Festival Preview - (SWN), Cardiff
By: Sofie Jenkinson
Here at rockfeedback we're very excited about a new music event that's about to take place here in the UK - a brand new city festival. Hosted and organised by Radio 1's Huw Stephens, Cardiff's Swn festival will break new ground as a showcase for huge bands, fresh new artists and unsigned acts.
Wristbands for the festival cost just £34 for the entire three-day weekend (Friday 9th, Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th of November), which includes free bus journeys to get you from one venue to the other as well as various other discount throughout the weekend - this weekend - all over the city.
The festival encompasses everything that is exciting about music in Cardiff, with all local promoters staging their own little parties, and pretty much every great local band playing at some point during the weekend. With Twisted By Design, Loose, Kruger Magazine, Quench Magazine, Wichita, Heavenley Records, Uberalles, Radio 1, Plan B and My Kung Fu, amongst others, all hosting gigs across the three days, every effort has been made to ensure that every ear is catered for.
Swn is new, fresh, and excited to be here. It's another step towards making Britain's great musical legacy more all encompassing and less London centric. It's time for Cardiff to step up and show just why it is one of the most exciting musical communities to be a part of, as a musician, a fan or a bystander: it is time for Cardiff to make its mark on the face of the future. Teething problems aside, it will be a fantastic event, paving the way for many more events in the future.
Not one to be left behind in these exciting times Rockfeedback have teamed up with Cardiff Univeristy's Quench magazine and local promoters Uberalles to put on a Friday night event. The line up is, of course, totally f**king awesome - local wonders The Victorian English Gentlemens Club headline with support from local punk filled strumpets Space in the 50s and the up and coming Cheeky Cheeky and the Nosebleeds, not to mention a DJ set from the man who taught everyone how to love music - Mr. Steve Lamacq.
There are plenty of other bands playing across the fair city on Friday as well, so many hard decisions need to be made - but the wristband systems gives you the freedom to explore and discover. If you aren't up for a voyage of musical discovery and prefer to make camp for the evening, tickets are available of the door to each event at a standalone price, for example the Rockfeedback gig is £7 on the door - but those sneaky wristband wearing ones can push in front of you mind.
And so, with musical discovery in mind, here are our top picks of the weekend:
FRIDAY
The Cribs /Those Dancing Days; Cardiff University Great Hall 7.30-11pm
Trucker Of Husk: Clwb Ifor Bach 9pm (Radio 1)
Gindrinker/DJ Scott Egg: Buffalo Bar 9.05/9.50pm (Lesson No.1)
The Gentle Good: Bar Europa 9.40pm (Gwymon A Copa)
Sons & Daughters: Barfly 9.45pm (Domino Records)
The Victorian English Gentlemen's Club / Space in the 50s / Cheeky Cheeky and The Nosebleeds : Cardiff10.10pm (Quench/Rockfeedback)
Bass Clef: Clwb Ifor Bach 12:45pm (Tangled Parrot/Club Delight/Blank Tapes Present)
SATURDAY
Monkey Swallows the Universe: Tommy's Bar UWIC 6.10pm (Loose/Twisted By Design)
Emmy The Great: Tommy's Bar UWIC 8.05pm (Loose/Twisted By Design)
Youth Movies: The Point 9pm (Drowned In Sound)
Edwyn Collins: Chapter Arts Centre 9.40pm (Heavenly records)
Annie Mac: Great Hall 9pm - 2am (Cool House)
SUNDAY
Two Gallants: Chapter Arts Centre 12.30pm
Kotki Dwa: Chapter Arts Centre 2pm
Sky Larkin: Chapter Arts Centre 4.30pm
Yeasayer: Buffalo Bar 6.45pm (Green Man Afternoon)
Black Lips/Huw Stephens (DJ set): Clwb Ifor Bach 10pm - late (Kruger Magazine)
Visit the SWN website for the full line up (link below)