Live Review: FOCUS Wales International Showcase Festival 2024..(Part 2)

 

                                              

    I'd like to say day 2 of FOCUS Wales started as well as day 1 ended. Now don't get me wrong, it was absolutely nothing to do with the festival itself, I'm sure everything was running as smoothly as planned there. It's just I wasn't there; in body or mind.  Overindulgence is all too easy a trap to fall into when the sun is out and good music is around; I may as well as dressed as a Rabbit and thrown myself headfirst into the net on Thursday. 

    Bands were riffling through their soundchecks and Delegates were on their second lunch of the day as I  bundled myself on a train to Wrexham that was running nearly half an hour late. I'd already missed one or two bands I had scheduled to see and it was not good form. It's fair to say, I was feeling slightly delicate, but knew that it was time to get a grip. 

    I dipped my toes back in to the shallow end by heading to Hope Street Church, where Cardiff's Wylderness are playing their first show for several years. You can tell there are some nerves in their first couple of songs and one or two mistakes creep in, but they improve solidly as the set progresses. The sun-drenched charm of their melodies shines through the early setbacks and they win over an initially hesitant audience. 

   

                                                TRAVO 

   Earlier I'd bumped into a member of a band who were playing later that night at the same venue and he recommended I check out a band playing in The Wynnstay. The band happened to be next on the bill as Wylderness finished and I thought I'd take him up on the invite. The band were Travo from Braga in Portugal and if any band was going to make this party start bouncing again, it was Travo. They play a spellbinding half hour set of Heavy Psych Rock with Metal overtones, that is as exhilarating for us watching as it is for the band in the midst of one of their extensive jams. Front man Goncalo Ferreira pulls the most expressive and entertaining faces during these wig-outs (see above) that it makes it all the more memorable. Heads are most definitely turned. 

   With over 6000 applications across the world, FOCUS continues to build it's reputation by forging links with similar showcase festivals worldwide. As a result, it truly has now become a global affair. Astral Swans have come from Calgary in Canada and play to a responsive crowd back over at Ty Pawb. The main project of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Swann; his band is a tight trio that play folk-infused guitar pop that is underpinned with a wicked sense of humour. Swann's between song patter is as good as any I've heard so far as he opines about the likelihood of Paul McCartney attempting to steal his material. New single 'The Coward' (below) is one of the highlights of a set that makes a positive impression. I make mental notes to check out more.

              

        Highlight of the day though comes later as I venture over to The Rockin' Chair and catch an incredible set from South Korean Riot grrl band Sailor Honeymoon. Born as a collaboration between photographer Abi and techno DJ Zaeeun Shin, the band were completed by the arrival of bassist Mio. The band look effortlessly cool on stage as they riffle through songs about the rising price of Tofu, how to get rid of a cockroach from your house and meeting and dealing with dodgy men. It doesn't take them long to win over the crowd with their Le Tigre and Sleater Kinney influences at the core of their sound. The smiles just got even bigger. 

                                  SAILOR HONEYMOON

  The night ends with a trip back to the Wynnstay and another chance to see gorgeous, existential indie pop of Gintis. I'm wary that I haven't seen enough Welsh artists this year when I arrive and the band - originally formed in Abergele - don't tend to play too often these days due to be scattered around North Wales and the North West of England. Their set is - as is often the case - a masterclass in the art of leftfield songwriting, that leaves a room of slightly drunken locals baying for more. At numerous times I feel a lump in the back of my throat during the intense communal singalongs that occur; during 'Oh My Little Malcontent' I lose control of my tear ducts entirely and openly sob at the brilliance of the moment. I leave and I want to grab hold of everyone I've ever loved and tell them it'll be okay and I'm not even on MDMA. Never touched it in my life. 

The power of music eh?

                                            GINTIS

Day 2 ends in a myriad of emotions and there's still a day to go. One more drink for the road?

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