Some of Wales’ most-loved – and currently dormant – music venues will be alive with the sound of music again this coming week as part of a virtual ‘Tour of Wales’ scheduled to commemorate Independent Venue Week 2021 (25th-29th January). The series of standalone gigs – organised by BBC Wales and the Arts Council of Wales through the Horizons/Gorwelion project and supported by BBC Introducing and Creative Wales – will be broadcast from venues across the nation, starting with Le Pub in Newport tomorrow. The public will be able to watch the shows from 12pm every day of the week on the BBC Horizons website.
#IVW21 Taith Cymru // Tour of Wales @Lepub // @SinCitySwansea // @QueensHallNarbs // @_GALERI_ // @NeuaddOgwen
https://t.co/OQpfZ0nA7e
https://t.co/WZYMhBqaC6@BBCWales // @Arts_Wales_ // @Celf_Cymru // @bbcintroducing // @welshgocreative pic.twitter.com/J5fRTkdi9J— Horizons / Gorwelion (@HorizonsCymru) January 19, 2021
In an interview with stalwart Welsh music scribe David Owens for Nation.Cymru, Horizons Project Manager Bethan Elfyn spoke about the pressing need to show solidarity with the lockdown-stricken live music sector. She said “We’ve been watching helplessly as Covid-19 has kept venues and theatres from opening, keeping communities that need each other apart, keeping us from watching, supporting and growing talent in Wales, and keeping us from the benefits of wellbeing and personal growth that music brings to life.”
Elfyn added “Independent Venue Week is a chance to celebrate everything about our map of venues around Wales, the maverick producers and promoters behind the venues, and the talent that would normally fill the empty buildings with life. The tour is a celebration of what we have, what we miss, and a nod to the future when we can get back to the community that we’ve missed.”
The line-up for what is set to be a memorable week of music is as follows:
Monday 25th – Le Pub, Newport
One of Newport city centre’s most revered gig venues and eateries – renowned across South Wales for its vegan grub and mysterious, neon green ‘Trevor Nelson’ cocktails – will kick off a week of music with sets from R&B vocalist Faith and rapper Mace The Great, both of whom hail from further west down the M4 in Cardiff. Mace The Great, who paid tribute to his hometown on last year’s six-track EP Charlie Foxtrot, has garnered praise from Trench for his ‘grit and alchemy‘, as well as a ‘phenomenal work rate‘. Faith Nelson (aka Faith), a former contestant on The Voice UK who has balanced her musical career with studying for a degree in criminology and sociology, told her Twitter followers that she was “Very happy to be a part of authentic beauty, INDEPENDENT VENUE WEEK in Celebration of the culture of music and its institutions.”
Tuesday 26th – Sin City, Swansea
The tour of Wales moves on to one of West Glamorgan’s best-known indie and punk hot spots, Sin City. Taking to the stage in Swansea are local R&B merchants Leila McKenzie and her brother Elliot McKenzie (aka K(e)nz), as well as Bridgend rock five-piece Those Damn Crows. Last year Those Damned Crows released their critically-acclaimed second LP Point of No Return, which reached number #14 in the Official UK Albums Chart. Louder Sound have previously praised the group for their “big choruses” and “the kind of racing urgency that’s given the Foo Fighters a career“.
Wednesday 27th – Queens Hall, Narberth
The Pembrokeshire leg of the tour will take in performances from Haverfordwest indie-pop singer-songwriter Rona Mac, and If We Try singer Jodie Marie. Marie, whose melodic sound straddles soul, folk and country, releases her next album The Answer on February 12th ahead of another livestreamed gig at Narberth’s Queens Hall on February 19th. The West Walian multi-instrumentalist capped off 2020 by releasing two superb new tracks: the dulcet ballad Carageen and Motown-influenced festive cracker (I Don’t Wanna Be) Alone This Christmas.
Thursday 28th – Galeri, Caernarfon
The fourth concert of the week comes the Galeri performing arts centre in Caernarfon in Gwynedd; incorporating performances from up-and-coming duo Body Water, whose new track Pyscho is set to feature on the BBC Introducing mixtape on BBC Radio 6 this week, and Ifan Pritchard, frontman with North Walian alt-rock outfit Gwilym. The band’s debut album Sugno Gola (which translates to Drink Cola) was one of the first Welsh language albums to attain over 100,000 streams on Spotify.
Friday 29th – Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda
The tour wraps up at Neuadd Ogwen in Bethesda, on the edge of Snowdonia National Park. The gig includes sets from Llanrug blues-rock duo Alffa; North Wales electro-pop artist Malan; and Ennio The Little Brother, who describes his music as ‘soulful dream hop‘. Neuadd Ogwen will also play host to the virtual Ara Deg festival this week, curated by Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys. Rhys serves as one of the UK’s four national representatives for Independent Venue Week, representing Wales alongside fellow ambassadors Arlo Parks (England), Amy MacDonald (Scotland) and Jordan Adetunji (Northern Ireland). In an interview with NME, Rhys said “Venues need our love and support to survive, so I’m proud to fly the flag for them.”
