Cover Of The Week

Nia John, is the Singer and Manager of Wolf Storm Rock Band.

She has been singing since the age of 7 years old. Her older brother was a drummer in a band and an early influence on her taste of music where they grew up listening to Iron Maiden, Kiss, Motley Crue, Poison, Def Leppard, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne etc.

Nia has performed with the BBC Welsh Orchestra, recorded at Abbey Road and performed at the BBC Proms, London, when she was a member of Rock Choir.

True to Wolf Storms’s name, they also have a particularly unusual fan of their music – Zebb the wolf! Sponsored by the band, they raise money at their gigs for his upkeep.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wolfstorm_rockband/

Website: https://www.wolfstorm.net/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyzpRfJY2k-jKxBJbCLjOfw/videos

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WolfStormMusicBand/

Immersed Festival Reviews

All Images Copyright KCL

Immersed! Festival Sunday - Sofa Sessions - Review

From Friday the 29th to Sunday the 31st of January, Immersed! festival took place through live-streams online. Curated by students from the University of South Wales, the festival saw a variety of artists, all who create different genres of music, and are from in and around Cardiff.

The festival took place to celebrate the live music scene in Cardiff, along with raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust. I tuned in to the beginning of Sunday’s live-stream, titled ‘Sofa Sessions’, and really enjoyed it. 

The format of the festival was really professional, and throughout, as the name suggests, I felt immersed in the set, as if I was physically in the same room watching the artists perform.

On the stream there was also a chat section, where people could make comments and cheer on the artists, as well as reminding everyone watching about donation links for Teenage Cancer Trust, and linking merchandise for the festival, with proceeds going towards the charity.

As with the name of Sunday’s stream ‘Sofa Sessions’, I expected chill, acoustic sets, which is exactly what was shown. Emma Mae’s acoustic set was amazing, using only an acoustic guitar and her incredible vocals, it was completely stripped back and was really lovely to listen to.

The stage setup for her performance was also really nice, with visuals of nature behind her on a screen and blue and green interchanging lighting, there was a really relaxed vibe.

Emma spoke a bit in between each song, about when she wrote it, or what it was about, and every song she performed had beautiful, emotive lyrics. She also performed a cover of Alessia Cara’s ‘Here’, which was a really nice acoustic interpretation of the original version.

My favourite song she performed was a song called ‘Seventeen’, I really enjoyed her entire set, as her music style is exactly what I like listening to. 

Overall, from what I saw of Immersed!, I was really impressed, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I really liked how engaging the festival was, as, being an online event, it can be difficult to keep an audience involved, but the Twitter account was being constantly updated, along with the chat on the stream, so everyone watching could interact.

Having an event like this is amazing for local artists to gain more exposure, and is something that I think should be done in many other areas across the UK in order to showcase homegrown talent.

Also, the fact it was raising money for such an incredible cause like Teenage Cancer Trust makes it even more important. Hopefully the festival continues for years to come, and continues to showcase the amazing talent Cardiff has.

Chloe Mullis

Image Copyright KCL

Immersed festival 

Immersed festival supplies you with the anthems for your weekend, turn your kitchen into a nightclub and get the whole house moving.

When it comes to immersed festival you will seldom find a lack of great artists to listen to. On the Friday we had dance music, Saturday we had rock and indie music and on Sunday we had the pleasure of slowing things down with smooth tones, lullaby anthems and easy on the ear (and head) acoustic sets.

However, I chose to tune in to DJ Clu & wiz mc on the Friday when ‘let us dance’ was on and I was blown away by the level of talent and production these artists had in their arsenal.

What I liked about the music they played was that it wasn’t the traditional dance music you would typically find in a nightclub. I expected to hear poppy, upbeat melodic and catchy house songs when I first tuned in, but what I was met with was an ‘in your face’, almost grunge esque style of dance music which put me on the back seat. A beautiful mixture of grime, mcing, dream like Saxaphone style instrumentals in-between bars and through listening to this I had an epiphany.

What came to me was that club music that has a high production value, already established artists and DJ’s names attached to a particular dance track, can sometimes overshadow lesser-known creative musicians who have a passion for mcing and rap just as much as a big-name artist. 

Immersed festival gives acts such as DJ Clu and Wiz MC the exposure that they need, with a time as trying as COVID-19 and ongoing struggles with musicians not being able to tour due to travel restrictions and Brexit restrictions, Immersed festival allows these acts to flourish and gain experience by showcasing talented artists to a wider audience.

What we also see here is organic music making and to see these guys throwing everything at the audience while going full speed at 180bpm while pairing different styles of music together was very refreshing and extremely satisfying. 

The rapper (Wiz MC) spent no time in pausing for a breath. It was a constant stream of conscience flow which to an outsider might not seem like much, however being able to rap consistently from one bar to the next is not as easy as you may think when you’re rapping to an instrumental as fast as the one playing.

I felt as though the experience was a breath of fresh air and I can guarantee that if immersed festival had been in a club or the students union, DJ Clu and Wiz MC would blow the roof of the place. I can’t wait to see where they go from here. 

To anyone thinking of tuning in to immersed festival next year, do it. You will not be disappointed, in the meantime, watch this year's festival in its entirety on their YouTube channel @immersed! 2021 on YouTube. They showcase lots of different acts so there's something for all music tastes and styles.

This isn’t just a festival, this is immersed.

Jacob Price

Image Copyright KCL

Emma Mae



An Up and Coming Star

This weekend I attended the ‘Immersed’ festival held online by ‘KCL’ (Keep Cardiff Live). I listened to a wide range of different, talented artists during that event, but one act really grabbed my eyes – and ears – attention.

That act was Emma-Mae, a young musician from Leicester, dazzled me with her extraordinary talent. Her songs included ‘Welcome to my Hometown’ and ‘Easy Tiger’ among many others sung in a similar style to ‘Florence + The Machine’ and ‘Alanis Morrissette’.

The performance took place at ‘The Tram-shed’, a venue that is sadly up for sale, filmed in Covid-19 community guidelines, and lasted for less than thirty minutes.

Even though Emma-Mae performed for half an hour it went by so fast due to her beautiful voice, laid-back bandmates as well as the tranquil colour-scheme of her set piece.

 As well as that even though there was no audience, due to the restrictions held in place due to Covid-19, the tranquil, soulful sounds came through and created a totally unique and thought-provoking atmosphere. Emma-Mae’s songs of alcoholism and depression also struck a chord and I found myself relating to a lot of her material as she sang.

I was delighted to find Emma-Mae has her own website where I, and others, can listen to her many singles and find out where she performs, but as of late has been unable to do so do to the on-going Covid-19 pandemic. 

However, pandemic or not, Emma-Mae is a true star in the making and I will continue to listen to her wonderful voice and songs of sadness and hope for many years to come.

Phoebe Vaughan

Image Copyright KCL

Review of Immersed Festival 2020

Immersed festival is a vibrant, genre hopping music festival hosted in a well loved venue Tramshed in the live music oriented city of Cardiff.

The Immersed Festival is hosted by the University of South Wales; entry to the festival is free but it is encouraged to donate to the charity Teenage Cancer Trust. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all acts were under strict covid friendly restrictions with the festival being streamed entirely online. Some of the acts that performed include; Yasmine & the Euphoria, Telgate and Mace the Great.

The contrast in genre goes to show how the festival has something for everyone and is worth the listen; the festival was streamed on a multitude of different platforms including Youtube and Facebook.I decided to tune into the Sunday evening stream of the festival, in which there were two stages, 'Libertino Records Stage’ and ‘Sofa Sessions’; I decided to specifically speak on alternative band Bandicoot’s set on the Libertino stage.

Hailing from Swansea, South Wales, Bandicoot bring a fresh new aspect to the Indie Rock scene performing many of their songs in Welsh. Bandicoot’s strong connection to their Welsh national identity and heritage is made very clear throughout their discography creating a strong sense of community within their fanbase. During the Immersed Festival stream, Bandicoot played two separate sets; a full band performance and an acoustic set. Bandicoot played an upbeat, vibrant and overall very enjoying set.

They have a strong stage presence maintaining the audience's interest. I would recommend Bandicoot to fans of the more raw, technical side of indie music.

The atmosphere was very endearing; the way the camera angles worked and the lighting all worked to create the feeling of being at a in person festival.

As I enjoyed the act I would be interested in discovering more of their music and seeing them perform live at some point.Some of the other talented acts who performed on the Libertino stage include Keys and Adwaith. Overall the festival is well run, enjoyable and 100% worth checking out next year!

Bethan Stewart

Immersed! 2021 - Sunday Session Review - 

Over the past year due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we have had to adapt in many ways. The events industry being one of the industries that have suffered greatly due to in-person events, such as gigs or festivals, being unable to take place.

Immersed Festival, hosted by the University of South Wales in aid of ‘Save Our Venues’ and ‘teenage Cancer Trust’, was a weekend-long virtual event focusing on a different genre each day, the event itself being streamed live on YouTube for free however the university encouraged donations to Teenage Cancer Trust as well as offering their own t-shirts.  

I decided to attend Sunday's event, on the Sofa Sessions stage, where artists such as Hollie Singer, Yasmine & The Euphoria, Emma Mae, and more performed. The act I was excited the most for was Cardiff-based singer, Emma Mae, having previously listened to her 2020 EP ‘What It’s Come To’, an upbeat EP with the juxtaposing lyrics surrounding love and heartbreak. Personally, my favourites of the four songs being ‘Hangover City’ and ‘Easy Tiger’.  

Mae jokingly says how her set “is going to be very sad”. I personally love the atmosphere of Mae’s set, reminding me of the more peaceful gigs I’ve been to, like dodie for instance, who was performed at Tramshed. Her set reminded me a lot of dodies and how I felt at ease and relaxed during the gig. Having this association to a gig I had been to, made it feel as if I was back at the Tramshed listening to Mae perform live. Performing a mix of covers and original songs, Mae’s acoustic set felt raw and full of emotion. The graphics and lighting surrounding Mae didn’t distract you from her performance but rather added to the feeling of rawness to her set. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the festival on Sunday evening, I look forward to the festival next year. 

Katherine Witts

Owain Felstead- A Musicians Perspective

With the majority of people out of work, artists have been fortunate enough to continue on

during the pandemic, and in doing so, have provided fans with a hopeful form of escapism. The

obvious drawback being that they are unable to do it live. Whilst a large number of musicians

were reliant upon gigs as a source of income, that option is no longer possible. Though, the

pandemic has provided artists and songwriters with a unique opportunity to capture our current

situation in the form of music, and it can be used as something to look back on if we want to

give future generations a feel on what it was like to live through a pandemic.

Dropping a couple of singles, an EP and racking up millions of plays in the process, up and

coming Welsh talent Owain Felstead has thrived in creating music from his own home.

‘During the pandemic I have made more music than ever,’ said Owain. Spending more time to

improve and grow as an artist, he has been able to use Lockdown as a way of perfecting his

writing and production abilities, culminating in a more refined and mellow sound. Whether it be

his sobering outlook on love with the reflective pop banger, ‘Decisions,’ or his melancholy hit

‘Clover’ which has nearly 5 million plays on Spotify, it is obvious that he has a knack for creating

tunes worthy of chart placement.

Often layered with introspection, Owain has a talent for writing meaningful songs that not only

stick in your head after first listen, but also have something to say, a rare quality for an industry

rife with the generic pop formula.

‘It has been difficult to see friends and artists struggle with the problem,’ said Owain, when

referring to live gigs as a stream of income. The fact that artists have continued to work doesn't

always mean that they’ll be compensated financially. A large number of musicians these days

receive payment through streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music. They don’t

always pay well either. It is perhaps one of the harder jobs to find success in, though if you’re

talented then it is a question of whether you’re willing to work hard enough to achieve that

success, which Owain goes on to sum up with, ‘there are days where I wake up and don’t feel

like writing. These days are the most important. I make sure that I get up and write even on

these days, developing a strong mindset and attitude towards my craft.’

Giving us more time to reflect and achieve our own personal goals has been one of few

positives to come from the COVID situation, it has also provided us with the opportunity to

explore the vast range of music out there that may bring us peace in all the madness, and I

think Owain is definitely one worth checking out as he goes from strength to strength.

Brad Cox

What Does the Future Hold for Live Events in Cardiff?

Copyright KCL

The key to any live performance is fans.

Picture this: the year is 2009, a record-breaking turnout at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, a record that has yet to be beaten, 73,354 fans tightly packed together, eagerly awaiting the appearance of the legendary U2.

The £20m stage, dubbed ‘The Claw’, for its protruding steel frames that held a rotating LED screen, housed the Irish ensemble for an unforgettable evening of music.

That was 11 years ago. A lot can change in that period of time.

Though, most of that changing has been done in 2020, and all signs point to the fact that not only music, but the rest of the world will never be the same again.  

While anyone who has ever been to a gig or concert will probably tell you how bad it is that we’re missing out on live events, it’s important to consider how much worse it is for the artists themselves and the hefty financial toll they’ve likely taken.

For smaller indie artists, live gigs make up the majority of their income and with there being a complete lack of gigs this year, it’s undoubtedly been tough.

The pandemic has seen artists scrambling for alternatives.

A virtual event might’ve been viewed as a novelty when first introduced by artists earlier this year, but it has been rapidly implemented by all sides of the music industry.

You don’t have to look very far to see just how one of these events work, as Immersed Festival did one of their own in January

. Often a hotbed for discovering talented up and coming musicians, Immersed, as well as many other festivals have temporarily found a new home online.

Immersed Festival 2021 Copyright KCL

Across 3 days countless artists performed, most in front of a very small crowd, but each performed with a level of energy and presence that the lack of a proper crowd was unnoticeable.

Being an entirely student led festival, performances took place at USW’s Atrium as various levels of production were handled by those at the University.

The event was live streamed on YouTube and after an artist finished their set, there were interviews from people behind the scenes and other musicians giving their thoughts on live events.

The show in its entirety was a success and it showed how well they adapted to the current situation.

Also, mentioned on the Immersed livestream was Save Our Venues. It is a movement to support venues across the UK who are struggling financially.

They have set up a crowd funder for the 556 venues which are at risk of being permanently closed down. With a £1,000,000 target, they have raised over £1.2 million.

Though while smaller venues and gigs have been forced to close their doors, larger festivals have been at risk too. One of the biggest of the year, Glastonbury, has been cancelled. Usually occupying thousands, this year there won’t be an event at all. 

Many artists who were set to tour last year went on to reschedule for this year in the hope that progress would’ve been made in getting rid of the virus.

Artists ranging from The Rolling Stones to Bob Dylan postponed their tours till the latter half of 2021, though their performances will be in front of a very limited crowd.

Predictions have been made that we won't see a full capacity crowd any time soon, not for a few years at least.

Live events are better than no events but watching from home is only half the fun as it’s pretty much impossible to replicate the live experience.

In other areas of entertainment, fans are slowly being ushered back into attendance. Concerts may be one of the last though, as a venue, big or small, can be quite an intimate setting.

With all of these changes occurring, it has been interesting to see how artists have adapted to this unique situation.

When any form of normality resumes, it’s safe to say that going to gigs again will be a priority for most music lovers and having that privilege isn’t something we’ll take for granted ever again. 

Brad Cox

My First Music Memory

My first musical memory involves listening to songs from various Walt Disney films such as ‘Snow White & The Seven Dwarves’, ‘The Jungle Book’ and ‘Dumbo’.

However, as I was so young the music numbers, though entertaining to my five-year-old self, did not leave a huge impact on me emotionally.

However, this changed when, at the age of seven I first listened to Matt Monroe’s ‘Born Free’ song from the film of the same name.

It was the first song to make me cry and even at a young age I knew this was because of the emotions and meaning of freedom through the song’s lyrics.

To this day I find the song incredibly moving and some days I still get choked up whenever I hear it on the radio. 

Phoebe Vaughan

New Music- Aderyn-Silver Screen

Photo Subject To Copyright

From the wilderness of the Brecon Beacons, Aderyn left home at 16 to play drums in a grunge band.

This is her first solo project. Aderyn channels her raw indie roots through her music, which is peppered with quirky, confessional lyrics and hooky guitar riffs.

Aderyn's influences include Courtney Barnett, Soccor Mommy, Pixies and Arctic Monkeys. She released her first single, Lucozade, in 2020 and it had a great response from radio, blogs, and BBC Introducing.

Aderyn is a Forte Project Artist. The Forte project is an artist development scheme which has successfully helped to uncover exciting new music emerging from Wales.

Silver Screen is a sweeping grunge pop banger, about wasting your youth, drinking in front of the TV and falling sideways in love. It is the second single from Welsh indie artist Aderyn, whose debut Lucozade was played on BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru by Huw Stephens, Lisa Gwilym, Bethan Elfyn, and Adam Walton.
Silver Screen has raw, confessional lyrics which Aderyn wrote in honour of her first, fleeting love, backed with thumping drums and crunchy lead guitars. 

Silver Screen is released on 23/2/21

https://www.facebook.com/aderyn.music

https://www.instagram.com/aderyn.music/

https://twitter.com/aderyn_music

https://open.spotify.com/artist/45iS2zKC0Ri3mFQOq5Ktk6?si=5jMTOF2uSlWX9PTO7FFHLQ

New Music - Ragsy New Single Released Today

Former The Voice star to release a new single in the middle of the crisis

Ragsy’s forthcoming album ‘One More For The Road’ has been a long time coming. There was a delay in its release in early 2020 due to the effects that the coronavirus pandemic continues to have on the world, including the music industry. The singer’s new album was recorded at Northhouse Studios and co-produced with his producer Chris Peet.

Talking about their relationship, both professionally and personally, Ragsy expressed:

“I can chat with Chris about the stories behind the songs, the mood, the feel, and then somehow the sound effortlessly develops from thereon.

“He’s a great producer, a ‘Musical Magician’ as I like to call him - a very talented man. We’ve worked together for a long time now and achieved a lot along the way.”

I had the opportunity to interview Ragsy to tell me everything about his life since partaking at The Voice UK, back in 2012. Here’s the latest from the star:

The new single ‘The First Time’ has been identified as upbeat, passionate and a song that we can all relate to. Ragsy stated that the lyrics refer to the beautiful initial feelings that people experience when they meet the love of their life:

“From that moment of setting eyes on each other, to holding hands, and then the first kiss. The journey begins, pinching ourselves every day, hoping this feeling never goes away, remains the same and lasts

Forever.”

He described.

The artwork for the single as well as the album was created by Ragsy’s partner Hannah Day.

“Hannah has been a huge support for my music career. Having to constantly listen to the tracks as they develop, as well as my concerns. But when it comes to the artwork, we kind of thrashed out the ideas, then Hannah has just a great ‘let’s go get it done attitude’ with a natural ability to capture the imagery for the music.” 

The star stated about his partner.

‘The First Time’ released today and is available to stream and download from all major online distribution sites. The Song also has an animated lyric video to support its release.

Charles Stylianou

Blog- A Cypriot in Cardiff

Copyright KCL

Have you ever imagined that a pandemic will appear one day and make us forget whatever we took for granted in our lives? It has been almost a year.

These thoughts made me feel the need to write something and share it with you, because like everyone else, I miss the normal days... 

Before Covid-19 people could visit some enjoyable music venues, something that unfortunately you cannot do in this period.

Cardiff has been declared as the first music city in the United Kingdom.

As a foreign student who studies in Cardiff, I can say that Cardiff has a big culture in music.

Since 1990s, Cardiff musich has been dominated mainly by rock music with later trends developing towards more extreme styles of the genre such as heavy metal and metalcore music.

Womanby Street in Cardiff, is one of the streets, where people could meet and experience Live Music of many types.

The street used to be full of tourists, locals and students who would enjoy themselves drinking and dancing.

Copyright KCL

I visited Womanby Street a few weeks ago and captured some pictures of this silent street…

It has been a while since we have been in lockdown and I hope everything will finish as soon as possible and everyone will have the opportunity to visit this Legendary and Cultural street. 

Soon again I am hoping we will be able to enjoy the little things that make us happy! 

Perhaps it is a time to reflect at the moment, a time to enjoy as much as we can our Families and Friends (even if it’s on Zoom!).

Being patient and doing things that make us happy, learning new things, exercise,having a walk, and if you are in Cardiff Centre don’t forget to have a walk in Bute Park and take some fresh air.

Bute Park is one of my favorite places in Cardiff, it really makes me calm and I enjoy a relaxing time in Nature! 

Everyone is looking forward for this to be a better year, the best is yet to come! Soon again we will be able to enjoy the little things that make us happy! For the time being, I hope everyone is Well and enjoying Life as well as they can in this very difficult time.

Constantina Hamali

Constantinas visit to Womanby Street was Prior to Lockdown