Episode 2 Wales Unsigned

This is Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff, where all of the great Welsh

bands have played at some point in their musical careers.

Today, it's the venue for the Swn Festival, and we're

here to see some of the best unsigned bands coming out of Wales.

# Oooh...

# Oooh... #

ACOUSTIC GUITAR MELODY

So, first up on the Horizon Stage in Clwb Ifor Bach is

singer-songwriter Dan Bettridge.

# Oh, Rosie darling

# I ain't putting you down

# You're so friendly and warm

# And I'm not always wrong

# There's a thunder rolling

# Through the planes of my mind

# A place where compliance ain't easy to find

# Oh, write your name in the dirt, darling

# Let them know your way

# Let them know you're here, darling

# Here to stay

# Write your name in the dirt, darling

# Let them know your way

# Let them know you're here, darling

# Heeeeeere....

# To stay. #

Well, this is the wonderful Dan Bettridge.

Dan, you just kicked of the Horizons at Swn Showcase for us,

and it was packed to the rafters.

It was an amazing gig. Did you enjoy yourself?

Yeah, I did, we all did, I think. It was, er... It was great.

We really enjoyed it.

It's been such a great year, so we want to kind of milk it

until it's done.

# Now, God have mercy

# On my soul

# Here's my road

# Away I go... #

Now, the song we filmed here at Clwb is Rosie Darling.

Tell us about writing that song. Who is this darling Rosie?

I can't say!

THEY LAUGH

But it was written a long time ago, actually, like, two years ago

when it was a chorus of a song which I never used

and then ended up sticking in this song and it made sense.

We've done a rearrangement of it in the studio recently,

with the full band.

So, yeah, the song has completely changed with the band.

# Oh, write your name in the dirt, darling

# Let them know your way

# Let them know you're here, darling

# Heeeeeeeeeeere....

# Write your name in the dirt, darling

# Let them know your way

# And let me know you're here, darling

# Heeeeeeeeere....

# To stay. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you.

Dan Bettridge is one of 12 artists chosen to be part of Horizons,

the scheme which aims to bring on new Welsh musical talent.

The bands all get help with promotion, airplay on radio,

and they get to appear at festivals throughout the year.

One such festival is the hugely popular Festival No. 6,

based in Portmeirion.

From there, on The Bandstand stage in the village green,

this is Hannah Grace.

# If you're going to leave me lonely

# I'd rather be on my own

# You're never here to show me

# You're like a seed I can sow

# Look at me like I'm helpless

# Well, I can take this

# We all roll, whoo-oo-oo

# If we take away the feeling

# And look at ourselves in...

# Black and white

# Makes me cry

# Wrestle me like a mustang

# Close I fly

# And you're pulling me

# Pushing me closer

# We go down

# Kiss the ground

# I run away like a mustang

# Killing me, loving me

# You're killing me, loving me

# Johnny, I know you're shaking

# I know what's going on

# You can't forget being wild

# You can't forget where you're from

# Tell me what you believe, oh

# What you're meaning

# Cos you're wrong, whoo-oo-oo

# Never take away the feeling

# And look at ourselves in...

# Black and white

# Makes me cry

# You wrestle me like a mustang

# Close I fly

# And you're pulling me

# Pushing me closer

# We go down

# Kiss the ground

# I run away like a mustang

# Killing me, loving me

# You're killing me, loving me. #

As you can hear, Hannah's got an amazingly powerful voice.

So, where does it come from?

I don't know, really! I mean, I've always sung.

Like, literally, I can't remember not singing,

and I just listened to loads of different big singers.

My first influence was Eva Cassidy, then,

when I was, like, 13, 14, I loved Christina Aguilera and, like,

Alicia Keys and, like, Beyonce and everything,

and just me in my bedroom trying to mimic them.

And so I guess I always liked that kind of music,

and then I kind of felt like I could actually do it.

I really like writing songs. You can just really go for it.

Yeah, just go for it, basically.

# Black and white

# Makes me cry

# Wrestle me like a mustang

# Oh, fly and

# You're pulling me

# Pushing me closer

# We go down

# Kiss the ground

# I run away like a mustang

# Killing me, loving me

# You're killing me, loving me

# Killing me, loving me

# You're killing me, loving me. #

SHE CHUCKLES

CHEERING

Thank you!

PEOPLE CHATTER

After the sunshine of the summer festivals, this event has

been quite a contrast, but if you love live music,

it won't bother you at all.

On the Horizons stage right now - Yr Eira.

# A oes cyfle i mi guddio

# Oddi wrth yr atgas pur

# Fy nghariad i sy'n dal i suro

# Ond fy nghariad i sydd 'run mor gryf

# Lle mae'r angerdd

# Yr hyn sy'n clymu ni fel un?

# Oedd yn ein gwneud ni'n holl gytun

# Ni fel Cymru

# Efallai mod i

# Yn euog o ladd ar y rhai

# Yn euog o daflu y bai

# Pan nad ydw i yn angel chwaith

# Mae eich geiriau yn fy nghorddi I

# Dw'n i'm

# Dw'n i'm be sy'

# Eich anwybodaeth sy'n fy mhoeni i

# Dw'n i'm

# Dw'n i'm be sy'. #

Ifan, how does Swn Festival differ from some of the summer

festivals for a band?

Erm, some of the summer festivals are obviously out in the fields,

out in, like... No. 6, we played, T in the Park... This one's...

I like Swn.

We come every year, and it's just like all the pubs round

Cardiff are full of bands playing, and it's just good.

We played downstairs at Clwb and it went really well.

It was really busy and...

Different faces, you see different people coming to the

gigs, and it's just fresh, I think, to play a festival like this.

Good night.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

The next Horizons artist playing at Cardiff's Swn Festival

is Violet Skies.

This track is called One Day, Three Autumns.

# Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh....

# The solar flare

# Flickering above my vision

# Keeps me wondering

# I'm chasing you

# I know for sure

# You're everything I need

# And so much more

# Keeps me wondering

# Oh-oh...

# They sail

# One day

# Three autumns

# Three autumns

# My heart, it breaks

# To know that you are still so far away

# My soul, it keeps on wondering

# I'm chasing you

# And I know for sure

# Is this meant to be?

# We are so much more

# I keep on wondering

# And waiting

# And aching

# They sail

# One day

# Three autumns

# Three autumns... #

Tells us about yourself, then. Why Violet Skies?

It's not your first name, your born...

-You weren't born Violet Skies.

-No.

Well, basically, I used to do a lot of kind of acoustic-y music.

It was not as alternative as I do now, and it felt like I just wanted

to start something really fresh with a name that suited the music

I would want to make, and Violet is my great-grandmother's name.

She was an amazing lady.

She had, like, a second lease of life when she was about 80.

She was a bit crazy and I really admired that,

and the "Skies" just kind of suited the ambient, kind of cinematic

vibe that I wanted for the music, so that's where it came from.

# I find myself hoping

# Find myself hoping

# You'll be home, oh!

# They sail

# One day

# Three autumns

# When I miss you it feels like

# One day

# Oh, and three

# Three autumns

# Oh....

# When I miss you

# When I miss you it feels like

# Feels like. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Next, a song from Pontypridd-based band Peasant's King,

recorded at Festival No. 6.

# Ink on a hand with someone else's name

# Split by numbers or just the number

# Four lettered word in a red-hearted crest

# Clock strikes down and it scares him to death

# Hide and seek in a lost wasteland

# That's where he came That's where he ran

# And stumbled on the cracks of the floor

# And he shot those words Like a cannonball

# Now give a little love to me Now give a little love to me

# He's too young to realise It's how we felt in days gone by

# Give a little love to me

# Ooh, now give a little love to me

# He's too young to realise

# It's how we felt in days gone by

# Give a little love to me

# Ooh, now give a little love to me

# Too young to realise It's how we felt in days gone by

# Give a little love to me Well, now give a little love to me

# He's too young to realise It's how we felt in days gone by

# Give a little love to me Ooh, now give a little love to me

# It goes round and round And round my head again! #

Cheers.

One of the experiences that always stands out for the bands who

take part in Horizons is the chance to record at the

BBC Maida Vale studios.

And one of those sessions at Maida Vale was with talented

singer/songwriter from Merthyr Delyth McLean.

# Roedd y Tad, y mab

# A'r ysbryd glan

# Yn crwydro lawr i dre

# Roedd y tad yn fab

# I'r ysbryd glan

# A'r fab yn dad or nef

# Gwrandais arno

# A gwenais yn gam

# Gan gofio noson y dre

# Dwi'n hedfan yn yr awyr

# Dwi'n hedfan uwch y byd

# Dwi'n hedfan yn yr awyr

# Dwi'n hedfan uwch y byd

# Y byd

# Roedd y tad, y mab

# A'r ysbryd glan

# Yn crwydro lawr i dre

# Roedd y tad yn fab

# I'r ysbryd glan

# A'r fab yn dad o'r nef

# Cysgais yn dawel ar fy ngliniau

# A cadwais yn glir o fe

# Gwrandais ar y gair tragwyddol

# Y gair oedd yn wir o beth

# Dwi'n hedfan yn yr awyr

# Dwi'n hedfan uwch y byd

# Dwi'n hedfan yn yr awyr

# Dwi'n hedfan uwch y byd

# Y byd

# Y byd. #

And you can see more from Delyth and all the other Horizons

artists on our website bbc.co.uk/horizons.

Now another track from the live Maida Vale sessions

which took place in December last year, this is Mellt.

# I've had enough of this Fortunate situation

# And this

# And I'd love to know How low life goes

# Till I really know

# Alone

# So please

# Spare me the words

# Just tell it to me plain A simple girl

# She's had enough of me

# Dreaming away but she's trying to sleep

# But do I need to know

# How low life goes

# Till I really know

# I know

# So, please

# Spare me the words

# Just tell it to me plain

# A simple girl... #

Glyn, where do you feel you're at now to compare with,

say, 12 months ago?

Well, exactly 12 months ago, Jake had just joined the band

and just started learning drums,

so I can say that we've progressed considerably

since a year ago and it's been really great

that, since Jake's joined the band, that, if anything, it's been better.

Yeah, it's just awesome. We're having a great time.

# Baby, now you're in my dreams

# Spare me the words

# Just tell it to me plain

# A simple girl

# It's time you said

# So easy, girl

# These troubles that I've told

# I'm making life go slowly now

# I've had enough of this. #

Clwb Ifor Bach is responsible for most of my misspent youth

and life, but I do remember some precious memories,

including one of my all-time favourites,

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci in a packed-out venue upstairs.

And, adding to the list of Welsh acts who've

performed at Clwb Ifor Bach, this is Horizons artist Aled Rheon.

# Stay with me

# And be my friend

# I'll buy you flowers

# Keep you content

# I'll be good company

# Of that, I'm sure

# Friends

# For ever more

# Let's start a story

# Let's start a tale

# We'll be the heroes that prevail

# We'll get on famously

# Of that, I'm sure

# Friends

# For ever more

# Oooh-oooh

# Oooh-oooh

# Oooh-oooh

# Oooh-oooh

# Let's start a band

# In a red brick house

# And a car... #

This is the brilliant Aled Rheon.

Something very exclusive happened today -

the first time ever you've played with a band.

Yeah, it's my first ever gig with actual living people on stage

-with me.

-When you said that, rather than dead people on stage!

But, no, they were amazing musicians.

It's great to see when people...

You've started writing in your bedroom and suddenly there's all

these people kind of joining you, musically, and adding to the music.

Yeah. It's part of the journey, I guess, the process.

I wanted to start off playing by myself,

playing songs by myself, and then, you know, I thought,

"Well, a natural progression is to ask mates who are musicians as well

"to come along and play with me".

Jim Bennetts on the drums.

CHEERING

And we have Mark Foley on the bass.

CHEERING

Matthew Frederick on the tambourine.

CHEERING

Uh, the lovely Eve Goodman on backing vocals.

CHEERING

And we've got Dan Fitzgerald on the guitar.

I've been Aled Rheon. Thank you very much for listening.

Come say hi afterwards.

# We'll go the whole nine yards

# In a gorgeous charge

# Charge of light. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you very much. Diolch yn fawr. Thank you.

Aled Rheon there and an appreciative crowd at Clwb Ifor Bach.

To finish, a song from Pontypridd-based band

Peasant's King, recorded at BBC Maida Vale.

This is Sedative.

# So many faces

# So little life

# There's too many places

# There's too many lies

# Just like the cold

# You wear me away, darlin'

# And just like the cold

# You wear me away

# There's too many heartbreaks

# And so little time

# There's too many retakes

# There's no final line

# And just like the cold

# You wear me away, darlin'

# And just like the cold

# You wear me away

# And I'll be racing

# And I'll be chasing around

# And chasing around

# And I'll be wasting

# And I'll be falling down

# You're my sedative, you know

# You're my sedative, you know

# And I'll be wasting

# And I'll be falling down

# You're my sedative, you know

# You're my sedative, you know

# Help

# You wear me away

# Help

# You wear me away

# Just so much insanity

# You wear me away

# Just like a sedative

# You wear me away. #

And if you're a Welsh-based band writing your own material,

you can apply now to be part of the 2016 Horizon scheme.

For all the details, go to: