Festival of Voice – Buzz Recommends!
There’s so much going on at Festival of Voice beyond the big-hitting headliners like Patti Smith and Elvis Costello, it can be hard to figure out what to see. Charlie Cottrell and Rhonda Lee Reali pick out the most interesting events that might be flying under the radar.
Music
Compiled by Charlie Cottrell
Susanne Sundfør
New Theatre
Wed 13 June
Tickets: £18
Hailing from the Norwegian capital, Susanne Sundfør brings with her an eclectic, experimental pop sound and an impressive back catalogue. Her latest album Music for People In Trouble takes a step back from previously electronic-driven outings and instead exhibits her impressive vocal range. Expect stripped-back, Joni Mitchell-esque melancholia from her live show.
The Gentle Good & The Mavron Quartet
Weston Studio, Wales Millennium Centre
Thurs 14 June
Tickets: £10
Real name Gareth Bonello, the Cardiff-based Gentle Good’s poetic lyrics in both English and Welsh demonstrate his talent as both a musician and a writer, with a folk style that subtly draws on influences both regional and international. This performance links Bonello up once more with the Mavron Quartet, who feature heavily on the latest Gentle Good LP. Ivan Moult brings new material from his recent release, Longest Shadow, to complete the lineup.
A Filetta
The Tabernacle
Fri 8 June
Tickets: £20
All-male singing group A Filetta bring Corsica to South Wales with their soaring, rich Mediterranean harmonies. The island itself is well known musically for its a cappella tradition, and for the past 35 years the group have continued to maintain and extend a reputation that brings so much pride to Corsicans. Together, the ensemble’s polyphonic style asserts national identity, but more than that, it inspirits the events of everyday life in a musical journey of unadulterated purity.
Tank And The Bangas
Weston Studio, Wales Millennium Centre
Fri 8 June
Tickets: £14
Fronted by Tarriona ‘Tank’ Ball, this five-piece group originating from New Orleans merge a combination of jazz, hip-hop and Ball’s distinctive, soulful voice into a fascinating style. Latest single, Smoke.Netflix.Chill. is a jiving testament to their eclectic deep-groove influences, whilst 2017 release Quick was a huge success.
Laura Veirs
St John’s Church
Sat 9 June
Tickets: £17.50
With over 20 years of songwriting and 10 full-length albums under her belt, Laura Veirs is somewhat of a folk-music powerhouse. On latest album The Lookout, Veirs epitomises the solitary songwriter: determined to find beauty residing in a chaotic and divided post-election America. Ranging from exuberant to wistful, Veirs’ elegant consistency lies in her delicate, echoing reflections of the world and the people that surround her.
Ibibio Sound Machine
Donald Gordon Theatre Stage, Wales Millennium Centre
Wed 13 June
Tickets: £15
Eno Williams, lead singer of London-based afro-electro ensemble Ibibio Sound Machine, never ceases to impart an infectious sense of enjoyment to the crowds before her. Having only been on the scene since 2013, Williams and co. have not looked out of place making high-profile performances on Jools Holland and at Glastonbury. The Donald Gordon Theatre Stage will be transformed for one night only into a dischoteque space worthy of hosting the outfit’s exciting and empowering Afro-electro soundscape.
Theatre/Non-music
Compiled by Rhonda Lee Reali
Women & War: An Un-Silencing
Jacob’s Antique Market
Sat 9 June
£15/£5 unwaged
Women are too often witnesses and victims caught in the crossfire and overlooked in the history of battles and carnage. Their contributions and resistance to the unspeakable are often silenced, while they’re left destitute and broken. Inspiring these talks are Komalên Jinên Kurdistan (the Kurdistan Women’s Freedom Movement), who earlier this year called for women worldwide to take up the cause for a violence-free future with women’s liberation. This is the struggle and fightback of females over a century of war.
Dr Sally Austen In Conversation With Bella Bathurst: Sound
Jacob’s Antique Market
Sun 10 June
Tickets: £6.50
Are you deaf, going deaf or know someone who is? Then read up. Bella Bathurst, a writer and photojournalist, began to go deaf in 1997, but regained her hearing 12 years later. Bathurst investigates the science behind deafness and hearing loss in the population, among other topics. She’s joined by Dr Sally Austen, a clinical psychologist with 27 years of working in deafness and mental health (and an author herself) who’s also in Bathurst’s book Sound.
Body Language With Jennifer Hartley
Jacob’s Antique Market
Fri 15 + Sat 16 June
Tickets: £10
How do we communicate? Let’s count the ways – openly and together with Dr. Jennifer Hartley. The founder and director of the UK-registered charity Theatre Versus Oppression leads this workshop on communication and will show various techniques to use direct and indirect communication, making participants aware of their own body language and facial expressions when interacting. She specialises in therapy through drama, so you might pick up some acting tips while learning to get cosy with your fellow humans.
English
Dance House, Wales Millennium Centre.
Thurs 14-Sun 24 June. Tickets: £15
How frustrating is it when you want to say something but can’t find the right words in a tongue that’s not second nature? Cardiff-based deaf activist Jonny Cotsen is the lead actor in National Theatre Wales’ collaboration with Manchester’s Quarantine which suss out lingo, migration and identity. Pop songs will be dissected, grammar chewed up and spit out. All languages welcome.
Sex Ed Assembly
The Common Room, Chapter Arts Centre
Sat 16 June. Tickets: £3
Regarding sex education, there’s much more discussion nowadays on the wide spectrum of human sexuality. Heterosexuality has never been the only game in town. Bedfellows, a group who make tools together to re-educate people about sex, are the hosts for this two-hour participatory forum. Normality is a myth: get used to it. They want to hear your views on sex ed, your work in the field and what you’d like to accomplish. But, hey, not everything goes. Read the website to be safe.