Category: Music
Worldcub's new album 'Back To The Beginning' out 17th of May, a trippy jaunt through past lives and memory
By Ceri Shaw, 2024-04-09
Worldcub release their new album ‘Back to the Beginning’ is out 17th of May. New single 'One Small Mistake' out on the 12th of April.
Worldcub invites you on a jaunt through past lives and memory with their brand new concept album 'Back To The Beginning' a carefully crafted collection of tracks containing sharp hooks, joyous West Coast pleasure trips and contemplative stop-offs along the way. Beguiling lead single and title track rumbles through time and space, that opens up new worlds on the arms of a kraut rock groove. spacey guitar licks, splashes of keyboards, floating harmonies, the vocal interplay guides you deep into the mind's eye of a melody, at once both wistful for a past and for a future of unknowns.
Worldcub, are a group from North Wales piloted by brothers Cynyr (guitar & vocals) and Dion Hamer (drums & vocals), they began their musical journey under the name CaStLeS, taking influence from 70s/80s Paul McCartney and DIY ‘Fantastic Man’, William Onyeabor . They produce material from their home studio on the hills of Eryri, splicing together elements of surf guitar music, kraut-rock grooves and hypnotic psych tinged Cymru vocal harmonies.
Through fourteen lucid and addictive tracks ‘Back To The Beginning’ journeys through wormholes, keyholes and time warps. 'Grog' is an awesomely woozy trip, fantastic surf guitars decorate a pulsing percussive tapestry, trippy and lilting vocals, it could be something lifted from the famous Nuggets compilations. Haunting ‘One Small Mistake’ with its lucid melodies, almost bossa nova rhythms and bouncing psych pop sound, is an off kilter delight. The album also contains previous single 'Look through the Keyhole' is a hypnotic, West Coast tinged, surf inspired jaunt through past lives and memory. The record also contains Welsh language tracks the gleaming ‘Hel Y Hadau’ and the iridescent entwined melodies, 70s fuzz guitar and insidious percussion of ‘Pwysau Yn Pwyso’ which translates as a Pressing Matter.
Their self-released, site-specific themed debut album Fforesteering gained coverage on major platforms such as The Guardian and UNCUT Magazine, with air time on BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio Cymru & Wales. The band also earned their debut performance slot on the BBC Introducing stage at Reading & Leeds Festival and found success playing shows as part of the 'Horizons 12' scheme; which included a recording session at the historic Maida Vale Studios in London.
After an extensive run of live shows, including festivals such as Liverpool Sound City, Liverpool Psych Fest, Farmfest and more recently BreakOut West in Canada and main support to Public Service Broadcasting at FOCUS Wales Festival, Worldcub emerge again with a new catalogue of material for 2024 along with band members; Calvin Thomas on Bass and Jasmine Roberts on guitar.
Tour dates:
http://www.twitter.com/worldcubworld
http://www.worldcub.bandcamp.com
SENGL NEWYDD SIULA, 'LUCID LOVE', ALLAN NAWR AR LIBERTINO
Mae Siula, prosiect newydd Llion Robertson ac Iqra Malik, yn plethu pop-sinematig gydag alawon meddal ac mae'u trac diweddaraf, 'Lucid Love', yn gwneud union hynny mewn modd cwbl hudolus.
Yn gerddorol, mae 'Lucid Love' yn gweu alawon chwerw-felys gydag hooks hypnotig, tra bod y curiadau cyson yn cydio'n hiraethus a'n efelychu arddull artistiaid fel y Cocteau Twins a Yazoo.
Eglura Iqra: “Mae’r gân yn daith sy’n dangos cyfnodau o gariad a chaethiwed i rywbeth/rhywun, er eich bod yn gwybod nad ydynt yn dda i chi. Mae'n cyfleu’r da a'r drwg mewn perthynas a'r cryfder a ddaw ar ôl i'r cwbl ddod i ben."
Mae 'Lucid Love' allan nawr ar Libertino!
SIULA'S NEW SINGLE, 'LUCID LOVE', OUT NOW VIA LIBERTINO
Siula’s vivid sound pallet evokes a nostalgic yet futuristic dive into a world of poetic optimism and romantic vulnerability and that's perfectly realised on their new single, ‘Lucid Love’.
The Cardiff-based cinematic pop project from Llion Robertson and Iqra Malik have crafted a song that explores the darker side of love. ‘Lucid Love’ is unafraid to delve into the shadowy corners of the heart and expose hidden desire that can turn into romantic obsession.
Musically we can hear the influence of the Cocteau Twins' beautiful and fragile melodies intertwined with Yazoo’s hypnotic pop hooks to create a song naked in its open hearted vulnerability, even as the dance floor lights blind and the rhythm carries your troubles away.
Iqra explains: “The song is a journey that shows the stages of love and addiction to something/someone that’s bad for you; shows the highs and lows of being consumed by someone and the growth that comes after it’s all over. It’s kind of like looking back on something that you know was harmful but appreciating the euphoria you got from the experience (whilst knowing you’re grown enough to never go back).”
'Lucid Love' is out now via Libertino!
SYBS release new 'Canned Laughter' single via Libertino Sengl Newydd SYBS 'Canned Laughter' Allan Nawr ar Libertino
By Ceri Shaw, 2024-03-29
SENGL NEWYDD SYBS, 'CANNED LAUGHTER', ALLAN NAWR AR LIBERTINO
‘Canned laughter’ yw’r gân gyntaf a ysgrifennwyd ar y cyd rhwng gitarydd SYBS, Kieran Macdonald-Brown, a’r canwr/gitarydd, Osian Llŷr. Mae'n nodi sengl ddwyieithog cyntaf y band a hefyd yn ein cymryd yn gam yn agosach at albwm cyntaf SYBS, fydd allan cyn diwedd y flwyddyn.
Yn drac sydd â dylanwadau sy'n ymestyn o bossa nova i pync, mae 'Canned Laughter' yn dwyn ysbrydoliaeth gan bobl fel Mark E Smith (The Fall) a Dave Datblygu.
Eglura Kieran: "Yn y bôn, 'Canned Chwerthin' ydy fi'n trio 'sgwennu cân SYBS ar ôl cael fy nylanwadu'n fawr gan arddull 'sgwennu Osian. Ysgrifennais y riff yn gyntaf cyn gwneud rhyw fath o demo sydyn yn ystod y pandemig. Er hynny, ddo'th y gân 'mond at ei gilydd ar ôl i ni gyd ddod at ein gilydd yn y stiwdio yn Hounslow, ger Llundain, i recordio'r albwm. Yn fano, penderfynom y byddai'r trac yn gweithio'n dda yn ddwyieithog."
Ychwanega Osian: "Yn delynegol, roeddwn i eisiau 'sgwennu cân a oedd yn seiliedig ar fy mhrofiad i o weithio mewn swyddfa. Mae'n dilyn cymeriad unig sydd wedi llwyr colli diddordeb a'u gwaith 9-5 ac yna'n cwestiynu pa mor annheg yw gweld pobl eraill sy'n byw bywydau tebyg ond yn hapus ynddyn nhw ei hunain."
Mae 'Canned Laughter' allan nawr ar Libertino.
SYBS' NEW SINGLE, 'CANNED LAUGHTER', OUT NOW VIA LIBERTINO
‘Canned laughter’ is the first single written in collaboration between SYBS' guitarist, Kieran Macdonald-Brown, and singer/guitarist, Osian Llŷr. It’s also the bands first bilingual song and another step closer to the release of their eagerly anticipated debut album later this year.
‘Canned Laughter’ is bossa nova, post-punk with Mark E Smith meets Dave Datblygu urgent lead vocals pulling the listener in to be fully immersed in the bands exciting musical world. Kieran and Osian explain the background to the creation of their unique and compelling new single.
Kieran explains: "Basically ‘Canned Laughter’ is me trying to write a SYBS song, having been greatly influenced by Osian's writing style after a long stretch gigging throughout 2019, particularly in the summer. Writing the riff firstly, then making a sort of off-kitler muzak/Splatoon inspired demo when the pandemic kicked off. It wasn't until we got together to record the majority of the album in Hounslow that the arrangement, while still maintaining the casiotone beat and the quacky autowah lead lines, was fully worked out with Daf's drums and a heightened angst likely influenced by impending uni finals, the style beginning to lean more into bossa post-punk.
Synths and percussion were overdubbed a bit further down the line, keeping the electric organ sound but adding a g-funk-esque lead synth, at that time very influenced by GTA San Andreas theme. Then me and Osian, deciding it would be fitting to make it a bilingual song, decided to run with the more angsty/paranoid feeling."
Osian adds: "Lyrically, I wanted to write a narrative song, somewhat loosely based on my own experience of office work. It’s about a character who’s going through the motions at their 9-5 who’s lost a sense of purpose with their work, clocking out and wasting away the rest of their day watching sit coms, and becoming envious of these characters' positive outlook on life in spite of their repetitive lifestyle.
Eventually the character begins to spiral after a few too many instant coffees, loses grip on reality and begins to feel they themselves are in one of these sit coms, in a Truman show-esque sense, with every decision made for them already. Essentially it’s a meditation on ideas of free will, and what it is that gives us a sense of purpose and meaning".
With tongue-in-cheek humour throughout, the themes of ‘Domestic Majestic’ revolve around self-care in the face of the difficult and mundane early-2020s. Here’s the Email is the band at its angriest and mostdestructive - presenting the perspective of the disgruntled office worker, now working from home, juxtaposing corporate life lyrics with jagged post-punk chaos. “Here’s the email / Hope you are safe and well / Hope your family’s well.”
On the other end of the spectrum you have Petrol Station Flowers , perhaps the most different and defiant song on the album which could be described as ambient chamber pop. The ghostly slide guitar, reverberating synths and crisp percussion join together as a monumental cloud. It would be the band’s most romantic statement yet if it wasn’t for Better With You, a song which started life as a synth line run through various bass guitar pedals, forming the backbone of the melody. The guitars, trying to find a
way in, pull from classical music tropes rarely heard in rock music. This results in a bombastic, spy movie feel.
'Domestic Majestic Tracklist'
1. Yes Man
2. Here’s the Email
3. Treat Yourself
4. Better with You
5. Me but not Tired
6. Cat Pose
7. The Grand Burstin Hotel
8. Petrol Station Flowers
9. U OK?
10. Little Bird
John Kennedy, Radio X
Bethan Elfyn, BBC Radio Wales
Gary Crowley, BBC Radio London
Adam Walton, BBC Introducing
God Is In The TV Zine
“Silent Forum are a combination of shadowy post punk and the more accessible side of indie rock. Theymove from cold and brooding to nervy, and almost overbold.”
Destroy//Exist
“Silent Forum provide a cinematic take on broody indie rock… The band melds thrumming guitar linesand emphatic vocals with an unwavering beat.”
Buffablog
“So many textures and layers...the rippling guitars and the wall of voices that hit you when you first listen to it...i'm absolutley obsessed'
Molly Palmer, BBC Radio Wales
Gillie' releases new 'Yn Y Bore' EP via Libertino // 'Gillie' yn rhyddhau EP newydd 'Yn Y Bore' ar Libertino
By Ceri Shaw, 2024-02-24
‘Yn Y Bore ’ is a body of work that capture life changing moments, emotionally, spiritually and geographically over the last two years for singer / songwriter / producer Gillie . It is the first material the Carmarthenshire born artist has written in the Welsh language and the first songs written and recorded after her return to live in Wales after spending her late teens and early twenties in London.
Deeply influenced by place, Gillie blends musically on songs that make up ‘Yn Y Bore’ gold-flecked guitar loops into an ambient haze on top of relentless driving rhythms. Gillie harnesses the anxieties, stress and struggles of modern life, weaving them into something unapologetic and inherently intimate.
Gillie explains:
“There have been a lot of changes in my life over the time I wrote this collection of songs. It captures a chapter of two years, with lots of uncertainty and big changes - as this track title suggests, I wanted to end the EP on something that says it's all going to work itself out by the arrival of the morning.
This is the first collection of tracks that I have ever released in Welsh, and it feels nice to bind them together within an EP. These songs are really special to me; I can hear the journey that I have gone on as an artist when I listen to them, and a growth in confidence. They are in chronological order with regards to when they were written and released, so I feel it takes the listener on a journey too.
There are moments of light and dark throughout all four tracks, which perfectly encapsulates my feelings around uncertainty and change. It was really cathartic to explore space and texture within this EP, and lay a foundation for what’s to come next.”
Angharad releases brand new 'Hormone Called Love' single and announces 'Motherland' debut album via LIbertino
By Ceri Shaw, 2024-02-07
The latest single to be taken from ANGHARAD’s debut album, ‘Motherland’ (out on March 1st) is the joyous and unstoppable ‘Hormone Called Love’
“If there was ever a song to sum up my recent journey into songwriting and motherhood, it would be this.
This is a feel-good song about music and love. It's about all those gorgeous, juicy hormones we need to bond with one another, make love and... give birth! Oxytocin is often referred to as the love hormone. Along with endorphins and adrenaline, the body creates quite a potent concoction of chemicals during labour.
I practised for birth like I would practise for a gig. In stead of scales and arpeggios, I'd be doing my breathing exercises, my visualisations, my meditations. I took my labour as serious as my music. And it paid off. I had the most wonderful, un-assisted home births - twice - all through the power of hypnobirthing.
I soon realised in the first few days and weeks of my daughter's life, that the only way to communicate with a newborn baby is to sing to them. Singing became a way not only to soothe and entertain my baby, but myself too. This is one of those songs that popped out postpartum, when reflecting on birth and motherhood.
Without oxytocin, the world would be a love-less place. Cwtsh up to your loved ones, and make music people!” - Angharad
Hormone Called Love Lyrics
I am mother . These are the first words we hear after hitting play on Swansea-based [genre: e.g. pop-folk storyteller] Angharad’s debut album Motherland, and this affirmation resounds across the twelve tracks that follow, revealing the gravity of what initially appears to be a simple statement but is in fact an assertion weighted by the story of mothers and motherhood across the ages. I am strong. I am gentle. I am mountainwoman. I am nourisher . I am life-giver . I am all you need right now. I am the moon and the stars. I am everything to you. I am your world.
It’s said that early motherhood is simultaneously the happiest and hardest period of time a mother can experience, and this is reflected by the juxtaposition of the dreamlike spoken-word jazzscape of title track ‘Motherland’ and the bass-driven midnight-feed nightmare of ‘Postpartum’. In ‘Motherland’ we listen as the tidal pull of the moon ushers new life in – “nocturnal and luminous” – while in the album’s first single ‘Postpartum’ both music and mother unravel in an unapologetic cacophony of fatigue and repetition: “I’m exhausted and I’m broken, exhausted and I’m broken, I’m exhausted and I’m broken…get off my tits.”
As the songs that open the album, these two compositions couldn’t be more different, but as Angharad points out “...this is exactly what motherhood is like. It’s the joys and horrors. Elation and despair . I put those songs next to each other because that’s how it is in real life – you can feel both emotions simultaneously .”
Although Angharad is an experienced musician, perhaps best-known as part of revivalist Welsh folk band Calan, Motherland represents her first foray into songwriting – something which has long been an ambition. “I’ve always felt like I had a lot to say , but I presumed that someone else somewhere would be saying the same things. It took me so long to realise nobody else can tell my story .” However , it was the double isolation of experiencing early motherhood during Covid lockdowns that finally made her pull on this songwriting thread. “I’ve always collaborated with others when it comes to music, but lockdown forced me to work alone. I’ve written melodies in the past, but never lyrics. I began with making up songs to get my daughter Tanwen to sleep, and then I’d find myself fine-tuning them during daily walks with her in the pram, or making up new ones. I’d never sung before but, after becoming a mother , finding my voice was both a necessity and a gift.”
If nature provided inspiration, then so too did the fact that these songwriting walks were plotted across her hometown Swansea and, when restrictions eased, the wider map of Wales. Angharad’s geographical motherland provides the setting for this album which, even though it covers universal themes, is unashamedly and defiantly Welsh. Angharad admits she has her parents to thank for this desire to tell the stories of ‘here’ rather than ‘there’. Her mother is the Celtic harpist Delyth Jenkins, who Angharad plays violin alongside in folk duo DnA, and her father is the late poet Nigel Jenkins. His long poem ‘Advice to a Young Poet’ is often cited as a ‘go-to’ for writers seeking inspiration and direction – counting last year ’s Forward Prize winner Kim Moore amongst its disciples – and Angharad says it’s a piece she’s revisited a lot while writing the album, having never really put pen to paper before.
With the exception of playing as part of the album’s string quartet, the recording of Motherland saw Angharad put down her instruments and focus solely on singing and composition. All of the songs on the album (as well as a few that didn’t make it) were written during a prolific period of creativity in 2021, and recorded in the autumn of that year in producer friend Aeddan Williams’ attic studio while Angharad was expecting her second child. Surrounded by vintage Welsh tourist board posters, the two friends were joined by musicians from the Royal Welsh College and managed to record the whole album in a weekend. “Albums usually take a lot longer than that to write and record,” says Angharad, “but once I started writing it was like opening a rusty tap and all the songs appeared within six months. Sleep deprivation helped in a way , giving me more hours in the day to write!”
Luckily the recording of Motherland was wrapped up before Angharad’s second child Idris made an appearance in March 2022, but once again maternity leave has been accompanied by a visit from the Muse: “It’s not sustainable to have a baby each time you need to write a new album, but baby number two was quickly followed by album number two – at least in terms of lyrics and melodies. It seems like my creative process is greatly aided by my time being squeezed.”
As an album of songs Motherland takes a trip across many genres, but with a story that unifies its diverse parts. And this is a story only Angharad can tell – from the soaring power of the string-lush anthem ‘Don’t Burn Bridges’ to the gentle, tragic beauty of ‘Little Baby Embryo’. The second Double A single, ‘I Don’t Know How / Time, Time Again’, will pair two of Motherland’s explorations of time passing – something that is always brought into sharp focus when you become a parent, but seemed sharper again when that happened for Angharad during a global pandemic. ‘Time, Time Again’ was born out of existential questions rising to the surface during lockdown, while she calls ‘I Don’t Know How’ her “anti-botox song…because there is so much to love about getting older .” The album intentionally contains multitudes because that is what motherhood is like. It’s a brightly layered celebration of parenthood, but it also includes a seam of grief for an old life that has been lost forever – a discordant phenomenon that many parents will recognise.
The album closes with a trilogy of love songs for Angharad’s daughter Tanwen. The tender and intimate ‘Every Inch of You’, which feels like the outpouring of a full heart, is followed by the quiet lullaby of ‘Hwiangerdd Tanwen’. Although Angharad predominantly works in the Welsh language for her other musical projects, ‘Hwiangerdd Tanwen’ is the first time we hear Cymraeg on her debut album, drawing upon her work with the charity Live Music Now to help new parents write songs for their children. And so it is time to leave Motherland, the final track ‘Babi Ni’ acting as an ear-worm outro to the record – a foot-stomping slice of fireside folk. Eventually the riotous communal singing falls away to reveal only baby Tanwen, her sweet singing voice closing an album where her mother proves that she has very much found her own. As Tanwen finishes singing, Angharad asks “Eto?” – the Welsh for “Again?” Yes, let’s hit that play button once more, and hear Motherland’s resounding affirmation: I am mother .
2. Postpartum
3. Little baby embryo
4. I don’t know how
5. Don’t burn bridges
6. Because I’m a woman
7. Hey, there’s always the night
8. Time, time again
9. Hormone called love
10. Every inch of you
11. Hwiangerdd Tanwen
12. Babi ni
Band
Angharad Jenkins: lead vocals, violin
Aeddan Williams: double bass, electric bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals,
percussion
Alex Burch: drum kit, backing vocals (track 12)
John Close: electric guitar, double bass, electric bass, backing vocals (track 12)
Michael Blanchfield: piano, hammond, backing vocals (track 12)
Samuel Barnes: backing vocals, percussion
Angharad Jenkins: violin
Aneirin Jones: violin
Haz Thomas: viola
Jordan Price-Williams: cello Horns
Ted Smith: trumpet
Rachel Head: alto sax (as above and track 10), backing vocals (track 12)
Joe Northwood: tenor sax
Colour Clash, Gwent's premier one-day festival is thrilled to announce its highly anticipated return to Tredegar Park, Newport on Saturday, 20th July 2024, with headliner ArrDee and special guests Ben Nicky and Shy FX
Early bird tickets for Colour Clash Festival have already sold out, showcasing the immense excitement surrounding this event. However, music lovers can access priority access to the next ticket release here https://www.colour-clash.co.uk/prereg/ UK rapper ArrDee heads up the bill with appearances from, Ben Nicky, and Shy FX, Nathan Dawe, Badger, Issey Cross, Oppidan, Darren Styles, David Rust, Sander Van Doorn, and many more artists will take the stage, ensuring a colourful and vibrant atmosphere throughout the day.
Brighton’s ArrDee is proving to be one of the UK’s most exciting MCs. Adorned with charisma, the self-confessed “cheeky chappy”, rose to instant fame with his feature on Russ Millions and Tion Wayne’s ‘Body (Remix)’. The viral hit became the first drill track to reach number one on the UK charts, soundtracks over a million TikToks, and has clocked up 200 million streams.
The young MC has cemented his place at the top of the charts. He bagged three UK Top 10s in just three months, with ‘Body (Remix), T2-sampling Digga D-collab ‘Wasted’, and the string-
laden ‘Oliver Twist’. Dropping hit after hit, his infectious charisma and witty wordplay have continued to shine through. His most recent, ‘Flowers (Say My Name)’, samples the iconic beats of Sweet Female Attitude’s ‘Flowers’ and Destiny Child’s ‘Say My Name’ behind a garage-heavy deep dive into his Casanova-lifestyle.
Making noise as one of the busiest electronic artists on Earth, Ben Nicky is poised to take on the world. Earning supreme accolades from industry trailblazers, Ben is recognized by Diplo as the “leader of a new movement” and by Armin van Buuren as “one of the hardest working DJs in the industry.” Reaching new heights with chart-topping hits across Beatport, Spotify, and iTunes, Ben has become a household name across the dance music spectrum with his penchant for fast-moving beats. Coined by Pete Tong as a “multi-genre specialist” and “one of the planet’s busiest DJs,” Ben continues to lead fans and artists alike on social media to millions of online followers.
Escape Records, the collective behind Colour Clash Festival, is no stranger to organizing Wales' most prominent music festivals. With a track record that includes successful events such as In It Together Festival, Inside Out, Party in the Park, and the beloved Escape Festival, they have consistently brought world-class entertainment to Newport. Previous events have featured exceptional performances by Example, Jax Jones, Wilkinson, Joel Corry, Professor Green, Lethal Bizzle, Sub Focus, Jason Manford, and Bill Bailey, leaving festival-goers craving more.
As Colour Clash Festival returns to Newport, it reaffirms its commitment to providing an unparalleled experience for music enthusiasts. With its diverse lineup, lively atmosphere, and the expertise of Escape Records, this festival is set to become a highlight of the summer calendar.
Colour Clash will take place in Tredegar Park, Newport on Saturday, 20th July 2024.
Aaronson release stunning post-rock single 'Shipwrecks' out now via Dirty Carrot Records
By Ceri Shaw, 2024-02-02
Cardiff based post-rock band ' AARONSON' today release their brand new single 'SHIPWRECKS' via Dirty Carrot Records.
Taken from last year's acclaimed debut album 'The Great Swells That Carry Us Will Pull Us Under' which was a sonic marvel filled with beautifully arranged ambient post-rock and grabbed the attention of numerous corners of the music press and Radio including Adam Walton , BBC Radio Wales , A Closer Listen , Where The Music Meets , Buzz Magazine , Destroy Exist, Amplify The Noise, Ear To The Ground Music, and many more.
AARONSON are a post rock band from South Wales, whose towering layers of melody and epic crescendos have seen them share a stage with NORDIC GIANTS , COLDBONES , A-TOTA-SO and FALSE HOPE FOR THE SAVAGE , finished runners up at The Big Gig Wales 2020, be nominated for a Cardiff Music Award and release their cinematic EP 'YOU ARE NOT A STRANGER HERE'.
"exceptionally adept at what they do!"
Destroy Exist
Amplify The Noise
"brilliantly craft a near perfect post rock sound"
Ear To The Ground
“Songs that incorporate plenty of slow burn and build up,
The Razor’s Edge
Welsh Band 'Three Smiles Wide' release brand new single 'Warm Ice Cream' with all proceeds to My Big Cancer Fundraiser
By Ceri Shaw, 2024-02-02
WELSH band Three Smiles Wide will donate all the money raised from their latest single to help pay for treatment for a 38 year old with cancer.
Three Smiles Wide were recording the single at Sonic One Studios in Llanelli when they heard that Luke had suffered a seizure whilst walking in central London. Luke Thomas, from Kidwelly in the Gwendraeth Valley, found out he had seven metastases in his brain – type four cancer.
He was originally diagnosed with skin cancer in 2014 and has raised more than £65,000 for Melanoma Focus while walking the entire Welsh coast. The treatment he received originally worked and doctors classified Luke as ‘NED’ or ‘no evidence of disease’.
However, with the new diagnosis, options are beginning to run out and once he builds resistance to the targeted treatment he has been receiving for the past three years, there will be no more alternatives on the NHS.
Luke’s family and friends are now raising money to pay for immunotherapy as he doesn’t meet the criteria for it to be paid for by the NHS. They’ve managed to raise nearly £25k already.
Three Smiles Wide are hoping they can add to that and help Luke exceed the £100k needed for one round of immunotherapy. Drummer Sam Peric went to school with Luke and the trio are all from the Kidwelly area. The three-piece band also played at ‘Luke Fest’ in 2019 to raise money for Melanoma Focus.
The song, called Warm Ice Cream, will be available to buy from Friday, 2nd February 2024 and coincides with a sold out Party for Luke event taking place on Saturday, 3rd February.
'Silent Forum' brand new 'Domestic Majestic' Album Out 23rd February via Libertino
By Ceri Shaw, 2024-01-31
With tongue-in-cheek humour throughout, the themes of ‘Domestic Majestic’ revolve around self-care in the face of the difficult and mundane early-2020s. Here’s the Email is the band at its angriest and mostdestructive - presenting the perspective of the disgruntled office worker, now working from home, juxtaposing corporate life lyrics with jagged post-punk chaos. “Here’s the email / Hope you are safe and well / Hope your family’s well.”
On the other end of the spectrum you have Petrol Station Flowers , perhaps the most different and defiant song on the album which could be described as ambient chamber pop. The ghostly slide guitar, reverberating synths and crisp percussion join together as a monumental cloud. It would be the band’s most romantic statement yet if it wasn’t for Better With You, a song which started life as a synth line run through various bass guitar pedals, forming the backbone of the melody. The guitars, trying to find a
way in, pull from classical music tropes rarely heard in rock music. This results in a bombastic, spy movie feel.
1. Yes Man
2. Here’s the Email
3. Treat Yourself
4. Better with You
5. Me but not Tired
6. Cat Pose
7. The Grand Burstin Hotel
8. Petrol Station Flowers
9. U OK?
10. Little Bird
“Silent Forum are a combination of shadowy post punk and the more accessible side of indie rock. Theymove from cold and brooding to nervy, and almost overbold.” Destroy//Exist
“Silent Forum provide a cinematic take on broody indie rock… The band melds thrumming guitar linesand emphatic vocals with an unwavering beat.”
“There is something really interesting, almost PIL-like with those guitars." Adam Walton, BBC Radio Wales