Pesdaval at Neuadd Ogwen, Bethesda

 

WE//ARE//ANIMAL

Facefish

Radio Rhydd

Doll Circus

Jessica Ball

The Cardiff Zine Fair

The Cardiff Zine Fair held on Saturday, March 29, 2014, served as a landmark gathering for the city's self-publishing and radical communities. Hosted at the artist-led gallery g39 in Roath, the event was organized as part of the broader "It’s the Engels of the world as we know it (and we feel fine)" series, which combined an artist book fair with radical political outreach. 

The fair acted as a vital intersection for Cardiff's contemporary activist scene and its deep-rooted punk heritage, featuring a diverse array of stalls that ranged from beautifully crafted artist books to raw, photocopied political pamphlets. 

Many of the zines presented, such as the bilingual anarcha-feminist publication ffwff, focused on pressing social issues of the time, including opposition to the "Bedroom Tax" and anti-capitalist theory. The industrial atmosphere of the g39 warehouse provided a larger platform than the café-based fairs of previous years, allowing for workshops and discussions that reinforced the DIY ethos of mutual aid and creative resistance. 

This 2014 edition is often cited as a pivotal moment that solidified the local zine community, bridging the gap between the experimental art school crowds and the grassroots anarchist organizers who had been active at spaces like the Red & Black Umbrella.

For more on the South Wales scene go to https://link2wales.co.uk/

FESTIVAL REVIEW – Gwyll Gardd Goll @ Plas Newydd, Llanfair PG

This year's installment of the wonderful Gwyl Gardd Goll festival with artists such as British Sea Power, Sue Denim, Georgia Ruth, We Are Animal, Radio Rhydd, Bill Ryder-Jones and many more
See links for reviews and great pics

Saturday

Sunday

ALBUM REVIEW – Teenage Mafia – Pseudo-Masochism

In the sanitised mainstream music scene we all live in, where every band the NME shovels your way has been through the bleaching process to ensure they’re ‘genuinely nice guys’ and their record label / publisher / plugger is paying the magazine and BBC plenty of cash to get coverage, it’s heartwarming to know there’s still an element of real danger out there.

Of course the NME wouldn’t dare get near Teenage Mafia for fear of being killed, maimed, or (more likely) have large objects rammed up their arses. If Teenage Mafia suddenly became backed by some media mogul or some label splashing the cash, then the NME wouldn’t dare slag them off for fear of losing the one thing they care about – ADVERTISING REVENUE – it’s a sorry shadow of itself these days that rag. Yes, we used to hate it years ago, but it was for exactly the opposite reason; because they slagged off shit to high heaven! The hacks / journos / critics / wankers were hated by the readers (and yet loved all the same) as they’d rip a band to pieces, particularly any band they’d built up themselves that had made it big. Today, their journalism is governed by advertising – they’d dare not slag off Alan McGee’s new label even if it is shit, for fear of losing out on the potential revenue. They review X-Factor wank because the Cowell pays big dollars, it’s all about the Money Honey and fuck all about the Art. It’s just like local shite radio stations like Heart FM, they’d never sanction an ‘alternative’ music show because Andy’s Fucking Tyres of Prestatyn is highly unlikely to want his products and service associated with Nine Inch Nails [there’s a pun in there..!!].

Pseudo-Masochism is basically Damir Bojanic, that axe-wielding homicidal maniac from Klaus Kinski, which is no longer a band but a stable full of 5-legged retard horse-humans that piss on each other. There’s so much output from their association that it’s hard to keep up (Irma Vep, Sex Hands, Pussycat Dolls, Dog Legs).

‘It’s more punk orientated these days,’ claims Damir, and on hearing the opening track Holy Landfill, you’d quite possibly agree, but he’s talking bollocks, as there on this goes beyond punk and slips into that Klaus cesspit of orgy-doom, where they have sex with household objects and snort chicken bones. There’s 21 tracks on this masterpiece of shit and only 5 of them are over two minutes long. You get random acts of violence with Octodad, Satan is Vegan. You get neo-fascist jazz with I’m Friends With Dick Laurent and you do get a blast of excellent pure punk rock with (Verb) Your Own (Expletive) (Noun).

The background to the album is as Damir explains, ‘I basically get dreams telling me what to do and this specific dream was a horse showing me my next album and it was called Teenage Mafia and had me screaming and playing drums which is something I can’t do. So I went in and recorded 20 drum tracks without really playing drums before and then did all the guitars the same day vocals the next day. I suppose it’s my subconscious telling me I can do it? I dunno. All in all I think it was done in under 56 hours.’

If you like your music fucking mental, deranged, over the top, immediate, beserk, twisted, irrational, demented, frantic, unhinged and ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL, then Pseudo-Masochism by Teenage Mafia is the album for you…

If you don’t like your music like that then buy the NME, listen to Coldplay and get the fuck off my website.

4080 Peru is aired in Bangor

The film - 4080 Peru – is aired in Bangor featuring a soundtrack composed by Mank.

4080 Peru is an experimental multimedia project created by James Ray, the industrial-rock pioneer known for his work with The Sisters of Mercy and James Ray’s Gangwar. Far from a traditional cinematic release, the project is an avant-garde soundtrack film designed to be an immersive, sensory-heavy experience rather than a narrative story. Ray famously envisioned the work as the "soundtrack to the best horror movie you’ve never seen," creating a haunting, atmospheric loop that clocks in at approximately 52 minutes. The film serves as a visual canvas for a dense "wall of sound," utilizing black-and-white, dreamlike imagery that leans heavily into dark ambient and industrial aesthetics. It features surreal motifs, most notably slow-motion footage of koi carp, ethereal ghost-like figures, and abstract nature scenes intended to evoke a sense of dread and mystery.

The musical score for the project marks a significant departure from Ray’s typical hard-edged rock roots, favouring drone-heavy, trancelike compositions built from deep electronic soundscapes and layered samples. 4080 Peru first gained notoriety through live performances in the mid-2000s, specifically at The Garage in London in February 2005, where Ray performed the music live against a massive projection to create an overwhelming auditory and physical environment. The project resurfaced years later at the Industrial #18 Festival in Cannes in 2014 and through collaborations with the 25men collective (which where Mank came in). While a physical DVD titled Empty Hearts Break was produced in limited quantities featuring the film with multiple audio tracks, it remains an extremely rare collector's item. Today, the work survives as a cult piece of underground history, with fragments and visual loops occasionally appearing on Ray's official digital channels or fan-run archives.

All things Mank on link2wales

ALBUM REVIEW - Holy Coves – Peruvian Mistake

 

Holy Coves – Peruvian Mistake 

★★★☆☆½

Peruvian Mistake, the debut LP from Holyhead’s Holy Coves, is a confident blend of Britpop swagger, psych-tinged atmosphere, and emotionally charged indie rock. Frontman Scott Marsden leads the charge with cool vocals and a knack for crafting driving, melodic hooks.

From the opening stomp of Let’s Go to the swirling melancholy of Droner—a standout track of supreme quality—the album balances anthemic ambition with raw edge. There are definite nods to Oasis and Kasabian, but Holy Coves carve out their own space with introspective lyrics and consistently strong songwriting.

Peruvian Mistake was recently hailed by Louder Than War as having the strength of a “greatest hits” collection, and yeah, I wholly agree. It's an album packed with riffs, emotional weight, and the restless energy of a band ready to break out.

Access All Eirias 2012

 

The Access All Eirias festival featured a diverse lineup of Welsh talent, celebrating the rich musical heritage of the region.
The event was headlined by Only Boys Aloud, a Welsh male choir that gained national attention for their performances.
Supporting acts included Mike Peters, frontman of The Alarm, and Pocket Venus, an indie rock band from Conwy.
Other performers were Sophie Evans, a Welsh singer known for her appearance on Over the Rainbow, Côr Glanaethwy, a Welsh choir, and Sioned Terry, a Welsh singer-songwriter.