Institute of Contemporary Arts

Welsh Weekend

Date: 1 March 2008

Radio Luxembourg. Photo: Gabriel Green

What a great weekend! I am still full of smiles and sending joy to all mankind after Friday and Saturday night's St David's day celebrations. The music department put together two days of leftfield Welsh indie and folk music alongside a preview of the psychedelic road movie made by Gruff Rhys from the Super Furry Animals, Separado as well as DJs, a Welsh horror film and untold amounts of psychedelia.

Friday was curated by Huw Stephens also cousin of Gruff Rhys, long standing Radio 1 DJ and champion of new and emerging music from all over the UK. He put together a five-band line-up of some of the more alternative and up-beat music coming out of Wales at the moment. These included Pagan Wanderer Lu and MC Mabon (also related to Gruff Rhys!). You can read about the bands in detail on the music blog but my highlight for the night was definitely Radio Luxembourg. A four-piece of spectacularly unfashionable young men, in loose-fitting trousers and outrageous shirts, they charmed the entire audience with their brilliant psychedelic pop. They sound VERY much like Gorky's Zygotic Mynci which is no surprise as it turns out that their recordings are produced by Euros Childs. This can only be a good thing: Gorky's are brilliant and much missed. It sounds silly but it was clear that these boys practise a lot together and it was a joy to hear their perfect three-part harmonies over edgy guitars, radiating just the right balance between cockiness and warmth. Go Radio Luxembourg!

Saturday began with a preview/powerpoint presentation of Separado, Gruff Rhys's film documenting his journey to Brazil and Argentina in search of his long lost relatives. It is an unusual quirk of history that has led there to be a thriving Welsh speaking community in Patagonia and although the film was clearly far from finished it ended up being a pretty unique experience. Gruff Rhys sat at the front of the stage in the cinema, playing snippets from the film and talking us through some of his experiences. I will definitely be going out of my way to check out the finished film when it is eventually released.

Live music wise, Saturday was more folky with Cate Le Bon, 9Bach, Kerdd Dant and a set from Gruff Rhys. Cate Le Bon is an alt folk singer with a feisty presence that sings beautiful songs with unusual lyrics in both Welsh and English. She gave a great performance if a little shyer than on the previous occasion I saw her play. I unfortunately missed Kerdd Dant but did see 9Bach. I've seen them before but not as a full band and it was great to hear their updated Welsh folk songs with some really nice drumming and mesmeric harp. They only sing in Welsh and it was a shame Lisa the singer didn't give her usual introductions to songs, as she's a real charmer on stage but maybe the Welshness of the event made her feel she didn't have to explain this time.

Gruff Rhys, despite having a terrible cold, played a brilliant set including one of my favourite songs from the Super Furries Welsh language album Mwng. It must be amazing to have that effect on a crowd, everyone was so ecstatic to hear the songs and his cold seemed to retreat as the gig went on; the positive vibes healed him before our very eyes! And on that hippy note I shall leave this long post. Tara!

Listen to Gemma interview Huw Stephens on the mp3 below.

Listen now (mp3)