits another milestone year, Adam England looks back on its humbler origins, and forward to its upcoming 2022 edition.

Category: Music, Festivals, Features Region: Mid Wales

THE LAST PARTY: multi-layered mystery thriller from chart-topper Clare Mackintosh

August 4, 2022

In Clare Mackintosh's The Last Party, we find ourselves on the Wales/England border – under Pen y Ddraig mountain – on the morning after a raucous NYE party.

Category: Books, Reviews Region: North Wales

Swedish metal titans ARCH ENEMY don’t let up on triumphant 11th album

KASABIAN’s first album post-Meighan plunders new and familiar territory

Almost 20 albums on, ERASURE are as thrillingly inventive as ever

DUB WAR bring out their finest for packed Newport comeback show

EIFFEL trades historical facts for romantic fiction in so-so story behind the French monument

LAND OF CHANGE champions working-class resistance & creativity in Wales

Intellectual yet accessible, ANIMAL JOY is a juicy, joyful read

THE PASSENGERS strips away our differences to explore our common urges

Dazzling short story collection from Omer Friedlander focuses on Middle East

“When did you know?” – NONE OF THE ABOVE explores life beyond the gender-binary

BRITTLE WITH RELICS: Searching for the Welsh identity, author Richard King traces 35 key years

People of Wales: Emily Hicks – life on the ‘board for rising south Wales skater

Teens, toxicity and time travel: why THE ETERNAL RETURN OF CLARA HART will shake up the YA book world

GIVEAWAY: MMA’s Professional Fighters League smacks down in Wales – here’s your chance to go for free

GREEN MAN at 20: “The industry is brutal, but I still love it” – director Fiona Stewart on running Wales’ staple festival

Final call: NOFIT STATE’s smash-hit SABOTAGE tour returns to Cardiff

Can heartbreak be good for you? THE BREAKUP MONOLOGUES host Rosie Wilby thinks so

Analog Africa unearths laidback grooves from overlooked band THE MOVERS

JAMES TAYLOR QUARTET: playful big-band jazz with sublime substance

DUB WAR: Welsh rap-rock group return with relentless political heft

NOISE & FLOWERS: live album from NEIL YOUNG beautifully crystallises an artist of extremes

DC GORE takes Orwellian sideswipe at modern humanity on ALL THESE THINGS

GREEN MAN at 20: the highs and lows of Wales’ biggest music festival

THE LAST PARTY: multi-layered mystery thriller from chart-topper Clare Mackintosh

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