We’ve all been at festivals this weekend so instead of the normal new tracks, we’re doing some of our favourites of Swn that Jim and Bill have been at. Enjoy whilst we sleep. We are very rock’n’roll!!
Panic Shack – Baby
This was one of the first songs we heard at Swn, on Friday night at Tramshed, as Panic Shack blew the roof off the shed. There are seven words in the whole song, “I don’t want to hold your baby” but is a mantra for anyone who is fed up of being shown the result of two people’s disgusting lust, and is therefore brilliant.
Panic Shack are the most fun you can have on a Friday night in Cardiff, stood in front of a stage with a pint on the eve of a weekend of hedonism. (For hedonism, see the equivalent for two men in their early 40’s who need to be home and in bed by 11pm with a cup of tea) (Jim Auton)
W H Lung – Inspiration!
One of the pleasant surprises of the weekend. Not because we thought they were shit before, but because, well we didn’t really know they were this good, but isn’t that the point of festivals like this.
Channelling everything that their very famous home city has produced over the past 40 years, W. H. Lung have the dance floor of the Hacienda in their blood, New Order an obvious touchstone. Frontman Joe Evans has a bit of the Ian Curtis’s about him, if Ian also wanted to be David Bowie. (Jim Auton)
Ailsa Tully – Holy Isle
On Sunday afternoon we all needed a bit of a sit down, have a ham sandwich and listen to something nice and relaxing. Unfortunately it’s standing room only in The Moon and they don’t do food but Ailsa Tully was majestic and soothing whilst you cradled yet another pint of Neck Oil so my body is now 27% Beavertown.
‘Holy Isle’ ticks all the boxes, blissed out echoey vocals that live is more beautiful harmonies than the reverb effects, but the way Ailsa plays the bass like a guitar makes for fantastic rhythms. (Jim Auton)
Home Counties – Back to the 1970’s
Another great surprise, this time on Saturday evening when we’re ready for a dance and a sing as Home Counties brought the angular, post-punk but eminently more groovy than some of your more average purveyors of the genre. Also, whilst also bang in the middle of the dystopian nightmare that was the threat of Bojo the Bellend potentially being our PM again (fortunately some cosmic fate meant he binned that off), Home Counties were wishing it was 50 years ago. Unfortunately the latter part of that decade was also a bit of a shitstorm but we’ll gloss over that for now. No one can blame anyone for wishing to be in a different era altogether, and this has enough charm and tongue in cheek wit to mean no-one in Clwb Ifor Bach gave two shits anyway as several “Fuck the Tories” shouts were concurred with on stage. (Jim Auton)
Bodega – Doers
One of my ones I was looking forward to seeing, Bodega never fail to smash it out the O’Neills (although I have never seen them in an O’Neills before but they have smashed it out of the tent at Green Man and the Scala, Kings Cross) and this was no exception. The venue was the most packed I saw it all weekend, and they didn’t even have a special offer on the Guinness. ‘Doers’ opened the set, their second of the day, after they tricked us earlier with a secret set under the monika ATM. The worst part is that Bill pointed out that the picture on the Swn App was of the front of a bodega. Nevermind. They were ace. (Jim Auton)
L E M F R E C K – Kings
Nominated for the Welsh Music Prize for his 2021 album the Pursuit, L E M F R E C K delivered a personality-filled performance at O’Neill’s during Swn on Sunday. His song ‘Kings‘ from that album featuring INFAMOUSIZAK, pairs smooth beats and soulfully sung tones with searing bars, is a tale of L E M F R E C K’s life up until now and how he got here. He says: “So I wrote it as a memoir, like a story of how I got here. How I wanted to quit. How I’ve done all this so I can respect myself. And provide a life for my people.” ‘Kings’ is an honest account, L E M F R E C K’s rapping delivery is calm but interesting, heightened by his surprising smooth singing “Hard times came to play, I’m awake, are you the same”. (Bill Cummings)
Aderyn – Playground
One of our tips for 2022, Aderyn scoops the Triskell prize at the Welsh Music Prize this week, which means she gets financial support for her exciting emerging career. She picked us up on Saturday’s early afternoon with a fun, tuneful set of perky tunes at Jacob’s market. Her recent single ‘Playground‘ brims with hooks and attitude, it sees her give the kiss-off to an ex in a brilliant tune full of direct, sardonic and playful lyricism. It’s another instalment from this exciting emerging artist who certainly knows her way around a tune.
“Playground was written just after a break-up” explains Aderyn. “I was definitely in the ‘anger’ state of mourning the relationship when I wrote this song. I often joke at my gigs that singing this song live is a form of free therapy for me”. (Bill Cummings)
