Photo: Press
In 2007, inspired by their trips to SXSW, John Rostron and Huw Stephens set about to create a new inner city festival in Cardiff. Their aim was to encourage bands to come to Wales and to showcase new Welsh music. 10 years on Sŵn (Welsh for “sound”) is one of the most respected grassroots festivals in the country with a reputation for booking best new artists from across the UK. The same decade has also seen the seemingly unstoppable resurgence of Welsh culture based around Welsh-language music.
Cate Le Bon, Sweet Baboo, Meilyr Jones, H Hawkline, Gwenno…The frankly shameless abundance of Welsh talent was arousing our curiosity and suspicion. Was it something in the water? What’s the secret ingredient of Welsh Rarebit? With a line up that made other new music festivals look average at best, it was time to see and hear for ourselves what Sŵn had to offer. Here’s our selection of the best 10 acts at Sŵn 2016. (Spoiler: most of them are Welsh.)
Bossy Love
10. Already a name in their native Glasgow, Bossy Love injected a dose of big (bossy) party tunes into Sŵn Saturday night. Within minutes the Scottish pop funk duo with an attitude got everyone jumping to their R&B infused tracks. Big beats with a big personality.
Lush Purr
9. Brilliantly named Glaswegian collective Lush Purr are brimming with sonic ideas. One minute it was shimmering fuzz; the next it was offbeat lo-fi; then it suddenly flipped and turned into experimental noise. What’s going on? I’ve no idea but I’m ready for another helping of their lush audio nuggets.
Ysgol Sul
8. Sunday school may not sound like much fun but appearances can be deceptive. Named after this veritable institution, Llandeilo’s trio Ygol Sul have a dark edge to their “dream-indie” facade. Mostly sang in Welsh, Ygol Sul’s songs are filled with mellow mystery and wonder; yet their sound owes as much to Pixies' tense disquiet as to the etherial manoeuvres of Cocteau Twins, or hazy shoegaze shimmer. Weirdly wonderful.
Ani Glass
7. Touchingly nervous, Cardiff native Ani Glass seemed genuinely excited to see so many people gathered to see her in the Moon Club. On the surface, the former Pipette's music is all shiny, intoxicatingly danceable synth pop but underneath lurks a sinister industrial twist reflected in the dark lyrics, mechanical beats and muted vocals. Take note and stay tuned for the debut EP out in the new year.
RHAIN
6. Her voice and her music are calling out for mysterious far away dreamlands. Oddly sensual and elegantly smart, Bristol resident RHAIN is of another world. “There’s so much light, it makes you feel extra awkward,” she said apologising for introducing every song. Her reticence is as much part of her charm as her eccentric operatic vocals that effortlessly oscillate between fragile and fierce. And, yes, it’s hard to avoid Bjork and Kate Bush comparisons but that’s hardly a bad thing.
R.Seiliog
5. R.Seiliog’s shapeshifting electronic alchemy of his last album “In Hz” secured his position as one the ascending stars on the Welsh music horizon. Forging together elements of industrial techno, psychedelic samples and ambient trance, North Walian's late Saturday set had gravitas and sonic resonance likely to propel the much-anticipated “Shedhead” EP into a new dimension of success.
CaStLeS
4. Snowdonian hermits CaStLeS trace their origins back to 2008. The debut album "Fforesteering" is finally out in November; and judging by their BBC Horizons Sŵn show, it’s certainly been worth the wait. Think Animal Collective meets Ennio Morricone in the psychedelic landscape of the Welsh mountains. Expansive, bold and beautifully stirring music. A strong contender for the best new band in Britain.
Cate Le Bon
3. The high priestess of artful misfits, Cate Le Bon delivered the most fun and off kilter show of the entire festival. Joined on stage by fellow Welshies H Hawline and Sweet Baboo, she commanded attention from the moment she stepped onto the tiny stage of the crowded Buffalo bar. Genuinely odd, crazy-beautiful creative mind.
Meilyr Jones
2. There is something truly shocking about Meilyr Jones. Perhaps it’s his total lack of jaded cynicism and elating emotional openness that set him apart from everyone else. From the solid gold foot stomper of "How to recognise a work of art" to the avant garde turns of “Strange/emotional”, his Sŵn show was profoundly, disturbingly compelling. No room for cool detachment. Just unconditional rapturous joy and (com)passion. Maybe this is what punk means in 2016.
Truckers of Husk
1. Truckers of Husk started out at the same time as Sŵn. They may have only one EP and one album to their name but it’s the quality that counts. Given the rarity of their live outings, the Sŵn show was always going to be a rammed sweaty affair. Loud, instinctive and just plain fucking weird, Truckers of Husk are one of those ultimate Welsh outlier groups and a reminder of why Wales can feasibly lay a claim to be the centre of creative universe.
