Cara Hammond – Borderlines Hometown Show

To mark the release of her latest EP, Cara Hammond is undertaking her first headline tour. And it could not have gone any better in her hometown of Wrexham. The singer-songwriter was supported with gusto and grace by an almost sell-out crowd, huddled together in the performance space of Tŷ Pawb. Short but sweet, her set was defined by a subtle versatility, reflected somewhat in her choice of support acts. For while Rebecca Hurn opened with a half-hour of wispy and melodic Folk, Sasz presented some twenty minutes of reflective indie-rock. The common thread that ran through their performances was a lyrical emphasis that continued into Cara’s own.

Beginning with the opening track from ‘Borderlines’, she had to start ‘America’ again almost immediately after receiving some unwanted feedback through the speakers. Not the best of starts, but she remained unfazed, going into ‘Hometown’ with an echo of appreciation for all who had turned out to see her. There was also some well-humoured audience interaction as she threw a lemon-shaped shaker into the crowd and asked the person who caught it to accompany her, which they did with aplomb.

As the set progressed, there emerged a real sense of the musical diversity which marks not only her vocals but general style. ‘Late August Birthday’ contributed a heady mix of RnB and jazz, followed by the alt-pop of ‘Losing Balance’, which came with a touch of funk. ‘Ray’ then offered some sublime soul which segued nicely into the lo-fi sound of ‘Seven’. The acoustic segment which featured these two songs was particularly special, as the chatty atmosphere of the crowd descended into intentional listening. It meant that when it came to welcome the band back on stage for final song ‘Wishing Well’, her powerful vocal display was more keenly felt.

With echoes of Corrinne Bailey Rae, Celeste and Adele throughout, Cara Hammond really does branch out into many genres, pulling them into an artistic whole that always makes room for the lyrics. Nowhere is this truer than on ‘Borderlines’, the encore that made sure her show finished on a real high.

Click here for further dates and info on the ‘Borderlines’ tour.

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Featured image (C) Cara Hammond Music

Rhinoceros – Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru

In contrast to NTW, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru goes from strength to strength. Rhinoceros is the latest in a series of shows and commissions to offer fresh, bold and imaginative theatre. In fact, Manon Steffan Ros’s adaptation of the classic text by Eugène Ionesco is the first Welsh-language production that feels not just national but international in scope. This, in spite of the fact that pop cultural references populate the dialogue.

I say this as a Welsh learner who had to sit and listen to the play without audio description or captions. A problem with the Sibrwd app meant that I was forced to engage with it on its own terms. It is testament to not only the actors but the whole creative team that I became immersed very quickly in this increasingly-apocalyptic world. Set in an unknown location in Wales, friends Bérenger (Rhodri Meilir) and Sian (Bethan Ellis Owen) are enjoying tea outside the local grocer’s shop when a rhinoceros runs in front of them across town. The small but effective skill of the actors to shake the furniture to create the vibrations of its movement is but one of several parts that make this a spellbinding watch. Everything from the placement and use of props to the physical manifestation of the creature within each of the characters makes Rhinoceros a captivating commentary on social conformity.

Bethan Ellis Owen perfectly embodies the absurdity that underscores the whole production. For in her transformation, we witness the destructive, dramatic and the ridiculous. Her hysterical movement and exaggerated speech causes laughter among the audience even as it contains a nervous quality that points to a more serious tone. For Meilir presents an increasingly distraught and tortured soul as he fights desperately against the change, from person to creature, that friends and colleagues succumb to. This is no linear tale however: horror is always punctuated with the comic; fairy dust is often laced with fatalism; and the funereal contains a certain cultural irony. It is a melting pot of genres and emotions, expertly crafted and directed by Steffan Donnelly and his team.

What ratchets up the drama and emotion of Rhinoceros is the absence of an interval. It allows the momentum to build to an epic proportion, making its conclusion all-the-more powerful and demanding. It is, at its best, a warning: do not allow the light to be infected by the dark. And this speaks not only to its distinctly Welsh culture but to a Western world in danger of doing just that.

Originally written for and published on Get the Chance on 4th November 2023.

Featured Images (C) Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru

Megan Lee – Origin

There are few who do Trad Country better in Britain than Megan Lee. The Welsh singer-songwriter sprinkles modern sensibilities over a concoction of fairly typical Country sounds on debut EP ‘Origin’. Opening track ‘Light of the Moon’ contains a sprinkling of pop; ‘Hey Danielle’ a silky electric guitar finish; and ‘Now You’re Gone’ an electro-beat. But behind and beneath remain classic elements of acoustic guitar, simple storytelling, and old-time honky-tonk energy.

Influenced by the likes of Cam and Midland no doubt, this combination of past reverence and present innovation serves Megan well. It enables her to tell her stories with integrity and clarity. The characters in each of the five tracks on this EP are well-drawn and come to life as a result. Whether it be the trash-talking Jersey Shore wannabe on ‘Light of the Moon’ or the bluebell-beautiful but lacking-in-love antagonist of ‘Hey Danielle’, Megan has a way of painting them onto a musical canvas with bold colours and hard-edged lines. Her smooth vocals have a versatility that is subtle but noticeable. She conveys the sweetness of ‘Lost Boy’ and the acerbity of ‘Now You’re Gone’ with equal conviction.

Final track ‘Church on a Sunday’ embodies her central qualities. It features the classic Saturday night / Sunday morning tension of Country Music but is encased in a very modern Rock/Gospel sound. The two verses present a very evangelical change in the central character, contrasting alcohol, divorce and infidelity with sobriety, selflessness and religiosity. Confession, forgiveness and “solemn prayer” all play a part in the chorus on which this transformation takes place. It is a stereotypical faith narrative of the genre in many ways. Yet Megan Lee, like she does throughout ‘Origin’, seems to present it afresh.

She honours the past while being influenced by the present.

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Featured Images (C) Megan Lee

Anfamol – S4C

A Welsh adaptation of Fleabag seems quite superfluous in the face of Anfamol’s success. For this is a production that takes the best of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s comedy and turns it into something original. First conceived as a stage play, the critical acclaim which it received has seen Rhiannon Boyle now adapt it for the screen. She has taken the frank, witty, dark and direct elements of her monologue and traversed them into a script that is punchy and pointed, hilarious and harrowing. The result is a five-part series that injects S4C’s schedule with something that is vivaciously fresh. Boundary-pushing at its best.

Bethan Ellis-Owen reprises her role as Ani, a forty-something single woman looking to become a mother on her own terms. Ellis-Owen brings a subtle sharpness to her emotions; able to portray dogged determination and inner brokenness with apposite aplomb. Her knowing side-looks to camera borrow unashamedly from Waller-Bridge; while the addition of fantasy sequences, particularly with exotic sperm donor Estevez, offer the kind of quirky aside that feels distinctly Welsh. (Think Parch or Enid a Lucy). There is a dark side to such visions however. For alongside the comic that, in part, comes from its overtness to sex and unabashed portrayal of the fertility process is the devastating effects of postnatal depression and the exacting reality of life as a single mum. Ellis-Owen manages to navigate these emotional shifts with ease; and in doing so, presents to us a character that is highly empathetic, and authentic in every way.

She is joined by a stellar support cast, of which Sara Gregory is the most prevalent. Playing Nia, a kind of nemesis to Ani, Gregory brings a chic strength to her character that cleverly masks a hidden life of sadness and despair. While publicly portraying herself as “Blueprint Mother” online, privately, Nia is struggling. Her birth-plan goes out the window; her marriage is distant, husband absent; and when Ani trolls her online, her success as an online blogger is left in tatters. But along with Ani’s seemingly perfect sister (played by Lowri Gwynne), the drama comes to a point where perfection is extinguished as a myth and vulnerability is celebrated in all its f***ed-up glory. Sticking two fingers up to the chauvinistic, infantile male sex at the same time, it becomes a powerful and thought-provoking piece on feminism, motherhood and mental health in the present age.

Anfamol continues S4C’s excellent batch of female-led dramas whilst offering something very different to what has come before. And though it may feel derivative of Fleabag, it is by no means a copy of it. It has its own distinct subject matter and significant narrative to tell.

Click here to watch the series.

Originally written for and published on Get the Chance on 21st October 2023.

Featured Images (C) S4C

Caitlin Mae – Seasons Change

‘Seasons Change’, the new EP from Caitlin Mae, is a real paradox. For beneath the punchy chords and punkish vocals lie themes of loneliness and lost loves. Her style is more akin to the heavy metal genre; yet though she borrows elements of it, she shares her vulnerabilities through the familiar sound of Country-Rock. Pop also plays a part in her storytelling, thus softening the edges of four tracks that are hard-hitting emotionally.

Lead single ‘Fiona’ is particularly good at displaying Caitlin’s powerhouse vocals whilst simultaneously sharing feelings of isolation. Borne in lockdown, it is both frank and defiant in the face of personal struggle. The chorus is especially evocative thanks to its mythic imagery, borrowing partly from fairy tales (“My princess tower is taller than Fiona’s”) and partly from her Welsh heritage (“My fire-breathing dragon is deceiving”) to convey the distance and dangers in being alone.

The title track ‘Seasons Change’ takes this idea and approaches it from a different angle. It is nonetheless still charged with emotion as Caitlin reflects on the loss of her best friend. Its acoustically-led sound belies what could have been a painful experience, suggesting a coming-to-terms-with that makes this song perfect for a Songwriters’ Round. By contrast, ‘Love Story Tragedy’ feels raw and, as such, more visceral. The antithesis of ‘Love Story’ (Taylor Swift) even as it is Swiftian in nature, the central premise is that “I can’t love you / if I can’t love myself”. Honesty is Caitlin’s policy here, with some superb lyrical lines that embody a defensive (“I get in my own way / so I don’t get hurt”) and despairing (“everyone says I’m happy / Is that what a smile means?”) soul.

Final track ‘Curtains Closed’ takes that despair to new heights lyrically. It was once a situation that I could readily identify with, but now thankfully don’t as much. The loneliness that threads through this whole EP is underwritten here by a punkish moodiness that prevents it from becoming a wallowing ballad. For it conveys a truth that is relatable, and therefore conversely holds a faint hope. In this way, it does what her previous EP ‘Perspective’ achieved: positively affecting the listener by the very fact that those who “suffer alone with the curtains closed” find that, through this song, they are not actually alone in their experience.

‘Seasons Change’ therefore continues Caitlin Mae’s legacy of honest and mature storytelling. It seems loneliness is not so lonely after all.

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Featured Images (C) Caitlin Mae

ELERI – The Carnival

Behold! The bright lights and festooned rides of ‘The Carnival’ are about to wander into town. For singer-songwriter ELERI presents a music spectacular that is not to be missed. An eclectic show of country bops and reflective folk moments. Prepare for your listening ear to be drawn keenly to the sound that she presents. For this Welsh musician has a message to deliver. A celebration of female empowerment. Hear love, passion; catch a glimpse of vulnerability; and feel the music course through your body as genres mix and collide. ‘The Carnival’ is yours to enjoy. Take a seat and listen.

‘Magic’ introduces us to the concept of the album. It plays on the typical sights and sounds of the carnival scene; an atmosphere induced initially by rapturous cheering and applause. “Roll up, roll up”, ELERI cries, and so we do. Not only to be entertained by this delightful twist on a lovesong but to be spellbound by the burlesqued ‘Heels to Hell’. Its sultry, Blues inflections are reminiscent of ‘New Sin’, a continuation of her previous material, as ‘Heads I’m Yours’ threads through elements from debut album ‘Earthbound’.

The eclecticism on show here is part of her marvel. She warps and weaves many colours together to create a patchwork that truly reflects her musical style. One minute, the sweet, gentle Folk of ‘Blue Skies’ is promising better times, and the next, ‘Snake Like You’ is biting its Rock into the ‘Medicine Men’ that Elles Bailey sings so astutely about. On the latter, Millie Blooms features. And on ‘Good for a Girl’ and ‘Bang Bang’, Eädyth and Paige Wolfe appear respectively. All are powerful voices in an industry still dominated far too readily by men. ‘Good for a Girl’ cleverly turns its mansplaining and bullshitting culture on its head, offering warranted criticism whilst celebrating women in music, and challenging the inequality at its heart with dry wit and excellent irony. ‘Bang Bang’ picks up elements of the same theme and runs with it, in three-and-a-half minutes, on pure adrenalin. It is the hidden gem on ‘The Carnival’ site, tucked away behind the disco ball staging of ‘Karaoke’ and the meditative darkness of ‘Burn the Candle Down’.

There is truly something for everyone to enjoy here. To be enthralled by. And that also includes moments to contemplate, as with the flickering flame she burns with Leon Stanford on ‘Burn the Candle Down’. A simple song but so effective. As is, in some ways, ‘Every Road’, which brings ‘The Carnival’ to a close. For when all is packed up, the journeying done, and the adventure over, we often find ourselves back where we started. Back home. A subtle but poignant note on which to end.

ELERI really does put on a show here. ‘The Carnival’ is an album definitely worth buying a ticket for.

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Featured Images (C) ELERI

The Martin Decker Show

The Covid lockdowns presented both challenges and opportunities for creatives. For actor Keiron Self and producer Kevin Jones, The Martin Decker Show was conceived in such a context and now reaches its climax in a 70-minute film. Shot almost entirely on iPhone and GoPro cameras, it is a witty and cleverly conceived mockumentary that parodies the self-made ‘stars’ of social media. It lightly pokes fun at the online world of gaming and fitness videos while telling a story that contains a real depth of emotion. I was pleasantly surprised by its ability to be both humorous and heartbreaking. It is by turns off-piste and tragic.

Fans of Self will recognise in his protagonist some of the hapless romanticism of another of his characters, Roger Harper, from the sitcom My Family, for which he’s best known. In Martin Decker though there is a repressed sadness behind the jollity that eeks out as the narrative progresses. This results in a story that is full of pathos, made all the more prominent by the comedy on which it is built. What is witnessed is, in essence, a mid-life crisis; a mental breakdown of sorts of a white, middle-aged man who refuses to accept that his wife no longer loves him. The film ingeniously points to this state of affairs: from the slightly rundown semi-detached dwelling to Martin’s loose-fitting appearance in shirt and tie, not to mention the many calamitous moments while filming videos for his YouTube channel. He is, in many ways, a reincarnation of Keith Barrett, actor-comedian Rob Brydon’s character in the sitcom Marion & Geoff. He certainly displays the same kind of false positivity that at once draws sympathy and pity. But there is also a growing insanity, presented in such an offbeat style that one is forced to laugh at him at times, in spite of oneself and his situation. Martin’s stubborn refusal to admit what is happening right in front of him becomes both the cause and effect of his comedic value. Add in the deadpan commentary of Lynne Seymour, who also plays Martin’s wife, and it is a recipe for pure entertainment.

There is a serious side though. For encased within scenes of Minecraft videos and tinselled-up cars are genuine moments of tragedy. They beat palpably through the silence which is held by Self with such deftness that it’s hard not to be emotionally struck by the hopelessness and humility of his personal circumstance. It comes to a head in the bathroom, where most of Martin’s videos have been shot. He hides in a cupboard from whom he thinks is his wife’s new fella when, in fact, it is her. There is something incredibly poignant about her message to him, delivered, as it is, via the very camera that he has used to form his own YouTube channel. The consequence, when he finally faces up to reality, is so simply and beautifully done that one is left to admire, with satisfaction, a film of unexpected depth and genuine charm.

The Martin Decker Show may start with its protagonist faking applause for his own show. But by the end, this real audience member was clapping authentically, so impressed was I by this lockdown creation.

For more info, including cinema screening dates, click here.

Originally written for and published on Get the Chance on 7th September 2023.

Featured Images (C) Keiron Self

Edie Bens – Poster Child

Following her debut EP ‘Playing Pretend’, Edie Bens turns up the tempo and increases the pop on new single ‘Poster Child’. The Welsh singer-songwriter returns with another tale of broken love, this time dissecting the returning ex whose life is a shadow of their former self. Bens tells the story with her usual frank honesty and acerbic irony, in lyrics fanned into flame by an electro-pop soundtrack with a Countryfied edge. This gives the song a new-found energy which, when combined with her observational style, quells emotional intensity in favour of hard-nosed fact. The lines “Sat in the White Rose / You tell me that it’s fine / But you’re drinking like your father / And crying like a child” then become caustic rather than empathic, in such a way as to feel anger at the situation in the context of a wider social problem, where mental health remains a stigma, especially for men. This is what makes Edie Bens’ songwriting stand out from the crowd. ‘Poster Child’ isn’t so much a put-down as a reflection that speaks to something deeper.

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Featured Image (C) Edie Bens

Maya Lane – 24F

As August turns to September, and the sun sets that little bit earlier, so the release of Maya Lane’s new single fits perfectly with the kind of self-reflection made for these cool-breeze evenings. The acoustic rendering with light pop production on ‘24F’ lifts the listener above pale-white clouds and into blue sky on both a literal and metaphorical level. Its expansive and dreamy soundscape transports you into the plane seat of the song’s title but the incidental lyrics cleverly convey a very different view out of the window. For “all the little mountains climbed / and all the lows that made the highs” present not so much a physical landscape as represent a mental and emotional journey through life. The verses are more evident about this, speaking of “window-seat reflections” that turn to memories of canteens, music lessons, and bathroom pep talks. Maya brilliantly captures that state of being we all find ourselves in from time to time, particularly when travelling, looking back and “making out the picture that I’ve drawn”. It’s what gives ‘24F’ a real point of connection, and confirms that her upcoming EP is going to be one that will speak rather deeply into the hearts of those who listen.

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Featured Image (C) Maya Lane

The Family Wash – Dirty Laundry

The Family Wash is a collective not unlike Songs & Stories. In fact, the vocals of Paul Dunbar and Naomi Campbell are reminiscent of Tennessee Twin. That same easy listening Country/Americana defines their sound. It can be found right across their album ‘Dirty Laundry’, a record that works well with its vocal contrasts and traditional musicianship. It certainly has that Classic Country feel about it.

The opening bars of first track ‘I’ll Bring the Stars to You’ have a bit of a contemporary twist a la Luke Combs. The driving guitar and piano set the listener off down a gravel road with plenty of fuel in the engine. Things quickly slow down though once it gets going, ‘The Tide’ turning in more ways than one to bring the first of a number of contrasts on the album. The despair (made even darker by Dunbar’s bass-like vocal) doesn’t last long however as the light-hearted ‘Well, Obviously’ and head-bopper ‘I Don’t Want to Dance’ testify. They bring a gentle sway to proceedings in the way that only classic Country Music, with its acoustic guitar and pedal steel, can.

Sandwiched in between is ‘The Family Wash’, a metaphor laden with references to Country Music in its sound, sights and lyrics. The line “rinsing away memories of heartache… that soap wouldn’t touch / left stains upon our hearts” is perhaps the most evocative on the album, and when complete with aching fiddle and Dunbar’s deep vocal, it becomes a song with echoes of Johnny Cash storytelling. Indeed, the Man in Black is referenced in ‘I’ll See You in Jackson’, an alt-lovesong that, with the addition of Naomi Campbell’s voice, becomes a sweet, pensive tune in the style of her other band Motel Sundown. ‘Your Other Face’ has similar vibes, but ‘Catch of the Day’, with its honky-tonk sound, is a reminder that The Family Wash is always harking back to an earlier era.

It is this classic streak that runs through ‘Dirty Laundry’, underlined by the contrasts in the male-female vocal combos, and the use of fiddle, pedal steel and acoustic guitars, that makes for such a pleasurable listen. ‘From the Crowd’ is the perfect track to end, exemplifying an old-school beat with enjoyable rhythm.

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