SWN FESTIVAL 2018: SATURDAY | LIVE REVIEW
Various venues, Cardiff, Sat 20 Oct
ACCÜ
Clwb Ifor Bach
Experimental artist Accü’s set is a delightfully oddball soundscape of synths and harmonious vocals, with occasional swings into darker, glitchy territory. Keep an ear out for her debut album Echo The Red, which drops this week. (JW)
ALFA MIST
Clwb Ifor Bach
Progressive, forward-thinking jazz layered with hip hop influences. The London jazz scene seems to be undergoing something of a renaissance at the moment, with artists like Alfa Mist and Binker and Moses at the forefront. The fact that the upper floor of Clwb is full for this one bodes well. (DG)
BANDICOOT
Jacobs Market
If The Smiths had a blasé holiday fling with Wolf Alice, then Bandicoot might be the resulting offspring. The four Swansea boys make the best out of an awkward stage set up to deliver a confident set that carries plenty of bite, but is never too punk for a bit of breezy saxophone. (JW)
BREICHIAU HIR
The Old Market Tavern
As the name suggests, Breichiau Hir (Long Arms) aren’t quiet about their Welsh heritage. Nor are they particularly quiet about anything else, thrashing out supercharged rock guitar riffs with aplomb. Their performance drips with post-hardcore energy that has absolutely no right to emerge during a late afternoon set above a pub. Cracking stuff. (JW)
COSMO SHELDRAKE
Clwb Ifor Bach
While not the most visually striking of the artists on offer this evening, Sheldrake is charming between songs, and his intricate, rolling folktronica created from samples of just about everything (one song is constructed entirely around samples of birdsong) engages an audience who seem to know every song. (DG)
DEAD METHOD
Fuel
It’s hard to find broody electronica that manages to be simultaneously sweeping, dark and soulful. Dead Method does exactly that, with frontman Lloyd’s live vocals soaring at all the right moments. Recommended for fans of Massive Attack or Trilogy-era The Weeknd. (JW)
DREAM WIFE
Kongs
Dream Wife might have been the most popular act of Sŵn – so popular, in fact, that we only managed to catch half the set after battling through a hefty queue. With their melodic guitar licks and anarchic live spirit, it’s easy to understand why. The band’s feminist message and girls-to-the-front policy (“All the bad bitches get up here!”) goes down well with the crowd, and lead singer Rakel does a great job as a tiny but manic frontwoman. Worth a watch, if you can get in. (JW)
GIANT PARTY
Undertone
I’ve never really thought about what might happen if Nick Cave had fronted a synth-based post punk band, but at least I have an answer now. It’s good stuff this, with the singer throwing himself into the audience while the rest of the band maintain an air of cool detachment. (DG)
LEWYS
The Moon
Welsh bands have always seemed to have an affinity with melodic West Coast rock, and Lewys are carrying on that tradition. There’s something half-formed about this performance, but it will be interesting to check back in a year or so to see where there at. (DG)
LOS BLANCOS
Clwb Ifor Bach
Spiky, noisy Welsh language rock. (DG)
MAMMOTH WEED WIZARD BASTARD
Jacobs Market
This Welsh doom metal outfit might draw attention for their name, but they hold it with their hypnotic, sludgy sound. It’s not for everyone – the live sensory experience is akin to wading through treacle – but they’re beloved within their niche for a good reason. (JW)
OH PEAS!
The Old Market Tavern
Ostensibly a solo project of Cardiff resident Rosie Smith, latterly she’s taken to assembling a band to flesh out the Oh Peas! indiepop sound; this one is performing together for almost the first time, but does a sterling job of entertaining a busy crowd in this alehouse’s pokey function room. An Oh Peas! album would be a welcome event. (NG)
PIZZAGIRL
Clwb Ifor Bach
Pizzagirl isn’t a girl. Nor is he a pizza (how’s that for top shelf investigative journalism?). Liam Brown is in fact a quirky multi-instrumentalist one man band, and a rather charming one at that. Armed with a synth pad, guitar, and oodles of lo-fi nostalgia, he blasts out a bouncy retro sound that’s not exactly unique, but there’s just the right amount of joyful cheesiness to the whole affair that it’s hard to mind. (JW)
WARMDUSCHER
Clwb Ifor Bach
Pinching Alabama 3’s schtick of pretending to be American holy rollers is a bold gambit, but when added to stripped-back greasy rock n’ roll it works surprisingly well. (DG)
words and photos JASPER WILKINS / DAVID GRIFFITHS / NOEL GARDNER
