Review: Green Man Festival 2016 – “The quality of the music, like the incessant Welsh rain, continues to be in unlimited supply”

Published on AfterDark (3 Sept 2016) – click here to access article

See all photos by Nick Evans for AfterDark here

Dean Hodge reviews some of the acts from this year’s Green Man Festival held on 18 – 21 August 2016. (Photography by Nick Evans)

Photo: Nick Evans.

Having become anointed with the unique charms of Green Man Festival last year, a return was definitely on the cards for me this year. It is quite clear on my second visit that some things simply don’t change at Green Man 2016 – one of them being the incessant Welsh rain (lots of it) which has seemingly become a permanent staple on the annual line-up. Thankfully, neither has the quality of the music – which this year, like the downward water that falls out of the sky here, is in unlimited supply.

Having finally arrived and set up camp on Thursday – on what is a once-in-a-blue-moon dry day in the Brecon Beacons – I make my way to the front of the Far Out tent, which is probably not the most ideal place for the more passive gig-consumer given that the next band to play are capable of bringing bears out of slumber with their cacophony of noise.

Horizons/Gorwelion 2015: The BBC Maida Vale sessions – Interview with Dan Bettridge

AfterDark’s Dean Hodge talks to one of the Horizons/Gorwelion 2015 artists Dan Bettridge about his Horizons year and recording at BBC Maida Vale.

The term ‘rollercoaster’ has been used a lot by some of the Horizons 2015 artists to describe their past year, but it perfectly epitomises the dozen months endured by Welsh soul singer Dan Bettridge. The high point of being picked by Horizons earlier last year was interspersed with a severe back injury sustained by Dan, which left him barely able to write and play music for a long period.

The Ogmore-by-Sea native has faced these obstacles with the same grit and gravitas that courses through the veins of his music. Having completed the road to recovery, the rising singer-songwriter is now firmly on the prosperous path to wider popularity. His powerful voice – a devastatingly heart-tugging weapon of bourbon-soaked beauty – is one that merges musical generations old and new. Melodies reminiscent of the Stax-era soul and R’n’B sound are infused with lyrics full of modern-day musings on love and loss – and distilled through Dan’s soulful rasp.

Half a year on from their previous interview, Dean Hodge speaks to Dan Bettridge about his up-and-down year, his plans for 2016, and performing at BBC Maida Vale – twice!

Horizons/Gorwelion 2015: The BBC Maida Vale sessions – Interview with Hannah Grace

AfterDark’s Dean Hodge talks to one of the Horizons/Gorwelion 2015 artists Hannah Grace about her Horizons year and recording at BBC Maida Vale.

The voice of Welsh chanteuse Hannah Grace is imbued with both a dreamy delicacy that matches her namesake, and a bruising power that can erupt seemingly from out of nowhere and floor you when you least expect it to. Her music is just as full of crafty contradiction. Melodies and lyrics that are derived from the deepest realms of the heart, are further embellished and enhanced by ambitious production that enable it to transcend any genre – folk, jazz, blues, any conceivable journalists’ label and any musical form yet to be given a label.

Take Meant To Be Kind which starts off as an acoustic ode to heartbreak from the viewpoint of the person doing the heart breaking, but soon elevates into a gospel-soul mantra of self-defiance. Then Walk Away (The City) – as much a lament on inner-city isolation as it is an escapist’s anthem.

When Dean Hodge last interviewed Hannah Grace last year, she has just earned a place on the Horizons/Gorwelion 2015 scheme – a nod which further cemented her as an artist to keep a close ear out for. Here, the Bridgend-based singer-songwriter speaks to Dean about how Horizons has helped her over the year since then, what people can expect from her new sound, details of her upcoming release, supporting Gabrielle Aplin this year, and her recent performance for Horizons at BBC Maida Vale.

Horizons/Gorwelion 2015: The BBC Maida Vale sessions – Interview with Aled Rheon

AfterDark’s Dean Hodge talks to one of the Horizons/Gorwelion 2015 artists Aled Rheon about his Horizons year and recording at BBC Maida Vale.

Whatever language that folk singer Aled Rheon chooses to sing in – whether in his mother Welsh tongue or in English – either way his cotton-tone voice and radiant melodies speak directly to the heart and from the heart. The Cardiff singer-songwriter spins simple stories of life and love into timeless sounding folk tunes that are an aural remedy for the soul.

Both musically and personally, 2015 was a big year for Aled Rheon in many ways, topped off by being selected for last year’s Horizons 2015 scheme. For his recorded session at the legendary BBC Maida Vale studio, Aled was joined by his recently-formed new band The Gorgeous Charge. That perhaps is why his three performed tracks have a much fuller sound to them, and the air of an artist growing in maturity and ambition. I spoke to Aled about those sessions, his year with Horizons, and how he intends to balance new music with new fatherhood.

Horizons/Gorwelion 2015: The BBC Maida Vale sessions – Interview with Violet Skies

Published on AfterDark (14 January 2016)

AfterDark’s Dean Hodge talks to one of the Horizons/Gorwelion 2015 artists Violet Skies about her Horizons year and recording at BBC Maida Vale.

The searing voice of South Wales singer-songwriter Violet Skies is one that fails to leave you the minute your ears are exposed to her breathless tone, and the hairs on your neck brought to standing point. Such is the emotional pull of it that she could even sing the phone dictionary and it would still sound like a hymn. Those gold-dusted lungs are aligned with an ear for a lingering melody and a curiosity for the more leftfield musical realms.

You may hear her name roll off the tongue of many pundits picking their tips for the musical success stories of 2016. I spoke to the rising singer shortly after her sessions for Horizons 2015 at the legendary BBC Maida Vale studio. She explains her unlikely choice to cover Justin Bieber‘s number one hit Sorry, her highlights with Horizons, and what we can expect from her in 2016.

Horizons/Gorwelion 2015: The BBC Maida Vale sessions – Interview with HMS Morris

Published on AfterDark (14 January 2016)

AfterDark’s Dean Hodge talks to Heledd Watkins from HMS Morris – one of the Horizons/Gorwelion 2015 artists – about the band’s Horizons year and recording at BBC Maida Vale.

Even if you can’t quite put your finger on what exactly Welsh psych-indie trio HMS Morris – comprised of Heledd Watkins (vocals/guitar/synths), Sam Roberts (bass/synths/loops/backing vocals) and Wil Roberts (drums) – sound like or what similar artists they remind you of, there is something darkly hypnotic about their music that pulls in from the first listen.

Murky guitar riffs and sentimental lyrics are filtered through a prism of technicolor electro-pop soundscapes and Heledd’s divine vocal. What can be agreed on is that the resulting sound is pure melodious bliss.

The band recently performed a handful of cuts at the iconic BBC Maida Vale studio as part of the Horizons 2015 scheme. Heledd Watkins spoke to AfterDark’s Dean Hodge about performing at Maida Vale, the band’s year with Horizons and their advice to the soon-to-be-announced Horizons 2016 acts.

Horizons/Gorwelion 2015: The BBC Maida Vale sessions – Interview with Cut Ribbons

Published on AfterDark (14 January 2016)

AfterDark’s Dean Hodge talks to one of the Horizons/Gorwelion 2015 artists Cut Ribbons about their Horizons year and recording at BBC Maida Vale.

Turning bittersweet lyrical themes and dense harmonies into soaring synth-pop anthems is what Llanelli indie darlings Cut Ribbons do best. It’s a simple formula that works well for them – one which has resulted in a critically acclaimed debut album, extensive airplay on Welsh radio, growing fan support and a coveted spot on the Horizons 2015 scheme last year.

Last month saw them play three tracks from their inaugural album We Want To Watch Something We Loved Burn at the iconic BBC Maida Vale studio. Following their session, AfterDark’s Dean Hodge talked with them backstage about their song choices, their year with Horizons and their ambitions for 2016.

Horizons/Gorwelion 2015: The BBC Maida Vale sessions

Published on AfterDark (13 January 2016)

AfterDark’s Dean Hodge gains exclusive access to the Horizons 2015 sessions at BBC Maida Vale and talks to some of this year’s Horizons acts about the past year.

For two days over last December, the iconic BBC Maida Vale Studio in London transformed into a glowing musical furnace of Welsh talent as the acts from this year’s Horizons/Gorwelion scheme waltzed through the doors of the building.

For those not familiar with the Horizons scheme, here is a bite-size synopsis – Horizons is a scheme delivered each year in partnership between BBC Cymru Wales and Arts Council of Wales, with the sole intention of developing and nurturing independent music in Wales. As part of the scheme, twelve Welsh artists are picked each year by a panel of producers, and offered a number of opportunities throughout the year.

Just some of these opportunities include more exposure across Welsh radio, slots at a number of national/international festivals, career mentoring carried out through numerous music industry workshops, and at the end of the year a recording session at the illustrious BBC Maida Vale studio itself.

Some of the chosen artists to pass through the star-adorned walls of the building this year include Aled Rheon, Cut Ribbons, Dan Bettridge, Delyth McLean, Hannah Grace, HMS Morris, MELLT, Peasants King, Violet Skies and Yr Eira (with Y Reu absent due to other commitments).

What ensues is two days imbued with plenty of musical blood, sweat and tears. Two days of each artist pouring all their musical blood into three specially chosen tracks. Two days that bring plenty of sweat courtesy of the team of producers, filmmakers and project managers working hard to capture the sweet sounds being made. Two days that result in the occasional tear cried over what is an emotional moment for all involved after such an eventful year.

What emerges from these two days is a catalogue of tracks imbued with the heavenly melodies and the fiery soul that the music of Wales excels in creating. Gaining a front row seat to these two fruitful days in Maida Vale is AfterDark’s Dean Hodge, who talks to a few of the artists – Cut Ribbons, HMS Morris, Violet Skies and Aled Rheon as well as BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens – about the sessions and their year-long journey with Horizons. Note: the term ‘musical rollercoaster’ is used with a heavy degree of regularity here.

Forté Project 10: AfterDark’s Dean Hodge Interviews Spike Griffiths

Published on AfterDark (4 Dec 2015)

AfterDark’s Dean Hodge interviews Spike Griffiths, the project manager behind new Welsh music scheme Forté Project.

With precociously talented young artists and brilliant bands seemingly falling like leaves off trees from within the Welsh valleys, it is only going to be due time before the rest of the nation has to sit up and take firm notice. Just one of the people clearly recognising the growing force of young Welsh talent is Spike Griffiths – project manager of the Young Promoters Network scheme and now co-ordinator behind the latest Welsh music initiative Forté Project.

Brought to you by the minds behind the Young Promoters Network, in co-ordination with SONIG Youth Music, Arts Connect and Arts Council of Wales; the Forté Project aims to take ten emerging artists from regions which span across the areas of Rhondda Cynon Taff, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan, collectively known as Arts Connect. 

Just some of the benefits the Forte Project 10 artists will enjoy include working with assigned industry mentors, songwriting workshops, industry-related seminars, recording sessions and a range of opportunities which will be gradually revealed over the next year.

Teenage modern soulstress Kaycee (a recent highlight at this year’s Sŵn Festival) and the enigmatic electronica of HVNTER make up some of the artists (Rhondda Cynon Taf), as do the pedal-powered pop of Alex Stacey and roots-folk outit Ofelia (Caerphilly). The eclectic line of artists continues through country songbird Bryony Sier to alternative hip-hop duo Luk to socially-conscious ska collective Upbeat Sneakers (Merthyr Tydfil). Completing the cast are Bridgend indie rock bands Young Calypso and Fire Fences, alongside the soul-soaked folk of Thomas Seddon (Vale of Glamorgan).

To find out more about the project and the artists involved, AfterDark’s Dean Hodge chatted to Spike Griffiths about the origins of the scheme and plans for the year ahead.

Single review: Baby Queens ‘Melodi/Had My Heart’ – “Crafting intoxicating harmonies that stick in your head for days is what they do best”

AfterDark’s Dean Hodge reviews the new single by Baby Queens (released on 13 November 2015).

The new double A-side single by Cardiff quintet Baby Queens – released on Cardiff’s Strangetown Records label – succeeds on two fronts. On one hand, it reaffirms them as the next big band you need right now in your life and in your record collection – or streaming playlist in a more modern context. On the other, it paints them as the atypical nightmare of the average marketing-brained music journalist who find themselves in a quandary as to what exactly to label them as.

For one, Baby Queens model themselves as, or at least on the forefront give the first impression of being, a girlband. But musically speaking, they are far removed from any connotations to the label, not least because they actually play their own instruments and write their own tunes. Then there is the music behind the faces. On first listen, it’s R’n’B – influenced pop but imbued with garage rock guitars. Or it’s indie-rock with a dash of reggae. Or it’s hip-hop laced with doo-wop harmonies. The countless musical threads are enough to send your head in a spin faster than the script of a Quentin Tarantino film – and aptly their music would be a suitable soundtrack to one too.