No apologies for going a little off-piste with this one; for an hour’s drive up the A470 and a highly modest £6 outlay, you can spend this Saturday venue-hopping between six small rooms on one mid-Wales high street seeing many of Cardiff’s best and brightest and buoyed by the knowledge you’ve done your bit for a worthy cause into the bargain.
Standout names appearing at this mini-Sŵn include the barnstorming full-band folk-rock of Richard James, the hyper-literate baroque pop of Spencer McGarry Season, Threatmantics’ rollocking, fiddle-lashed folk racket and Ratatosk’s bewitching recasting of historical woes to a backdrop of intricate loops and apocalyptic drones. Want more noise? There’s the paint-peeling guitars, tetchy drinker’s-eye narrative and unwell cornet of Gindrinker, or a furious post-hardcore one-two from Goodtime Boys and A Thousand Arrows. Folky goodness comes in many forms, too; try Ceri Frost, Evening Chorus, No Thee No Ess and The Gentle Good for starters. Huw M, Zwolf and Little Eris rep for eclectic beatmaking.
There’s comedy from equally hilarious and terrifying force of nature Nick Helm, whose last Cardiff appearance in the yurt at Milgi was one of the highlights of my summer. James Acaster, David Trent, Oxjam co-ordinator Henry Widdicombe and Benjamin Partridge will also be funny. Throw in Cardiff’s premier loosely themed, cake-awarding monthly multimedia quiz night Quiz Quest and you’ve enough proper value for money to justify a two-day bill and a double-digit entry fee, at the very least.
Last year’s event raised over £5,000 apparently, a pretty fantastic effort. Make some effort yourself, cadge a lift, volunteer or just turn up and enjoy. If nothing else, it’ll make those difficult clashes at Sŵn a little easier to solve.
Tickets are £6.00 from WeGotTickets and you’ll get a sturdy wristband in exchange. Full list of venues and timings below. Get involved!
Line-up
The Rugby Club
Folk-rock & beautiful melodies…
2.00 – 2.40 Draw Me Stories
3.10 – 3.50 Huw M
4.20 – 5.00 The Gentle Good
5.50 – 6.20 Too Many Stingrays
6.50 – 7.30 Pamela Wyn Shannon
8.00 – 8.40 Threatmantics
9.00 – 9.40 Richard James
10.00 – 10.40 Spencer McGarry Season
The Gremlin
Some indie with your rock…
2.30 – 3.10 Circle of One
3.30 – 4.20 No Thee No Ess
6.40 – 7.10 Hey Tonight
7.40 – 8.20 – Weird Naked Indian
8.40 – 9.20 – All Our Glory
9.40 – 10.30 – Long Knives
Theatr Brycheiniog
Experimental & accoustic folk in the bar :
2.50 – 3.30 Stephen Wheel
3.50 – 4.20 Evening Chorus
4.40 – 5.10 Ratatosk
5.30 – 6.10 Jo Bartlett
6.30 – 7.10 Ceri Frost
The Markets Tavern
Indie, Rock & Blues.
3.00 – 3.40 Derek Genet
4.10 – 4.40 Jac Jones
5.10 – 5.50 Calling Card
6.20 – 7.00 Under the Driftwood Tree
7.30 – 8.00 Moonface
8.20 – 9.00 Gubbins
9.20 – 10.00 Majestic Strays
10.20 – 11.00 Kyshera
The Corries
Punk, Hardcore & Heavy!
3.30 – 4.10 The Goodtime Boys
4.40 – 5.20 Silures
5.50 – 6.20 A Thousand Arrows
6.50 – 7.30 The Undivided
7.50 – 8.30 This is Suffering
8.50 – 9.30 All The Damn Vampires
9.50 – 10.30 Fell on Black Days
The Con Club
Where better than a Conservative club for the visual, alternative and electronic?
6.40 – 7.10 Gindrinker
7.40 – 8.10 Little Eris
8.40 – 9.20 Zwolf
9.50 – 10.30 Glass Diamond
Quiz Quest @ The Gremlin
4.40 – 6.10 Cardiff’s premier multi-media carnival pub quiz. Win prizes of the alcoholic kind!
Comedy @ The Con Club
The best of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival…
3.30 – 4.20 David Trent – Spontaneous Comedian
4.30 – 5.20 James Acaster – Scream if you want to Acaster
5.30 – 6.20 Nick Helm – Keep Gold of the Gold
Brecknock Knock in Theatr B
8.00 – 9:30 Comedy Showcase in the theatre bar featuring the likes of Benjamin Partridge, Gareth Gwynn, Henry Widdicombe and more!
The Aftershow Party
A man once said ‘After the show there’s the after party’ and we will be proving him right. Hair will be let down, rugs will be cut & ties will be loosened.
11.00pm – 1.00am @ The Markets Tavern where Jonny Bull will be spinning the party tunes. £1 entrance fee. Free entry for acts and volunteers.
