Monthly Archives: November 2023

The Arts

Annie Mac – ‘Before Midnight’ at DEPOT Cardiff – 11/11/2023

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“Life goes by really, really fast. Life is short. It thunders by. If you like the music, you gotta get up and dance.”

Words & photography: Chloe Jackson-Nott

Professionally known as Annie Mac, the internationally renowned broadcaster and DJ visited Cardiff to spin some tracks at her event night ‘Before Midnight’.

As DJ Paulette warmed up the crowd, by 8:30pm, Annie Mac popped up behind the decks making her entrance and presence known through her mix. Starting off slow and wearing a black hoodie, she allowed the crowd time to get into the groove and prepare for a heavy next few hours of vibes.

As Annie took control of the decks, she electrified the crowd creating an atmosphere charged with anticipation of the next track. She created a journey of sound to keep the audience entranced and built up the sweat and good vibes as the night continued. Annie certainly knows how to keep the crowd under her spell as the audience responds with cheers and pumped-up dance moves for hours.

Outside her music, Annie is also an advocate for positive and inclusive change. Her popular podcast, ‘Changes with Annie Macmanus’ welcomes guests to chat openly about changes they’ve faced and challenges they’ve overcome.

With 20 years of work experience in her back pocket, Annie Mac has created a strong legacy as a key music industry figure championing female artists and the LGBTQ+ community in the space.

‘Her Before Midnight inclusive clubbing concept that she launched in Spring 2022 has proved hugely popular and sells out within seconds.’

The Arts

Kids In Glass Houses – “This 15 Smart Casual Live!” – Cardiff Students Union

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“But I won’t admit defeat until Saturday, Saturday, Saturday…”

Review and photography by Chloe Jackson-Nott

Kids In Glass Houses, a Welsh five-piece rock band consisting of Aled Phillips, Andrew Sheehy, Iain Mahanty, Joel Fisher and Philip Jenkins. With their debut album Smart Casual turning 15 this year, they have reunited and are back on the road to bring nostalgia to the kids who have been fans since 2004.

The band announced their split back in 2014 where they played a final show on Halloween in Cardiff. On their current reunion tour, they have stopped off in Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, London, Bristol and finally wrapping up in Cardiff. It felt incredibly fitting to watch Kids In Glass Houses perform on a Saturday in their home city of Cardiff, with The Nightmares as their support act.

The Nightmares are a four-piece band who describe their music as Noir Pop. The Newport band consists of Adam Parslow, Eleanor Coburn, Benjamin Mainwaring and James Mattock. With the staging set up in dark red, the band played songs from their discography with black roses attached to their microphone stands. Their vibe gave a gothic atmosphere with a melancholy crimson feel.

Kids In Glass Houses came onto the stage with bundles of energy. Aled Phillips was running around the stage and showing no sign of stopping until their set was complete. They opened with Fisticuffs and finished with Matters At All. The the eccentric dance moves from Aled, it felt like he was channelling his inner Elvis. With a sea of inflatable flamingos in the crowd, and the chanting of A.L.E.D, the final show on the tour really did end with a bang. The band were incredibly thankful that so many fans were still supporting them and selling out shows and how 15 years since Smart Casual was released has flown by. The band finished off by taking a photo with the audience and included a sign that read ‘BRB…Making A New Album!’

The Arts, Whats on

MINAS MINAS MINAS

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Okay so full disclosure, we are huge Minas fans over here. And we may be biased, but we think his artistic takeover at CULTVR on 17-18 November is going to be VIBES and you should buy tickets IMMEDIATELY if not sooner.

MINAS: WAITING ROOM @CULTVR

An immersive, story-driven live event by genre-busting Welsh Music Prize nominee, Minas.

Fresh off the back of a triumphant UK tour and Sŵn Festival closing set, and a Welsh Music Prize nomination for his debut solo album, All My Love Has Failed Me, Cardiff-based artist Minas presents Waiting Room – a narrative-led event featuring live music, 360-degree visuals and live performance.

The two-night Soundspace Sessions event at groundbreaking digital arts centre CULTVR is supported by Welsh Government, Cardiff Council and Cardiff Music Board and forms part of Cardiff Council’s Music Strategy.

Act One, on November 17th 2023, will feature live music from Tamarebi, Lily Webbe, Freddy Forbidden, Foxxglove, Half Happy as well as Minas himself.

Act Two, on the following night (November 18th) will see Grove, Shlug, Minas, Sorry Stacy, Razkid, Mogan, and Spit Hood perform, as well as a DJ set from Gemiiniize.

Speaking about the event, James Minas, said: “I’m so gassed about this event, it’s a chance to do something on a different scale to anything I’ve done before.

“I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s going to be kind of intense.

“The creatives I’ve been working with to put this all together have been immense, so talented and together I think we’ve created something that takes what we do live to a whole new level.”

DETAILS:

Friday 17th November:
Doors open: 6.30pm
Starts: 7pm
ACT 1 – Tamaraebi / Lily Webbe / Freddy Forbidden / Foxxglove / Half Happy / Minas
Finish time: 11pm

Saturday 18th November:
Doors open: 5pm
Starts: 5.30pm
ACT 2 – Grove / SHLUG / Minas / Sorry Stacy / Razkid / MOGAN / Spit Hood / Gemiiniize (DJ) Finish time: 12am

Tickets: One day ticket is £10 – full weekend £15
Concessions: £5 per day.

Buy tickets at the CULTVR website

See you pon the dancefloor…

The Arts, Whats on

Llais Festival – ‘A Festival of Voice’

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Llais Festival – ‘A Festival of Voice’ – Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

Photography: Chloe Jackson-Nott
Words: Chloe Jackson-Nott

A festival inspired by the instrument that connects us all – the voice

“Llais is Cardiff’s international arts festival, bringing artists and audiences together for incredible live music, thought-provoking performance and inspirational talks.”

Llais Festival began back in 2016 which saw a line-up of Van Morrison, Charlotte Church and Hot Chip. Last years line-up saw artists Cate Le Bon, Midlake and Pussy Riot take to the stage. For 2023, Llais Festival is bringing along The Staves, Bat For Lashes, Gwenno and many more!

(You might recognise Gwenno from the side of Clwb Ifor Bach on Womanby Street as a 38 metre mural!)

During the weekend of October 14-15, we managed to catch the sets of: Angharad Davies, Angeline Morrison, Gwenno, Clare Marie Bailey and Elaha Soroor. What a fantastic mixture of international sound and culture.

Angharad Davies – a Welsh experimental violinist demonstrating a psychedelic experience for the audience in the Cabaret bar. Angharad slowly approached the stage and setting the expectations of her performance. She performed a 52-minute solo violin piece from her single track album titled “Gwneud a Gwneud Eto / Do and Do Again.” The performance provided the room with a sense of meditation and enchantment. Angharad describes the violin as particularly intimate with an endless wealth of possibilities. The low repetitive drones and variety of high pitched scratches truly provided the audience with the psychedelic experience they were promised.

Angeline Morrison – with a focus on storytelling, Angeline performs elements of soul music, folklore, myth and the supernatural. Angeline Morrison’s 2022 album, The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience was voted Number One Folk Album of the Year in The Guardian. Angeline shared a touching story with the audience about how she was very close with her grandfather who had dementia. Her hypnotic performance interacted with the audience through precise storytelling. The audience were applauding the end of each song ready for the next.

Gwenno – this was a one- off performance exclusive to Llais Festival, titled ‘Tair Ton | Teyr Ton | Three Waves.’ We were told to expect a ‘sensory feast with added theatrics’ and that’s exactly what Gwenno treated us to. This performance celebrated her three albums with connecting themes and featured unheard live performances from her discography. Gwenno’s performance was filled with stunning lighting and graphics throughout giving the audience a show of visual satisfaction. The crowd came wearing their red hats and ready to be captivated with songs such as N.Y.C.A.W. and Men an Toll from her album, Tresor. Gwenno was a perfect wrap up act on Sunday at Llais Festival bringing along Welsh culture and voice at its finest.