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Welcome to October’s edition of The GigList, featuring what I’m sure is the longest list of gigs I’ve ever produced which, I think, speaks volumes for the general state of live music in this fair city of ours. Every month I trawl through about 100 websites and Myspaces and every month there are new links to follow and new bands springing up out of nowhere. It’s good too that with first-class medium-sized venues like Sin City and MilkwoodJam now firmly established in the city centre, more and more touring and up-and-coming bands are putting Swansea on their tour itineraries.

Blues Jam Blues
Gordon “Slim’s Blues” Wride has announced that there will be no more Blues Jams at the Uplands Tavern or Bar,Co, citing the “vast amount of competition and licensing laws have taken their toll.” Gordon will continue to promote Blues Jams at the St. Ives in Neath, which is apparently going from strength to strength. Blues aficianadoes in Swansea can still get their fix of all things deltoid at the New York every Monday, whilst the Blues & Rock Club at the Salisbury offers a wide variety of blues-influenced acts most Tuesdays.

Biting the Bullitt at the Cricks
The Cricketers in King Edward Road has changed hands again. New landlord Paul has moved the Open Mic night to Tuesday, in direct competition with the long-established Uplands Tavern OMN. The new Open Mic night at the Cricks will be hosted by Ross “Bullitt” James. “I am planning on making it an acoustic evening with great equipment,” explained Ross. “There will be an acoustic guitar, bass guitar, a mandolin, and percussion (possibly congas/bongos/shakers etc...) available to use to create an ambient atmosphere and I’m hoping that musicians will see it as a great opportunity to play their songs acoustically. I also plan on recording the nights in the near future so musicians can hear how wonderful they are. Most importantly I want this to be an open mic night for the crowd, not just for the musicians and their mates.”

On the Fringe

Later in the month, the annual Dylan Thomas Fringe festival starts on 27th October, continuing until 9th November. As usual, musical items are well to the fore. The opening event will be a Talent Showcase at the Monkey Café presented by staff and students from the Centre for Performance and Literature at Swansea Metropolitan University (the old Swansea College), for which one artist confirmed is the supremely talented Maria Owen. There will be a series of lunchtime acoustic gigs at the National Waterfront Museum on most days, showcasing the work of the best of a wide range of Welsh singer-songwriters including some names that’ll be familiar to GigList readers, like Paul Battenbough, Andy Morse and Aggi Thomas, among others. Highlight of this month’s Fringe gigs, however, is probably the appearance of Trio Valore at the Monkey Café on Thursday 30th. Described as “funky Italian inspiration,” Trio Valore is an assemblage of some of the biggest and most influential musicians in British rock over the last 20 years, namely Steve White (drums - Paul Weller / Style Council), Damon Minchella (bass - Ocean Colour Scene / The Who) and Seamus Beaghan (Hammond organ - Super grass / Babyshambles). Supporting are The Last Republic, on the crest of a wave following their sell-out show at the Pontardawe Arts Centre and good reviews for their “CCTV“ single (including this very publication, last month).

Uplands Festival in Retrospect

The 8th Uplands Music Festival was, without any doubt in my mind, the best one yet! Even with the Chattery bowing out this year, the festival retained an overall Uplands feel, thanks to new and rapidly-growing music venue The Garage @ Whitez and late-night stop-off Mozarts being added to the bag. I could waffle on about the bands and I will, but before I do I'd like to praise the Festival attendees, who were lively without being leery, cheery without being beery and plentiful, oh .... they were beery, especially in the Tavern on Saturday and Sunday (record bar-takes both). The audience was brilliant - thanks so much to you all. Now, the bands - this is just my opinion mind you, but band of the Festival (or at least of the Uplands Tavern, as I was working there all weekend and didn't actually see any bands at The Garage or Mozarts) was Dufraine, followed closely by Vanished Mammals, Harpers Ferry, Double O Zeroes, Boatbar to Hamburg, The Caves, Mudjack, King of Despair, Ringolevio, Rag Foundation and, yes, The Magpies. However, it'll be Dufraine that my eyes will be on closely and so should yours. The Acoustic Stage outside the Tavern suffered a bit of rain and wind, but Ian 'Festival-bimble' James had everything well under control. Some casualties were inevitable as the days wore on, like those who formed their own stage at 6am at a bus stop!!! The Garage had capacity crowds over all four days. The venue is really starting to find its feet and should become a major force in Swansea. Special thanks go to the Ripping Cones who played an incredibly long set (seeing as they only they have six songs) and to workaholics the Double O Zeroes, who played every day, dropping in for other bands who didn't turn up. Big thanks too to Steve Flynn for a set of Zeppelinesque proportions and to surprise hit Mick Kemp and her orchestra. Overall, I think, the verdict must be, endorsed by hundreds of Swansea music fans, that originals are what the people want ... originals are best! So keep supporting the bands and the venues. Thanks staff, crew, bands and audience - see you next year, eh?" Chris Woodman (Festival Director)