Grandmas Home
Squid, Pale Blue Eyes, Gruff Rhys, Grandmas Home
Sŵn Pageant 2025, Cardiff, UK, October 16-18, 2025,
Oct 22, 2025
Images by Ashlea Bea (lead picture)
Net Unique
Day 1: All strains result in Cardiff (finally)
Sŵn Pageant (pronounced “quickly”) has ushered itself as a pinnacle occasion within the Welsh music calendar alongside The Inexperienced Man pageant and the Nationwide Eisteddfod, the latter seen extra because the Welsh equal of the Edinburgh fringe. While it’s scattered, like so many festivals located in a metropolis centre, the range and extent of musical expertise is just not misplaced on them. Began by John Rostron and well-recognised former Radio 1, turned 6 Music common Huw Stephens in 2007, the pageant is on the pulsating coronary heart of Welsh tradition, Welsh being the important thing phrase with lots of the acts on the line-up selecting their mom tongue and never adopting English for these coming from additional afield.
It’s Thursday afternoon: 2:30 pm in Cardiff. All the pieces within the metropolis is free flowing and simple. This was in direct distinction to the earlier 4 and a half hours we had spent travelling. It was going properly till the voice over the tannoy spoke in a muffled voice: “Sorry girls and gents, there seems to be a line fault from Birmingham, we’re ready to listen to again from Community Rail. We are going to let you understand as quickly as we are able to.” Pondering this is able to be a minor delay would turn into an enormous mistake. We boarded the practice simply after ten that morning and had spent most a part of the journey being informed to keep watch over a couple of fellow passenger’s luggage as they headed to the bathroom one after the other. Nevertheless, regardless of the sluggish journey, we made it right here.
Probably the most integral venue is well Clwb Ifor Bach (I’ll consult with it as Clwb any further) with it being a large venue in addition to its standing as an impartial venue, largely as a consequence of it being featured as a part of Unbiased Venue Week. Having heard a lot about this venue, it was solely proper to test if it was as worthy of the acclaim as others give it.
After some well-earned recuperation, I head to Clwb to take a look at psyche-folk outfit Brown Horse. The Norwich natives are eager to show that east beats west. Having lived in Norwich at college, it was good to be reminded of among the nice gems from that a part of the world, Brown Horse themselves being such an instance. The synthesis of melodic folks and stormy rock is properly measured and characterizes itself as a sound constructed on the distant inhabitants looking for their means round a crowd who’ve maybe seen them for the primary time. The devoted drive from Norwich to Cardiff is a protracted one for these guys, however is one actually value ready for. Roaming via Cardiff’s ornate arcades to the hybrid theatre-turned-live music venue Porter’s plastered with previous seaside arcade paraphernalia and countless collages of vaudevillian posters from the golden age of music corridor. Occasions have modified a lot since then, however music remains to be vibrant on this place. Informal Sensible are one of many native acts simply organising when I’ve a fast chat with them concerning the music scene in Wales and their newest tour with Porridge Radio. We agree that it is vitally vibrant, far more than I anticipated and that it is vital for festivals like Swn to exist and, as guitarist Emily says “ to offer guys like us an opportunity”. The band are straight from the improvised math rock with jazz sound that introduced Black Nation, New Street their fame at the beginning of the last decade. The road-up is enjoyable, however the omission of a bass participant is a slight disappointment. The sullen harmonies and the fervourous sound of a saxophone is what makes these guys sound passionate and desperate to impress. Heading again Clwb, and, by this level , issues are actually getting sizzling and intense.
Heading downstairs is a good affair: “ONE IN. ONE OUT!” bellows the safety man within the strongest South Wales accent because the venue it at whole capability. After banking on somebody going out for a smoke, we enter, however the bar is the one place the place you will get an affordable view regardless of how tall you might be. Canadian art-rockers PISS are presently performing with a tenacious anger about them, the polemic rants and recital of prose graphically depicting their sexual needs and experiences, doesn’t make them a selection for the faint-hearted. Their expressions are brutal. An unpleasant fusion of Kathy Acker-esque prose and the darkish romanticism of Patti Smith conjures up a picture with an excessive amount of subcutaneous fats to chew.
We head upstairs for Pale Blue Eyes, whose dream-pop exploits have cross-bred with kraut-infused electronics and fashionable euro-pop to construct one thing catchy and energetic. It is a set with a lot color, movement and fervour amongst the band and viewers alike that it’s actually spectacular to see a band completely assured and of their aspect even with a person down (keyboard participant, Lewis, was at his mate’s marriage ceremony as greatest man). Their set goes down like a storm, and regardless of numerous clashes elsewhere, this can be a band individuals are rooted to, not flocking away by the again door to be the primary ones out earlier than the riff raff. The one disgrace for such a mesmerizing set was it lasted simply lower than 45 minutes, and regardless of every act having their very own slot, inevitably, there have been going to be impromptu endings or slight overruns. Elsewhere, CLT DRP are readily available to bathe us with heavy beats and a pointy perspective. The trio are intrinsic, well-rounded and rebellious, and with acrobatic stage antics preferring to inform; not present, everybody who they’re and what they’re about. Thursday night time is closed off with a dive to Boho, Cardiff’s reply to a bar turned cave dwelling with native upstarts Why Horses? From beforehand chatting with Informal Sensible, it was them I credit score with the choice to around the night time off with them. These guys are purely impulsive and act as puppet masters with the gang, toying with them until they will gyrate, swoon, clap and contort themselves no extra. It’s a strange set with multimodal influences and a rant about Speaking Heads being in contrast with Kurt Vonnegut insisting “there is no such thing as a fucking distinction”. While I’ve no time for grovelling artists who bend on the knees, it’s amusing to see a younger band name this out, exposing the salient fact that we’re all hypocrites. The night time climaxes with “I’ve Obtained a Fever”, with its infectious beat and drawling prose paying homage to Belo Lugosi’s Lifeless and its dub-inspired beat holding you shifting even when you’ve been in your ft all day.
Day 2: Issues are getting busier
Friday morning begins with a sluggish stroll to the Cornerstone constructing the place the Swn Join conferences are going down alongside the reside music. The venue is a transformed church ordained by its stained glass home windows and altar poking out from behind the stage space. After a fill of connecting and listening to from different freelancers, promoters, artists and fellow journalists, to not point out the copious quantity of bara brith and Welsh truffles consumed, we transfer in the hunt for extra music; issues are sure to get busier from right here on in.
Prima Queen is readily available to launch us straight into the Friday feeling. To the packed out Clwb Ifor Bach, they heat up everybody by asking what they’ve had for breakfast earlier than shouting that that they had “Oates! The transatlantic duo are constructed on sturdy friendship that goes again a few years and it’s a bond strengthened by their music too. The duo come someplace between First Help Equipment and CMAT for extra of their up to date influences, a contemporary tackle the laurel canyon sound with tacky lovelorn lyrics and an undercurrent of electro-pop tying all the things collectively.
The dense, brooding acoustics of Clwb are in direct distinction to St Johns Baptist Church the place, after being greeted in Welsh, by a volunteer, we take to an empty row of pews to witness Gruff Rhys carry out a solo acoustic set with all the fabric carried out in Welsh. Rhys, who has launched 5 albums within the Welsh language (4 solo, one with Tremendous Furry Animals), didn’t disappoint. His voice is really distinctive together with his Bangorian accent coming via instantaneously (it is vitally totally different from the Valleys’ accent, which comes throughout when anybody tries to do a Welsh accent). Rhys couldn’t have picked a greater place for a set together with his voice reverberating immensely from the altar to all instructions dealing with the congregation. It’s a true litany of pleasures and showcases him as one, if not the, true bastion of Welsh music and the language in a preferred context. The set displays one of the best of his capacity as a inventive to painting the totally different components of Walsh historical past and his knack for summary artistry with Pang!, his Americana and Zulu influenced monitor, from the album of the identical identify, being the primary spotlight of the set. This efficiency was a lot anticipated and it delivered simply that.
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The ambiance was nonetheless sturdy in St Johns with Gulp, the band composed of Scottish singer Lindsay Leven and her accomplice, Rhys’ Tremendous Furry’s bandmate, Guto Pryce. Though billed as a duo, they’re accompanied by a full band, which was stunning given the temper setting of the Church and the very fact it’s now Friday night. Regardless of these preconceived of how church performances go, the extra band are the right complement with lucid guitar taking part in and the ethereal digital sounds flip this right into a dreamcasting expertise be it to the spirits of the Californian desert or the Black Mountains. The nice and cozy vocals of Leven are matched with Pryce’s mellow base tones and the rumble of drums conjure up an elemental soundscape that’s filled with unique fluidity. This aspect challenge reveals one of the best parts of SFA (even when they’re on hiatus, however as a consequence of tour subsequent 12 months for the primary time in 10 years.) with its revelry into psychedelia and impressive use of electronics and lucid tones.
The pageant has extra celtic connections with the Irish act Scustin decided to showcase their tackle the flourishing Irish post-punk scene. Again on the ever-claustrophobic Boho, the place attending to the underside of the steps however exterior of the door constitutes having the ability to watch a band, glimpses and sparkles of Scustin, and their philosophy of Scustinism, could be caught. If it wasn’t for a couple of beneficiant individuals leaving, as a result of overcrowding, we might have joined them. Lastly being given a spot gave us the possibility to really breathe. This philosophy is on the idea of dwelling within the second, one thing all of us wrestle to do. It’s for that motive individuals didn’t simply stand and file the set from their telephones. The band’s fashion relies on “pub speak” – a mix of Joyce-ian, Stream of Consciousness prose in addition to rambling, semi-coherent ideas of the pub common who might filter out a bar very quickly. It’s no surprise why their debut album is titled Confessions of a Pub Talker. By crafting one thing like this into tonight’s social scene, it’s hoped the band will unfold their philosophy far and vast.
Roaming again all the way down to Clwb previous the imperious Millennium stadium for Whitelands, the place, not like yesterday, the downstairs half of the venue isn’t heaving to the purpose of being trapped like sardines. Whitelands are excited for what is just their third journey to Cardiff and the eagerness is reciprocated by the growing quantity of folks creeping up the platforms for the next vantage level. The band burst right into a set that fuses the futurist parts of post-rock reminiscent of Mogwai with the vitality of so known as “Obama-era” indie rock, be that Mood Entice, Arcade Hearth or Yeah Yeah Yeahs; something launched from 2008 to 2012. That quick window appeared to grip guitar music by the neck with its intricate taking part in over dubbed vocals and spacious hooks. This affect on the London-based quartet is simply as highly effective because the cosmic shoegaze influences that the band cite. Their taking part in is delicate and distinctive and branches on to different scenes reminiscent of funk pushed Zam-rock of the 70s.
Friday finishes within the realm of the Welsh language and Breichiau Hir, who take to the luminous parapet of sweaty music followers at Jacob’s basement. It’s exhausting to consider that this place is an public sale home by day. The five-piece fuse soft-metal and emo-rock, which sounds fairly soothing within the Welsh language. It isn’t earlier than lengthy that the moshing begins and the 15 hours you’ve been awake takes its toll if you end up dying in your ft. A becoming time to finish.
Day 3: Diolch a hwyl fawr / thanks and goodbye
Through the course of this pageant, I’ve been accommodating myself. It is a well-known idea that individuals decide up accents and phrases at any time when they go to someplace. I don’t imply this like visiting a overseas land, however everytime you go to a special metropolis within the UK, there’s a likelihood you’ll decide up the accent if you depart. I went additional nonetheless by studying Welsh on Duolingo, and having my good friend Chloe, who lived in Cardiff, being with me.
Saturday was a lot anticipated as a result of billing of a secret set at Porters, the place the rumours began flying as to who it may be. Would it not be Cate le Bon? Tremendous Furry Animals, given the information of subsequent 12 months’s tour? After a lot deliberation, It was The Bug Membership who emerged as the key slot act. The Welsh three-piece have made themselves well-known and as the most effective reside acts to return from Wales lately. They’re a band which can be superb at “simply doing their job” , nothing too pretentious for individuals to roll their eyes at them. They’re extremely tight-knit and much from being off kilter, simply straight-up twangy punk. That is simply what any pageant wants, a band able to a brief set to get the nerves going. This turned out to be a really welcome shock. Following on from the injection of pleasure by way of the Bug Membership, we flip once more to the pristine acoustics of St Johns and to Naima Bock, whose angelic choral yearns are an ideal match for this setting. Naima is accompanied by Oliver Hamilton, who has performed on every of her data for the reason that starting because the pair have a good working relationship that has amassed into an distinctive physique of labor. The pair shyly introduce themselves earlier than gently going via a fragile set of tender folks songs accompanied by Hamilton’s droning violin and binaural sounds that seize the true sense of autumn to go away us free to wander in thought. These summary compositions evoke the sentimentality we interact with when pondering conceptually about house and time.
From the hazy evocations of nature to the bellowing heavy beats of Stockton duo Advantages. From the aerial consolation of an previous church to the confining house of a basement the place the homogenizing ambiance is just not one to take. Advantages are an intense duo who carry collectively aggressive political polemics with a fierce cacophony of underground dub and rave music. As they put it, they’re “goth’s carrying Kappa”. The lighting is especially apt for this because the neon lights flip a hellish pink. Tonight you enter the demon’s lair! You’ve got been warned. Advantages are the guardians of this lair, which solely those that wish to expertise one other world past the fringes of on a regular basis life will search out. Advantages don’t play music somewhat play a sport of catch with noise till the second they drop it and pandemonium descends. The ambiance reaches its zenith with a transcendent rendition of Suicide’s “Dream Child Dream” and Underworld’s “Born Slippy”. This expertise is, for anybody who witnessed it, will in all probability take per week to completely sink in earlier than heading again to actuality.
From that different worldly expertise to the nearer comforts of Gasoline. Firstly from Lover’s Skit, whose unconventional attraction isn’t as appetising for the respective venue – a spot extra accustomed to heavy rock than pop. The burden of getting such a low ceiling doesn’t assist and there are far too many individuals chatting and on their telephones. Bristol-based quartet Grandmas Home are readily available although to make up for the mismatch of the earlier act. This was an opportunity to place issues again heading in the right direction and so it proved. This was a band that understood the ache of rehearsals and the pitfalls of not having the ability to get the gang they play to, however it was protected to say they struck the proper chord. Lead-vocalist Yasmin Berndt is essential to indicate off her dynamism by singing in French in addition to English to the nice shock of everybody and drummer Poppy Dodgson reals of killer fills while reminiscing with anecdotes about falling off a drum stool met with laughs by these to have lived to inform the story. The raucous, energetic taking part in fashion makes up for the time they informed us about their Covid ordeal and the way all of them received very in poor health.
Sŵn concludes with a band well-known for curating an exhibition of chaos. Squid appeared to be like the right band to complete off three days of celebrating Cardiff as a music metropolis, and it’s no shock that they’re those to conclude it. For a band to have churned out three expansive and critically acclaimed albums in simply 4 years is spectacular to say the least. They’ve additionally created a platform that has allowed them to turn into the most effective reside bands with horns, strings and eclectic percussion devices that includes closely on stage. They’ve managed to ship half of all of the younger artists, college students and musicians from one finish of Cardiff to the opposite on the historic Tramshed. They thrive on such hype and curiosity tonight isn’t any totally different. Drummer and chief vocalist Ollie Decide delivers in his signature drawl that rattles previous like a raccoon within the headlights. It’s a primal fashion that faucets into the inhibitions of a crowd desirous to lose its thoughts. The set is experimental each figuratively and actually, every section of music relies on variables that each can and can’t be managed. From the swampy “G.S.Okay” to the surreal depth of “The Cleaner” this can be a band that has refined what reside experiences aspire to be going ahead. The bottom swells like by no means earlier than and this crater is ready to take host the most important and wildest mosh pit that I’ve ever witnessed. When the beat drops. Our bodies are entangled like human spaghetti, caught in locations the place their ft don’t contact the ground and the texture of the music is just too intense to let go. There hasn’t been something like this I’ve seen for a very long time. When the set is concluded it’s to the reduction of nobody. Everybody remains to be searching for a bit of motion now that it’s throughout.
The previous three days have proven Cardiff to be a metropolis ample with an urge for food to reveal new music and push boundaries. It reveals how profitable and thriving the Welsh music scene is in ways in which maybe outsiders had thought in any other case. For simply three days in October, Cardiff welcomes you and also you turn into accustomed to all its inventive nooks and crannies.. To forgive the pun, dwelling in Cardiff: it’s a design for all times.
Diolch a hwyl fawr