Cardiff-based poet and performer Rachel Helena Walsh is once again bringing Buzz some typewritten excellence! (Read her review of 2025’s Sŵn Festival here and an interview with Spit Hood here.) Below is the results of her meetup with Ellis Acton-Dyer from Welsh noiserock band Shlug, who have a show at Cardiff Tramshed and the release of their second EP in the next few weeks.

the below is a poetic profile piece of the band SHLUG, mostly verbatim, born from an in person interview held at Braeval Street Studios in Cardiff. 

Shlug, Tramshed, Cardiff, Sun 20 Sept (supporting Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – rescheduled from March. Tickets: £22. Info: here)

New EP Eat God In The Death House is released on Fri 2 Oct via Roccoco Swn and can be preordered here; the band play a launch gig that evening at The Lanes, Bristol (tickets: FREE. Info: here)

Shlug on Linktree

Find Rachel and her poetry in Cardiff Market at her stall Poetry For You, or at the launch of her second book Rose Gold Rituals (Porter’s, Cardiff, Wed 21 Oct. Admission: FREE).

Rachel on Instagram

words RACHEL HELENA WALSH

Harri Grace, an actor-turned-producer from south Wales, blends documentary and drama in The Cycle Of Love, a heartfelt exploration of love and humanity. Grace has long worked in the field of documentary on projects such as The Walk, which followed a Syrian refugee processing her war trauma via a giant puppet; From Devil’s Breath, a timely documentary about Portuguese wildfires and their aftermath, co-produced by Grace and Leonardo DiCaprio; and Lost And Found, a study of ethnic cleansing in Myanmar made with regular collaborator, director Orlando von Einsiedel.

Grace and von Einsiedel’s latest film, The Cycle Of Love, was made with the backing of executive producer Priyanka Chopra Jones amongst others. Having premiered at Telluride Film Festival in 2025, it’s now about to get a UK release, and tells the story of PK Mahnandia, a young Delhi street artist played by Chirag Lobo.

In 1975, PK sketched a Swedish woman, Lotta Van Schedvin. Their paths appear to be starcrossed: she was on the hippie trail travelling through India when they met. Destiny, PK believed, had brought them together, and over the weeks their bond deepened. When Lotta left to return to Sweden, they promised to meet up again; Lotta failed to appear, so PK decided to cycle the 6,000 miles from Delhi to Sweden to find her.

The film uses interviews and reminiscences between the two of them, cleverly keeping them apart throughout the film, to maintain a sense of suspense. This present-day material is blended with reenacted footage brought to life by Chirag Lobo’s PK and Maria Lind’s Anee-Charlotte, both of whom add weight, chemistry and believability to this fantastical tale.

The journey takes PK through eight countries, including Afghanistan and Iran; he does portraits along the way to help finance his trip, battles the extremes of weather and relies on the (plentiful, it turns out) kindness of strangers. The film also casts a light on the horrors of the caste system, a rigid societal structure which, though outlawed, still holds sway. PK is a Dalit – an untouchable – and his encounters with fellow Dalits and their hardships are heartbreaking.

Nevertheless, his positivity constantly shines through, both in his interviews and in Lobo’s charming personification of his younger self. In a world where darkness seems suffocating, The Cycle Of Love is a welcome testament to positivity and love and well worth taking a ride upon.

The Cycle Of Love is in cinemas from Fri 18 Sept.

words KEIRON SELF

With a debut album out this month and a clutch of Welsh and London shows, Celyn Of Gwent talks to Jason Machlab about the creative journey from their hometown of Torfaen; discovering their identity whilst studying classical singing; and facing challenging questions about humanity’s self-perception and our stewardship of the Earth.

What pushes you to create music? 

I’ve always been interested in music and different types of performance. When I left Wales at 18, I went to a music conservatoire in London and was doing a classical singing degree. I felt a bit uneasy in that context almost from the get-go, but also had that kind of drive, in training a skill in a very high level. I’ve always had that drive to be making my own work as an artist. 

It was a gradual process of developing my own voice, my own kind of performance. I incorporate music and sound, but also experimental theatre and performance art, with obviously a huge deal of influences from the queer scene – clubbing, cabaret and drag. I have some tracks that are kind of spoken word, with field recording and more like soundscape composition, as opposed to some that are more traditional songs, with regular key signatures.

Are there any major artistic blueprints for the way you’re marrying quite heavy social themes with pop styles in your work?

There’s a work kind of encapsulating the same idea that’s had a big influence on me. So, the singer Anohni – she’s amazing – her 2016 album Hopelessness, particularly, was very much about using pop bangers and high-end electronic production as a kind of Trojan horse to bring these political and sociopolitical themes to audiences, and somehow try and present them in a way that lands differently. I think dance music and things and electronic music definitely can be a vehicle for these larger themes, and I think they actually marry quite well as opposed to there being too much of a friction.

On one of your videos, someone left a comment about feeling uncomfortable – to which you responded, “I’m glad to hear about the discomfort!” Why is it important for someone to feel discomfort when looking at art?

I think it’s important to hold up a mirror to the society we’re living in. Sometimes the things we have an initial negative reaction against are the things that actually we end up loving. There’s also so much work that is done to smooth over these uncomfortable realities that underpin the world in which we operate. The world of advertising presents products as if they will make you so happy, says this is all so normal. But once you unpick it, that product was actually made in really grotesque circumstances. Like the fast fashion industry – it’s just destroying us… but we’ll have great skincare.

Among your live shows in the next few weeks is an audiovisual one at Cultvr in Cardiff. Can you give us a preview of what to expect?

That’s a really exciting one – it’s part of a broader album tour show which has an audiovisual aspect running throughout the whole piece. The Cultvr gig will be special because I’m adapting that show for a fulldome presentation. The audience will be completely immersed in those projected visuals, and also the soundsystem is going to be particularly all-encompassing. For my costume I worked with an artist called Mudslide, and there’s a whole AV show with text in both English and Cymraeg.

And just ahead of this, your debut album is finally out too… tell us about the themes on it.

The album – and the live show – is called Dying And Rising. It’s looking at us, and at the fork in the road we have, to either make a huge societal shift and truly recognise the situation that we’re in: a rebirth, and moving away from fossil fuel use, consumption and individuality. If we don’t do that, the planet will make that decision for us.

Celyn Of Gwent, The Globe At Hay, Hay-On-Wye, Sat 19 Sept (tickets: £8. Info: here); Cultvr Lab, Cardiff, Fri 25 Sept (tickets: £14. Info: here); Volcano, Swansea, Thurs 8 Oct (tickets: £8-£20. Info: here); New River Studios, London, Sat 10 Oct (tickets: £13. Info: here).

Dying And Rising is released on Mon 14 Sept.

Info: Linktree

words JASON MACHLAB

Welsh National Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru opens its Autumn 2026 season this month with stunning productions showcasing just how thrilling and alive opera can be. Neil Collins chats to director Joe Hill-Gibbins and soprano Alexia Voulgaridou.

Joe Hill-Gibbins is having a lot of fun bouncing between two WNO rehearsal rooms, directing a daring double bill of Bluebeard’s Castle and Oedipus Rex. 

Both operas explore what we reveal and conceal in our inner lives, and Hill-Gibbins believes they become even more powerful when seen together.

“The castle becomes an exploration of Bluebeard’s emotional landscape. It asks questions about emotional intimacy; not just the fear we feel when exposed, but also how that is prerequisite for falling in love.”  

In Oedipus Rex, a devastating plague grips the ancient city of Thebes and Oedipus vows to uncover its cause – only for his search to reveal a horrifying truth about himself.

“As the crowd turns on him, Stravinsky’s music switches the mood between reverence and bloodthirsty glee,” says Hill-Gibbins. “There is something sinister and all too familiar in a society turning on a scapegoat.”

Binding the double-bill together, actor and drag king LJ Parkinson makes their WNO main-stage debut as narrator.

For anyone unsure about stepping into opera for the first time, Hill-Gibbins has one piece of advice. “I had only seen four operas when I directed my first opera 13 years ago. I have come from outside of this world too and understand people may fear not knowing the conventions in this new space.

“I also know the sound world of Stravinsky and Bartók may feel wild and weird if you haven’t experienced it before, but that’s okay.  Embrace that weirdness, as you would if you were going to your first ever death metal concert. Take a chance and see what it does to you.”

A week later comes Floris Visser’s five-star Glyndebourne production of Puccini’s La Bohème, which is a deeply moving and metaphysical take on a much-loved opera that he describes as “pacy, gut-wrenching and emotional – a La Bohème that teaches us about love, life and death.”

Stripping away postcard Paris, it delves into a cinematic 1930s world of shadowy, stark monochrome with seamstress Mimì shadowed by death from the moment she appears. Mimi is played by Alexia Voulgaridou, who says Puccini’s music is “not just beautiful, but human and alive.”

“I think we see in Mimi the people we’ve lost, and the people we are; fragile but powerful.

“Mimi is afraid of dying, but not afraid to live. She makes you stop and think. This whole production does. It helps you see how precious the small things in life can be.”

Bluebeard’s Castle + Oedipus Rex, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Sun 20 Sept, Fri 25 Sept + Fri 2 Oct; Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Thurs 22 Oct.

La Bohème, Wales Millennium Centre, Sun 27 Sept, Thurs 1 Oct + Sat 3 Oct; Venue Cymru, Sat 24 Oct.

WNO Family Concert, Wales Millennium Centre, Wed 30 Sept; Venue Cymru, Fri 23 Oct.

Info: here

words NEIL COLLINS

ADVERTORIAL

As a diehard fan of hit 2010 movie Burlesque, I approached this touring musical adaption with a mixture of excitement and nervousness – curious to see how it would translate to the stage, and more importantly how it would feel without the presence of Christina Aguilera (who does have a credit as executive producer here) or Cher.

The first thing you’ll notice, then, is just how different the story is. The musical retains its familiar setting, New York nightspot the Burlesque Lounge, and many of the characters we know and love – but takes the plot in a different direction. Some of the relationships and character journeys have been changed, and the story feels developed for the stage, as opposed to being a simple recreation of the film. Even so, I was initially tentative about these changes, and there are moments where I found myself instinctively comparing everything to the movie.

It’s easy to settle in, though, and appreciate this production for what it is – its own version of Burlesque. Faye Brookes was fantastic as Tess, bringing plenty of warmth and personality to the role; Gracie O’Brien as Ali was also a real highlight, with a brilliant voice and plenty of confidence.

The big musical numbers were exactly what I had hoped for: loud, glamorous, energetic and packed with glitter, and one facet of the show which definitely brought back that cinematic feeling. An unfortunate technical interruption during the first act stopped the show for around 15 minutes – frustrating for all concerned in the moment, naturally, but the cast handled it professionally and retained their energy on returning.

Would I still choose the film over the musical? Reaffirming my ‘diehard fan’ status – yes, probably. Nevertheless, I left the Wales Millennium Centre genuinely entertained, and pleasantly surprised. This Burlesque isn’t the film, nor does it try to be; it’s a fresh, fun and fabulous take on its own terms.

Burlesque, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Tue 1 Sept

On until Sat 5 Sept. Tickets: £22-£88. Info: here

words CATI FLORES DAVIES

As summer slips into autumn, Wales’ food festival season is far from finished. September and October bring some of the biggest and quirkiest dates in the Welsh foodie calendar, from serious chef action and artisan producers to fire-cooked feasts in a medieval castle.

ST FAGANS FOOD FESTIVAL

National Museum Of History, St Fagans, Sat 12 + Sun 13 Sept

One of the most relaxed and best value foodie weekends around. More than 80 food, drink and craft stalls take over St Fagans, alongside cookery demonstrations, live music and family activities. Expect everything from Welsh producers to tacos, pizza, cakes and ice cream, all scattered among the museum’s historic buildings. Entry is free.

Info: here

ABERGAVENNY FOOD FESTIVAL

Various locations, Abergavenny, Sat 19 + Sun 20 Sept

The heavyweight of the Welsh food calendar returns for its 28th year, with over 120 producers joining chefs, growers, campaigners and food obsessives across the town, Demos, talks, tastings, workshops and live music go into a festival where what we eat and where it comes from matters as much as how good it tastes.

Info: abergavennyfoodfestival.com

MOLD FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL

New Street Car Park, Mold, Sat 19 + Sun 20 Sept

North Wales gets its own two-day feast with food and drink stalls, artisan Welsh produce, street food and craft drinks alongside chef demonstrations and plenty of live music. This year also marks the festival’s 20th anniversary.

Info: moldfoodfestival.co.uk

MABON

Caldicot Castle, Fri 25-Sun 27 Sept

Sporting the tagline ‘Fire, Feast & Folklore’, this is perhaps the most atmospheric food event of the season. Over three days inside Caldicot Castle, Hang Fire BBQ and Street Food Circus celebrate the Autumn Equinox with some of the UK’s leading live-fire chefs, dishes cooked over flame, a producers’ market, natural wines, cookery demos, fireside talks and music. Cooking demonstrations will come courtesy of Hang Fire’s Sam and Shauna, with Cai Ap Bryn, James Peck and Polly Baldwin among other chefs appearing; there’s a Smoke & Fire demos stage hosted by Jayde Adams, camper van facilities available, plus it’s dog-friendly.

Info: here

NARBERTH FOOD FESTIVAL

Town Moor, Narberth, Sat 26 + Sun 27 Sept

A community-minded favourite with food and drink stalls alongside guest chefs, street food, a bar, live music and entertainment. Now in its 26th year and run entirely by volunteers, it’s also a very good excuse for an autumn weekend exploring Pembrokeshire.

Info: narberthfoodfestival.com

NEATH FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL

Neath town centre, Fri 2 + Sat 3 Oct

Neath turns foodie for two days with pop-up food markets, street food and entertainment taking over the town centre. Its Victorian market provides a fitting backdrop for a festival celebrating food, community, creativity and culture.

Info: Instagram

BRECON BEACONS FOOD FESTIVAL

Market Hall, Brecon, Sat 3 Oct

A one-day showcase of Welsh food and drink in Brecon’s historic Market Hall, bringing together local producers, artisan treats and plenty of opportunities to fill your shopping bag as well as your stomach.

Info: breconbeaconsfoodfestival.co.uk

LLANGOLLEN FOOD FESTIVAL

Various locations, Llangollen, Sat 10 + Sun 11 Oct

Round off the autumn food trail in north Wales. Llangollen’s long-running festival brings Welsh producers and food lovers together for a weekend in one of the country’s prettiest towns – worth the trip north and a fitting final feast before winter arrives.

Info: llangollenfoodfestival.com

words ANTONIA LEVAY

With August’s Green Man having taken place the previous weekend, attendees were once again reminded of the Powys festival’s annual efforts to cut ties with non-renewable energy sources. Not too far from Bannau Brycheiniog, Bristol’s Forwards Festival has adopted a similar mindset for its two stages this year. Artists on the West Stage generate their own drinking water from green hydrogen technology, while the East Stage uses smart batteries from Patchway energy supplier Greener Power Solutions.

It feels like a timely affair on site, as the grass underfoot appears damaged from a long summer of drought. With Forwards running over three days this year, the weekend will likely see it killed off completely under the feet of thousands of festival-goers arriving to catch the likes of Wet Leg, Little Simz and Self Esteem on the edge of the city.

Today’s lineup, Forwards Presents, is a new addition, and the presence of headliner Lorde – plus, notably, Djo and Audrey Hobert – ensures fans are queueing from the early hours of the morning for barrier spots across both stages.

Those in place by midday are treated to a high-energy performance from Liverpool’s Girl Group, and again another entry on the month’s festival calendar comes to mind, Olivia Rodrigo’s women-led Daisy Chain Fields in California. Girl Group were the ultimate pin-up for everything the event stood for: female empowerment, and looking out for one another. Of their setlist, Rage Song provides the perfect opportunity to promote personal boundaries, while the melancholic Food Shopping induces a lump in the throat.

During a downpour, Grove’s midday set is unfortunately cut short. Nevertheless, the Bristol producer/vocalist still makes the most of their stage time with a fusion of deep bass and class politics. The pure punk energy seeps through the screens either side of the stage as Grove gives two fingers to the monarchy in Big Boots: “The power is ours, just gotta reach out and take it!” they profess, between high kicks.

Luckily, the clouds parted for 20-year-old singer-songwriter Esha Tewari, who went about her business with a gloomy grey sky looming overhead. Over on the West Stage, pop’s new it girl Audrey Hobert donned a bright yellow raincoat on stage accordingly, matching her charismatic flair as she bounced around the stage to the likes of Sue Me, Drive and Chateau, all taken from her 2025 debut Who’s The Clown?

A magnificent sunset precedes Djo’s evening appearance on the East Stage: Joe Keery, plus a band which includes members of psychedelic rockers Post Animal, making their Bristol debut. While Keery may have first found renown as an actor, he’s keen to remind us that his music career isn’t a side-hustle, but a passion which has fed into every moment of his life, whether recording between takes on the Stranger Things set or studying at university in Chicago. (The lyrics of Djo songs Charlie’s Garden and End Of Beginning refer to these moments in colourful detail.) With touring for The Crux album –which details returning to yourself post-heartbreak – finishing this weekend, the set feels like a curtain closing on a chapter of Keery’s career as Djo.

First emerging as an angsty Kiwi teen who was “only as young as the minute is,” Lorde’s profile has steadily grown since the release of 2013 debut album Pure Heroine. Her Bristol debut feels long overdue, arriving in the moody, electronic blue afterglow of her latest album, 2025’s Virgin. Now newly independent and freed from a development deal she signed with Universal Music aged just 12, the Royals singer expressed a hunger for something new earlier this year.

Lorde plus her band and dancers perform on a see-through floor, with an onstage water fountain, with the setlist featuring songs from all four of her albums. The singer also highlights Forwards’ aforementioned sustainability efforts – appropriately for someone whose third album was titled Solar Power – and later in the set, a mass singalong ensues to her verse on Charli XCX’s Girl, So Confusing, with the chorus of Green Light producing a similar eruption amongst the crowds.

Witnessing this particular set on this stage, complete with design, lighting and dancers, feels like witnessing Lorde at the height of her career as a pop artist. Many leaving the site, not yet fans of the star, are likely to be newly converted.

Forwards Presents, Clifton Downs, Bristol, Fri 28 Aug

words EMMA WAY photos GIULIA SPADAFORA

To celebrate their new album, Mayfield, Rusty Shackle have been joined by their family, friends, and Cardiff locals in the Tramshed. From start to finish, I felt like I needed to be hoisted onto a pub bench with a stein of beer, linking arms with a fellow reveller: the atmosphere is contagious, filled with joy and laughter.

The six-piece gather onstage with lounge lampshades, carpets, banjos, violins and a Welsh flag. Giving us a blend of new album songs as well as their old classics, we’re also treated to a few covers. Dolly Parton’s Jolene comes a few days after her death, and the entire crowd sing along in tribute; Fatboy Slim’s Praise You, too, sounds great adapted to Rusty Shackle’s upbeat country tones.

The band are joined on stage by two guests. The first, John, is the dad of guitarist Alex McConnachie, gracing us with a harmonica and adding to that “I need a stein in my hand for this show” feeling. The other is Todd Campbell, producer of Mayfield and son of late Motörhead member Phil Campbell. There’s also a moment of silence for Andy, a friend of Rusty Shackle who passed away last week: in that spirit, may I use a moment in this review to think of Andy.

Crowd rapport abounds all evening, including an investigation into who’s travelled the furthest to see the band play. We hear mentions of Caldicot, Oxford and the Netherlands. This chimes nicely with their song Newport Rising – as a Cwmbran girl, I didn’t think anyone else other than Goldie Lookin Chain would have the gumption to put the city in a song.

Rusty Shackle end with one this packed audience knew well, 3am, and it goes down a treat – even if, looking around the crowd, I’m sceptical too many will have stayed out past midnight.

Rusty Shackle, Tramshed, Cardiff, Sat 29 Aug

words and photos CHLOE JACKSON-NOTT

From Black Sabbath riots to vegetal pongs, Resonant Places is a tribute to a selection of the live music rooms which lit up Cardiff back in the day. Don’t look for them, they’re not there anymore… pop down to the Senedd instead, where David Taylor of Cardiff Music History has assembled this exhibition. Noel Gardner asked him about it.

Cardiff Music History, which David Taylor began in 2017, is a physical and digital archive of matters relating to music in Wales’ capital city. Resonant Places follows Wasteland Of My Fathers, a punk-slanted exhibit from 2023, and the more generalist City Of Sound, CMH’s first public display in 2022. Both of those were held at the Wales Millennium Centre under the Llais festival banner; this time it’s at the nearby Senedd’s Pierhead gallery and has been put together by Taylor independently over the last two years.

Resonant Places is subtitled ‘Revisiting Cardiff’s Lost Music Venues’ and focuses on eight of them, all of which closed decades ago: Bogey’s, the Capitol Theatre, Casablanca, Grannies, the New Moon Club, Smiley’s, Sophia Gardens Pavilion and the Top Rank Suite.

Some iconic concerts of yore are accounted for in Resonant Places, with emphasis on less generic anecdotes – for example, one Thin Lizzy fan blagging their way into the Irish band’s Capitol gig with a homemade ticket, and an account of Black Sabbath’s chaotic, wildly over-capacity Sophia Gardens date in 1981. Conversely, photos featured here tell a thousand words whether they’re professional shots or amateur snaps, with Andrew Rees’ pictures of the late-70s punk scene and Jon Girling’s images of the clientele at Casablanca among the featured work.

Taylor also promises tickets and flyers – these are from all sorts of venues, not just the aforementioned eight, and date back to the 1910s in some cases – a feature on infamous punk fashion boutique Paradise Garage, and a wall featuring screenprinted Cardiff University posters from the early 1970s, dedicated to the artist who made them – Dave Daggers, who died in December. A paper fanzine has also been made, adapting Resonant Places into the printed medium.

How did this exhibition come together exactly – how long did it take from conception to now, and did the Senedd approach you or vice versa?

After the punk exhibition at WMC, I really liked the idea of trying to produce and curate the next exhibition myself. Cardiff Music History became a Community Interest Company in 2024 and I started working on an idea for a different exhibition which was scrapped, so flailed around for a bit and then came up with the idea for Resonant Places mid-2024. When I approached the Pierhead, it was booked up until September 2026, which suited me fine – plenty of time to work on the exhibition.

The idea came about from feeling very familiar with some of these lost venues through Cardiff Music History, without having ever visited them. I really wanted to know more about the experience of walking through the door, up the rickety stairs, the people working the doors, the staff behind the bars, the venue owners. So I was after stories that put you there amongst the cigarette smoke and the spilled Newkie Brown.

Is Resonant Places’ format essentially along the lines of City Of Sound or are there things you’ve done differently?

Above all else, City Of Sound was a really good opportunity to figure out what Cardiff Music History should be. We did short audio documentaries for it with local musicians and they would reference venues and pubs in Cardiff that are long gone. It made me realise that aside from re-discovering amazing items for the archive, the value of Cardiff Music History is in telling people’s stories and where possible telling the social history of Cardiff through its music scenes. So from the beginning there was a clear vision for Resonant Places – all text would come directly from people that visited the venues, so directly from people’s lived experiences.

One pretty essential thing missing from City Of Sound was that there was no music! Resonant Places has a soundtrack – a pretty eclectic soundtrack, from 1960s child singer Deano to Butetown reggae band Bissmillah to my favourite local anti-fascist skinheads The Oppressed.

The eight venues focused on here date from I guess the early 60s (Capitol Theatre as a music venue) to the 80s sometime (whenever Bogey’s became Bogiez?) and it seems that information about them has been quite haphazardly preserved… has that been your experience? How much of a challenge has it been pulling info together?

In Resonant Places you won’t necessarily find out the history of the venues, although there are some stories from some venue owners that touch on the history. It’s important to have the facts and figures, but the nature of this exhibition circumnavigates that a bit. I couldn’t find the year the New Moon Club opened, but with the overall mission being to find memories and stories that give you a feel of the venues, that seemed like a minor detail. Apparently, the first thing you’d be greeted with as you approached the club was the smell of rotting fruit and vegetables from the market on Mill Lane right outside the venue. Isn’t that more interesting than the year it opened?

Were there other places that you might have included if time and space allowed?

The New Ocean Club was going to be featured. I get the impression that it was a venue that had some amazing bands playing there in the mid-80s, but not one people had a strong attachment to. The Square Club definitely would’ve been one to include as it feels like a venue that people really remember fondly, and had a strong community around it.

Is there anything standout that you’ve discovered in the course of putting this exhibition together?

I just loved hearing people’s stories about what they used to get up to. I loved interviewing Brian Quinn, who ran Smiley’s. He DJed around Cardiff under the name Crazy Captain and used to make his own fireworks that he would set off while DJing, mixing who knows what into old paint tins and pretty much setting off flaming smoke bombs inside the venues.

Apparently he was banned from DJing at the Top Rank when he almost set fire to the venue. The curtains were fireproofed, but the decades of dust on the curtains weren’t. He set off one of his homemade fireworks which sent flames leaping up the 20ft high curtains. That was the last time he was booked at the Top Rank. A disregard for health and safety that is incomprehensible in 2026.

Do you get the impression that in our current age, records of musical history are being well archived? A lot of it is easily accessible via social media and elsewhere online but could disappear from view, like with Myspace.

It does make you wonder what an exhibition in 30 years’ time, documenting what is going on today, would be like – digital flyers and digital album releases. Having said that, I put on around 50 gigs in the 1990s and 2000s and I didn’t bother keeping a flyer for any of them.

I think archiving is usually done after the fact. No-one really thinks their band or the gig that they put on is particularly significant at the time, but roll on a couple of decades and the bands have split up or even made it big; the venues have closed; the buildings have been knocked down or converted into flats. There is a whole history there that feels a lot more significant than it did at the time. I guess the difference is an old paper flyer can survive by accident up in someone’s attic, while digital history has to be actively saved.

Resonant Places, Futures Gallery, Senedd, Cardiff Bay, Sat 12 Sept-Thurs 5 Nov.

Admission: FREE. Info: here

words NOEL GARDNER

A year after Bakani Pick-Up’s appointment as artistic director of National Dance Company Wales, his first season of programming launches with a touring double bill, Blue | Glas. He speaks here about Welsh creativity, cultural identity, breaking down barriers around dance and how movement can sometimes express more than words.

You’re stepping into one of the most influential roles in contemporary dance in Wales. Why did this feel like the right moment?

It’s an exciting time for the company and for dance generally. Organisations are asking what repertoire companies should look like today and how we reflect the contemporary world. NDCWales has always reshaped itself and taken creative risks. Our paths crossed at a point that felt right, and as an artist that makes it an ideal environment to work collaboratively.

What excites you about Wales creatively?

Wales has an abundance of creativity across music, opera, theatre and dance. I’m particularly fascinated by how different artforms come together and how Welsh multiculturalism exists within so much of the work being made, including through the Welsh language.

Being able to express my own Zimbabwean culture through my work is very special, so that intersection between cultural identity and art feels familiar and profound. We want young Welsh people to feel proud of where they come from, whether through our Young Associates programme, our work in Penrhys or our artistic collaborations.

What can audiences expect the Bakani Pick-Up era of NDCWales to look and feel like?

I’m drawn to artists who can articulate a feeling or experience that words can’t quite encapsulate – making the invisible visible. Our autumn tour, Blue | Glas, is a good indication. Theo Clinkard’s Ordinary Courage was originally created following the death of his mother and explores grief, loss, care and human connection. Although it was created 14 years ago, those themes remain incredibly present. We’ve also commissioned Alesandra Seutin, an influential voice in dance, to create Untamed. It takes the idea of running and asks: what are we running from, and what are we running towards – literally, socially and spiritually?

Contemporary dance can have a reputation for being inaccessible. How do you change that?

We’re constantly thinking about how to demystify it. We want people to have the confidence to experience dance in different ways, on and off stage. When I watch dance, I ask: “How did it make me feel?” Everyone can connect to that. Contemporary simply means “dance of the now”. At its best, it should leave you with something and offer another way of understanding universal experiences.

You’ve worked internationally. What has that taught you?

Working internationally has been a huge privilege, but I’m also an immigrant. What I’ve learnt about dance in the UK and internationally is very different from the world I grew up in, in Zimbabwe. I used to think dance was primarily a social activity. I’ve since learnt it can also be activism, wellbeing and philosophy. NDCWales has a long history of performing internationally and bringing international artists to Wales. We’re at our best when we listen, share and learn from what’s happening both locally and around the world.

How important is collaboration outside dance?

It’s essential. Contemporary dance is immersed in other artforms – costume, lighting, music, sculpture, fashion, electronic music, folk traditions and theatre. For Untamed, Alesandra and Randolph Matthews have collaborated with Welsh musician Sam Fox and local singers on a soundtrack rooted in the African diaspora while incorporating the Welsh language and the pibgorn, an ancient Welsh instrument. That exchange of cultures and disciplines is incredibly exciting.

How important is nurturing the next generation of Welsh dancers?

It’s a huge responsibility. One reason I wanted to work at NDCWales was because it doesn’t just think about now, but about the future. We want Welsh artists to be visible not only here but internationally. Through residencies, professional development, Young Associates and partnerships with organisations including National Youth Dance Wales and Ballet Cymru, we want young people across Wales to feel there is a route into dance.

If we spoke again in three years, what would tell you it was working?

Seeing more young people from diverse backgrounds joining our Young Associates programme would be one of the highlights. It would show that what we’re doing genuinely feels like it can be for anyone.

Finally, why should someone who has never seen NDCWales take a chance on Blue | Glas?

Because these works go where words can’t reach. Whether exploring loss or the urge to run, the dance speaks directly to the soul. You’ll see beautiful, powerful dance from extraordinary performers, hear incredible music and enter two visceral worlds through movement, lighting and costume. It offers something not just for the senses, but for the heart too.

Blue | Glas opens in Malvern on Fri 11 Sept, moves to Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre on Thurs 17 + Fri 18 then tours to London, Hereford, Newtown, Wolfsberg, Mold, Tewkesbury, Bangor and Bournemouth before closing in Aberystwyth on Wed 18 + Thurs 19 Nov.

Tickets: prices vary. Info: here

words ANTONIA LEVAY