Now in it’s 16th year Focus Wales continues to grow into one of the best, most eclectic, multi-venue, multi-day festivals on the live music calendar. Showcasing some of the best new music from not only the UK but from across the world this really is a festival that day after day just keeps on giving. And with well over 200 artists playing across over 20 different venues the hardest task you’ll have isn’t how to fill your day but choosing who to see at any given time. It’s a rare point over the three days when you don’t have a choice of more than one really interesting artist to see. There’s cinema, music industry conferences, panels, a drumming workshop, unlimited networking opportunities and bands, bands and more bands. The real beauty of Focus Wales is not only having the opportunity to see some big name headliners but more importantly (for me) the guarantee that no matter how many gigs you go to every year and no matter your preferred genre of music you will discover a new favourite band. In fact you’re more than likely to discover one every day, quite possibly more than one. As it’s name suggests Focus Wales prides itself on promoting bands from Wales but there’s usually a focus on other areas as well. This weekend saw twelve artists from Scotland performing whilst Friday saw a small but powerful focus on artists from North East England.
Love live music? You’ll love Focus Wales. Dance music? Tick. DJ’s? Tick. Rap, Hip Hop? Tick. Indie? Tick. Grungy, industrial, dance-punk? Tick. Poppy punk or in your face hardcore punk? Tick. And not just the occasional band for each. You can spend a significant part of your weekend just listening/watching your favourite genre.
But with so many new bands being introduced to us how do you make those decisions about who to see? Well one of the many things Focus Wales does so well is provide accurate descriptions of every artist playing. So if the artist info says ‘experimental, abrasive soundscapes and aggressive rhythms from Indonesia’ then you know that’s exactly what you’ll get.
Venues range from the sizeable 2000+ capacity Llwn Isaf marquee to small, back rooms of pubs. One in particular – The Parish, where the pub door more or less hits the stage every time it opens – hosting numerous festival highlights. For me it’s these small venues, 70-100 people packed into a small, hot, sweaty space full of atmosphere and anticipation, that make Focus Wales so special. Venues such as Penny Black, Hope Street Church, Old No.7, Ty Pawb and the slightly bigger Rocking Chair are places where there’s a constant buzz in the air, where the atmosphere builds quickly and from where you’ll leave knowing you’ve just experienced something special. And despite the number of venues it takes just minutes to get from one to another. And with Ty Pawb being home to numerous food vendors – delicious pies, curries, sweet treats, hot and cold drinks – as well as the plethora of places to eat around Wrexham city centre you’re not going to be hungry or thirsty. After four consecutive years photographing/reviewing this festival I’m still not quite sure how the organisers bring it all together. But they do and they do it brilliantly.
My main focus was the more alternative, noisy, punkier side of things although there was certainly a few beautiful exceptions.
Thursday started with the melancholic, folky tunes from Canada’s His His in the chilled out surrounds of Hope Street Church before a walk up to GlyndwrTV brought one of the absolute standouts of the whole weekend. KyoYoko hammer out loud, dance infused, industrial electronic punk. Synths, drum machine, deep bass rhythms, KyoYoko are mesmorising and infectious. A set in the middle of the afternoon that lasts just 20 minutes in front of a crowd of perhaps just 30 people but word soon spreads, they’re playing four sets over the weekend and by the time their 11pm Friday slot in The Parish comes around there’s a queue outside and it’s a strict one in – one out.
Eliots Graveyard, the musical project of Eliot Humphreys, was a last minute decision by me but one that proved such things usually reap rewards. Eliots Graveyard are full of lo-fi, power pop, foot tapping beats that remind me of America’s The Feelies, one of my all time favourite bands.
I then get to witness two bands completely new to me, both of whom are superb. Servo (France) tear Ty Pawb apart with their dark, reverb drenched, aggressive, sonically charged post-punk noise. Powerful, hypnotic, a real punch to the gut. Fifteen minutes later I’m upstairs in Penny Black being blown away by the raw, primal sounds of Portugal’s Sunflowers. It’s noisy, messy, chaotic but it holds together, grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go until the dying notes of their blistering 30 minute set.
Lime Garden are the reason for my first visit to Llwyn Isaf, the big marquee that’ll host the three festival headliners. Lime Garden deliver a sterling set of poppy, funky, crowd pleasing songs not a million miles away from the sounds of Wet Leg or The Last Dinner Party. And to be honest my ears needed something a little more peaceful after the double onslaught of Servo and Sunflowers.
Main stage headliners Fat Dog never, ever disappoint and tonight is no different. Within seconds there’s a heaving mass of people in a mosh pit losing all inhibitions when it comes to dancing around. Fat Dog pummel us with their exhilarating, relentless blend of huge, hypnotic beats. Singer Joe Love is in the pit and on the barrier within minutes, strolling backwards and forwards, eyeballing the crowd, urging them to get more and more involved. Fat Dog and their fans feed off each other and by half-way through the whole place seems to be bouncing along. Fantastic fun but not a place to venture with your camera. Superb.
Focus Wales doesn’t go to sleep after the mainstage headliners so I finish day one with two more brilliant sets. Wrexham’s EYE are so local that Jessica Ball has walked to Penny Black from home. Atmospheric, sometimes ethereal, goth tinged, doom laden electronic noise. Powerful, atmospheric songs that build and build. These are not songs to jump around to. These are songs to lose yourself in. Thoughtful, chilling songs that seem stripped back yet burst with energy.
Finally the superb, electro punk from Clt Drp in the dark, hazy atmosphere of Ty Pawb was the perfect ending to a fantastic day.
Friday starts back in Hope Street Church with the sublime violin playing and gorgeous vocals of Muri. It’s the perfect, chilled out, ease back into the festival vibe 30 minutes. Tender, soulful yet full of vigor with Muri’s enthusiasm for what she does oozing out of her.
A quick caffeine boost and cake in the rather wonderful Ukrainian Coffee Shop on the opposite corner and then straight back into Hope Street for the abrasive, trance inducing, irresistible dance beats, massive industrial techno-punk from Indonesia’s Logic Lost. The solo project of Dylan Amirio his set starts quietly as he seems to coax a landscape of sounds out of his keyboard but it very quickly escalates into an ear-splitting, booming, soundscape of noise that could form the perfect soundtrack to a trip into the darkest recesses of a very disturbed mind. Absolutely brilliant.
There’s no let-up in sound levels as I stay in the welcoming space of this venue for the huge sonic assault that is Canada’s Bonnie Trash. Slicing guitar, thumping drums and bass and the sheer power of vocalist Sarafina Bortolon-Vetter’s voice, not to mention her unflinching stare all meld together to create a massive sound that’s dark, brooding, fearless gothic punk rock ‘n’ roll. Their allocated 30 minutes is over far too quickly. Thankfully, like a few of the other outstanding bands of the weekend, they’re playing another set later in the evening.
Serbia’s KoiKoi pack out the Parish with their unique blend of indie rock but unfortunately I have to leave early so I can catch the artists from my local music scene in the North East of England. Tucked away at the back of Ty Pawb, away from it’s main venue area, is Ty Pawb Performance space. Darlington’s Robyn Errico delivered a mesmerising set of songs with her rich, expressive voice over layered keyboard and drums. This is quickly followed by the completely different sounds of Michael Gallagher who together with his band punches out particularly catchy indie rock tunes full of social commentary, personal experiences and his deep affection for his home town of Hartlepool.
A quick dash to Llwyn Isaf to grab ten minutes with Friday main stage headliners Idlewild. The crowd love them, the band bounce around the stage. It’s easy to see why they’re so popular – catchy, bouncy, singalong tunes creating a real good-time atmosphere.
Then it’s back to Ty Pawb for more North East goodness. Melanie Baker‘s songs – catchy, poppy, grungy – are full of self-deprecating humour and real life tales about the absurd – the slugs happily living in her home being just one example. She asks if there’s any lesbians in the audience. Apparently there isn’t so she dedicates a song to herself. Backed by a superb band full of fizzy guitars and rocking beats, a band clearly loving every minute they’re performing. Baker’s set is life-affirming, confirmation that you’re not alone with the anxieties of real life.
Shlug tear the main Ty Pawb venue space apart. Intense, high energy, loud, confrontational. Another band not previously on my radar but now permanently attached to it. I end my Friday in Rocking Chair with a perfect set of heavy, experimental, electronic (complete with drums and guitars) soundscapes. Fierce, sometimes harsh, sometimes really quite delicate, often danceable, Gallops go down a storm in a venue that is rammed all the way to the back. Unsurprising given the quality of their performance but also the fact they’re a Wrexham band.
And so to Saturday at a festival that just keeps on giving. Standouts from the final day were many. Those new to me included Cruush who blow us all away in the Parish with their sharp, reverb soaked, grungy songs.
In the same venue Lawn Chair, who are definitely not new to me, play one of the sets of the weekend. Shredding guitars, quirky synth pings, full on bass and drums melt into each other to produce a genuinely exciting modern day punk sound. Add in the visual spectacle of singer Claudia Schlutius who not only sings, talks and yells her way through songs but also finds whatever she can to climb and it’s not long before she’s on the bar top and then hanging from possibly the only ceiling beam in the place. Hard to express just how good Lawn Chair are. Just stick them on your must see list. You won’t be disappointed.
Back in the big top that is Llwyn Isaf The Moonlandingz bring their usual blend of slightly bonkers, psychedelic, inventive, dub and dance infused tunes to a crowd who love every second.
Headliners SHAME explode onto the stage with a set that is non-stop energy. Banger after banger sees the crowd bouncing in unison, singer Charlie Steen pacing the stage encouraging them every step of the way, whilst bassist Josh Finerty seems to spend as much time in the air as possible. SHAME don’t do things by halves. They’re all in, exciting, cathartic. Just what a mainstage headliner should be.
Sadly I can’t stay for their full set and I dash down to Penny Black to witness Manchester’s PINS, a band I haven’t seen for eight years. They don’t disappoint and treat a packed out downstairs venue to 30 minutes of stripped back, retro, sixties influenced garage sounds. Vocalist Faith Vern has lost non of her effortless cool whilst it’s great to see guitarist Lois MacDonald still approach the whole playing live experience with pure joy. All smiles, encouraging singalongs and wandering amongst the crowd.
Forty minutes later and upstairs in the same venue PISS absolutely nail us to the wall. We’re warned by singer Tay Zantingh that they’ll deal with some extremely uncomfortable truths, that we’ll need earplugs, that we’re to keep each other safe. And she’s not wrong. PISS are raw, unbelievably intense, furious, an incendiary noise backing Zantingh’s sometimes spoken word, sometimes screeched lyrics dealing with violence, sexual trauma and more. PISS go beyond hardcore. They’re not a band you simply watch or listen to. Just like Teesside’s noise merchants Benefits they’re a band you truly experience. A band that even after just 30 minutes leave you feeling completely drained.
Finally GANS. A band I’ve seen numerous times over the last 18 months and a band not to be missed. Downstairs in Penny Black really is too small for them but it does make for a superb atmosphere as they pummel out their fast paced, electro dance-punk with it’s irresistible background beat. Raw and cathartic the crowd is jumping from the opening drone of ‘In Time’. 30 minutes isn’t enough, five songs isn’t enough but what a five songs they are. In Time/It’s Just Life/the massive singalong of I Think I Like You/Step Psychosis/This Product are a perfect slice of what GANS can do live. And there’s still time for a joyful circle pit and some crowd surfing by drummer Euan Woodman.
I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again. Regardless of your taste in music Focus Wales really is a festival that just keeps on giving, day after day, brilliant band after brilliant band. Brilliantly organised, runs like clockwork, friendly staff, great venues. We say it every year – probably the best town based multi-day, multi-venue festival of the year.
2027 tickets are on sale now. Grab them while you can from HERE. Early birds just £70. Think about that. £70 for three days of live music and a choice of over 250 artists to see. Seriously, what’s not to like?
words & photos: steve white
