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Ok, so first off I must iterate the fact that this particular run down is in no particular order, nor is it a definitive list of the best British record labels of all time (as if such a breakdown could ever be truly quantified). It is simply a list of some personal favourites within the British...MORE>>

Swn   (sôôn) /sun/ translated from Welsh.

n.     1. Sound esp. of a loud, harsh or confused kind.

       2. Loud shouting, outcry, or clamour.

       3. A nonharmonious or discordant group of sounds.

       4. (Festival) An eclectic assemblage of musical mastery in the heart of Cardiff.             October 22nd to October 24th 2009.

Trying to crystallise the very essence of Swn is easy. A one, Mr. Huw Stephens has seen it appropriate to tap into the Welsh musical consciousness and through an act of fine distillation bring the best in up-and-coming music to the centre of the Welsh capitol. What’s not so easy to condense is the undeniable vastness of the line-up, the calibre of the acts & the wealth of seminars, talks, conferences etc. on offer at this year’s festival. With well over 100 bands performing over three days in a selection of finely suited venues, all reputed for their close affiliation with live music, it seems a pretty safe bet that amongst the forever paroxysm of the capitol city, something beautiful will bloom from October 22nd until October 24th.

It’s an often played out misconception amongst the National understanding that Welsh music begins with the leathered lethario that is Tom Jones & ends with the insipid ever-adolescence of Stereophonics, with even the commercially respectable, musically magnificent Super Furry Animals or Manic Street Preachers being overshadowed, but beneath what can only be described as an unappetising crust lies a vast

array of Welsh musical morsels suited to every musical taste, many of whom are on the menu at Swn. The likes of the boisterous Threatmantics will be peddling their overly excitable wears in the newly established Y Fuwch Goch (that’s The Red Cow for the non-Welsh speakers amongst you) on Friday evening. As a firm favourite of the festival’s curator, their reputation for blistering live shows will be sure to establish Y Fuwch Goch as a premier live venue in Cardiff, but, as the little brother of Clwb Ifor Bach, you couldn’t really expect anything less.

Equally exciting is the Friday billing for Chapter Arts Centre. It’ll be hard to venture forth from the venue with the likes of The English Victorian Gentlemens Club & Paper Aeroplanes sharing the stage, the latter being led by Sarah Howells of the beautifully melancholic Halflight. A welcome return from The Big Smoke will be assured for Ms. Howells, a songwriter whose lyrical style & grace carries both maturity & naïveté in equal, heartbreaking measures.

Along with highlighting the Welsh music scene, Mr. Stephens’ egalitarianism sees several touring, non-Welsh bands heading across the border. Firstly it’ll be a teary eyed set for The Broken Family Band, whose penultimate gig will take place in Chapter on the Saturday, a momentous occasion for those lucky enough to be there. A hard choice must me made though between TBFB & the awe-inspiring Goldheart Assembly (personal favourites & previous interviewees), it will depend on geography and timing!

Well, that’s the word limit, and I have only been able to give an extremely subtle flavour as to how the weekend will unfold, but for a weekend ticket at £45 this will be the a la carte festival to keep your mouths watering, and bellies filled, well into the winter months.