November has arrived!
On the lead up to Christmas and to the new year it’s a case of tying up loose ends and keeping things ticking along before taking a small break over Christmas.
Gigs and promoting
In terms of promoting, It’s been a pretty quiet month with only 2 gigs at North Star, however these gigs have been cracking lineups and we’ve had such an amazing time putting them on.
The first one was Ffisl and Liam J. Edwards on the 11th of November. This was a new genre for me as we specialise in folk and rock gig promoting, however it was such a fun evening and I definitely look forwards to putting more of this genre onto lineups.
Liam J. Edwards pictured below in their headline of North Star
Ffisl pictured below supporting Liam J. Edwards’ headline at North Star
The second gig was on the 25th, and it featured Stickerbook as headliners with Gutterchunk and Halfway Home.
Other notable news includes my working with Radio Wigwam to manage their Christmas party gig in Fuel featuring a stacked lineup of amazing artists.
This will take place on Thursday the 11th December.
Part of managing gigs includes me being on the ground for the Manchester based Radio Wigwam team and ensuring things flow smoothly, especially on the night.
Mixxl
I am also lucky enough to be plugging the Mixxl website. I work with the creator, Craig, and talk to bands as a rep of the website and help them create an account. This is a very exciting project to work on as it’s going to evolve so quickly and strongly, I can’t wait to see where it moves.
Pontypridd pop up venue in collaboration with Mixxl:
Next month, Mixxl have an opportunity to work within a pop up venue in Pontypridd where they are going to have gigs, events such as live recordings, podcasts etc. As part of this, I am putting on a folk jam night on the 4th December where bands will play a set and then lead the group in a jam.
Female and Non-Binary WhatsApp group
This month I set up a WhatsApp group for Female and Non-Binary identifying individuals within the South Wales music scene. This was set up as I wanted to connect with more individuals in the music scene. I chose to single out female and non-binary people as I felt that they don’t have as much of a voice within the South Wales music scene as most males do. I also felt that I hadn’t connected with many people in these groups and I wanted to meet more people making their mark on the scene. If you would like to join this group, reach out to me on instagram or email so I can send you the link directly.
Things to look for from me next month:
- Folk jam night on 4th December in Pontypridd
- Statues of men headline in North Star 9th December
- Female punk rock gig in North Star 23rd December
General musing of the month:
Cardiff, in itself, is a very exciting place to be within the arts. From community driven arts projects and grassroot arts organisations to huge sellout stadium shows with the likes of Taylor Swift and Oasis. Cardiff is slowly becoming a recognised music city and this is felt in a palpable energy that is filtering through the city and is being carried by the grassroots music community.
It is so wonderful to see Cardiff investing in the arts through its stadiums in order to be recognised as the music capital of Wales, however, there is a significant divide between this and the grassroots music community. Venues are still closing down, the most recent closure being ‘The new moon’, and many other venues putting ‘help’ call-outs across the media. The unfortunate thing is that without the underdogs, there could be no ‘music city’, and without these grassroots venues giving opportunities to grassroots artists, the torch we carry will fizzle out.
There is a maxim that is usually used for teamwork culture and that is: ‘you are only as strong as your weakest member’. Cardiff’s music culture is only as strong as its grassroots scene. Our grassroots scene has some of the strongest talent and strongest community feel, but such a lack of funding. It is laughable to see Cardiff advertising itself as a music capital, as the irony of the situation sticks out like a sore thumb!
In a Wales Online article, it is said that even after the Blackweir Fields concert series has ended, the council won’t divulge how much they’ve spent on the series, as it is a ‘commercially sensitive’ topic. Evidently, I am not an expert in the politics of Cardiff and Wales, and of course I will never pretend to be. However, if the council were to put a fraction of the money it spends on these huge events into the grassroots scene, it would make such a difference to how Cardiff is perceived in the arts. This would in turn influence how Cardiff is seen- not only as a music capital of wales, but as a pioneer of the future of the arts sector in the UK.
Websites for further research:
Grassroot music venues list (in Cardiff)
About our scene (and about Cardiff Music City)
Series of interviews ‘Behind the Scene’ (Cardiff Music City)
Wales online article - Cardiff council not divulging information
Local Wales Scene magazine- Radar Magazine
Local arts organisation supporting sustainable future in music in Wales- anthem.
Beacons Cymru- organisation supporting artist development across Wales