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For the third year running, Porthcawl's Bullet For My Valentine have scooped the prestigious Best British Band award at the awards.

Read the ´óÏó´«Ã½ News story here.

The band, who released their third album, Fever, earlier this year, also scooped the Best Live Band award. Lostprophets won the Classic Songwriter award.

The fact that BFMV have won the award three years running is a testament to a solid work ethic and an if-it-ain't-broke-don't-touch-it approach to songwriting. Of course they've subtly changed between albums but their core, pedal-to-the-metal, driving hard rock is what their fans like.

It must also be said that at the moment there is not a lot of competition at the top of British rock. Lostprophets are no longer the colossi they once were and then you're looking at other British award winners like Biffy Clyro. But Biffy, while big, are not big enough in the Kerrang! readership to mount a challenge to Bullet, and neither are the likes of You Me At Six.

It's a strange situation at the moment that while the rock scene in Britain is healthy (you only have to look at the success of festivals like Download, Reading and Leeds) there's no absolutely massive UK rock or metal band who would be recognisable to the average man on the street.

Of course it's great that for the last few years the bands battling for the likes of Kerrang! Best British Band have been million-selling Welshies, and there are some more bands coming through at the moment, but where is the next globe-straddling British hard rockin' juggernaut coming from?

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The ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing stage at this year's Reading and Leeds festivals will feature a headline set from and sets from another two Welsh bands.

(Cardiff's dual-bass noise terrorists) and (Aberdare power-pop fivesome) will join Wrexham's Gallops on the same bill, Saturday at Leeds and Sunday at Reading.

Radio 1's new music maestro and Welshman extraordinaire Huw Stephens said, "I'm very excited about the line up for Reading and Leeds this year, and Exit International playing is going to be awesome. With Gallops headlining as well in the returners' slot it shows there's an exciting time ahead for them also."

We asked Radio Wales' Adam Walton about Gallops' headline slot: "This is really exciting for them and the many people in Wrexham who've witnessed and supported their rise," he said. "They're the first band from the town to headline a stage at a major festival, and they've managed to do that without compromising their intelligent and fearsome music.

"This couldn't be timed better, either, because their long-awaited debut EP on Holy Roar is released that week. It's a major stepping stone for the band and a great inspiration for musicians from north east Wales."

Gallops' guitarist Brad said, "It's a massive honour to be asked to play the festival; a lot of us were actually planning to attend this year without even playing, so to be asked to play is amazing. It gives the whole band a boost and hopefully we can reach out to a lot of people who wouldn't have heard us otherwise."

Exit International

Exit International's verbose mouthpiece Scott Lee Andrews told us, "This is hands-down the biggest musical achievement of our lives. Excited is not the word for us. Bands like Pulled Apart By Horses came through the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing stage and it has been a platform for greater things. Having been a spectator for many years, I've always wanted to play there, Nirvana being a huge reason. The festival to me growing up was the high-water mark of the summer; to ride that wave is indescribable."

And when I bumped into the youthful rockers of Reaper In Sicily in the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales building this afternoon they said, "It's like a dream come true. We owe it to ourselves as we've not played for five months. We had to cancel some festivals [due to guitarist Matthew Jenkins being diagnosed with leukaemia, now in remission] and we said no to Reading and Leeds at first because we didn't know if we could do it. If it wasn't Reading and Leeds we'd have said no."

Bethan Elfyn is the presenter of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing in Wales. She said, "´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing stage is going from strength to strength and its absolutely amazing that we have three Welsh bands on the line up this year. Two bands for the first time, and one returning act to headline - which is Gallops.

"I'm thrilled that two of Wales' very distinctive bands will be representing. I nominated them from the show as they are cutting new ground with what they are doing, their songs are strong and playing live they are exciting and will turn people's heads at the festival.

"It's great that this will be the first festival experience ever for Reaper in Sicilly, and brilliant that the band can bounce back from Matt's illness with such a big opportunity.

"Likewise, Exit International will be controversial, in your face, and certainly entertaining. So I think both bands will make the most of this huge opportunity. It's basically a great way to reach a bigger audience.

"The Introducing stage at Reading is bang in the middle of the festival site, so you can't help but catch loads of people's attention as you wander around.

"If you're in a new band and would like to be nominated for such a place maybe next year - all the details are up online at www.bbc.co.uk/introducing - and make friends with us on Radio One Wales, send us your music, as we get to nominate bands for the final festival panel to pick their faves, and we've got a good track record so far!"

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I've been very impressed with the way fellow Welsh music blogger, Bethan Elfyn, manages to go to sprawling festivals like Sonar and Latitude and blog about them succinctly. These are some of the most dazzling music festivals on earth. Bethan rarely wastes a syllable. I - however - stumble across a half decent busker on a side-street and my keyboard goes into a cold sweat.

I'll do my best to rip through my experience at yesterday's festival with minimal verbal casualties, I promise.

Gwyl Gardd Goll - the Secret Garden Festival for those not blessed with a Celtic tongue - is a day-long festival that celebrates music forged from hiraeth-filled Cambrian hearts. Last year's event was proclaimed ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Cymru and C2's Best Festival In Wales but that hasn't stopped Gwyl Gardd Goll from relocating to the beautiful and historic Faenol Estate in Felinhelli.

Last time I was here was for the Big Weekend when much of the awesome splendour of the setting was obscured by huge stages and a massive crowd. Yesterday, little gatherings of welly-booted, fresh-faced, local folk relaxed under wire wool skies. If you live in North West Wales, you soon get used to the rain but Gwynedd's grey skies mean that the grass and the trees here are greener than almost anywhere else in the world. It's a superannuated verdancy, greener than goalkeeping emerald frogs on a bed of spinach served up by Scritti Politti at an environmental fair.

There goes the promise. Sorry.

I arrive a couple of hours after the festival has started because of nocturnal DJ duties. I've already managed to miss two of the artists I was most eager to see: and , which is a great shame because their respective explorations of electronic possibilities must have brought added dimensions to a day otherwise dominated by more traditional line-ups.

I'm here to DJ - at my own request, I don't do nearly enough this kind of thing - in between bands with the indefatigably enthusiastic and sonically bristling . As I slip-stumble into the hollow containing the main stage, I can hear polluting this hippy dream with sleazy riffs and great gurning melodies. They sound ace.

Girls in wellies and short shorts dance off early afternoon alcoholic exuberance. I avert my eyes. I do. Fuzzyfelt and I are right behind the stage, under the slope of the canvas, necks bent downwards. We play music made by minds thinking 'yn Gymraeg' from , Ffa Coffi Pawb, Texas Radio Band, , , wUw, Llan Clan, Tystion... could be here for a while. It's fun.

Dilwyn, the organiser, pops his head into the tent. He looks unflustered. The rain's holding off, there is a fair amount of people in the field, it's all relaxed and good natured.

It's only afterwards that I discover that the financial weight of staging this festival falls squarely on Dilwyn and the sponsor's shoulders. There are no grants supporting the artists and the stages, as typically happens for other events subsidised as much for their linguistic content as their musical riches. I see the need for, and fully support, any moves to promote the Welsh language.

Sometimes, however, the cash cow makes events predictable and complacent. Gwyl Gardd Goll is a much braver affair. Dilwyn says it's important to him that the festival survives on its own merits. It's an excellent attitude. I feel ashamed for not having done more to help promote the event. Its importance is dawning slowly in my ignorant mind.

Mental Post It affixed to flabby cerebrum: 'DO WHATEVER YOU CAN FOR GWYL GARDD GOLL 2011'. Guilt is a great motivator.

I've been in the car for a couple of hours and I'm desperate for the toilet. The portaloo providers must think we're in France, or something. There is a strange, open air, cylindrical object that is supposed to be the gentlemans' urinal. It appears to have holes in it through which you're supposed to... never mind. Too much information. It offends my British sense of decorum. Maybe if I'd had as much beer as those foolhardy enough to use it.

Whilst seeking something more private, I stumble across the Y Nyth stage. It's set in a beautiful barn near the entrance. Y Nyth was, I believe, an esoteric night of much musical loveliness founded in Cardiff by sound hounds and aesthetically-able designers. I negotiate my way past the smokers stood in the doorway and see on stage. My god, that man can play guitar.

Gareth Bonello:

We have a surfeit of folkish fingerpickers in Wales. People whose religion is , founded at the altars of and . Gareth brings a great, natural flow to his songwriting. I only have time for a couple of songs, but his sweet voice and beautiful songs float me and my relieved bladder all the way back to the main stage.

Where there is a crowd of folk really giving it some welly in their wellies.

are Wales' most popular festival band. Wherever they play, their enthusiastic amalgamation of ska, funk and soundtracks guarantees big smiles and half an hour of stomping with lager splashing out the top of plastic glasses. They're beyond criticism. To do so would be like inviting the effete, self-satisfied panel on Great British Menu to critique fish 'n' chips followed by jelly 'n' ice cream.

Derwyddon Dr Gonzo:

There is a reason this stuff is popular. Rushing around the crowd and telling them they should be listening to instead would be missing the point by whole light years. And even I'm not that joyless.

During Fuzzy and my next bout of DJ'ing, Gruff Crash Disco appears backstage. Have you heard Crash Disco? You must. His electronic music - well, dance music - manages to fascinate as well as move feet. I play his track GTFO as he makes his way back towards the Y Nyth area. He doesn't start dancing to his own music. He's probably the only one who didn't feel compelled to.

makes mordant, black fairytales into songs you'd unwittingly sing to soothe small children. He's easily the most subversive artist on today's bill. He can't help himself. Everything We Do has a most questionable chorus for singing out to a field filled with families enjoying a Sunday afternoon out. Its unquotable passages explain why some red-faced parents are seen ushering their children away from the strange band with its fug of cultish weirdness. Expose a five year old to this and they will never be the same again.

Hr Huw:

There's a tension and frustration throughout Mr Huw's set. He's not a crowd pleaser and he's following two of the area's most popular live music attractions. But the frustration, the unselfconscious oddness, the playground melodies and the exasperation all combine to make something unsettling and memorable. Something for readers of Bret Easton Ellis.

I desert DJ Fuzzyfelt for another wander and hear stretching an aurora of beautiful heartache under the eaves of Y Nyth. I don't get in to see them. I'm outside debating how to get music sung in Welsh on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Wales with eminent music people. Still, Yucatan (the organiser, Dilwyn's band) manage to shut our mouths - even if only for moments - with their intimate grandiosity. I remember Fuzzyfelt and skulk back to the main stage.

I've been playing for quite a few years on my show. Which, when you finally meet them in the flesh (and finely-chosen headwear), elicits shock because they must have been foetuses back then. They've earned the patronage of Huw Stephens and the interest of a hiccuping music industry for good reason. There's an irrepressible pop imagination luminously apparent in their finest moments. Hooks that would land cetaceans. I had to look that up.

Yr Ods:

It's only as I write this that I've realised quite how many times I deserted my DJ compadre during the course of the day. He must think I'm a right shirker. Within minutes of the start of our post-Yr Ods DJ set, I'm off again. I think the white lie I used this time was something pertaining to food. In reality, I end up stood next to Ashley Cooke (, formerly ) witnessing the most magical and enervating part of the day for me.

is on stage performing gemlike wonders from his two post-Gorkys Zygotic Mynci solo albums. My vocabulary is all show, really. It's sequins and zircon instead of gold and diamonds. I don't have the words to tell you how effortless, moving and truly special Richard and his excellent band sounded.

Richard James:

Great musicians hot-wire us to heaven. For those all too brief moments they're there, sharing their gift, we're transcended. I'm moved close to rapture. The religious language mightn't seem appropriate describing a man as humble as Richard James, but actually it's fitting, I don't believe in anything beyond atoms and biology until I hear something as moving as this. Then I wonder. And I'm still wondering now. Better live than on his excellent albums. How often can you say that?

have treated us to one of the finest albums of 2010 (Goodbye Falkenburg). The last time I saw them they - also - were even better than the excellence of that album. This time, as a fine drizzle begins to thin the crowd, they're not as good, but they're still a potent fizz of killer melodies and errant strangeness.

Race Horses:

Somewhere in the band's collective minds, the easy simplicity of the early 60's got compacted into the trippy out-there-ness of the true mavericks who brought bad trips to the Summer of Love. So, we get pop - but rather like the first time you taste dandelion and burdock - it's pop, but not as you know it.

Seasoned watchers of Radio Luxembourg [their previous name) and Race Horses will know they like to wig out on festival stages. Previous high profile sets at Welsh festivals have dumfounded the audience with techno(ish) meltdowns. Bloody good for them, I say. This evening's set doesn't end as spectacularly. There's a slight tiredness to proceedings. A long few months of gigs has - perhaps - dulled their flame a little. For a band whose music is all about the profusion of ideas (tunes, sounds, noises, surprises, shifts) touring an album - however good that album is - rather runs against the grain of the creative process. They looked like a band who couldn't wait to get back into the studio to make more ideas-filled music to amaze us with. I'm not the only one who can't wait.

have had to wait. It's inevitable that festivals over-run a bit. Well, it is when you don't have Glastonbury councillors at the side of the stage writing out fines in the tens of thousands for every minute over curfew.

Jen Jeniro:

By now, the drizzle is a thick mist. People who've booked taxis or need to get back for babysitters or who are just too stewed on drinking beer outdoors, have started to make their way home. Jen Jeniro pick up their instruments in front of the hardcore music lovers attending the festival. But it's a sporadic crowd and a great shame for those who miss them. I've never seen jen Jeniro live, before. They thrum somewhere a few feet above the stage. It's contemporary folkish psychedelia. Somewhat Midlake but with something dark and intriguing hidden amongst the West Coast harmonies.

Singer Syriol doesn't appear to be all there. He has something of a young Jim Morrison about him, fortunately without the exhibitionist tendencies. The end of the set smoulders in more ways than one, an illusion exacerbated by DJ Fuzzyfelt's virtuoso performance on smoke machine. The band's notes hang in the drizzle long after they've finished playing and are still reverberating around my knackered soul. Very special indeed. Their pink and yellow cassingle is destined to become as collectable as all those early releases by Super Furry Animals and Gorkys. But you should buy it because it's like discovering Narnia in your ears, without the tiresome allegories.

I loved my first Gwyl Gardd Goll. Make a date for it in 2011. You won't be disappointed.

As release their tribute to Stuart Cable, Former Mining Town, they came into the Radio Wales studio to talk to Jamie And Louise.

Joined by Stuart Cable's partner Rachel, the band talked about the life of their bandmate and the single release, which will be in aid of two of Stuart's favourite charities. Rachel also talked about the level of support that other musicians have given to her and the single release, including Sir Tom Jones, Roger Daltrey and Oasis.

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The YouTube phenomenon Newport (Ymerodraeth State of Mind), which at the time of writing has had over 1.5 million views, may be released as a single next month, with some proceeds going to charity.

, Terema Wainwright, who took the Alicia Keys role in the spoof of Empire State Of Mind, said, "We have got a meeting with Universal Records about the possibility of signing a contract and that is incredible - I'm still pinching myself."

Alex Warren, Jay-Z in the video, said, "I know the aim is to get it out as soon as possible".

A portion of the profits generated from sales of the single will go to , the mental health charity.

Wainwright, Warren and the band will be appearing at the reopening of the Newport Transporter Bridge this Friday.

(contains strong language).

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Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins joined Bethan Elfyn on her radio show last Saturday and played tracks from his Personal Playlist.

In an entertaining, engaging and honest interview, Ian talked about 10 years of the band, their hits, starting out and the lost album. Alongside the interview, Ian played five tracks of his choosing.

L'Amour La Morgue - Heartbeat Song
Remix by Ian's 'colleagues' of The Futureheads song.

Lostprophets - Baggy Trousers
Cover of the Madness classic.

L'Amour La Morgue - Photon
A track from the forthcoming album, Just Around The Coroner.

Lostprophets - Not What You Think I Am
An unmastered track from the scrapped Lostprophets album.

Smokey Robinson - Tracks Of My Tears
A track from Ian's youth.

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I've just sat here at my desk, headphones on, for the last 30 minutes, listening to the new Manic Street Preachers single on repeat. (It's Not War) Just The End Of Love is the first track to be released from their 10th studio album, Postcards From A Young Man.

The single will be released on 13 September with the album following a week later.

So what's the verdict? Well I like it, I really do. It's got a theatrical pop verve to it. A sweeping string-laden hook, classic Bradders growly verse and a widdly solo in the middle eight. The melody is simple but delivered with classic Manics panache.

Given that I love the grand pomposity of Gold Against The Soul as much as the unrelenting murk of The Holy Bible, I'd say this leans more to the former, albeit with a lightness of touch that has come with advancing years.

Canvassing a few of my social media contacts (they used to be called friends, back in the day), there's a positive attitude on the first few listens. "It kinda sounds like Burt Bacharach and Queen. Not a bad thing" said one. I see what he means. Another compared it to Smashing Pumpkins' classic 1995 top ten single Tonight Tonight.

If it didn't have the axe-shredding - albeit short - solo, this single may stray into the plodding, but allied to James' manipulation of the vocals it staves off boredom. It's a bit like Design For Life in that way.

That we should be discussing the quality of a new Manics single is in itself astounding. They've had their ups and downs of course but this band is 25 years old pretty much and are still writing interesting music worthy of debate. In their 40s the Stones had pretty much lapsed into self-parody and farce.

Queen's 10th studio album was The Works which - until 72,000 people hand-clapped to Radio GaGa at Live Aid - was a failure. They were treading water. Many big bands never get that far and collapse into ego- / drug- / booze-fuelled antipathy or outright hatred.

Treading water is what we expect bands of this vintage to do. They're in their 40s and rock music is, like, for The Kids... isn't it? Not on this evidence; good bands, with intelligence to match their musical skills are managing to outlive the expectations and conventions of the music industry.

Wales should be proud of Manic Street Preachers; this single and album may not sell huge amounts and it may not change the world, but if I get to my mid-40s and have anything of worth to foist upon the world I'll be glad.

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Sir Tom Jones releases his album Praise and Blame today. We've had a scan around the web for a flavour of what reviewers are saying. Largely positive, critics are praising Tom's use of his voice with stripped-down instrumentation. Have a read and make your own comment below.

"...its sound is rootsy in a Willie Nelson-meets-White Stripes vein, and Jones' septuagenarian rasp suits it well. And if many of the tracks do indeed have themes of sin and redemption, in keeping with the cover photo of an old Spanish mission, they often have an evocative American gothic feel, best exemplified by Hooker's Burning Hell."

"But Jones's bluster, his gameness, works better than the overcooked passion of the recently released Richard Ashcroft record... The stripped-back blues of Jones's rendition of John Lee Hooker's Burning Hell has been compared to the White Stripes, but it has more than a little of the nudge-wink-growl of AC/DC about it."

´óÏó´«Ã½ Music
"Tom without flash is like The Wizard of Oz without a curtain. If you seek proof that he can cut it, and will live forever, look at moments in his scrapbook like I'll Never Fall in Love Again or I'm Coming Home, not here."

"I've heard his new album, Praise And Blame, and it's brilliant - the raw, rugged sound that Tom Jones's heavyweight voice is made for... Turning grey and recording a new album that at last offers a depth and soulfulness worthy of that remarkable voice, it looks like this perpetual playboy might have grown up."

"Working with a handful of musicians... they chose to record live with no overdubs, aspiring to capture a moment, and deliver a visceral emotional truth and intensity. There are moments where they come close to achieving that, but one of the problems with this approach is that Jones can't always dial it down convincingly."

"Praise and Blame is an evocative collection, with Tom... wearing his heart on his sleeve, emotionally raw and true. Tom has quite simply delivered his tour de force. It's him bearing his soul, singing from the heart, telling it like it is."

"After savaging Tom Jones' new album following a sneak preview a fortnight back, we've given it a second chance. The bad news is that it's still awful. The setlist of dreary dirges and creaky rhythm and blues is obviously intended to rival Johnny Cash's stark recordings with studio svengali Rick Rubin but doesn't hold up."

"Tom couldn't have made a better move with Praise and Blame. Hands down, this is some of Jones' finest work in years, taking gospel, country, folk and rock classics and mixing them all into one suave, atmospheric record."

"...this stripped back LP of bluesy six-stringed rumblings, scarce percussion and that booming voice doesn't really amount to the revelatory statement its title promises. Put simply this is a supremely competent record that if anything shies away from pushing a conceptual shift in gears the whole nine yards."

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As previously reported on this blog, Stuart Cable's former bandmates are releasing their tribute single to the late sticksman today.

Former Mining Town is available through all the usual digital outlets and is in aid of Stuart's favourite charities, and .

Killing For Company said when the single was announced, "We will be releasing the single, Former Mining Town, and dedicating it to Stuart. He was hugely proud of the album and this track in particular.

"Not only have we lost a rock legend but also a best friend and the heart of our band. The stage will not be the same without him."

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This morning I spent a nerve-wracking 15 minutes pre-recording some waffle about The Sex Pistols' famous 1976 gig in Caerphilly. It was for Bethan Elfyn's Radio Wales show, which you can listen to from 6pm tomorrow, 24 July.

View a gallery of photos from the Sex Pistols' gig.

Once the Sex Pistols piece has been buffed and polished it'll take its place next to part one of a great interview Beth did with Sir Tom Jones backstage at last weekend's Latitude festival. He's released his latest album Praise And Blame this week to some rave reviews.

Lastly, Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins picks his Personal Playlist.

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The Newport (Ymerodraeth State of Mind) YouTube sensation of the last 24 hours has today become the UK's most-favourited clip on the video-sharing site, and the second most-favourited in the whole world.

(contains strong language).

Writer Leo Sloley appeared this morning on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Wales morning show with Jamie Owen and Lisa Rogers. You can .

With his colleagues in the endeavour, Al, Tom and MJ, they've encapsulated some of the characteristics of Newport that even the occasional visitor will recognise. Its clever lyrics and its thematic parallel between the glamour of New York in Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' original and the complete lack of glamour of Newport (not to mention its pin-sharp take-off of the video) have made a wickedly effective combination.

He referred in the interview to the self-deprecatory nature of Newport - it never takes itself too seriously. I got me thinking, seeing as this is far from the first comedic look at the 'Port (the first few Goldie Lookin' Chain LPs laid into the city with affectionate abandon).

One of the things I like very much about Newport is that it feels real - sometimes raw. It doesn't have the same shininess that the 21st century Cardiff has. There's a studied cool to Cardiff that makes it great for leftfield music - indie music thrives. Newport is more rock 'n' roll, less concerned with the trimmed edges of its beard than the AC/DC patch on its rucksack. It is - and I mean in the best possible way - is less Cool but more cool.

A lot of Newport's culture thrives under the radar; while Cardiff's music and arts scenes get the press coverage, Newport just gets on with it. There's a gentle rivalry which pretty much boils down to Newport thinking Cardiff takes itself too seriously.

Kai Jones, a journalist who's been on the south Wales music scene for many years, says: "Rich from 60ft Dolls once gave a good explanation in an interview: 'Newport; we're Anglo-Welsh - hated by the English and hated by the Welsh'.

"I think it's this feeling of exclusion that partially led to the DIY ethic in the 80s and 90s and still lends itself to the self-deprecation now. However, as much as I admire GLC and this video, I wish Newport would actually take itself more seriously."

He's right of course, while there's merit in the idea of lightheartedly mocking one's town (it's the sonic equivalent of those 'Crap Towns' books), it can't be the exclusion of proper musical development.

I say enjoy this while it lasts; the lyrics are genuinely funny and there's a lot to admire. Just as long as it doesn't simply give the impression of Newport as a one-horse town...

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After another long drive through the night, I'm back from in Suffolk, with many a pleasant memory of lost afternoons in the baking heat, of dusty walks throughout the woods, dancing till dawn, and - gulp - meeting SIR TOM JONES!

Latitude has grown in stature in the last five years and has an incredible reputation for interesting curation. It offers some of the best in the world in the arts: poetry, literature, comedy, and music.

For the past five years I've been invited by Huw Stephens to DJ with the on the wonderful open air Lake Stage, and it's always the highlight of the weekend for me: work, play and creative inspiration. Latitude festival always end up being so much more than a run-of-the-mill weekend experience.

This year's festival started with a 'secret' performance by Tom Jones on the Wood Stage, in the heart of the woods on the Thursday. Playing his new album Praise And Blame, Tom took in country, gospel and blues in a back-to-basic Johnny Cash-style. It's a much darker and more menacing Tom. Sadly there were still shouts for Sex Bomb but they were just going to have to wait.

After an amazing start to the festival, it was business as usual at Latitude on Friday. I walked around the site, through the woods, past the ballet on the waterfront stage, and through the Kids field, where the caught my eye, and on to nose around Pandora's Playground which has nooks and crannies of activities buzzing around.

Then on, past the lovely milkshake stand, to the main stages. At Latitude I'm always camped around the Lake stage, and this year was no exception. Huw Stephens' curation of the Lake always provides some of the best new bands around and its great seeing them play to an enthusiastic crowd who are open minded and ready for anything.

Highlights of this stage over the weekend include , , , Everything%20Everything, , , , , , and .

Over on the other stages I loved seeing , , Race Horses and one of the most highly-anticipated shows of the weekend from The National in the Word arena.

In the cultural arena I managed to catch reading extracts from his new book all about psychopaths, and as always he was really funny and entertaining and I heard a little of plugging his new novel and droning on about how life in NY got a bit 'boring', and Robin Ince's book club - a Latitude institution.

I'll be playing some of the bands I enjoyed watching on my show tonight (Wednesday 21 July) on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio One.

Here's some video clips from three of the Welsh bands I caught up with at Latitude; it's just my little backstage cam (on my phone) so the sound is is a bit rubbish I'm afraid. Enjoy.

Steve from Sweet Baboo:

Bunter and Emma from Islet:

Alun from Y Niwl:

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This week's show (ready for you to hear at a mouse click via the iPlayer link above) is a much-more-music/much-less-chat affair than usual. We have debut plays for Y Morgrug, Evariste Galois, Efa, Super Cute Voices, O'Casan, El Buen Capitan and Mike Thomas.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00t45rg/Adam_Walton_18_07_2010/

I wax lyrically verbose about the Saturday's Kids EP launch in Cardiff I'd witnessed a couple of nights previously. The full, unexpurgated story (and I do mean unexpurgated - apologies for the forest of words uprooted at my undisciplined whim) can be read here.

We have a shimmering and gently hallucinogenic session from Llanrwst's Jen Jeniro.

Ectogram's Alan Holmes reminds us of Plant Bach Ofnus, Wales' edgier riposte to Art of Noise.

Neal Thompson from the is on the phone to tell us about the multifarious and varied delights on offer this week in the run up to the International Eisteddfod.

And Ben Hayes brings us unsettling blues from the band that had the audacity to camp on John Peels' mum's lawn. I'm going to apostrophe hell. I know it.

I'm off to DJ at Caernarfon's Gwyl Gardd Goll festival this Sunday, a true feast of all the best eloquently Cymraeg music... - and I'll be reporting back from the festival next Sunday night with interviews and fascinating, long-winded anecdotes.

Please send demos as high quality .mp3s to themysterytour@gmail.com - that address will do for gig info and verbal interplay, too.

Have an excellent week!

Thanks/diolch,

Adam

[Bangor]
1-2-3-4-5

[Cardiff]
Fauna

[Penarth]
All That We Keep

[Cardiff]
Awesome Tapes From Africa

[SESSION VERSION] [Llanrwst]
Afanc O'i Phen

[Cardiff]
Three Days

[Cardiff]
Beast Of Burden

EFA [Pwllheli]
Following The Sun

60FT DOLLS [Newport]
Happy Shopper

[Cardiff]
Drunkerdz

[Aberystwyth]
Darlin' Freeze

[Porthmadog]
Parti Pysgodion Gorffen

[Newcastle Emlyn]
Do Whatcha Gotta Do [vanguard Remix]

[Cardiff]
Spiders Legs

[Cardiff]
A Dirty Dream

[Bangor]
Awst

[Wrexham]
Son Of A King [from T In The Park ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing Stage]

[Llangefni]
Bail Out

[Llanrwst]
Powys [session Version]

[Monmouth]
Josephine

[Cardiff]
Lights Out

[Wrexham]
Telegraph

[Prestatyn]
Overseas

[Cardiff]
A Biting Wind Followed By An Occasional Drift Of Snow

[Cardiff]
Robin You Lie

[Bangor]
Slate Face3d

[Brynford]
Fingertips

[Aberystwyth]
Last Boat To Dover

[Camarthenshire]
Digging Song

[Llanrwst]
Hulusi [session Version]

[Caernarfon]
Cur

JUICY LUCY
Are You Satisfied?

MIKE THOMAS [Pontypridd]
Different Man

We've been dipping into our extensive backlog of videos from Wales Music Day, held on 1 March this year by ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Wales to celebrate the best of Welsh music.

New Cardiff band OK came into the studio to perform an utter classic, Manic Street Preachers' Motorcycle Emptiness. You can watch it here:

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We've been dipping into our extensive backlog of videos from Wales Music Day, held on 1 March this year by ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Wales to celebrate the best of Welsh music.

Pete Lawrie, signed to Universal Island and with a growing reputation, performed his song How Could I Complain?, which you can watch here.

Look out for more Pete Lawrie content coming soon on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales Music.

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This weekend sees the reformation of one of Wales' demi-legendary indie bands; Swansea's Pooh Sticks will be headlining the indoor stage at this Saturday.

Indietracks takes place in Derbyshire and is a quite frankly bizarre combination of heritage trains and indiepop music, in aid of . Music became part of the fundraising activities in 2007 and this year a host of big indiepop names will be appearing including , , and .

We caught up with Hue Pooh, frontman and chief yarn-spinner of The Pooh Sticks for a brief chat about the reformation.

What prompted this reformation?

The last Pooh Sticks show was in Osaka, Japan in December 1993. That seemed too perfect so I thought I'd spoil the copybook and do the unthinkable.

What is the line-up going to be?

As ever, The Pooh Sticks live experience is me with some other people. Your girl and mine will be helping out which augurs well for a good show. The last show with Amy was in Hoboken in 1992 so it should be a treat. The rest of the band consists of a bloke from , some chap who used to be in , the bass player from and a lad out of .

Anything fans can expect in the set?

Blood, toil, tears and sweat. And placards.

What makes Indietracks the best place for this reformation?

Indietracks is the of cutie pop!

Are you fans of vintage steam railways?

WeIl I've always loved and especially the music of .

Does this mark a return to the wider live music scene?

I think Indietracks will probably be wide enough.

Are you still excited by new music?

Yes of course, though I don't really distinguish between old and new. All music is new when you hear it for the first time, right?

Who else are you looking forward to seeing on the bill?

Are playing? I'd like to see them.

Any good Welsh bands you like at the moment?

is my latest thrill.

I'm in a perpetual state of rush. Trying to hit the other end of the country the moment the band I want to see take to the stage, and not a moment sooner or later, is what seemingly defines my fate.

Basically I'm a peptic ulcer waiting to happen. I wish I could do something about this, but like John Cleese in Clockwork (and that won't be the most dated reference in this 'review') life would only stick outlandish obstacles in my way, cackling madly, if I was on the verge of getting somewhere in a cool, measured and timely manner.

"Do you know where Jacob's Antique Market is?" I ask the multilingual young man at reception.

"Yes, sir, it's just around the corner. But you know it's shut now?"

He doesn't understand that, on this occasion, I'm not going to buy antiques, transpires - in fact - that I will be the only antique present.

After ducking a couple of bridges, negotiating some perplexing footpath closures, and avoiding some boorish, perma-tanned monstrosities heading for St Mary Street, I see young people at an innocuous doorway. As I sidle through their fresh faces and untarnished enthusiasm I think that they must think I'm someone's dad come to drop off a forgotten purse or mobile phone.

People are heading downwards into the bowels of the building. I just follow the guy in front of me because I'm too shy to ask if this is where the bands will be. Being twice the age of all present I can just about handle and rationalise, but being twice as stupid would never do.

Fortunately he isn't going to the toilet and I find myself in what looks like an underground car park, minus the cars, plus whitewashed walls and a sickly green hue from the two fluorescent tubes that provide the illumination. I've been told in advance that there is a ticket for me, somewhere. Addled and confused by age shame and victim of nervous word torrent, I babble to the ticket checking people that I'm on the guestlist.

"There is no guestlist."

Of course there's no bloody guestlist! You're in the heart of Cardiff's DIY subculture, gigs are put on to cover costs, there are no gueslists! This isn't Barfly, for cryin' out loud. It feels like a major faux pas! I'm not a blagger. I blush, feel a extra line of self disappointment wrinkle the corner of my eye, and walk inwards with all the self assurance of Kevin Spacey's character in American Beauty.

There are groups of people standing round. They've had the foresight to bring liquid refreshments with them. There's no bar, see. You need a licence for a bar. And with a licence you are required to have responsible people present who will do all they can to spoil the fun. I haven't brought anything. I don't need to get drunk to enjoy myself, honestly I don't. But I am actually parched thirsty. All that rushing, you see.

I recognise a couple of people. Some are good enough, even, to talk to me. I'm used to going to gigs by myself. Once I get over the fact that I either look like a pervert or a very rubbish undercover police person, I manage to enjoy myself. It is all about the music. Generally the further away from your comfort zone you are, the more interesting the music you'll witness will be. So awkwardly standing on your own usually prefaces something special. And so it proves.

First band, , are from Sheffield. They're well-trained hardcore, played with the same discipline to peripatetic rolling rhythms punctuated by blasts of noise as Fugazi. I like. More people fill the basement. Heads nod. Hands clap. The sound is remarkably good considering the PA has been squeezed down stairs for this event. Obviously there is no noise limiter. That kind of sanitising crapola is from a different universe. Like guestlists. Wooderson were good, if not all that memorable. But put that down to the early start.

Next up, after minimal backline fiddle, it's 's turn to glow radioactive under the tubes. Scott grew up in Merthyr. Guns N' Roses would have been his touchpaper. And whereas most of tonight's bands make music that isn't peripheral but certainly has no ambitions beyond the periphery, Exit International write direct, hooky, monstrous pop songs. OK, two bass guitars distorted to the point of obliteration aren't your usual pop armoury, but that's just one of the many things that make Exit International such a thrill. And this is about thrills.

Scott knows how sex and anger are the two great fuels for great rock n roll. These songs distill them to their rawest constituent parts. Scott's remarkable voice swoops and screams like a Satanic orgasm. Alpha man lions stalking their enclosure exude the same sense of thrilling danger as Exit International do when they're performing. And it looks like they're ready to break free of the enclosure soon. Their début EP got a four K review in Kerrang! and they've just discovered they're on the Introducing Stage at Reading. There will be lots of pregnant ears and scratched backs around the UK this time next year.

make affirming punk rock that has no pretence beyond choruses to raise hearts above torpor and routine. Despite problems (blown bass amp, malfunctioning vocal monitor and a drummer who's hitting his kit through a tableful of empty pint glasses) This Hidden Switch's surging melodic power isn't obscured completely. Sometimes it actually is all stacked against you and this was just one of those nights. Their final gig, for the foreseeable future, is at Buffalo Bar in Cardiff on Monday 26 July. I wish I could be there to hear them when they get it right. I bet it will be ace.

Harbor - singular, I'm just reminding myself, here - are a much darker affair. Bludgeoning cave-ins of guitar filth are elevated by ringing, dissonant open notes. Long, dark night of the soul vocals drag it along with an all too human compulsion and vehemence. The basement becomes an unhinged mass of arms and legs, it's a storm of bodies, freed by fierce release.

It's astounding. Country boy bumpkin, here, is gobsmacked. I can't tell where the band begins and the audience ends. I see fists in the air and I hear something that sounds like magma trapped in a volcanic core. Or a meltdown of all the brooding brilliance of the first Killing Joke album, but faster, much faster (and, still, that's not the most dated reference in this piece).

How do you follow that?

This event is début EP launch. It's a measure of this musical community that bands book themselves bills that challenge them, that aren't there to prop up their own egos. That's not just about community, though, that's about confidence. And Saturday's Kids have plenty to be confident about.

Their début EP - wrapped in newspaper cuttings - was sent to me as a freebie recommendation by Matt at Diverse Vinyl in Newport. That was last year. The EP showed mad promise. Their choice of notes was, somehow, different to other bands. A tonal range that gave the band a distinctive them-ness. And if that was true of the simpler songs on that EP, the music they've been recording recently is an evolutionary leap as marked as fish -> amphibian -> ape -> man. In the space of 12 months.

But can they do it live?

Yes, they can.

Wales has three remarkable new bands who have wrought original, unpredictable shapes out of rock's wreckage: Bastions, Klaus Kinski and Saturday's Kids. Saturday's Kids defy and unwind clichés at every turn in their set. Their riffs could have dropped off a mountainside signed by Black Sabbath (that is the most dated reference here).

It's perhaps the wrong vernacular to talk about a post-hardcore-ish band in terms of 'riffs'. That's 70s muss speak. But the bricks from which these strange architectures are fashioned are stunning two or three note motifs you could trace back to Robert Johnson, for sure. I'm almost tempted to draw an illustrative diagram.

Grey On White is just about the most insidiously clever track you're likely to hear this year. It morphs, effortlessly, through an album's worth of ideas in its first minute. The audience are so inextricably linked to the peaks and troughs in the sound, it's like watching puppetmasters at work. When things get frenetic, people are - literally, no lie - stuck to the ceiling. The sinister, eddying troughs see fists in the air, a tide of arms and legs wash left then right over the floor. Someone is being carried on heads, shoulders, hands. It's five minutes before I realise it's one of the band.

They're astonishing. They're not tight. Well, they're loose and tight. Things that need to happen with any degree of accuracy do so. When things are slack - when the band are engaged with the audience - it's good slackness. There are so few bands with that kind of natural flow. I'm going to shut up, now. This isn't supermarket music. It might stay hidden in basements. It doesn't matter. If you've been looking for amazing, it's right here.

This coming Monday sees the release of Sir Tom Jones' latest album, Praise & Blame. Despite a less than enthusiastic reaction from his own label boss, it seems like there's a strong level of critical acclaim coming for the record.

Jones has said he's "baffled" by the leaked email, but it seems to hitting the right critical note at the moment. The Telegraph has given the record , as has the prestigious .

Other press reviews are yet to appear, but word of mouth and - perhaps more importantly - his fans' opinions are positive.

´óÏó´«Ã½ Music has demurred, however. They say: "A confusing release that will appeal little to those beyond Jones' generation".

Meanwhile, , the Pontypridd superstar has mentioned a potential hook-up with The Killers' Brandon Flowers. "I've spoken to Brandon Flowers. He said he admired what I'd done in my career. There's a connection there because he's from Las Vegas, and of course I've performed there so many times over the years.

"The material has to be right. That's always been my main concern, with whichever people I've worked with."

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Matt Davies and Darran Smith of Funeral For A Friend joined Bethan Elfyn as special guests on her ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Wales show, broadcast last Saturday.

Listen again to the full programme on ´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer.

As with all Beth's guests, the duo chose their Personal Playlist - a range of tunes that influenced them. It was an eclectic and frankly awesome six tracks. Here's what they chose:

Lostprophets - Shinobi Vs Dragonninja
The first Lostprophets record, Fake Sound Of Progress, showed that heavy music from Wales could do well and was became an influential hard rock/metal record for many Welsh bands.

Bruce Sprinsteen - Born To Run
"A legend amongst legends" says Matt.

Boston - More Than A Feeling
Boston were one of the first bands Darran got into and made him realise how guitar could sound symphonic, like an orchestra.

Black Flag - My War
"They were so dirty, gutteral and basic in a very powerful way". Henry Rollins at his best, according to Matt.

AC/DC - For Those About To Rock
This was the first record that Darran bought, and his first foray into heavier rock music.

Fugazi - Waiting Room
Operating outside the conventional industry, this is the band which has most influenced Matt's view on how to operate in music.

It's taken a full decade, but Lostprophets' début album, Thefakesoundofprogress, has gone through the 300,000 sales mark in the UK, gaining platinum status.

While their subsequent albums, Start Something, Liberation Transmission and The Betrayed were instant sales successes, the first LP, recorded for a few thousand pounds as little more than glorified demos, was something of a slow-burner.

It was first released in November 2000 at a time when the rock scene was still in the grip of , and the Pontypridd boys were lumped, somewhat unfairly, into the genre by press and public alike. A lot of this was to do with the inclusion of band friend Jamie Oliver, who was found a berth behind a set of decks before he was better used as a keyboardist.

A look behind the obvious scratch/riff/pseudo-rap sound of the record revealed a band less in thrall to Limp Bizkit than a combination of hardcore punk and Eighties pop. The riffs were big and the beats chunky, but Ian Watkins' vocals had more than a pinch of 's Mike Patton, while the punkier elements of the album nodded to the visceral attitude of bands like .

Add in the -ish melodic sensibility and you had a concoction that with hindsight was always going to sell by the bucketload, with a bit of spit and polish.

But I like that there's little sheen to Thefakesoundofprogress. When I first heard it, I was coming out of a time in which I was out of love with rock music. Nu-metal did nothing for me, and I found dance music provided more of the cheap thrills I wanted in the late Nineties. Then Rated R by and Relationship Of Command by rekindled my love of guitars.

While not on an artistic par with those records (although it has its majestic moments), Lostprophets' début was a great album by a band from 12 miles up the road, who worked in Cardiff, who were mates with my mates, and who I could go and see.

There was a lot of scepticism about the band, dressing as they did, with their haircuts and their -friendly poses. It was ever thus though; if you're 'keeping it real', not playing the game, you don't sell any records. If you do play the game, keep in with the press, do some nice shiny videos, then you're castigated, but hey, you're more likely to sell records.

Thefakesoundofprogress was the sound of a band finding its feet, trying to bridge the gap between the punk rock of their youth and their inherent ambition. Listen to Shinobi Vs Dragon Ninja and the title track and hear a band yet to smash onto MTV but with all the ingredients required to make a career of it.

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This Saturday at 6pm, Bethan Elfyn's Radio Wales show has special guests Matt and Darran from Funeral For A Friend revealing their Personal Playlist. My Welsh Music Atlas entry for the show visits Newport again, this time talking about the 1995 Stone Roses gig that ended in a riot.

The FFAF chaps play six of their favourite tracks and as a little teaser, having heard the choices, I doubt very much that Radio Wales has ever played American hardcore punk rock before.

If you've never heard the show before, the Personal Playlists are a great insight into the musical world of Bethan's guests and throw up choices that would not otherwise appear on air.

Two weeks ago, Beth was joined by Aled Phillips of Kids In Glass Houses. His Personal Playlist was:

• Aerosmith - Love In An Elevator
• Van Halen - Why Can't This Be Love?
• The Police - Walking On The Moon
• Ike and Tina Turner - Nutbush City Limits
• The Kinks - All The Day And All Of The Night
• Otis Redding - Mr Pitiful
• Prince - Let's Go Crazy

Last week's show featured new young Turks Johnnie and Aron from come in, and their Personal Playlist was:

• The Levellers - One Way
• Radiohead - High And Dry
• Hope Of The States - Enemies/Friends

We'll be putting a list of Matt and Darran's choices on the blog next week. Don't forget, if you miss the show on air, you can listen again with the ´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer.

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Wales' contribution to the annual celebration of flag-waving, Land Of Hope And Glory Britishness, Last Night Of The Proms will feature harpist Catrin Finch, alongside the Three Welsh Tenors.

While the Albert Hall rocks to the strains of Rule Britannia, Swansea's Singleton Park on Saturday 11 September will be being lulled by Finch and the ´óÏó´«Ã½ National Orchestra of Wales performing John Rutter's Suite Lyrique.

Finch said, "What a fantastic opportunity to perform in such a prestigious Welsh event and to be joining so many other talented performers to celebrate the world-famous Last Night of the Proms."

"It will be a thrilling and moving experience to perform at this live outdoor event. Following the tour to Amsterdam with ´óÏó´«Ã½ National Orchestra of Wales this August, I am delighted to be joining forces with them once again in Swansea at Proms in the Park."

The evening will also feature the newly-formed Three Welsh Tenors - Rhys Meirion, Aled Hall and Alun Rhys Jenkins. They will perform the aria Nessun Dorma.

Local mixed choir will perform the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco by the Italian Romantic composer Verdi.

The event will be presented by singer and ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Wales presenter Aled Jones and conducted by Grant Llewellyn, a regular with the ´óÏó´«Ã½ National Orchestra of Wales.

Part of the evening will be an attempt to form the largest ever operatic chorus, with the crowd, to sing the Bridal Chorus from Wagner's Lohengrin and the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic You'll Never Walk Alone.

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One band in recent weeks have been giving me a bit of trouble. Not the people or the music, just the name. Try it: JKLMNO is not the easiest thing to say.

Now LMNO, that's smoother, or XYZ, or LMNOP, QRS, or ABC, yes, there are blocks of the alphabet that run together neatly, but awkward as it is, JKLMNO are starting to grab our attention.

Thanks to the team at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Shropshire, the Wrexham band this weekend travelled the length of the country to Kinross in Scotland to play the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing stage.

I caught up with Danny the guitarist via MySpace, to hear about the experience before playing out the highlights from the festival on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing in Wales and England tonight. You can listen to it here for a limited time.

How was last weekend? Talk me through the whole experience from the journey onwards?

Well it was an early start on Friday to try and catch any bands on Friday night. We packed ourselves into two cars armed with hopefully enough music to last us. The car I was in predominantly had Mumford and Sons on, and Will Smith to liven us up in the boring times.

The festival itself was an amazing experience. The Scottish people are so nice, even the campers were really nice to us. We spent most of Friday flyering and telling people to come and watch us on the Saturday! That was good, because we got talking to the people and every one was really nice.

On Saturday we woke up really early to all get showered and warmed up for our set at 1:15. At 10 o'clock me and Carl were in the tent warming up our voices as much as we could! By the time we came on stage, the rain was pouring but there was still a fair crowd from the act on before us - Loud Hickey, who was amazing.

People we met flyering made it, as well as some people from Wrexham who were at the festival! We all really enjoyed the experience of being on stage, was weird having cameras pointing at us recently, makes a change from playing at Central Station!

For the rest of the festival, we got up the general festival antics and managed to meet Jamie T and Newton Faulkner who were nice people. Was an amazing festival and we all had an amazing time, met some amazing people as well!

Who were your highlights in terms of other bands on the bill?

For me, it was definitely Stereophonics, being a life long fan and never seeing them live. Especially when they played Same Size feet and dedicated it to Stuart Cable - it was a fantastic moment.

We all saw Muse who blew us away with such an amazing show and extraordinary sound. Pierce (keyboards) told me his highlight was Mumford and Sons who I didn't get to see because I was watching Eminem who was also amazing. The last band we saw were Kasabian who were just perfect to end the festival, and we were jumping up and down hysterically and singing with the rest of the Scots!

How did this all come about? ´óÏó´«Ã½ Shropshire wasn't it?

Yes it was, we played a session for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Shropshire a couple of months ago for the . We got a good relationship with the DJs there and they forwarded our music and we got the gig. We will be forever in their debt for that, I imagine.

What else has been going on for the band since recording last year?

It's been difficult because Pierce and Carl have been finishing their degrees. I'm in my second year of my degree and the other two have been working so we rarely get together. We email each other demos so that when we get back in the practice room, we got an idea of what we want to do.

We've written some new material which we played at T (Thistles and Thorns and Electric Hearts), and tightened up the rest of the set. We've been having some gigs in between in Wrexham for promoters who supported us from the beginning! We've done a few gigs in England but not a lot due to the band being in separate corners on the UK!

Where do you hope to go from here?

We're planning on going into a studio to do another new song and some reworked songs. We were considering doing it ourselves so we get the sound we want, so that may still happen. We want to keep as active as possible so people don't forget about us which is what seemed to happen after Benicassim. We're going to gig a lot and keep recording I would say.

You also played Benicassim festival. How was that?

It was completely different to T! First of all, the weather conditions were complete opposite. It was a fantastic experience but I don't think we had the right songs or sound back then, so we weren't prepared. We're very appreciative of Supajam for giving us the opportunity, though, and it was definitely a vital stepping stone in our career.

What do you prefer as a band, small intimate gigs, big festival stages, or the studio experience?

We treat them all the same. We did a warm up gig before T to try the new material, and I got same feeling from that as I did on stage at T. We'd obviously prefer to play as many people as possible. Crowds in Festivals seem to be a bit more 'up for it' though. Being in a studio is amazing though, we had a lot of fun working with Nino on transitions and very pleased with his work. If it was up to me, I'd be in the studio more but the funding issue holds us back.

How would you describe your music?

We got asked this while giving out flyers. I'd say alternative indie rock with a big sound!

Back in 2004 North Wales punk rockers The Alarm played a trick on the music industry which is now being made into a film.

In an effort to expose ageism within the industry, the band recorded a single, , and recruited a young local band to front the release, under the name of The Poppyfields. The swindle was a great success, as the single gained airplay and entered the charts at number 24. It soon became clear who was behind the record, and the point was made. Now the story is being made into a film called Vinyl, directed by Sara Sugarman (Very Annie Mary, Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen).

This coming week sees local young people in the north Wales area auditioning for parts in the film.

The story of Alarm singer Mike Peters' and his wife Jules' efforts to have a baby through IVF treatment - as Mike underwent treatment for leukaemia - also forms part of the film's narrative. Jules told the North Wales Daily Post, "The film is a really big thing for north Wales, it's so exciting and we want to get everyone involved.

"We are holding open auditions for local people next week so we are hoping for a good turnout... The film-makers are still casting and there has been some great interest from well-known actors in LA. With Sara being from Rhyl herself. she is totally committed to this movie."

We caught up with Jules and asked her about the film.

How did the film come to be commissioned and how long it take to get off the ground?

"Vinyl has been a few years in the making, as a Hollywood scriptwriter, Jim Cooper, picked up on the story when it hit the headlines in the USA. Mike and I first met Jim (an Alarm fan) whilst we were living in LA a few years ago. It's taken passion and belief to develop the script, especially after Sara Sugarman was brought in to the project. Sara was living in LA working as a director and ironically had grown up with Mike in Rhyl, having also been a big Alarm fan, so we were thrilled when she was introduced to the project by Shrek Producer, John H Williams."

The story of The Poppy Fields was widely reported after the 'swindle' was exposed; so was it something that really benefited the band?

"It did benefit The Alarm as the story reached all parts of the world as there was a natural empathy to the idea of ageism in any industry."

Can you remind our readers of why Mike and the band decided to run the stunt in the first place?

"The Alarm have been in existence for 30 years and whilst the loyalty of the fan base increases year by year, the music industry is extraordinarily fickle towards stalwart bands like The Stranglers, The Alarm or Stiff Little Fingers who have huge followings but don't necessarily get played on Radio 1, or other mainstream media.

"I think Mike wanted to highlight the ageism of the media and this is exactly what happened. We brought a young band to lip-synch, made a video and hey presto, all the radio stations were playing 45 RPM! The single hit the charts at Number 24. The Alarm were listening live from a Dutch tour to the countdown which was hugely exciting. We were all leaping about once we heard the chart position!"

Did the band ever think that it would work as well as it did?

"I think Mike always believes 100% in everything he does so yes, anything is possible!"

With the current crop of 'veteran' bands still touring and pulling big crowds, do you think the attitude towards older bands is changing at all?

"Absolutely. Bands like The Alarm learned their craft by undertaking huge tours throughout the world, year after year. This is how they learned to 'entertain' and why they are still so popular today. We are busier than ever.

"I have to turn tours down as The Alarm are in demand in Norway, USA, Japan, Canada and people all over the world want to be entertained. So many young bands these days don't get the opportunity to hone their craft and then it must be terrifying to step out into a huge arena without the experience of growing up on the road and learning how to connect with the audience."

When can people expect the film to be out?

"We're filming until September and then the film goes into edit so this is a question for Sara Sugarman. Sara is extremely passionate about the project as it is about her home town of Rhyl and so we are all very proud that we have reached this position of bringing Hollywood to North Wales."

This seems quite a personal story, touching as it does on your and Mike's IVF treatment. Was this as brave a decision as it might sound?

"I think Sara plucked various threads from our personal story and interweaved it with fictional bits. Sara visited us in Wales just after I had achieved pregnancy with our second son Evan (who is Dylan's conceptual twin). This was all happening as Mike was undertaking chemotherapy, so I think Sara couldn't help but pick up on the drama of it all.

"I'm more than happy to share our experiences as I know I desperately wanted to connect with someone who had knowledge of IVF at the time. If our story can give people hope to stick with arduous fertility treatment, then I'm more than happy to share our experiences. I've read the script and it is extraordinarily witty and entertaining, but don't believe everything you see once the film is released though, as some of the storylines are based on other characters from our life in north Wales.

Audition details:

´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales Arts Blog

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Killing For Company, the band for which Stuart Cable was drumming when he died last month, have announced to release a tribute single to the ex-Stereophonics sticksman.

Stuart Cable (photo: Jon Pountney)

Read the full story on ´óÏó´«Ã½ News.

The band said in a statement: "To think Stu won't be joining us on stage anymore is a hard thought to face and although his passing is tragic, we hope to draw some positive from this difficult time.

"As a band, we are honoured and privileged to have shared the experiences we've had with Stu.

"We will be releasing the single, Former Mining Town, and dedicating it to Stuart. He was hugely proud of the album and this track in particular.

"Not only have we lost a rock legend but also a best friend and the heart of our band. The stage will not be the same without him."

The single is being released via download from online retailers or from the band's website from 25 July.

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This is the link to this week's trip through the highlights of what has fizzed loudest and most fascinatingly in my new Welsh music inbox over the last seven days.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00t1xlr/Adam_Walton_11_07_2010/

As well as the (super smart) music, David Wrench concludes his introduction to his new album Spades & Hoes & Plows, an album that digs around at the earthy roots of a folk music far removed from convivial harmonies and real ale. These songs were, frequently, the sound of the disenfranchised and desperate and David (and his collaborators, The Black Sheep) have wrought these interpretations in suitably dark, uncompromising tones.

Huw Williams (or, Hue if you're as excited as many of us are by the prospect of the imminent Pooh Sticks' reunion) waxes lyrical about Welsh chanteuse almost-on-the-verge-of-being-forgotten-about, Cindy Williams. Her 60's single is a sublime piece of girl pop. As you will hear!

I dribble through some anecdotes from Saturday's historic TJ's in the Square gig in Newport: a tribute to the late, great John Sicolo - detailed more fully (and a little more coherently) here.

Ben Hayes tries to persuade us that there was more to Emerson, Lake and Palmer than spinning pianos and histrionic Musicianship (all those virtuoso arpeggios merit a capital 'M').

And music glues it all together: stickily and with great aural fascination.

This week, debut plays for Scams, Wickes, Cry Raphael, Witches Drum and Violas.

Send more stuff I've never heard of before to themysterytour@gmail.com

Gig info / music-related announcements and verbal confetti will also be shared with all and sundry.

Smart listening,

Adam

[Newport]
I Love The Port

[Wrexham]
Miami Spider

[Cardiff]
Call Me [operator Please Remix]

[Swansea]
Mullet

[Camarthenshire / Cardiff]
When The Letter Arrives

[Wrexham]
Stormy Ships [session Version]

[Newport]
Rumney Rock City

[Wrexham]
Youngblood

[Cardiff]
Slowing Down

[Newport]
Fangs [edit]

[Cardiff]
Small Cities

[Cardiff]
I Demand Mazes

[Wrexham]
The Weekly Respects

[Cardiff]
Arrivistes

[Cardiff]
Stand By Your Manatee

[Newport]
Alien Romeo

ROLLERCO [Newport]
Rollercoaster

CINDY WILLIAMS [Cardiff]
They Talk About Us

THE DARLING BUDS [Newport]
Hit The Ground

[Llangollen]
How To Stop An Imploding Man

WICKES [Bangor]
Track 01

[Cardiff]
A-ok [hoelion]

[Wrexham]
Who Put U In Universe

RINGS AROUND SATURN [Newport]
Ode To Nothing

[Bangor]
Helyntion Beca [the Rebecca Riots]

[Swansea]
Fifty Summers

[Cardiff]
Stop [giving Me Hell]

EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER
The Sheriff

[Llandudno]
One More Time

[Caerwys]
Fingertips

The Welsh metal scene has had another boost this week with the announcement of the label's signing of Rhymney valley's .

The fourpiece formed in 2006 and have now been picked up by the label, home of bands like Kiss, Slipknot, Nickelback, Machine Head, Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Airbourne, Dragonforce and Korn.

Monte Conner, Roadrunner's senior vice president, A&R said, "Revoker are one of the most ass-kicking unsigned bands I have heard in a long time and I am beyond proud to welcome them to the Roadrunner family. Believe it or not, in my entire career at Roadrunner, they are the first UK band I have signed."

The band is made up of Jamie Mathias, Chris Green, Shane Phillips and Jack Pritchard. Their music is pitched somewhere between the all-out modern metal of Bullet For My Valentine's debut album and the classic metal of 1990s Metallica, with lots of growling vocals, pounding drums and big riffs.

Mathias said, "Getting signed to Roadrunner is amazing and almost surreal. I've grown up listening to bands like Megadeth, Slipknot, Machine Head, and Slash. So to be a part of the same label as them is nuts!"

Green said, "It's mindblowing! If I could have picked any label then this would be it. I think this is the perfect label for us to be joining with. It's amazing to be part of such a mammoth roster with bands we've looked up to for years ourselves."

Revoker are beginning work on their debut album this year with Dub War / Skindred's Benji Webbe.

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"Must get to Newport in time for the drains... must get to Newport in time for the drains... must get to Newport in time for the drains..."

Not some weird looped message from a Gwent-based cleaning bot gone haywire. This was the mantra going through my mind when I was DJing at 2am on Friday night in Chester. The drains are in fact, The Drains, a very occasional punk rock band from Newport driven along by the barefaced talents of Carl Bevan and Andy Barding. Who? They're names writ so large and with such affection in my past I forget, sometimes, that they're not household names. Probably a good thing, in all honesty.

Carl Bevan drummed for Wales' finest band of should-have-beens, 60ft Dolls. He drummed with an unparalleled zeal and belief in the spirit of rock 'n' roll. He loved the life, gorged himself on the nutrients of the rock 'n' roll diet. Still does, by all accounts.

Andy Barding was the keyholder into the Kingdom of mid '90s Newport, or the New Seattle as it got christened by hacks desperate for a movement to get behind after Kurt Cobain's suicide. He wrote a sporadic but legendary fanzine called Frug! - again with righteous, if somewhat hiccuping, zeal - about the great bands he saw around him in Newport in the mid - late 90's. Andy put shows on in the Legendary TJ's. Carl played his fair share of shows there and probably got kicked out of a whole lot more.

TJ's - bestowed the legendary prefix by the legendary-in-his-own-right John Peel - had been founded (as a music venue; its history goes back much further) in 1985, a contraction of the initials of John Sicolo and his late partner Trilby. John Sicolo - who'd spent years in the merchant navy hauling in experiences that would then serve him well for future decades as rum-fuelled anecdotes after hours in his venue - gave Newport's music people the freedom to book who they wanted in his venue.

So, while the rest of the country was subsisting off the arse-end of baggy, or prostating itself to the easy money allure of dance music, TJ's was dragging American punk bands into Wales whose only other dates were in London. Whether Kurt Cobain did actually propose to Courtney Love in there doesn't really matter. That John span their appearance there into one of the great pieces of Welsh rock 'n' roll apocrypha is a measure of his genius as a raconteur.

This pretty atypical stew of American punk bred a generation of Newport bands who sounded nothing like their Britpop contemporaries. They had more edge and fewer chord sequences nabbed off Ray Davies. And - coming from Newport - they had that town's (it was still a town, back then) bruised soul writ through them. A port on a border, invigorated by the international slew of people washing in and out. A port with a big city neighbour with all its airs and graces to mock with a raw, deprecating, affectionate humour. Like Liverpool or Detroit.

This is what made Dub War, 60ft Dolls, The 5 Darrens, Novocaine and Rollerco sound different, special and heart-racingly exciting to me when I started doing my first proper radio show.

60ft Dolls split up in the late '90s, second album barely-released, amidst the ruin of a record label demolished at an MD's whim. TJ's had been in decline for the last few years, squeezed to death by a shrinking economy, style bars and the smoking ban. John died in March. But the spirit is still there and the love for John is a tangible thing.

There was ample demonstration of that at his funeral when over a thousand misfits, music junkies, bikers, quiffs and - for sure - now respectable folk, whose youths had been energised by TJ's and John's bearhugs and thick ears, gave him a wake that moved all present to tears and happy reminiscences.

And that love went supernova on Saturday with the tribute concert organised in his honour in John Frost Square right in the concrete heart of Newport's shopping centre.

The Drains would have done their early afternoon set while I was stuck outside Abergavenny, cursing Ifor Williams trailers for their innate ability to turn a speedy trip to south Wales into a catatonic's impersonation of a snail in reverse. I'd been invited down to compere the event I think because I'd been lucky enough to play some of these excellent bands on the radio.

In fact, when I do finally arrive as Goldblade scorch themselves in the hearts of the thousands beaming and burning in the square, that's the point I try to iterate as I introduce my first band of the day. Beddis, Newport's punk heart, sits on the front of the stage and yawns loudly and hilariously as I waffle through my nervous introduction to his band, Bad Samaritans. That's Newport. "Don't bore us, get to the chorus" to misappropriate New York Dolls (I think) via my friend Huw Williams.

Adam Walton introduces Bad Samaritans (photo: Katherine Mellon)

The bill that I'm witness to (post Goldblade) is very much an exercise in nostalgia, but that's fine, in fact it's touching and a measure of the weight of this tribute. The Darling Buds haven't played together for the best part of two decades, but were so moved by John's death and the influence his ebullience and open mindedness had on their hometown, they braved the rigmarole of trying to recall rusty chord changes, rehearsals after they'd put the kids to bed and the paralysing nerves of a reunion gig in front of a hometown crowd for John. And many others did the same.

The sense of a common cause powered the whole day. There were no primadonna strops, no arguments over where artists should be on the bill, no mutterings about why there weren't any dwarves carrying silver platters laden with exotic substances. Although there was a plate of respectable quiche in the backstage room.

So, the highlights were, in no particular order of magnitude, and stolen shamelessly from a Facebook post I made when I finally scraped myself home: Andrea Darling Bud sounding and looking as much like an indie pop queen as she ever did; the backstage men's toilets' faithful impersonation of TJ's legendary (in)conveniences; Diverse Music's Matt DJing a carefully thought out, between-the-bands set of the best groups he'd seen and danced to in TJ's; super happy, slamdancing, punk kids; Kai Jones and I wrestling bin bags (& losing) in the frenetic, between-set clean up operation; Carl Bevan sweet-talking a police lady; getting a new copy of Newport super comp I Was A Teenage Gwent Boy that isn't scratched or warped; Paul Flyscreen's optimistic attempt to generate sing / clap-a-long; all of Rollerco's set (but sad they had to drop Rollercoaster - cos that's what I had been singing all the way down in the car); stage manager man kindly pricking what's left of my ego: "I'm not being funny, mate - but can you try not to waffle this time..."; so many great faces from the past now back in the present; Sick Livers teaching the kids how to swear properly; Steve 'the voice' Evans back to reclaim his title; every heartfelt tribute to John Sicolo (my favourite: Sticky Rollerco's "John gave us 20 years, we've got 20 minutes").

It was an outstanding success. Four thousand people filled the square over the course of the day. Newport is a special city. The hunger for, and love of, live music here goes beyond the standoff-ish 'passion' in the bigger British cities.

Great credit has to go to those organisers - Andy Barding and Emma Corten - because, although they'll modestly defer any credit onto the shoulders of the artists, the stage hands and the engineers who turned their idea into such an amazing, memorable and fitting tribute for their friend and inspiration, it was their idea.

Credit also has to go to the authorities in Newport for allowing it to happen. All too frequently, city councils forget about the kudos and good reputation brought to their city by its noisy folk. This would never happen in the city I live in. Here, the council prefer to decorate the streets with bicycles made out of flowers. Give me Newport's soul over that aesthetic poncery any day of the week.

There are rumours that this could become an annual event. I hope so. An enduring tribute to John Sicolo would be most fitting. And it would give Newport's current crop of bands an opportunity to show the world that something newer and potentially just as exciting is happening in the New Seattle: 100 Cannons, Kitty Cowell, The Calling Card, Dirty Goods, Science Bastard - feel free to add to this typically undefinitive list below!

John's daughter Leanne made a short, emotional speech from the stage before releasing 100 balloons in TJ's trademark orange and black colours. "I'm sure my dad has been rocking today. So let's remember and celebrate the life of John Sicolo the legend."

His spirit will live on as long as the people of Newport have an affinity for distorted guitars and voices cracked with fervour. On the evidence of today, that will be a long time indeed.

Last week Bethan interviewed Cardiff-based musician John Mouse, who recorded a session for Radio 1 at London's Maida Vale studios.

John was joined for the session by his TV presenter brother Steve Jones, who duetted together on the song The Last Great Rhondda Romance. The pair also agreed to be filmed for a chat, and here it is, courtesy of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing in Wales team.

Thanks to Ed Richmond for the video. You can see John's duet with Steve on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing site until Thursday 22 July.

Steve Jones is currently appearing in the Saturday night ´óÏó´«Ã½ One programme 101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow.

This Saturday Bethan Elfyn's Radio Wales show is once more dipping into my Welsh Musical Atlas.

This time we're looking at a story that has reached legendary proportions in south Wales: Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love at TJ's in Newport.

You can read the full story here and tune in from 6pm this Saturday, 10 July.

It centres on the burgeoning love affair between the Hole and Nirvana singers as both toured their début albums in the UK. Hole, Therapy? and Daisy Chainsaw were playing the Newport venue on 10 December 1991, with Kurt turning up in a hire car and apparently proposing to Love under a plastic tree.

We have some recollections from the promoter Simon Phillips, Therapy?'s bassist Michael McKeegan and fans in attendance, making one of my favourite stories from Welsh music history.

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This week's show is, by happenstance rather than design, mostly a celebration of unamplified vibrations from the leftfield of Welsh folk (with intermittent loud interludes).

If you were to play a drinking game with this week's show, and neck a finger's worth of a booze of your choice each time I describe the music as "beautiful", you'd be in a sorry state before we get halfway through. But so much of the music this week is 'beautiful'. Swig, Poncey, Thesaurus-sourced synonyms just will not do. Oh, this is a theoretical drinking game. DO NOT TRY IT AT HOME.

bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00syz63/Adam_Walton_04_07_2010/

Wrexham's Simon and the Witch - a.k.a. Andrew Salomon - brings his acoustic guitar into our Bangor studio and delights us with three songs forged from his yearning heart and big, quiet voice. It's beautiful. Slurp.

Richard James is a founder member of one of Wales' finest groups of all time: Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. The musical accomplishments of the band's individual members as solo artists are just as significant: Euros Childs' Chops, John Lawrence's Rainy Night and Richard James' The Seven Sleepers Den are particular, personal favourites.

Add to that canon Richard's crafted, kaleidoscopic and - yes - beautiful (slurp) second album, We Went Riding. It's a mind (and heart) expanding trip through folkishly plucked strings, bluegrass stomps and lilting sweeps of lapsteel, with occasional roadside stops in garage freakbeat and the blues. An excellent album that is available NOW on the esteemed Gwymon record label.

Allow me, please, to weld an unwieldy analogy to our next guest. If much of modern folk music is as fantastic and alluring as the sanitised, bedtime story versions of fairy tales, filled with innocent wonders embroidered with harmonies and arrangements to please the listener, David Wrench and Black Sheep's treatment of the same songs reaches down to their dark roots - the Brothers Grimm originals.

They're songs of insurrection and rebellion and the instrumentation treats them as such. There are restless shadows of noise animating these histories for modern ears. The album is called Spades & Hoes & Plows and it is uneasy listening at its most uncompromising, fascinating and - sheesh, it's unavoidable - beautiful. Hesitant swallow.

Alan Holmes - the godfather of the Welsh underground, which is a handy soundbite of a description for a man who has been a founder member of Fflaps and Ectogram, the artist responsible for some of the finest Welsh record sleeves of all time, record producer, and mine of information on which-second-hand-LPs-to-spend-your-hard-earned-cash-on in Cob Records, Bangor. See, that's not a handy soundbite anymore. I think I'll stick with Godfather of the Welsh Underground from now on.

Anyway, Alan comes aboard every other week to illuminate almost forgotten moments of North Wales' musical past. This week, his magic torch focuses on Human Trapped Rhythms. It's not classically beautiful... what? I still have to drink? You pedant! Three teensy sips with belches in between.

A Man Called Ben (Hayes) tests me for my advanced Super Furry Animals badge (I fail). See, I thought Wendy and Bonnie were Blue Peter dogs... do you know their connection to Super Furry Animals? Whatever the connection, the crackly piece of vinyl Ben brings in is - I'm dreading this - beautiful. Slurp. Hic.

Lara Catrin translates something very (face goes unhealthy shade of light green. Looks around for plant pot in easy reach) beautiful from Huw M (pretend sip / gag).

Exchuse me? Where'sh the choilet? Quick... quick...

(Eight hours later...)

I warned you not to play that drinking game. I should have followed my own advice.

Here's the playlist for this week's show. Debut plays for artists I've never played before are denoted by an asterisk.

I love hearing bands I've never heard before. Please send me some. Digital aspirin and soothing (or otherwise) .mp3s to themysterytour@gmail.com.

Thank you / diolch yn fawr!

Adam

[New England via Wrexham]
Hero

[Dyffryn Nantlle]
Past Lives

ANNA GRAM & DULL PENNY [Bangor]*
Love Handle

[Wrexham]
Train Ride [session Track]

[Newport]
Debauchery And Revel

THE TAKE [Cardiff]
Rubber Pigs

[Pembrokeshire]
Blues (hey Hey Hey)

[Pembrokeshire]*
St Annes

[Pembrokeshire]
Bubblegum Icecream

[Camarthenshire]
Daw'r Nos, Daw'r Haf

[Rhyl]*
Untitled 1

[Cardiff]*
Shall True

[Caernarfon]
Cur

HUMAN TRAPPED RHYTHMS [Bangor]*
Drowning And Falling In You

SIMON AND THE WITCH [Wrexham]
Gentle Waves On The Show [session Version]

RICHARD JAMES [Pembrokeshire]
When You See Me [in The Pouring Rain]

[Wrexham]*
Specks Of Blue

[Ewloe]
Finders Keepers

[Cardiff]
Very Ape

[Bangor]
A Diggers' Song

THE DRAINS [Newport]*
Sleepless In The New Seattle

SIMON AND THE WITCH [Wrexham]
Sniper's Range [session Track]

RICHARD JAMES [Pembrokeshire]
We Went Riding

[Cardiff]
Hiraeth Mawr A Hiraeth Creulon

WENDY AND BONNIE
The Paisley Window Pane

THE MOUSE ORGAN [Mold]*
Birds Above Parades

For over a year we've been working with the Radio Wales Evening Show, videoing some of the performances of artists in session. This week saw join Alan Thompson for a performance which includes this song, Boxer.

The NME called them 'the Welsh Kings Of Leon, and they're getting some attention of their soft-rock-indie combination. Their debut album, Little Eyes In The Universe, is out now.

Watch more videos from the Evening Show sessions:

• The Crook Family
• Rod Thomas
• The Automatic
• Kids In Glass Houses
• Zervas And Pepper
• Paper Aeroplanes

This week on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 1 we have a special Maida Vale Session from Cardiff artist John Mouse, who released a new album this year called Humber Dogger Forties on Crocfingers Records.

The album and session features some special guests including his brother Steve Jones on one track and Prince Edward Island as a backing band. Listen out to this week's Introducing show for the session and interview with John and Steve, but here for Wales Music I interviewed John for more on the antics of the day at the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s legendary Maida Vale studios.

Hi John. How was the day trip to Maida Vale on Friday?

First of all it was amazing when we found out that we were going to record at Maida Vale. I have recorded at some great places in the past. The Session in Wales, as it was then, sent us to Loco, and Monnow Valley, and I also done some sessions at 6 Music, but this was something special.

When we turned up I was full of nerves and excitement. Phil said to me over breakfast: "I am just waiting to be found out." That kind of summed it up for me; I didn't believe that we were there. Maybe that's just a lack of self confidence and belief that I get about my music.

Just above our heads at breakfast there is a picture of The Beatles pushing trays along the same service area that we just picked our sausages, scrambled eggs, and beans from. At that point it really kicks in.

We were also and hour and a half early, so we had plenty of time to kill. I had a look around and saw musicians from the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Symphonic Orchestra tuning up. And the toilet floors shined, so much so that when I looked down I could see the reflection of the other bloke in the cubicle next to me, who had taken a phone call at a "inconvenient time" as he politely put it.

We banged out the four tracks in less than an hour and half. Once we got going it was great, that's what we were there to do. I think that everyone had that red light tension though. Your hands freeze up on the fret board when the voice from behind the glass booms "we are going for a take".

We were exhausted at the end of the session, but celebrated with a Chinese in Camden Town. Happy days.

Which songs did you record?

The Last Great Rhondda Romance.
I had set a challenge to Prince Edward Island, my backing band, to write a love song between two miners. They came up with "Like bouncers we stand" which will be on their album due for release this sept on the same label as John Mouse stuff. So the challenge was bounced back. Immediately a love duet with Steve came to mind, based on the height difference between the two of us. The rest of the lyrics wrote themselves in a couple of minutes.

If I Were An Oyster
I heard a riff on the radio, I think it was an Echo and the Bunnymen track, but I might be wrong. I tried to play a riff similar, but because I am crap on guitar I have no idea if it sounded like it. Then I had the hook line "If I were an oyster I'd clamp my shell on you." The rest again just sort of followed. I wanted to place a lot of the songs on the Humber Dogger Forties album. Giving them location. Langland Bay is mentioned in this one.

Got You Shaking Your head (Like David Gray)
I went to Phil in the studio and said, "I've got this line: 'She said, you've got the coolest friends". I got three chords like, Lou Reed, or Cornershop or something, and I wanted it to be an indie disco anthem, a bit Pulp-esque. Then he sent me a rough version. I tidied up some of the lyrics, he added the David Gray hook line and that was it. I think its my favourite track on the album. Probably because its more Prince Edward Island and less John Mouse.

Sex With You
This is a song about not being able to have sex with your partner because they are postpartum. I don't really say this, I just describe how that person is feeling. So it can come across a lot more sinister, and lot weirder than its actual meaning.

If you really listen to the words, its quite detailed and personal, so the clue is there, as this person is not a stranger to the one he wants sex with. This has gone down a storm live though, people just here the lyrics "I want to have sex with you" and think its some desperado, I think. Maybe I'm not giving the audience enough credit here.

Anyway, people can make what they want of it. It's not up to me once it's out there what people think, and that's a good thing. It makes the song bigger; it gives more life to my initial idea.

I heard you had quite a line up of nine musicians at the session. Do tell me more about them.

They are all in , who are one of my favourite bands, and it's amazing to have them play with me, live when they get a chance, and on this session. I have become really good friends with them all, and its always a pleasure to be in their company. Oh yeah, some bloke off the telly was there too - nice one bruv.

There's been quite a gap in your recording career, your blogs tail off in 2007 and yet you're back with full force this year. Did you get fed up of music, or gigging at least?

No. We had a baby.

What's your favourite subject matter for a song?

Relationships. Not I love you, you love me, but human relationships.

What other music inspires you?

I don't listen to a lot of music. Writers inspire me more. So maybe bands with a focus on lyrics. I love Malcolm Middleton, Bill Callahan, and the Silver Jews, and pretty much listen to them all the time. I like a bit of Johnny Cash now and again too. The authors who inspire me are Vonnegut, Bukowski, Carver, Heller, Hamsun. I'm doing an MA in creative writing which really helped my songwriting. It gave it a lot more focus, and showed me what I could do.

What'll be the next step for the promotion of the album? Any more gigs lined up?

I have five gigs in the next three weeks. Two in the Rhondda and three in Cardiff.

Red Cow, Treorchy, 9 July
Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, 11 July
Barfly supporting some bloke from Pineapple Dance Studios, 16 July
Parc Hall, Cwmparc, 17 July
Buffallo Bar, Cardiff, 21 July

They are all acoustic shows though, as James from the band is getting married. But the acoustic shows are just as fun for me. I can sort of do what I want, without worrying that I will piss the band off.

Then I'm having a break cause I am having another baby. So back around Swn time with a full band performance at the festival, to be confirmed. Then it's back to the drawing board for the next album, due in 2012.

Tell me about Crocfingers, the label that's put the album out.

are a small label. They are small but they care, as Sean Hughes said in The Commitments. London-based. Prince Edward Island are also on the roster.

Listen here for the full session and a performance video this week.

This weekend I attended a gig at the venue in Newport, featuring the bands and and . Who? you may well ask. And you'd be right to do so; they're not exactly household names.

The Take (photo: Chris Hudson)

But that's not the point; for me and for the people who saw them play at two gigs over the weekend, this was special. To give a bit of context, both bands dealt in melodic, punk-influenced indie rock and both were leading lights of the local scene a few years ago.

Douglas (photo: Chris Hudson)

Douglas were a kinetic, frenetic, deliciously tuneful outfit who in 1999 released an album called Persona on GFY; they toured with and were ones-to-watch before they split. From their ashes was formed.

The Take were signed to Household Name Records then Bombed Out, and were influenced by US indie-punk, wonderfully off-kilter in their melodies and purveyors of big riffs and beautiful, sparkling guitar lines. Jim and Charles from the band now play in .

At the gig (staged in celebration of the life of TJ's John Sicolo and in aid of his favourite charity) both bands played their socks off, obviously enjoying themselves and the fact that old friends had turned up to enjoy the moment. This was like we'd clambered inside a , set the controls to 2002 and hit 85mph.

There was a roll call of bands and fans there who in the early part of the last decade were making the Cardiff and Newport rock scene a vibrant and exciting place: Daf Williams and Jason Addicott of , Tom Willecome from , Ian Watkins from Lostprophets, Iain Mahanty from (now of Kids In Glass Houses) and many more.

It really brought back to me how exciting that time was - quality bands who supported each other through thick and thin. And it brought back to me how much bands can be missed after their demise. I had a flashback to Douglas' last show, at Cardiff's Coal Exchange. It seemed as if every punk fan in south Wales had turned out to see them as I DJ'd, cranking out Michael Jackson's Beat It to 900 people. It was the scene of my last stage dive too.

There were gigs, parties, road trips, exaltation, disappointment and everything else you'd expect in a scene. It was great to see Lostprophets taking Douglas out on tour with them, to hear being played on Radio 1, and to see records from the area's bands being given great reviews in everything from Fracture magazine to

I don't care what genre of music you like, or where you live, but go see shows, buy good music and be there when you have the chance, because suddenly this stuff has been and gone and you realise what you're missing. Bands don't have to be huge to be important. They just have to mean something to you.

Are there any bands you'd like to reform? How about the songs that remind you of a place and time? Feel free to comment! If you want to have your say, on this or any other ´óÏó´«Ã½ blog, you will need to sign in to your ´óÏó´«Ã½ iD account. If you don't have a ´óÏó´«Ã½ iD account, you can - it'll allow you to contribute to a range of ´óÏó´«Ã½ sites and services using a single login.

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Sir Tom Jones has become the victim of a furious tirade from none other than the vice president of his record company, in a leaked email to .

David Sharpe of Island Records reacted angrily to hearing the gospel-influenced songs on Jones' upcoming Praise And Blame record.

In an email to his company colleagues, he lambasted the Artise And Repertoire (A&R) department for the management of the record, Jones' first for the company following his switch from EMI.

"Imagine my surprise when I walked into the office this morning to hear hymns coming from your office - it could have been Sunday morning.

"My initial pleasure came to an abrupt halt when I realised that Tom Jones was singing the hymns! I have just listened to the album in its entirety and want to know if this is some sick joke???

"We did not invest a fortune in an established artist for him to deliver 12 tracks from the common book of prayer [sic].

"Having lured him from EMI, the deal was that you would deliver a record of upbeat tracks along the lines of Sex Bomb and Mama Told Me...

"As venerable and interesting as Tom's story is, this is not what was agreed and certainly not what we paid for. Who put him with this 'folk' producer and who authorised that he should go off on this tangent...

"Please don't give me the art over commerce argument, it's run its course... You need to pull back this project immediately or get my money back - for god sake [sic] what are you thinking when he went all spiritual?"

The Sunday Times contacted him for his comments on the email and he said, "Parts of this record company wanted to deliver an album for the typical Tom Jones fan and I don't know if that's what we've got. Shall we say we've paid for a Mercedes - we've got the hearse that's arrived."

Initial reactions to the album and its lead single Burning Hell have been positive, with the single delivering a raw, soulful rock sound.

In a documentary, Imagine: Tom Jones What Good Am I? (Tuesday 6 July, ´óÏó´«Ã½ One Wales, 10.35pm) Tom Jones discusses his changing image. "Looking back, the pants were too tight and I suppose I've only got myself to blame for that. I didn't think it would catch up with me though, I assumed my voice would always shine through.

"But in the end, the image took over and people stopped taking me seriously because of how I was presenting myself.

"Mark [his son and manager] was always very close to me because I was only 16 when he was born - there are some brothers who have a bigger age difference than that.

"You see, in my head I'm still 25 and he made me aware of things I'd not considered before, about who the real me was."

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One of Wales' foremost bands of the last decade, Funeral For a Friend, are about to release an EP, The Young And Defenceless, through . With band personnel changes and a new model of interacting with their fanbase, the band's frontman, Matt Davies, was in impassioned mood when we caught up with him to talk about the record.

Davies has always been socially- and politically-aware, right from the moment I first met him. He is mired in the punk rock / DIY scene and at the time he was editing the Third Engine fanzine. By 2010, he's grown older but lacks none of the fight and fire that was evident both in his writing and the music that first came to my attention on the Between Order And Model EP.

These days he's railing at the ineffectiveness of the political models we have and their inadequacy at combating the world's problems. "I truly think that more needs to be done and looked at rather then living in comfort, safe in the knowledge that we're recycling our tin cans and plastic bottles and doing our bit," he says. "I feel we all need to be a lot more pro-active with the way things are being done; I think that's the force of real change but I fear it's all too little too late."

Read the full interview.

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At first it doesn't feel quite right. I'm sat in the back garden collecting a bit of sunburn and I have 's new EP, Enlli, on my mp3 player. It's humid, I'm cursing the Viking genes that make me want to run and hide in dark places whenever the sun shines like this; I'm cheesed off; moist for all the wrong reasons; a bloody wasp is buzzing round my head. I'm almost Buddhist in my respect for nearly all other living creatures; but wasps: I'd gladly genocide every single one of them.

In short, I'm in a bad mood. There are numerous reasons for this, but after a month immersing myself in the DVD boxed set of Band Of Brothers and ruminating on my Grandad's time as a paratrooper, it feels all wrong to moan about the piffling, snivelling trials in my own life.

But perspective can be a disabling thing.

So, hot and stultified by inappropriate angst I'm thinking about retreating to the shade of the kitchen where the washing up needs to be done and there are a bunch of bills I need to pay and cracks in the wall I'm supposed to have called the builder about and clumps of hair from our ancient cat that's breaking all moulting world records and... and... oooh... god, that's beautiful.

The delicate carousels of the guitar in the Enlli EP's lead track, Cur, hung on a firmament of piano notes as clear as stars in a cloudless sky, pick me up and elevate me out of the smouldering back garden, lifting me above the treetops so gently I hardly notice the lawn I was supposed to have mown yesterday evening. I can feel a breeze on my face, but it's not coming from the weather: it's the breaths of the choir that splendidly billows out the sails of the first two tracks on this EP... somewhere in amongst the ice sparkles of glockenspiel and Dilwyn's lonely voice. Dilwyn is Mr Yucatan, if had ever thought to write a book about a humble sonic explorer.

And I swear to you: I feel cool, liberated, blown far away from the inconsequential chaff by the beautiful visions landscaped to perfection on this EP.

If it doesn't remind you of Sigur Rós' atmospherics you're being deliberately contrary. Sigur Ros' music is inspired by the Icelandic land and skyscapes. Over recent years their music has lost some of its evocative power because TV producers have bled their albums dry to bring celestial beauty and drama to snake oil TV shows that are as mysterious as con men fleecing pensioners. And Sigur Rós' unwitting (and, I believe, unwilling) omnipresence on Saturday evening ITV has weighed these once otherwordly tracks down with humdrum associations.

It's a great shame.

Back to Yucatan. In exactly the same way that the strange landscapes of Iceland permeate Sigur Rós' music, so does the dramatic geography and meteorology of Wales shape Enlli. Particularly, this EP is inspired by the 'evocative mystique' of Ynys Enlli, off the West coast peninsula of Pen Llyn.

And although the approach is similar, in some respects, to Sigur Rós: minimal orchestration, echoey grandeur, a sound to fill a night sky with bright wonders, this EP is as unique as the landscape that inspired it: no more similar to Sigur Rós than a photo of Ynys Enlli is to a photo of some weird volcanic moonscape on Iceland.

In particular, Dilwyn's voice is more grounded, less ethereal than Jonsi's. He sounds like a man awed by what he sees around him - which is resonant to me as a listener because throughout this EP I'm awed by what I'm hearing.

It's breathtaking, emotive and suffused with enough magic to turn a bad afternoon into one illuminated by marvels.

I'm just about ready to face that washing up, now.

Enlli is released on Recordiau Coll on 23 August.

This Saturday Bethan Elfyn takes over Stuart Cable's slot on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Wales and she'll be playing great new Welsh music, live sessions, interviewing stars of Welsh music and playing some of the classic rock and pop that made Cable's show so popular.

You can tune in from 6pm tomorrow evening, then of course you can listen again on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer.

Each week on the show, I'll be joining her to open my 'Welsh Music Atlas' and talk about a moment from Welsh pop that you may not know about. This week we're kicking off with Led Zeppelin's time at Bron-Yr-Aur.

You can read more about the story on the link above, but we're always looking for your own recollections, memories or thoughts about the features we're doing. Please feel free to comment below, or if you want to contribute directly to upcoming features, or suggest ones, then you can email wales.music@bbc.co.uk.

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One of Wales' collection of midsummer festivals has fallen by the wayside for this year after its licence was revoked.

Organisers of had meant to but the court date fell too close to the festival to make the appeal and festival viable.

The organisers of the Llanfyrnach event, which was due to be held on 6-8 August this year, said on their website, "The Voluntary Management Committee of the Celtic Blue Rock Festival on Wednesday 23 June had to make the difficult decision to cancel this year's event. This decision was not made lightly and it was after long and careful consideration and much debate that this unfortunate conclusion was drawn.

"The festival organisers have found themselves in the unenviable position of having their licenses revoked and whilst we were planning to appeal against this decision, unfortunately, the dates we were given for the appeal hearing were too close to the festival itself and therefore left little room for the planning and marketing of the event.

"The decision was then made that a positive plan of action be implemented and this began with the withdrawing of the appeal and therefore, cancelling the event."

The 10,000 capacity festival was due to be headined by Goldie Lookin' Chain and The Beat.

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