For such a highly-anticipated Welsh drama, Y Golau seemed to run the well-worn tracks of what has become the genre’s favoured train: the psychological thriller. Given its all-star Welsh cast, I expected something much more original and distinctly different from previous Welsh noirs like Hidden and The Pact. As a result, I felt underwhelmed byContinue reading “Y Golau – S4C”
Category Archives: Welsh Arts Scene
Celebrated Virgins – Theatr Clwyd
If Katie Elin-Salt was in any doubt then the opening night of Celebrated Virgins was a moment to feel assured. Her excellent play, telling the story of the Ladies of Llangollen, was received by way of rapturous applause at its conclusion. And deservedly so. For this exploration of the relationship between Sarah Ponsonby and LadyContinue reading “Celebrated Virgins – Theatr Clwyd”
Stad – S4C
It is the North West that seems to be in the Welsh TV spotlight recently. The final series of Hidden has begun, Rybish has returned, and a brand-new series called Stad has just completed its run. Set on a council estate near Caernarfon, it combines the drama and comedy of the aforementioned to create aContinue reading “Stad – S4C”
Life and Death in a Warehouse – BBC Wales
The first thing to say is that nobody dies. Yet that is hardly a ringing endorsement of the working practices on show in Life and Death in the Warehouse. The BBC Cymru drama lays bare the secret world of online distribution centres. And for anyone used to the quick and easy clicks of internet shopping,Continue reading “Life and Death in a Warehouse – BBC Wales”
Rona Mac – Shades of Ham EP
Rona Mac describes the pink cover of her latest EP ‘Shades of Ham’ as a dichotomy. It is a colour, she says, that is both “fierce, bold and strong as well as delicate, floral and soft”. It seems a particularly fitting description for an artist who finds strength in vulnerability. But it also captures somethingContinue reading “Rona Mac – Shades of Ham EP”
Nia Nicholls – If You Want a Sign
The latest single from Nia Nicholls cements her growing reputation as a British Taylor Swift. It is no exaggeration to say that in both her vocals and subject matter, the Welsh singer-songwriter displays the kind of Swiftian vibes that reverberate back to the American’s earlier canon of hits. ‘If You Want a Sign’ stands onContinue reading “Nia Nicholls – If You Want a Sign”
In My Skin – Series 2
The second series of In My Skin has really got under my skin these past few days. Content simply to watch at first, I’ve found myself itching to write something in response after a final episode in which the emotional pull of this award-winning drama really tugged at the heartstrings. I laughed. I cried. IContinue reading “In My Skin – Series 2”
Eleri Angharad – A Merry Eleri Christmas
Welsh singer-songwriter Eleri Angharad is ending a successful 2021 on a suitably festive note. A Merry Eleri Christmas is a pleasant four-track EP that returns to her folk roots whilst retaining an element of that experimental pop that worked so well on her debut EP, Nightclub Floor. Opening track ‘Homemade Christmas’ certainly evokes the feelContinue reading “Eleri Angharad – A Merry Eleri Christmas”
Caitlin Mae – Tunnel Vision
Fresh from winning Song of the Year at the ARC awards for ‘Take My Demons’, Welsh singer-songwriter Caitlin Mae releases her brand-new single ‘Tunnel Vision’. It posits much of the same heady mixture of attitude and vulnerability as her prize-winning track whilst conveying a strength and confidence that were only just emerging in the former.Continue reading “Caitlin Mae – Tunnel Vision”
On the Edge – Channel 4
It is a clique to say that I laughed and cried at Channel 4’s anthology series, On the Edge, but it’s true. The three films, devised by new and emerging writers, are stirring, disturbing, entertaining and gripping. Each of them explores the impact of mental health in families through parent-child relationships in ways that areContinue reading “On the Edge – Channel 4”
