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Meet The Band: Clay

Leeds band Clay came into being in June 2014, and consist of songwriting brothers Joe and Jack Harvey, bass player Rob Gration, a childhood friend, and Danny Armitage.

The bands track  Sun Dance  was picked up by Zane Lowe back in 2014, who played it BBC Radio 1 as one of his last ever Next Hype features.The track was also featured on prime-time HBO show Ballers in the USA starring Dwayne Johnson shortly after.

Since then the band have gone on to release two more tracks, Oxygen and Stay Calm!, both of which have been received with the same acclaim from the likes of Huw Stephens and Phil Taggart at BBC Radio 1, their debut EP, Heaven was released on July 15 and they will be heading out on tour shortly with a date at Cardiff’s Moon Club scheduled for August 8.

How did Clay come together as a band and where did the name come from?
Clay came together primarily as a result of a collective ambition to get out of suburban Leeds and see the world. The band comprises of two brothers, me (Joe) and Jack. We'd been writing together for some time and it was only when we approached Rob and Danny, who we met through mutual friends, that the body of work we had amassed started to become a coherent set of songs. Unfortunately, there isn't a particularly interesting story behind the name! One syllable all the way, though.

How would you describe your sound?
This question never gets easier. I'm sure most bands would agree but it's particularly difficult for us. Perhaps that's a good thing. It's an eclectic mix really, we don't directly try to emulate anybody in particular, although I think we're subconsciously influenced definitely by modern pop music. We listen from everything from Stormzy to Tears for Fears so I'd like to say somewhere between that, whatever that means!

You’ve just released your debut EP, can you tell us about It?
Its called the Heaven EP! I wholeheartedly see it as our best work yet. The songs are ambitious in every way, we channeled the modern pop production we obsess over and made it truly unique. Lyrically, it's very direct and honest and I think that's really going to connect with people. The content is about isolation and ambition so it's pretty universal. We can't wait to get it out.

You’ll be playing Cardiff, is this your first Wales’ show and are you looking forward to it?
Yeah it's our first Wales show which we're buzzing about! It's strange because we record in Wales and our producer, Gethin, is from Pontypool, but we've never done a show there. It's still a surreal prospect for us that our music is being received so well in places that we've never played. It's almost as if the songs have traveled further than us which is very humbling.
 
Finally what are you listening to at the moment?
I think it's important to have an evolving music taste so we listen to whatever is current, be it what we hear on the radio, or discover online. I think that's particularly important in this day and age, where everything is instantly accessible. Our music needs to reflect modern life and culture, and I think dwelling too much on old music can be damaging to a band nowadays. We're really digging new American band LANY at the mo.

• Visit moonclub.net for booking details.
• A version of this Q&A by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment section The Guide on July 22, 2016

Panto Stars Begin Countdown To Cinderella At Newport Riverfront

Friars Walk Shoppers were given an added bonus of colour, as well as sunshine, on Tuesday morning as stage stars turned out to promote this years Riverfront pantomime, Cinderella.

Riverfront Panto regulars Elin Llwyd and Richard Elis were fully kitted out as Cinderella and Buttons and were joined by Lloyd Green as Prince Charming along with Nic Gibney and Liam Tobin as The Ugly Sisters.

Actress and TV presenter Elin Llwyd is looking forward to returning to The Riverfront stage in the lead role of Cinderella. “Its one of my favourite jobs of the year,” she says, “I get to come back to Newport. It’s a lovely company here and you get to dress up in nice dresses!”

Miss Llwyd also confirms that the Friars Walk shopping centre is also a big attraction for her, “Of course it is,” she laughs, “there’s Christmas shopping to be done, I’ll be buying something for somebody else and something for me!”

Former EastEnder Richard Elis has become a familiar face to Newport pantomime audiences in recent years. Mr Elis, who will shortly be seen in a new BBC3 sitcom pilot A Brief History of Tim, will play Buttons and is delighted to be returning to the Riverfront, “I love it here,” he says, “I love the audiences and I love the feel of the theatre, its brilliant!”

West End Actor Lloyd Green lists the role of Sky in Mamma Mia among his musical theatre dance acting credits; however Cinderella will be his pantomime debut, in which he will play Prince Charming. Mr Green, who is currently holidaying in Cardigan is looking forward to stepping into the role of Prince Charming, “Who wouldn’t?” he says, “I’ve seen Cinderella the most, its the only one I ever remember!”

The panto cast were on hand to launch a social media competition to try and find out where 6 shoe related images are located in and around Friars Walk and The Riverfront.  The competition which can be entered by following instructions from @riverfrontarts on Twitter will give entrants the chance to win a brand new pair of Skechers and a family ticket to the pantomime.

Cinderella will be produced by both The Riverfront and Hiss and Boo, who also produced last year’s Jack and the Beanstalk pantomime. The performance, suitable for all ages, runs from Tuesday November 29 to Monday January 2, 2017, with tickets ranging in price from £6 to £20 with family and group tickets also available.

Ticket information is available on The Riverfront’s website at www.newportlive.co.uk/riverfront and via the Booking Line on 01633 656757.

Meet The Band: Evans The Death

FOLLOWING their first two releases, 2012’s self-titled debut and 2015’s Expect Delays, London five piece Evans the Death are back with a brand new album Vanilla, seeing the band’s sound progress into a more aggressive, extroverted and raw direction.

Named after the undertaker in Dylan Thomas’ radio play, Under Milk Wood, the band was formed by brothers Dan and Olly Moss after meeting singer Katherine Whitaker at a Let’s Wrestle show. After numerous line-ups, the band is now completed by James Burkitt on drums and Daniel Raphael on bass.

Evans The Death are also back on the road, with a return visit to Cardiff a year on from their last visit. Andy Howells recently put questions to Dan from the band.

It’s a year since you played Cardiff and you’ve had a bit of a line-up change – what’s been happening with the band?
James has left so Sam Yardley from Porridge Radio will be playing drums with us, other than that it’s the same.

You’ve also got a new album with Vanilla, what’s the inspiration behind it?
Lots of things, mainly just how we felt and what was going on in our heads during that year.

Evans The Death was named after the character in Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood, what was the reason for choice, do the band have any Welsh connections?
The name was an arbitrary thing really, although Olly and I have some Welsh relatives. Our 2nd cousin plays in the under 21s football team.

You are back in Cardiff soon, what can fans expect?
Definitely come down early for Neurotic Fiction and Anxiety, we’re looking forward to watching them. Porridge Radio too of course. We’re particularly excited for Cardiff actually, last time was loads of fun, we wrote down all our songs on bits of paper and did a setlist tombola, but I doubt we’ll do that this time.

Are you looking forward to bringing new material?
Yeah, although it’s not all that new to us anymore, we played some of it last time. Generally the newer stuff is more exciting to play because of how the songs are constructed, it’s more dramatic.

What else for 2016 ?
I think we’ll be a bit quiet for a while, working towards another record, we want it to be our masterpiece. A good thing about our name is its high googleability. I suppose our facebook page or twitter is best for news.

• Evans The Death play The Full Moon, Cardiff on July 21. Visit ents24.com for ticket details.
• A version of this Q&A by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus on July 15, 2016

Meet The Band: Martha

Martha who hail from Pity Me near Durham released their second album Blisters In The Pit Of My Heart on July 8. Martha comprises of J. Cairns on guitar, Daniel Ellis on guitar, Naomi Griffin on bass, and Nathan Stephens Griffin on drums, all of whom share singing and song writing duties .

Martha have been busy since the release of their 2014 debut Courting Strong not only with their own band, but also playing for others. Daniel and Nathan also play in Onsind, while Naomi also plays in No Ditching.

The band will be heading out on a UK tour later this month and play Bristol’s exchange on July 23. Andy Howells recently put questions to Nathan from the band.

How did Martha come together and what was the inspiration for the band’s name?
Naomi and I are siblings. We've known Daniel since we were toddlers. We met JC when we were a bit older, playing in bands as teens. We all have similar tastes and views on the world, so we decided to try and start a pop band together. We're named after the last surviving passenger pigeon. She died in the early twentieth century and the species was extinct. It's fitting because we all care about animals, and we like to think we can look back and learn from the past.

Its two years since your debut Courting Strong, how have you developed as a band in that time?
Mainly we've just tried to get better at what we do, especially with the craft of song writing. It's been harder to exist as a band, as some of us have gone from being relatively able to do stuff to having much less flexibility and there are all kinds of work and life commitments that have made touring trickier. But it's also made us appreciate the band more and informed the way we do things and conduct ourselves.

What is the inspiration behind your new album Blisters in the Pit of My Heart?
If the first album was about punks growing up, this one is about grown-ups who stayed punk. It's a collection of energetic pop songs about struggling to keep doing the things you love in the face of obstacles like money, work, and mental illness. There's always been a side to what we do that's been about the intersection between the very sweet and the mucky imperfections of life. There are love songs and sad songs and angry songs.

You have a variety of inspirations on this album. Christine, is a love song taking inspiration from the 1980s Nuclear war TV drama Threads, Precarious (The Supermarket Song) finds romance in the washing powder aisle, and Goldman’s Detective Agency re-imagine s 19th century anarchist Emma Goldman as a private eye vanquishing corrupt cops and politicians. How do you sit down and come up with such diverse ideas?
We always try to write about what we know, but draw inspiration from worlds beyond our own. I also think it's important to acknowledge the way that cultural narratives impact on reality and the way we understand and fit ourselves into the world. JC and I both had similar experiences watching Threads, experiencing panic and nightmares, and we've both always been morbidly obsessed with the end of the world and nuclear apocalypse. The juxtaposition between that and a very human love story our friend told us seemed fitting, a combination of love and anxiety. We just try and write about stuff that's interesting and heartfelt. We know that musically we're not reinventing the real, but I like to think lyrically we sometimes offer something that people won't or can't get elsewhere.

You’ll be playing Bristol shortly, what can people expect from the show?
We're really excited about it because it's with our friends WOAHNOWS and TWO WHITE CRANES. It's a really great lineup and we're very excited to be playing! The past couple of times we've played in Bristol it's been in the amazing cafe/bike workshop 'roll for the soul'. It's a shame we won't be there again this time, but it's also very exciting to be playing a bigger space and I think the show itself will be really fun- we'll bring as much excitement and energy as you can handle!

Will you be playing any South Wales shows soon?
We have nothing booked in South Wales but we'd love to come back soon. Possibly in August. We were meant to play Wales Goes Pop! last year but our van broke down so we had to pull out. It was very frustrating and sad. Maybe they'll ask us back next year.

What are you all listening to at the moment?
Big Star, Thin Lizzy, The Replacements, Tommy Tutone!

• For tickets to Martha’s show on July 23 visit exchangebristol.com
• A version of this Q&A by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus on July 8, 2016

A week of Welsh Proms gets underway at Cardiff's St David's Hall

Rebecca Evans

The Welsh Proms gets underway this weekend at Cardiff’s St David’s Hall with the awe-inspiring Verdi Requiem getting the week off to a classical start performed by the Welsh National Opera Orchestra and soprano Rebecca Evans tonight.

Sunday afternoon sees the family favourite A Day at the Movies from Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra return to the Hall. Panto star and comedian Mike Doyle will host a rollercoaster ride along the red carpet featuring themes from Star Wars, Frozen, Indiana Jones, Mary Poppins among others.

Richard Hills

Other highlights throughout the week are Richard Hills bringing his virtuoso skills to the Organ Prom on July 18, whilst the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra commemorating the centenary of the Battle of the Somme with an epic world premiere of Paul Mealor’s The Shadows of War on July 19 and The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra presenting the Classical Extravaganza on July 20.

On July 21, the Capital City Jazz Orchestra are joined by ‘The First Lady of British Jazz Claire Martin OBE for a celebration of the Great American Songbook, while Brass & Voices on July 22 will feature The Cory Band serving up a rousing evening of Welsh hymns.

Tiddly Prom

Also commencing this morning and continuing each morning from July 18 until July 22 will be the Tiddly Prom in which pre-schoolers are all invited for fun and games at Daphne’s birthday party in this brand new interactive show called Bert’s Magical Musical Kitchen.

For more information, times and booking details visit www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk
or call the Box Office on 029 2087 8444.

Artists and Performers set to make a Big Splash in Newport

Railroad Bill

Newport festival ‘The Big Splash’ returns to the city centre this weekend for its seventh year with a line up of free street theatre, music and family activities across Saturday and Sunday.

Over twenty top class performing companies from across the UK and beyond will be bringing over fifty free street theatre shows to the city centre, from high wire, slapstick, dance, and fantastic walkabouts. Performers including Stopgap Dance Company, Nofit State, 2Faced Dance and Les Enfants Terrible, will perform at Newport Live’s The Riverfront Theatre & Arts Centre, following the river down to the University of South Wales City Centre Campus, and at Friars Walk and Commercial Street.

A wide range of free workshops and activities will also take place throughout the two days, hosted at The Riverfront, thanks to sponsors Western Power Distribution. For Under 5s, Newport Live’s Tiny Tots will be putting on soft play, free play and sports activities in the Dance Studio across both days, and The Flying Start team take over the mezzanine with creative play throughout.

Flossy and Boo will host a number of English and Welsh workshops at The Riverfront, diving into stories and adventures, presenting them through the magical art of Theatre. NoFit State will be running circus skills workshops alongside their performances on Saturday and Sunday, as they transform Newport’s Big Splash into a hive of immersive circus activity where anything and everything can happen, and plenty for the whole family to take part in and enjoy.

More opportunities come from Wheel Acrobatics, or ‘Rhönrad’; a spectacular acrobatic discipline in which the performer executes tricks inside and around a rolling wheel. Invented in Germany, it has thrived there as a gymnastic sport since 1925, more recently gaining international exposure due to its growing popularity in circus performance.

Les Enfants Terrible

Participants are invited to have a go at this amazing and unusual sport in this beginner’s introduction workshop, led by experienced wheel performers. Join in the fun at Usk Plaza on Saturday, or at John Frost Square on Sunday.

As well as theatre workshops, the Grow Wild Team, funded by the Kew Gardens Grow Wild Project, will also be out on The Riverfront terrace on both days offering some hands on gardening experiences for all the family.

There will also be free music from Railroad Bill on Saturday, who will perform two sets of skiffle classics on washboard, tea chest and guitar at Usk Plaza awhile on Sunday, 25 piece Wonderbrass will play three sets of Ska, funk and soul fusion at The Riverfront, Friars Walk and Riverwalk.

To find out more about The Big Splash, including schedules for the weekend and details of the workshops and companies at the festival, visit www.bigsplashnewport.com. To follow the festival on Twitter @BigSplashFest and like the Facebook page at facebook.com/bigsplashnewport

Kaiser Chiefs headline Cardiff show

The Kaiser Chiefs

The Kaiser Chiefs will be headlining the SSE Swalec in Cardiff this Saturday (July 16).

The set will featuring the bands biggest hits including I Predict A Riot and their Number One smash Ruby, The Kaiser Chiefs fronted by Ricky Wilson will also play tracks from their forthcoming sixth album Stay Together, which includes their latest single Parachute.

Ricky Wilson has described the bands latest material as a return to previous form. “When we wrote the first record we were very direct,, little needed explaining. The songs seemed to speak for themselves and did all the hard work for us, " he says, "Parachute is pretty self-explanatory and a bit of a return to that. Parachute is probably the first love song we’ve written since Ruby”.

The Kaiser Chiefs will be supported by Dizzee Rascal who will bring his own brand of rap, pop and grime in to the early evening slot and indie-rock band Everything Everything .

The event will take place at the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club on July 16. Gates will open at 2pm with Kaiser Chiefs on stage at 8.30pm. Tickets are available from from the Glamorgan County Cricket Club box office (02920 419311) as well as TicketMaster.co.uk

Animals and Friends play Cardiff

Animals & Friends

Founder Animals drummer John Steel along with Micky Gallagher, Danny Handley and Roberto Ruiz as Animals and Friends will take to the stage of Acapela, Pentrych, Cardiff tomorrow evening (July 15).

In 1964, The Animals topped the UK and US charts with The House of the Rising Sun. The band subsequently achieved over twenty global Top Ten hit records, many of which gained the Number One slot in various parts of the world. In Britain alone, the band had no less than twelve chart entries.

Animals & Friends will perform their famous chart topper along with We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place, It’s My Life and tracks from their recent album, Prehistoric.

For ticket information visit ticketsource.co.uk/acapela/events

Pupils put on a great show at South Wales school

Circo Rum Ba Ba

The pupils from Cwmbran’s Blenheim Road Community Primary School sampled the world of theatre promotion recently when they worked as a team to plan and organise an event that promoted the visit of the women’s circus theatre company, Circo Rum Ba Ba which fuses spectacular theatre with a diverse range of circus skills and disguise.

The young promoters have been worked as managers, marketing officers, designers and more to create a wonderful setting and audience for the event entitled L’Hotel which took place at the school on July 1.

Pupils worked with staff to organise a raffle, refreshments and snacks while local businesses also got involved with fund raising donations.  Funds raised on the day went to Blenheim Road Community Primary School.

Pupils at Cwmbran's
Blenheim Road Primary School

The event was made possible by the Arts Council of Wales, Night Out Young Promoters Scheme and supported by Communities First. Jack, the manager of the group commented “I think it's a really good project. Good to make us more creative and working as a team. Making us more artistic and open minded.”

Young promoter facilitator Naz Syed continued, “It has been a brilliant experience working with the group of young promoters In Blenheim Road Community Primary School. The support of their teachers and chance to be in charge on the day gave the children a new found confidence.”

An Arts Council of Wales scheme, Night out takes away the financial risk of bringing professional shows to community venues in Wales, providing funding, tickets, advice and recommendations for great shows. For further details on other Night Out events visit nightout.org.uk

Twentieth Maindee Festival looks at Fair Play

Stick in the Wheel

The 20th Maindee Festival gets underway Saturday July 9, with the festival teaming up with Newport’ City Council’s Fairness Commission to explore the idea of fairness in Newport.

The Maindee carnival parade will commence the theme of Fair Play as it makes its way through the streets of Maindee from 11.30 towards the festival site at Maindee Primary School.  The parade will focus on the theme of fun and games, featuring giant footballs and scrabble pieces as well as dancing and drumming from Newport’s own Sene-Gambian and Spanish Latin American associations.

The afternoon events will commence at 1pm with performances and walkabouts from Eveswell Primary Taiko drummers, and various dance companies. A varied programme of events will take place on the three main stages across the site of Maindee Primary School.   Amongst the Main Stage highlights will be Maindee’s Got Talent 2016 hosted by Newport City Radio and Urban Circle’s DJ. Amongst the Main Stage live music highlights will be sets from Nigel Blackmoor, Joshua Doughty and Connor and the Conmen.

The Garden Stage focus on acoustic sounds with sounds from Maindee School’s Wild Crew, Eveswell School’s Celtic Folk Band and performances from Rhys Hone and The Maharaja Blues. Meanwhile, The Spoken Word tent will feature story telling from Dick Berry and performance poetry from Mike Church, Rhys Trimble and Des Mannay.

For film fans, The Neon will host The Maindee Fairness Film Festival which includes screenings of the films The Divide and Extchange between 2.30 and 4.30.

The evening has further music highlights lined up to this years festival with London based folk band and Glastonbury favourites Stick In The Wheel will play Maindee library  at 8pm and  Ska favourites, Skarcasm closing the days events at The George on Chepstow Road later in the evening.

For further information email info@maindee.org or visit facebook.com/MaindeeFestival

Bel Blue To Release Debut Album - Our Places

Singer/songwriter Bel Blue will release her debut album Our Places on August 1.

Bel describes the album as a journey of her songs, many of which are anchored in the rivers, and landscapes of South and West Wales. The recording began last autumn, with an outside recording of the title track  on the banks of the River Ely, Cardiff.

Keeping the geographical approach River of Dreams, was written by Cenarth Falls on the River Teifi, Nans Ddu on the Taff Fawr, Waterfall by the Nedd Fechan,and Wild Dog Rose by the Taff.

Bel, plays guitar and harmonium on several tracks is also joined by  Jamie Nemeth on Violin, Ben Steer on mandolin and guitar, Kevs Ford on guitar and harmonium and A.J Constable on percussion.

The launch of the album on August 1 will coincide with a free performance of music and poetry at Octavo’s Cafe and Wine Bar, Cardiff between 5-7pm.

Any profits from the Our Places after project costs, will be donated to Michaels Project , a service for men, run by the mental health charity Cardiff Mind Visit belblue.co.uk for further details of the album and latest news.

A Host Of Literary and Music Events At Caerleon Festival

The Gatecrashers

Caerleon Festival gets underway this evening with a host of literary and music events.

Abergavenny-based poet, author and playwright, Owen Sheers presents Poetry in the Pews at St Cadoc’s Church at 6.45pm. Sheers, who recently appeared at The Hay Festival, wrote the script for The Passion, a 72-hour production in Port Talbot by National Theatre Wales, directed by and starring Newport actor Michael Sheen. Also appearing at this event will be the Allegra Ladies Choir and the Merthyr poet, Mike Jenkins.

The literary theme will continue into the weekend as The Priory Hotel plays host to Literature on the Lawn which features authors Angela John, Peter Finch, Richard King, Holly Muller and Rachel Trezise getting underway at 11am on Saturday.

The Priory Hotel also presents the fifth All-Wales Comic Verse Finals on Sunday at 2pm presented by Broadcaster and former Newport Town Poet, Goff Morgan. To purchase tickets for the literary events visit caerleon-arts.org or call in at Caerleon Post Office.

Music will also play a key part of this years festival with two free Pub Rock events getting underway later today.

The Gatecrashers, a four piece acoustic band from Llanfrechfa will play their  repertoire of light rock, blues and country music at The Hanbury Arms at 8.30pm.

At 9pm, The Bell Inn will play host to The Albino Frogs. Known for their appearances at festivals such as Brecon, Raglan and Aber Jazz The Albino Frogs will be playing material from their third album Big Dog.

Further pub rock highlights into the next week will include Spellbound at The St Julian Inn on Sunday at 4.30pm, TaffyWasAThief at The Old Bull Inn on July 6 at 7.30pm and The Tom Williams Jazz & Blues Band at The St Julian Inn on July 7 at 8.30pm

Further Caerleon Festival events will see St Cadoc’s Church host a free Festival Songs of Praise at 4pm on Sunday and an appearance of The Morriston Orpheus choir on July 6 at 7.30pm To purchase ticket details for the latter event visit caerleon-arts.org