FOCUS Wales 2023
It’s been a mad week with the team spread across South, Mid & North Wales!
A huge thank you to everyone that came along to see Tom Crow & The Ghostriders at Bourton’s Live Music Cafe in Bargoed on Friday - what a show it was and we wish Rowan a speedy recovery.
While Kaysha took care of business down South, Mike and Craig were in Wrexham for Focus Wales 2023. Once again we supplied the official magazine guide for Wales’ biggest music showcase festival in Wales’ newest city - and Mike & Craig had a great time too. Here are their Top 3 artist picks from last week…
Mike: The quality was immense but the three acts that really stood out for me were Pillow Fite (Canada) with their quirky songs about (I think they said) ‘homo-erotic’ adventures. Understated brilliance with beautiful harmonies.
Next up was one of my all-time favourites, Jodie Marie who was showcasing her latest release ‘Polar Night’ - the EP is available on CD now but will be coming out on vinyl in July. An amazingly haunting performance at St. Giles.
My pick of the weekend goes to VRï who just blew me away with their take on traditional Welsh tunes played with voice, harmonium, fiddles and cello. Again, at St. Giles which lends itself perfectly to these magical gigs.
One band that I also have to mention is Holy Coves who rocked The Parish on the Thursday night - if I had to choose one band, one gig that summed up the energy and exuberance of FOCUS Wales 2023 it would be these guys. Definitely ones to watch.
Craig: As Mike has already said, the quality this year was incredible as always and choosing just three acts was tough. However, as I have to pick just three, first on my list is the amazing Tom Emlyn. His unique brand of high-energy lo-fi indie folk not only sounded awesome at The Parish (backed with sweet harmony vocals and pounding drums), but it also had the crowd up and dancing throughout the set. Playing a mix of songs from his brand new album of newly discovered old songs and tracks off his phenomenal ‘Scrounger’ EP this set was proof, if proof were needed, why Swansea’s Tom Emlyn is one of the best singer/songwriters that Wales has produced.
Next up is another band that played The Parish the night before - Anglesey’s mighty Holy Coves. These guys have been making waves and getting rave reviews for a while now with their fantastic new album ‘Druids and Bards’. The songs are amazing and their performance blew the roof off The Parish. Despite starting their set to only a handful of people, these guys were clearly a hot tip for the weekend as by the end of their set the venue was jam-packed with sweaty bodies all there to see whether the hype was justified. From the comments I heard afterwards, I think it’s fair to say that the hype was fully justified and then some!
My final and top pick was tough, so I’m cheating and picking two!
The first band of my top picks is one Mike has already mentioned - Pillow Fite. A Canadian duo made up of best friends/soul mates Art Ross (they/them) and Aaron Green (he/him), whose name I had seen popping up on a few venues schedules over the weekend but hadn’t heard of before. Within minutes of them playing though, they became one of my highlights of the weekend and one of my new favourite bands. They were entertaining, engaging, funny and looked like they were having a blast. Their songs were awesome, their playing superb and their harmonies just exquisite. I also loved Aaron’s socks and nail polish! They’re currently in the UK for a few more weeks playing venues in London and Brighton. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before they’re back and playing more gigs in Wales!
The second band in my top spot should be no surprise to listeners of the Welsh Connections Playlist Show as it’s the phenomenal Wrexham husband and wife duo Igloo Hearts. Playing a set that comprised of covers (the Manics’ ‘Design For Life’ and Radiohead’s ‘Airbag’), familiar favourites (‘Hoodwinker Jeweller’, ‘The Redeemer’ and fantastic new single ‘Amelie’) and a couple of new tunes (‘Waving at Elephants’ and ‘Deadly Still’) the Igloos showcased why they are one of the most unique and immensely talented acts out there right now. Their performances have always been incredible but they are clearly an act that is developing and growing in ability, craftsmanship and confidence. My only criticism of their set was that it was at The Royal Oak. A nice little venue but the Igloos sound needs a grander setting and a more attentive audience. That said as soon as they played the opening bars of the closing song ‘The Redeemer’ the whole pub fell into a hushed silence as they witnessed magic happen. It might not have been a venue worthy of Igloo Hearts but they made it their own.
Once again FOCUS Wales has showcased some of the best new music out there - and especially Welsh music.
For more live events, if you’re out and about in Llanelli on Saturday pop along to The Second 45 as Josh Beddis will be playing an intimate set from 3pm. May 19th see The Secret Faces, Katie Lou and Solarcats perform at Newbridge Memo and at the end of the month Bob Fitzgerald takes to the stage with our very own Kaysha Louvain. All tickets are available on our Events page.
Be nice to one another and enjoy x
