music live


ROXANNE DE BASTION Tiny Rebel Cardiff Sat 4 June


London-based singer-songwriter Roxanne de Bastion brings her newest album tour to Cardiff in June, having postponed it back in February due to illness. Released in late 2021, You & Me, We Are The Same is the second album from de Bastion and celebrates the universal experience of human feelings.


An ode to her late father, You & Me... is skilfully arranged, with erstwhile Suede guitarist Bernard Butler on production duties, and lyrically relatable too: honestly, it feels like you’re listening to letters from an old friend. De Bastion’s intimate


with beautifully layered and textured music, perfectly lends itself to live performance.


storytelling, combined


Despite the last couple of years (let’s not go there) being the longest break Bastion has had from audiences since she began performing aged just 10, rest


assured she is back and more committed than ever to her mission of connecting with as many people as possible through live music.


Brought up between Berlin and the West Midlands, her take on indie folk, with a mature, classic pop core, has caught the attention of Iggy Pop, who let 6 Music listeners know he’s a fan in his capacity as DJ on the station. There’s a hint of Alanis Morissette to her delivery, or even another 6 Music presenter Cerys Matthews.


All in all, this gig – in the close- up setting of Tiny Rebel’s upstairs space – may be the chillest group therapy session that we could ask for. Zoe Konez and Joshua Caole comprise the two opening acts this evening.


Tickets: £12. Info: facebook.com/ tinyrebelcardiff JOSEPH ELIJAH


LAURA VEIRS Acapela, Cardiff Tue 21 June


Listening to her 12th studio album, it sounds like Laura Veirs has finally found her form. Not that many of us thought much had been missing for the past 25 years that this esteemed American songwriter has been putting out top drawer material. The upcoming Found Light, though, is the first Veirs has had real artistic control over.


The Lookout, from 2018, was a brilliant collection of interesting and charming songs that showed all the hallmarks of Veirs’ folk/country/ electric stylings; 2020’s My Echo chronicled a split with her long-term romantic and professional partner. Now, after the emotional turmoil of that period and free to co-produce with new collaborator Shahzad Ismaily, Veirs has created music of release and rebirth. Just check out the video to Winter Windows and you’ll see and hear how liberated Veirs’ songs, style, playing and performance is.


A night in Cardiff’s intimate Acapela, with Laura Veirs flying her flag of freedom, should be something special – no wonder it’s selling fast.


Tickets: £25. Info: acapela.co.uk JOHN-PAUL DAVIES


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SANTROFI Neuadd Dwyfor, Pwllheli Sat 25 June


Smashing booking here for this Gwynedd arts centre, made in cahoots with another one – Bethesda’s Neuadd Ogwen, which has a nice little run going this summer for non-Western danceable treats. Santrofi are from Accra, capital city of Ghana, and their eight members play


highlife in the glorious 1970s style. Founder member Emmanuel Ofori, who also produced Santrofi’s 2020 debut album Alewa, previously played bass for Ghanian highlife dons Ebo Taylor and Pat Thomas, so you know he’s not half-arsing it.


extremely groovy


SEPULTURA Tivoli, Buckley Sun 12 June


Good old Sepultura. They rarely forget Wales when they tour, and they’ll continue that legacy when the Quadra tour stops at legendary northern rock club the Tivoli.


By all accounts, Ofori and co aren’t total nostalgia heads, with their live shows featuring hat tips to modern Ghanian dance crazes, but with their instrumental lineup encompassing brass, organs, shakers and percussion, expect highlife tunes of the rich, strident and soulful kind. The band already impressed UK punters on a pre-Alewa 2019 show at enduring ‘world music’ fest WOMAD, but this is their first British tour, and you’d expect some new music mixed in with selections from that stellar two-year-old debut too.


Tickets: £15. Info: neuaddogwen.com NOEL GARDNER


The Brazilian metal legends have consistently graced our fair land, starting back as far as the Beneath The Remains days, which saw several stops over the years at Newport Centre, while they also chose Chepstow Castle to record a track for 1993’s legendary Chaos A.D album, the rest of which was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire.


More recent appearances have seen them hit Cardiff a handful of times, and they even command a place on the celebrity wall at Boofy’s fish and chip shop in Barry Island. After nearly 40 years in the game, a Sepultura show is still as aggressive and energetic as you would hope it to be and there’s not many that do it better.


Support on this show comes from sludge metal bruisers Raging Speedhorn and UK hardcore’s newest hopes Cage Fight.


Tickets: £23. Info: tivolivenue.com CHRIS ANDREWS


THE UNTHANKS Pontio, Bangor, Fri 24 June St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Mon 11 July


Anyone who has seen The Unthanks perform know they’re in for more than a canny time at shows. Along with hearing gorgeous, earthy music, audiences can expect to learn a bit of the history of the Northeast and especially of traditional Northumberland songs. Though known for their folk repertoire, they can’t be labelled to one genre, as demonstrated on their previous 14 records. Tyneside sisters/singers Rachel and Becky Unthank and composer/producer Yorkshireman Adrian McNally are the core of a continually developing group.


They’re touring in support of their upcoming autumn album Sorrows Away, which in addition to standard CD and download – will be released on double vinyl and a limited-edition CD book with 24 pages of sleeve notes, lyrics, photos and artwork. Appearing as an 11-piece ensemble, including violinist Niopha Keegan, The Unthanks are


‘drive sorrows away’ to quote from the title track and have unveiled the album’s first single, their hauntingly lovely version of George Bok’s The Bay Of Fundy.


promising to


Tickets: £24 Bangor / £25 Cardiff Info: pontio.co.uk / stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk RHONDA LEE REALI


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