Newport Events Presents

FEEDER

THE HOMECOMING!

Friday 9 July 2021

Feeder have announced they are coming home to perform in Newport’s Tredegar Park on Friday 9 ^th  July 2021. Tickets will go on general sale from 10am Tuesday 4th May via  www.newport-events.com .  Support for the homecoming will come from special guests The Magic Gang and Welsh bands Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard and Tom Auton and the Bottle Breakers.

As ever, Grant Nicholas leads from the front, alongside bass player and comrade Taka Hirose. The British rock mainstays are responsible for some of the biggest British indie rock hits in the past twenty years. With 8 top #10 studio albums and 20 top #40 UK, the band are responsible for such anthems, ‘Just the Way I'm Feeling’, ‘Tumble and Fall’, ‘Just a Day’, ‘Feeling a Moment’ and the widely loved ‘Buck Rodgers’.

Since forming in 1994, Feeder have released ten studio albums, spanning early albums like Echo Park to Comfort of Sound and Renegades. The Welsh rock band's ninth album All Bright Electric came out in 2016 and the band released their most recent album Tallulah in 2019, which was met with critical acclaim. The album peaked at No. 4 on the UK Album Charts on release and was supported with singles 'Fear of Flying', 'Youth', 'Daily Habit' and 'Blue Sky Blue'

Feeder have come full circle. More than two decades after their first show the band are reinvigorated, tapping into the essential, primal energy that first inspired them.

Support for this huge event come from very special guests Brighton indie band  The Magic Gang , whose second album ‘Death of a Party’ received critical and fan adoration worldwide; NME hailed it as  ‘A timeless and genre-blurring record’.   The line-up also sees two Welsh artists performing, first up is retro rock outfit  Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard,  who have received prestigious air play from BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac, Jack Saunders and Huw Stephens and disco-infused blues rock from  Tom Auton & the Bottle Breakers.

Feeder will perform at Tredegar Park, Newport on Friday 9 ^th  July 2021.
Tickets will go on general sale 10am Tuesday 4 ^th  May via  www.newport-events.com

Released physically via Ffynnone Records on the 28th of May, 'For Morgan', the beautiful debut album by Dawn-Song will be available on Limited Edition Vinyl and Compact Disc.

Come with us on an epic journey from Dark to Light, an extraordinary tale of total excess to finding ones inner calm, a musical time-capsule 'For Morgan' is an audio letter from Father to Son. Welshman Nick Evans originally from Penarth, South Wales found himself in the centre of London's consuming Music Business in the 90's. His Elemental Records a pioneering Label was home to Alabama 3, Rocket From The Crypt amounst others.

"I made an album of my songs with some wonderful collaborators over the last couple of years. When I’m gone I wanted to continue to be able to sing for my son Morgan if he needed me. My father published a small book of poetry before he died and if I’m missing him a lot I read a bit of it and I feel reconnected. I also wanted to make something my mother could enjoy. So the record is for Morgan" -  Nick Evans AKA Dawn-Song

Links Online 

The debut single ‘LUNGS’ from Freyja Elsy - an epic, yet introspective look at the end of a relationship.

Freyja Elsy is an independent singer songwriter and composer with a nomadic past and a sound that pushes into the future. Creating songs with a keen ear whilst pursuing music education, she found herself within the vibrant, engaging Cardiff scene. Through both outside musical influence and internal personal conflict she started to establish a clear identity, forging a path forward to create ‘ Lungs ’, her first single.

Based around very real, very intimate voice recordings, ‘ Lungs’ starts small and reserved, fragile in its form and structure. The track slowly unfolds and develops into rising crescendos alongside uncompromising percussion. A mixture of glitchy synthesisers and rising strings interweave around Elsy’s voice, which sits unwavering and steadfast. Her bold lyrics are strong in the face of a contrasting anguish found in the recordings nestled within the music.  

With other musical endeavours in the form of collaborations within the band Blue Amber, alongside orchestral compositions performed by members of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and thematic interludes created for commercial use - this single is her first, strikeout release and sets the course for a prolific career ahead.

We are delighted to welcome  My Name Is Ian  back onto our release schedule after an uncharacteristically long development period for their latest album,  Fantastic Company , out via  Bubblewrap Collective  on  4 ^th June 2021 .

The band’s standard ‘prolific-and-terrific’ approach, culminating in no less than 18 releases since 2010, has been put to one side, with their latest being written and recorded over two years, with time spent in four different locales (Cardiff’s  Rat Trap  and  King’s Road Studios , the pop-up  Snowbird Studios in Riofreddo, Italy and  Axe and Trap Studio in Wells). The resultant LP takes a substantive shift from the garage-pop of previous records and leaps double-footed into a charmingly wonky, indie-dance parallel universe where almost anything seems possible.

Placing centrally the multi-layered, pre-programmed beats of in-house production guru, Joseph Coleby, live instrumentation including electric guitar, four different keyboards and synths, smooth funk-soul bass and hand percussion are also liberally sprinkled throughout.

Flanking Reginald Foxwell’s ever-incisive lead vocals are over 20 other singers including members of  The Burning Hell, Quiet Marauder, HMS Morris  and more. The aggregated effect of this production methodology, musicianship, and spirit of sonic adventurism is a warming, texturally deep and irresistibly catchy set of tracks straddling pop, hip-hop and experimental soundscapes.

The next single to be released from  Fantastic Company  will be  Where is The Time? Featuring  HMS Morris  on  16 ^th April 2021 . The album will be available on limited edition heavyweight black vinyl and across all the usual digital streaming and retail platforms.


Links: 

https://mynameisian.com
https://twitter.com/goodmynameisian
https://bubblewrapcollective.co.uk/artists/my-name-is-ian/
https://mynameisian.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/mynameisianmusic

It’s been 10 years since Little Arrow emerged with their debut album, ‘Music, Masks & Poems’ way back in 2011. In marking this monumental milestone, we also celebrate the life and music of frontman, William Hughes, who we sadly lost to cancer in December 2018.

The release charts some of the many aspects of Will’s artistic life with a ‘Words & Art’ booklet showcasing his sculptures and lyrics; all accompanying the heavyweight, marbled blue vinyl of music. The digital reissue will also include bonus live recordings spanning Little Arrow’s career alongside interpretations of the album tracks re-recorded by some of Will’s closest friends. The first of these bonus tracks to be released is a live performance from Four Bars, Cardiff, in 2014. The track stands as a juxtaposition between the folk roots of the album version and the final live lineup of Little Arrow.

Brimming with themes of hope, love and community, the album remains an expansive, airy and understated folk-tinged gem. Label owner and Little Arrow drummer Rich Chitty elaborates in his accompanying liner notes:

“From the tranquil opening of ‘Bitten Blues’ to the vivid imagery in ‘Aeroplane’; the lyrics felt old-worldly but familiar. Full of hope, but tragic. Wetting its toes amongst the mayhem, as Will puts it in ‘Poetically Diseased’. It was intimate, strange and personal yet somehow relatable, as though it talked of your pain and your joy, all through metaphors nearly lost to time. ‘Easy Now’ and ‘Beneath the True Blue’ were haunting and heart-breaking. ‘People of the Volcano’, ‘Boat’ and ‘Poetically Diseased’ were optimistic but borne of that same curious cloth. To this day, it remains my favourite part of Will’s back catalogue.”

All proceeds from the album will be donated to Paul Sartori - Hospice at Home.

https://www.facebook.com/littlearrowmusic/
https://bubblewrapcollective. co.uk/shop-bubblewrap/

Bandicoot’s description of their new single FUZZY perfectly incapsulates its timeless, joyful energy ... “FUZZY is a deranged attempt at seduction which draws on 70s ‘Top of the Pops’, glam rock and memories of misguided adolescence.”

Following hot on the heels of the bands successful debut single on Libertino ‘Dark Too Long’, FUZZY shares DTL infatuation with the decade where you cycled to catch your dreams on your trusted ‘chopper bike’ and ‘glittered teenage anthems filled the airwaves as much as your imagination’.

With FUZZY Bandicoot are Gene Vincent’s lustful, greasy-haired, leather-jacketed rebellion channelled through Bolan and the New York Dolls infectious boogie. As they sing FUZZY is their Vitamin C, now let FUZZY be yours!

According to Bandicoot “FUZZY is a strutting statement of intent, fizzing with energy, rolling relentlessly on. It captures the energy that we’re bursting with, cooped up in our homes, awaiting the return to the stage. And a triumphant, ferocious return it will be”

FRIDAY 9 APRIL – SATURDAY 10 APRIL – SUNDAY 11 APRIL

Beacons has announced a brand-new free online Welsh music industry conference for young people by young people (16-25) called Summit which will take place online from Friday 9 April to Sunday 11 April. Tickets are free and available from  www.beacons.cymru Beacons Summit is a digital Welsh music industry conference curated by young people, for young people. Its purpose is to get you started on your creative journey, to visualize your career and to offer you guidance through the thrilling labyrinth of the Welsh music industry. The weekend long event will provide diverse educational material surrounding the music industry and illuminate the journeys and stories of inspiring Welsh based professionals. 

Summit will cover a wide range of subjects including songwriting with two of Wales’ leading young songwriters Violet Skies & Alex Stacey, Social Media tips from Hansh, starting up a record label with Rose Parade Recording Company and Libertino Records, becoming the next generation of tastemakers with Sophie Williams (NME/The Guardian/Dork) and Rebecca Llewellyn (Becky and the Bands), Side Hustling with Tumi Williams, Simon Parton, What is A&R with Lily Beau Conway and more to be announced which appear on  www.beacons.cymru

Young people are the driving force behind Beacons, and a key strand within Beacons has been the establishment of a ‘Young Consultants’ team. Since November, our Young Consultants have been designing Beacons’ first public offer: an online music industry conference by young people for young people, called ‘Summit’.

Beacons Summit will aim to create a platform that unites the Welsh industry through inspiring talks, visual art, interviews, live performances and video content.

Over the past year, we’ve been developing Beacons - a new bilingual suite of online resources designed to empower the next generation of the music and creative industries in Wales. Beacons will be built and delivered by young people for young people seeking knowledge, opportunity and networks to illuminate future career paths.

There will be distinct areas of Summit to help young people:

1) DIY SERIES:

A bullet point video series of quick insights, hacks and top-tips. Video content delivered by industry professionals who have mastered effective ways to overcome challenges and get things done/achieve results. Ranging from ‘beginners’ videos for those who are new to the industry to ‘advanced’ videos for those who are looking to polish skill sets they already possess.

2) ‘HOW TO’ GUIDES: 

A deeper dive into the world of the music industry. First-hand accounts from professionals who have been determined to carve careers in the sector they love. They will be guiding the listeners along their own professional experiences, and giving insights into the kind of challenges that will inevitably have to be faced within the industry, and how to overcome them, whilst also teaching which skills are essential to a career in this competitive sector and how to develop them.

3) WELLBEING / PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT: 

An area devoted to the promotion of wellbeing and mental health of young people.

Join us for the journey.

Beacons Summit will take place between Friday 9 April – Sunday 11 April, online and free tickets are now available at www.beacons.cymru 

Beacons is made possible by funding through Creative Wales, Youth Music and Anthem

viA fAntAsticA  release their new album  '2 any 1'    on the 29th of March. It is preceded by the lead single  ‘Onstage, right now....’  a tapestry of percussive loops, synth waves and found sound samples that reassembles early 90s rave culture and echoes of 60s pop, and makes it vital, it's an intriguing introduction to the aural voyage viA fAntAsticA will take you on throughou t ‘2 any 1’.  Watch the accompanying video  here.  

viA fAntAsticA is J.T. and Gaia de Voxx on a DIY synth pop journey. J.T. is Justin Toland, erstwhile purveyor of loops and found sound on Recordiau Peski and self-released cassettes under the name Location Baked. Gaia de Voxx is his droid vocalist.

 2 any 1 is the debut album by viA fAntAsticA. It’s about songs, tunes, accessibility, reaching out.  Influences  range from mass market and under-the-radar 80s synth pop ( Yazoo, Human League, Fad Gadget ) to contemporary Puerto Rican electronic indie ( Los Wálters, Buscabulla ).

2 any 1 began as an imaginary soundtrack to a 21st century kitchen sink drama set in the faded seaside resort of Porthcawl. That was the inspiration for the Italo disco stylings of  ‘Meet me at Sidoli’s',  the electronic surf rock of  ‘Never surf again’ , lover’s lament  ‘Not waving but crying’ , and the incidental noir of  ‘Fog and mirrors’ . When Covid scuppered those plans, the album began to take a different shape: less conceptual, more personal, more free-ranging.

So there are songs and tunes about Cardiff communities and community action, including  ‘Row Town’ (Roath), ‘Rebuild the Poets’,  and  ‘Agents of Change’ , which nods to Toland’s found sound roots, with its field recording from a Save Guildford Crescent demo.

There are tracks based around loops and inspirations, including  ‘Must be built’,  which searches for the essence of the Hacienda nightclub,  ‘Swim-up bar blues’, ‘Cowley’,  and lead single  ‘Onstage, right now…’.

And above all, there are things that just sound good and sound right, like  ‘Gwawr' , like  ‘Stomp stomp’ . So we’re releasing them, releasing this album – 2any1 – in '21. Are you listening?

"chuntering machine-driven backing somewhere between early 80s minimal synth and mid-80s electro...expansive array of semi-ambient keyboards and proto-techno rhythms."  Buzz Magazine

Wales is known as ‘the land of song’ and the Welsh are renowned for their love of hymns – perhaps no other nation has sung them with such fervour. This passion is celebrated in a new comprehensive history of hymn writing and singing in Wales and amongst the Welsh diaspora in North America.  A Nation of Singing Birds: Sermon and Song in Wales and Among the Welsh in America  by Ronald Rees (Y Lolfa) looks at the time between the Protestant Revivals in the late 18 ^th  century until the present day. 

Described as “Lively, entertaining, and valuable – a real gem” by the journalist, presenter and newsreader Huw Edwards, the book considers the influences of key figures such as William Williams Pantycelyn and Ira Sankey also examines rhythmic elements in Welsh preaching. 

Author, Ronald Rees, said:

“Two particular incidents led to the writing of this book. The most recent was my reading of Barbara Ehrenreich’s  Dancing in the Street . Her book is about the need, manifested throughout human history, for communal expressions of feeling – in dance, parade and song. The other incident was a combined concert and  cymanfa ganu  held at St David’s Hall, Cardiff about forty years ago. The concert performers were members of Rhondda’s peerless Pendyrus Choir, led by the late Glynne Jones. The singing was hair-raising. As the final repeated chorus died, a deeply moved Glynne Jones let the hall grow silent and said quietly and reverently: ‘This is who we are.’” 

Painstakingly researched in libraries and archives in both Wales and America, and encompassing information from emigrant letters and diaries and local newspapers of the period, this definitive history tells how hymns and the religious movements and revivals spread via Welsh emigrants to religious communities of the USA. For example, it was a group of Welsh migrants to Utah, led by John Parry, who formed the nucleus of the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir. 

“To engage their audiences, Welsh preachers at home and in America often delivered their sermons with a discernible cadence or rhythm in which sound could be as important as meaning. By combining the persuasive power of the word with the emotive power of music, assemblies could be brought to states ranging from spiritual readiness to hysteria. In our own times there are echoes of the mesmerizing, cadenced style in the recorded speeches of Dr Martin Luther King and the poetry readings of Dylan Thomas. Thomas’s great-uncle, Gwilym Marles Thomas, was a Welsh Congregationalist minister.” 

“My objective was to explore how hymns, and the religious movements and Revivals of which they were part, fired the Welsh imagination. The chapels may have emptied but hymns remain our tribal songs,” said Ronald Rees. 

Born in Skewen and educated at Neath Grammar School, Ronald Rees taught historical geography at the University of Saskatchewan and, as adjunct professor, at Mount Allison University, New Brunswick. He has written books on the Canadian prairies, the Maritime provinces of Canada, garden history, and on science and industry in south Wales. He lives in St Andrews, an historic resort on the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick.  

A Nation of Singing Birds: Sermon and Song in Wales and Among the Welsh in America  by Ronald Rees (£12.99, Y Lolfa) is available now.