SWN FESTIVAL
live
Various venues, Cardiff
Thurs 22-Sat 2 Oct
SWN Festival has had somewhat of a growth spurt since beginning in 2007, becoming what top dog John
Rostron describes as the Welsh version of Austin’s South By Southwest. Drawing all manner of new and es-
tablished bands to Cardiff, SWN makes up three days of the most exciting line up you’re likely to see in 2009.
As has become SWN’s forte, the bill includes a varied set of artists, of which we asked John to select those
buzzing names not to be missed: “This year at least three bands – Denuo, Ellie Makes Music and Geraint
Williams – all came from them sending in Myspace links.” In partnership with Radio One’s Huw Stephens,
SWN is an annual labour of love for these music aficionados; one which, John admits, is programmed
around their favourites as well as grape-vine suggestions, prioritising the best of what’s new in Wales.
This year, the festival is set to introduce day wristbands, to open up events to all. The growth of SWN
has been almost exponential to the festival’s gathering of additional venues, which this October will see
forming three distinct ‘zones’ – Chapter, The Gate and Womanby Street.
In addition to the outstanding bill (highlights are too many to name, but do look out for Unicorn Kid [pictured]
Girls, Beth Jeans Houghton and the exciting young Hail! The Planes) John explains, “there’ll be seminars, DJ
workshops, a fanzine workshop, 50 SWN t-shirts for sale and some other stuff like music bingo and a pop quiz”.
“It seems lots of people come on the recommendation of their friends who’ve been the previous year.
That’s fabulous,” says John about the way the festival audience has expanded. Taking a sneaky look
into the future, it seems 2010 is already on the cards to have additional programmers, venues and a
wealth of even more genres. Looking even further, we asked how SWN might look in 10 years’ time:
“I’d like Clare Maguire back playing the WMC. She played downstairs in Glo Bar last year, and she was
unbelievably good. In 10 years we might be lucky to see a Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci reunion… we’ve had
Euros and Richard James play, we’ve got to bide our time and hope they fancy it happening.”
“There is a potentially huge star playing in a tiny, tiny venue,” says John, summing up perfectly why SWN
matters. Tickets: £45/£17 for a one-day wristband. Info: www.swnfest.co.uk EMILY KENDRICK
UNICORN KID
OXJAM CARDIFF TAKEOVER BAT FOR LASHES PAOLO NUTINI THE SPECIALS
Clwb Ifor Bach, Toucan, Y Fuwch Goch Great Hall, Cardiff University Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff International Arena
and Dempseys, Cardiff
Students Union Cardiff Bay
Sun 1 Nov
Sun 11 Oct
Fri 16 Oct Tue 6 Oct
It’s arguable that the Britain left behind by
Oxfam’s live music offshoot Oxjam is back
At this year’s Latitude festival I queued At a tender 22 years of age, this fourth-
the original rude boys isn’t that different to
and bigger than ever before, stamping
for a coffee behind Natasha Khan, aka Bat generation Scottish singer-songwriter of
the one they’re coming back to. Recession,
its mark on Cardiff with a commendable
For Lashes. She struck me as being rather Tuscan descent has an undeniably firm
teenage pregnancy, unemployment, racial
lineup. Established in 2006, this year
conservatively dressed, despite the fact grasp of the roots of modern music as
tensions... it seems that The Specials were
Oxjam focuses on raising money and
that she was accessorising her Levi’s and demonstrated by his seemingly effortless
somewhat prophetic lyricists.
awareness for its Here & Now climate
blue T-shirt combination with a turban. digressions between pop and folk with jazz
The cynics among you might hear the word
change campaign. The campaign focuses
This is partly down to her unreasonably infused inflections. His rolling blue-eyed
“reunion” and picture hefty paychecks
on the dangers of climate change, and its
good looks – only the startlingly attractive soul swings through genres with consum-
being waved under noses as temptation
effects on the world’s poorest people. (For
can carry off the look of a dressed-down mate ease due to the anchor of a distinctive
for a together. (Dedicated fans will be
more information, check out www.oxfam.
member of the Persian royal family – and gravelly voice reminiscent of classic croon-
disappointed by the absence of Jerry Dam-
org.uk/oxfam_in_action/issues/climate .)
partly due to her onstage tendency for ers like Joe Cocker.
mers, the man who brought The Specials
Meanwhile, Womanby Street opposite Car-
dressing up that takes in glitter dust, pea- A sold-out nationwide tour in support of his
together in the first place; apparently his
diff Castle will play host to Oxjam’s biggest
cock feathers and animal headdresses. new album, the sophomore effort entitled
inner cynic sensed a moneymaking motive
and most ambitious music festival to date.
Bat For Lashes belongs to the same school Sunny Side Up, suggests a positive outlook
too.) Whatever your summations, don’t let
Clwb Ifor Bach, Toucan, Y Fuwch Goch
of visually and musically experimental for the richly idiosyncratic, unfashionably
a little scepticism get in the way of the fact
and Dempseys will feature a multitude of
female solo artists as Björk and Kate eclectic and yet passionately inspirational
that one of the most influential bands of the
diverse and talented music artists. Whether
Bush. Having graduated with a degree in balladeer. And how could it not be, after
past 30 years are back on top form.
you’re into hip-hop (Dead Residents,
music and visual arts, her visual presence a rise from local obscurity in hometown
The songs still sound new and have as
Mudmowth, Metabeats) or folk (Julia Har-
complements her music, which has a Paisley not five years ago to opening for
much relevance now as they did in 1979.
ris, Whistling Biscuits), there’s something
meditative, dreamlike quality, and lyrics Zeppelin and jamming with the Stones?
The Specials helped you choose sides but
to suit everyone’s musical tastes. Gemma
that evoke the celestial and otherworldly. With diverse influences ranging from Louis
always stopped short of preaching; theirs
White, Oxjam Cardiff’s regional manager
Her first album – the Mercury-nominated Armstrong to Canned Heat, the stream
was, is, an articulated anger. The Specials
explains: “We want to provide a great expe-
Fur And Gold – drew plaudits from across of consciousness approach to what he
lived and breathed their two-tone ideolo-
rience for everyone who comes along... last
the broadsheets and musical press, using calls an “organic” songwriting craft has
gies. They dressed two-tone in pork pie hats
year, the South East Wales region raised
an expansive musical palette of piano, served him well to sustain his progression
and braces. The band was two-tone, with
£6,000 for Oxfam, a target that we would
harpsichord and musical saw. Her second, from lovelorn troubadour to international
working-class black and white boys making
love to smash this year!”
2009’s Two Suns, sees her updating the success story. Having previously shifted
good together. Their music, the energy and
Clwb Ifor Bach will be hosting the Welsh
musical template to take in shamanic over a million units of his debut effort
anger of punk with the happy rhythm of
language and indie/rock bands; Toucan
programmed drums courtesy of New York’s These Streets, his better-known tracks have
Jamaican ska, was two-tone epitomised.
the urban, hip-hop etc artists; Y Fuwch
Yeasayer (who are also tour support), and appeared on inescapable global shows such
All together now… put your braces togeth-
Goch a plethora of female singers and
a guest vocal from reclusive meat-puncher as CSI and Scrubs.
er and boots on your feet, and gimme some
bands; and Dempseys will feature a wide,
Scott Walker. This in itself is a pretty un- Expect this Celtic fan to be more Van Mor-
o’ that oooooole moon stompin’. Tickets:
unspecific array of world music. Admis-
deniable stamp of artistic value, as well as rison than Mick Hucknall and you can’t go
£32.50. Info: 029 2022 4488 (RB)
sion: £10/£8 adv. Info: oxjam.cardiff@
marking her out as a bit mental. Tickets: wrong. Tickets: sold out; check box office
googlemail.com (CS)
£17. Info: 029 2078 1458 (RW) for returns. Info: 08700 402000 (DT)
BUZZ 
october 2009.indd 48 25/9/09 15:18:53
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