Art Craft and Leisure news

The first night of June and Cardiff is drenched in summer rain and whipped by restless wind. However, arriving inside the Utilita Arena, beneath a waterfall of amber light cascading from the top of the stage, Dermot Kennedy’s Weight Of The Woods tour provides a beautiful comfort.

Our first shelter is given by opening act Amble, who return to a city that has become woven into their own story. Having reviewed the Irish trio’s Tramshed performance at the end of last year, it’s really exciting to watch them command a stage of this size. They delight with a set rich in harmony, heart and hints of what comes next, teasing new material from an upcoming album while further cementing their place as one of Ireland’s most compelling rising voices.

Emerging through the rays at the top of moss-covered rocky stairs, Dermot Kennedy is met with a triumphant roar, earned by his reputation. Here is an artist whose journey has always felt honest. Throughout the show he reflects on the push and pull of his busking years, on the uncertainty that surrounded his earliest releases, and on the quiet hope that carried them into the world.

“I had this song that I was proud of and put it out there with zero expectation,” he tells us. For a while, he continues, nobody listened – until they did. Now, thousands sing the words back to him at the top of their lungs. 

While Kennedy’s voice remains unmistakable, the brilliance of the band behind him deserves equal praise. The violin, in particular, becomes a second narrator throughout the evening. Lifting songs to their true live potential, transforming them into something even more emotional, cinematic and special.

An unmistakable Celtic spirit runs through Kennedy’s storytelling and it is clear from the audience that these songs have soundtracked defining moments in many lives. Moving to a smaller, crowd-central stage brings intimacy to five songs performed with magical calm and openness – peaking with a fan-led sea of green lights during Weight Of The Woods, transforming the arena into a glowing woodland.

Returning to the main stage for an energetic closing stretch of Better Days, Power Over Me and the devastating beauty of Funeral, there was an overwhelming sense of gratitude: from Kennedy, for this opportunity to share his purpose, and from the audience for the chance to bask in it.

Dermot Kennedy + Amble, Utilita Arena Cardiff, Mon 1 June

words and photos JOSEPH ELIJAH 

London-via-Caernarfon pop-rock force Catrin Hopkins, aka Catty, is on a rapid rise following her Bracing For Impact EP and a dream slot supporting Stevie Nicks in London. Ahead of her first UK tour this November, she’s headlining a Pride Cymru launch gig in Cardiff, ahead of which Emma Way spoke to her.

Is the reason you chose the alias Catty because it’s an insult reserved only for women?

My family used to call me ‘Cati bach’ – ‘little Cati’ in Welsh – because I was the youngest. Then when I started my solo career, all of my songs were basically me dragging my ex, so I decided to change it to Catty… so kind of like the negative thing. Now I’ve become soft in my old age, it doesn’t really fit anymore. I almost intended it to be an alias, and then I accidentally became my alias.

What’s your new single Pavlov’s Dog about?

The concept behind the song was that I just wanted somebody to teach me what love is in the simplest form, like teach it to me like I’m a child. In the studio, I was like, I need somebody to condition my brain, rewire it, like Pavlov’s Dog me!

Is the single part of a bigger project?

I’ve written a load of songs by myself on my Omnichord, and the plan at the moment is to finish those. Pavlov’s Dog was the first song from that, and then the next one will probably be Silver Girl. I left it up to the coven [aka her online fanbase] to decide on what song they wanted to hear next – I posted a few, and they’re leading the way right now.

The artwork is inspired by vintage lesbian pulp magazines – where and when did that imagery enter the picture for you?

It’s been an idea I’ve had for two years, but I’m an independent musician – and have been for way longer than I’d like to admit! – so I just didn’t think I had the money to execute it well. Then I found this artist [Small Wonder Studio], and I thought – you know what, I’m just going to do it this time. I’ve been so obsessed with those old lesbian pulp magazines for so long, and I wanted to fill my room with them… so that was the idea behind that. I wanted to make my own, mainly because I wanted those posters in my room.

Have you been to Pride events in Cardiff before?

Yeah, I played on the S4C stage two years ago – it was so fun, I loved it. The two things I talk about all the time are being queer and being Welsh, so I could do both those things that day! It’s really special to be around Welsh gay people, because that’s something missing in my life now I live in London, and in my childhood I thought I was the only gay in the village. So to be around gay people in Wales, I was like, where the fuck have you guys been?

Back in 2024 you supported Stevie Nicks at her BST Hyde Park show. How did that opportunity come about?

It was the best day of my life. Thinking back to how we got that show, my music wasn’t anywhere, no-one was really listening to it, and we definitely didn’t have any music industry connections. We emailed everybody, and no-one replied to us. And then I literally just sent a booking agent a voice note saying “please let me do the show,” and a week later I was offered the job. I feel like that was my first act of bravery. From then, I was like, “hold on, we can actually do this!”

Pride Cymru Launch Party: Catty + Liam J Edwards, Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, Wed 10 June.

Tickets: £14. Info: here

words EMMA WAY