APRIL/MAY 2020 ISSUE#10 ON TOUR WITH PASTEL SWANSEA’S NEXT BIG THING? PLUS: JAMES WEAVER, SWANSEA UNIVERSITY, DAMIAN HARRIS, TOM EMLYN + MORE A message from the team at Soundboard Magazine: We had hoped to be in print for Issue #10. As you may know, we rely totally on advertising revenue to fi nance our production costs. This issue, the Coronavirus has meant that many of our advertisers have been forced to cancel events or close completely. We truly understand why some advertisers have felt it necessary to withdraw (temporarily we hope). This issue, therefore, will not be printed, but will be available as a PDF, which you are reading now, obviously. Please share it as much as you like, however you can. We have included all the adverts from advertisers who wanted to continue, however these have not been charged. The whole team (please DO read the credits on page 3) have worked hard over the last couple of months to bring you what we feel is our strongest issue yet. We hope you love it as much as we do. We are of course very disappointed not to be able to bring it to you in print. Please leave your comments on our Facebook Page, we love hearing from you. Stay well, and safe. We look forward to being back to normal as soon as circumstances allow. Graham, Sarah, Joel and all the writers at SBM. SOUNDBOARD | ISSUE #10 | APRIL & MAY 2020 INSIDE THE LOAD-IN . .4 NEWS . .5 OH PEDRO . .6 THE NEXT GENERATION – TRENCH . .7 THE BIG READ – JAMES WEAVER . .8 THE LOCAL SCENE – SWANSEA MUSIC HUB . .10 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE – TOMOS SPARNON . .11 COVER STORY – PASTEL . .12 LIVE REVIEW – DYDD MIWSIG CYMRU . .17 PASTEL – Pages 12-15 RECORD REVIEWS . .18 LIVE REVIEW – SLUDGECRAFT . .21 Here are some of the places where you can pick up your copy: Derrick’s Music Viva La Frida Swansea Print Shop NIGE . .22 Psicon Music Hen Dderwen Hoogah’s SWANSEA UNIVERSITY LIVE MUSIC SOCIETY .23 Sin City Cadno Music The Bunkhouse Cinema & Co. Elysium bar Swansea Bay Records GIG GUIDE – APRIL & MAY . .24 Nat.Waterfront Museum The Garage The Brunswick Hobo’s Uplands Tavern GOSSIP . .25 Cover To Cover Copper Bar BEHIND THE SCENES – THE LIFE OF A PROMOTER . .26 Square Peg Noah’s FOLK MUSIC – DANNY KILBRIDE . .27 If you would like to consider supporting us by advertising, and stocking the magazine (you’ll get lots of people come to your place looking for it), CLASSIC WELSH ALBUM – STEREOPHONICS . .28 please contact [email protected] FILM – CONOR MCLAUGHLAN . .29 ISSUE #11 ADVERTISING DEADLINE: ROBOSCOPES . .30 13TH MAY 2020 FOR PUBLICATION JUNE 1ST THE LOAD-OUT . .31 APRIL/MAY 2020 ISSUE#10 PUBLISHED BY CHIEF CULTURAL SUBSCRIPTIONS SOUNDBOARD MAGAZINE LTD CORRESPONDENT [email protected] 28 Rosehill Terrace, Swansea SA1 6JN JACK SOUNDS No part of this magazine may be repro- CO-EDITORS EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS duced in any form without the written per- FLIPSY MCCAW, & REVIEWERS mission of the Editorial Team. Personal views JOEL MORGAN, Flipsy McCaw / Sarah Birch, Joel Morgan, expressed in SOUNDBOARD are not neces- GRAHAM MORSE Graham Morse, Jack Sounds, Tansy Rees, Rosie sarily those of the publisher. Whilst every [email protected] Scribblah, Damian Harris, Tom Emlyn, Zach care is taken, we cannot take responsibility Aaron, Rob Nelmes, James Morgan, Hywel for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs, DESIGN & SUB EDITING Griffi ths, Rebecca De Marco, Joe Bayliss. or the bad attitude of your singer. : MAL VICKERS GRAHAM MORSE ON TOUR WITH [email protected] REVIEWS If you would like to stock PASTEL [email protected] SOUNDBOARD MAGAZINE SWANSEA’S NEXT BIG THING? PHOTOGRAPHY please get in touch via advertising. PLUS: JAMES WEAVER, SWANSEA UNIVERSITY, DAMIAN HARRIS, TOM EMLYN + MORE Hywel Griffi ths, Graham Morse, ADVERTISING Shutterstock [email protected] © 2020 SOUNDBOARD MAGAZINE LTD COVER PHOTOGRAPH WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND? THINK YOU CAN DO BETTER? We want to hear from you. Send us your submissions. Email us. Please and thank you. [email protected] SoundBoardMagazineUK THE LOAD-IN WELCOME TO ISSUE #10 THE SAME, BUT DIFFERENT Album sales set DISSENTING VOICES WELCOME to help Welsh ’M WRITING THIS EDITORIAL FROM DEEP WITHIN THE BOWELS OF fl ood appeal the earth, so – if you have any urgent messages for me – please leave Ithem with someone back up on the surface. I don’t think the lifestyle Friday April 3rd marks the offi cial, choices of liquor-loving, long-term smokers mix well with airborne res- digital release of Abertawe 13. piratory diseases, so I’ll be staying here for the duration, if that’s ok? This was a project where Death I’m joking; I shouldn’t make jokes about such a serious thing, really Monkey Records’ Dave Milsom and - but I’ve always believed that humour is an excellent tool for getting team commandeered Abertawe Road you through tough times; read between the lines and know that we’re Studios for four Sundays last May and all in this thing together, no matter if it turns out to be a paper tiger June, and recorded 13 local acts for or a concrete overshoe. Keep an eye on each other, and make sure you a limited-run cover cd for Issue #6 of wash your goddamn hands. SBM in August. Subsequently those And that’s quite enough of that! Don’t want to depress you before issues are now like gold dust. I tell you what a BRILLIANT issue we’ve put together for you. Many It was a massive project to under- thanks to all contributors, new and old, and a big welcome to those of take and features exclusive recordings you climbing aboard for the fi rst time. of tracks by the following regional, original acts: The Stray Pursuit, Pastel, Windshake, Tom Emlyn, Holy “We’ve had a shake up in the Home Video, Hawthorn Avenue, Sa- rah Birch, Dunkie, Joel Morgan, Lost way we run this whole shebang, Tuesday Society, King Goon, Green- mailer, and World Vs. World. rejigging the editorial process to be The compilation will be available from all the usual platforms, and artwork is more inclusive of a variety of different provided by Tansy Rees Illustration. All proceeds from digital downloads for – and, occasionally, dissenting – voices.” the foreseeable future will be donated to And why not? There’s no point in doing this if it’s just one big love-in. the ongoing Green Rooms/Clwb Y Bont There’s plenty of other publications like that, if that’s what you’re into, Flood Relief Appeal. So the money from many of them heavily subsidised by government arts funding and helped acquiring your digital copy goes straight along in administrative terms by an army of underage/unpaid interns, so back to those hit hardest in the recent the money remains in the hands of those at the top of the tree (and their fl oods on the South Wales music scene. mates) rather than trickling down to all in a fair and righteous manner. So it always was, and so it remains. But that’s not how we here at Soundboard Magazine do business. We are truly, properly independent; we speak with many voices and we’re per- fectly happy to amplify yours if you’ve got something interesting to say. Fascists and the hateful need not apply. You got to have a code, right? That’s ours. All other humans, get in touch if you want to promote your event or submit something for review. This is a broad church, and you’re always welcome to join the congregation. So, in this issue our cover stars are those tearaway talents, Pastel. They were going out on tour, so we tasked their mate and number one supporter, Zachary Aaron, with the job of reporting from the front line. We received his dispatches close to deadline, but – being used to the working practices of that rascally Jack Sounds – we were ready and wait- ing to spring into action as soon as his words dropped. And it’s great stuff: a report from right in the eye of the hurricane. Elsewhere, we’ve got the usual news and reviews, as well as a sprin- kling of gossip and some wild speculations. Pedro is apparently plan- ning some kind of armed, Pug-led insurrection against all government institutions – he’s very ambitious, for a dog – and we wish him well in his endeavours, as we do to all of you reading this. Just remember, at all times, to be excellent to each other. That way, when all is biscuits and shortbreads again, we can party on. Much love. SBM Soundboard Magazine Issue #6, August / September 2019. Full version on our website ADVERTISE YOUR music / gig / shop / venue HERE [email protected] 4 soundboardmagazine.co.uk NEWS The Kick Jetts Fresh new sign to Death Opera for the Monkey Records 21st Century elsh Trance duo Zirenz have Whad a long and successful career combining classical and trance music. The award winning iTunes chart-toppers will be previewing their new classical-crossover mate- rial (with an album set to be released in November on their own label: Afterworld Recordings), at a charity gala show at the Ffwrness Theatre in Llanelli. The performance, which is being artistically directed by sometime- SoundboardMagazine-writer, Keith Williams, is in aid of Neuroendocrine s we hinted in last issue’s Cancer UK. Zirenz are committed to APsssstt!!!, Death Monkey Records raising awareness for Neuroendocrine have indeed signed female-fronted Cancer, through their music. Zirenz’ alternative rock band, The Kick Jetts.