‘Sounds Good in a Bar’ is already a fan favourite. But we at Belles & Gals think it might just win over a few more converts to the music of Katy Hurt. This, her new single, and the first to be released from her upcoming debut album, ticks all the right boxes. It offers theContinue reading “Katy Hurt – Sounds Good in a Bar”
Author Archives: Gareth Williams
Dan Jordan and The Warbirds – Road to Ruin
Dan Jordan and The Warbirds evade categorisation. They are poetry. They are music. They are outlaw country. They are moody blues. They are folk storytelling. They are heavy metal vocals. The only seminal thread that runs through their latest album, Road to Ruin, is main man Dan’s clear connection to the music of Bob Dylan.Continue reading “Dan Jordan and The Warbirds – Road to Ruin”
Missing Julie – Theatr Clwyd
There’s a real sense of urgency at the end of Missing Julie, Theatr Clwyd’s adaptation of Strindberg’s classic play. This is because it is not just the fate of its characters that is on the line but our own too. The setting for Kaite O’Reilly’s version may be a Welsh stately home at the endContinue reading “Missing Julie – Theatr Clwyd”
The Rising – No Hope Without Love
One of the privileges in discovering new artists is witnessing their progression from early single releases to a later, more refined sound. Over the course of time, the raw material with which they start out matures into something that comes to represent their core identity. And it is this identity, once found, that allows themContinue reading “The Rising – No Hope Without Love”
Jess Setterfield – Burned and Bruised
Jess Setterfield has gone straight for the honesty button with ‘Bruised and Burned’. She hits one of country music’s hallmarks with this, her debut single, about a failed relationship that was her own. It is full of sadness in the genre’s own inimitable way, expressed touchingly through such poetic lyrics as “I’m holding onto brokenContinue reading “Jess Setterfield – Burned and Bruised”
British Country Music Festival 2021 Review
If there was any doubting the strength of the UK’s country music talent then this year’s British Country Music Festival set the record straight. Back in Blackpool’s Winter Gardens after a two-year hiatus (for obvious reasons), the three-day event was a brilliant showcase for both established and emerging talent. There was plenty to enjoy acrossContinue reading “British Country Music Festival 2021 Review”
Curtain Up – Theatr Clwyd
Curtain Up is a celebration. It is a celebration of creativity, imagination and Welsh talent. Over three fun-filled weeks, it has been the setting for a series of short plays that have all taken the notion of play to heart. And where better to host this menagerie of pure ingenuity than Theatr Clwyd. It hasContinue reading “Curtain Up – Theatr Clwyd”
An Interview with Eleri Angharad
In this latest interview, I chat to Welsh singer-songwriter Eleri Angharad. It takes place in the form of a podcast, the third in a trial series in conversation with Welsh creatives. Eleri talks about her new EP, Nightclub Floor, as well as Swansea’s music scene, songwriting, her creative journey as a musician, and Welsh identity.Continue reading “An Interview with Eleri Angharad”
Katy Hurt – Face to Face
Katy Hurt is back with new music, and it expresses much of what we’ve been through over the last 18 months. ‘Face to Face’ is an ode to that universal feeling of separation and need for connection that we’ve all experienced, in different ways, throughout the pandemic. The line “We’re supposed to be closer thanContinue reading “Katy Hurt – Face to Face”
An Interview with Francesca Goodridge, on Curtain Up at Theatr Clwyd
Curtain Up is a celebration of creativity, live theatre, and Welsh talent. Over the course of three weeks, three companies, comprising of ten actors each, will perform 15 new plays – five each week – by 15 Welsh playwrights. That’s 15 voices with 15 very different stories to tell. Associate Director Francesca Goodridge took someContinue reading “An Interview with Francesca Goodridge, on Curtain Up at Theatr Clwyd”