Carl Marsh: The opening night of your new tour is here in Cardiff, will it all be new material or are you going to throw some of the old stuff in? Ben Haenow: Yes, I think you’ve got to do some of the older stuff, but I’ve had another album out since. I’m on my second album now and I’m also doing my third, so it’s going to be a lot of the new material and a lot of that…

24-27 May HowTheLightGetsIn, the world’s largest philosophy and music festival that gathers world-leading thinkers, politicians and comedians together with the hottest music performers, highlights 12 unmissable events at this year’s festival. “Who would have thought that a philosophy festival could be so entertaining?… A rare combination of fascination and fun. ★★★★★” The Independent (2018) Featured in The Best UK Music Festivals of 2019, Evening Standard “Back to big thinking” The Guardian HowTheLightGetsIn is set in a magical riverside location on…

APRIL offers another feast of entertainment at St David’s Hall with household names in the music world, internationally renowned orchestras and superb stand-up comedy. If you’re into your rock, there’s no better way to start the month in style than with Stairway to Heaven: Led Zeppelin Masters (Weds 3 Apr) as we celebrate 50 years since the release of the debut album of one of the greatest bands to ever walk the planet. Perhaps even more iconic though are The…

On Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th March, hundreds of residents from Wales took part in the UK’s annual Learn to Play Day event. Organised by the charity Music for All, people of all ages visited music venues, schools, and stores across the county, to try their hand at a new skill and take advantage of the free music lessons available. In Wales, participating venues included PMT Cardiff, Spider Music Ltd in Swansea and Pencerdd Music in Penarth, who partnered with…

Did you find it harder writing the songs for this new record than you did before with any of the others? Matt: I found this album quite tough. If I’m honest, this was the hardest record we’ve ever made, or I’ve ever made. It was quite a struggle. We’ve probably written 50 songs in this record, and we scrapped two albums worth before we decided which direction to take. While we had an album budget to make this from the…

You are coming home to Cardiff, playing at the St David’s Hall on March the 3rd, what can we expect? Well, I’ll be putting some more hits that I did the last time because of the title of the tour, Greatest Hits and more. There’ll be other songs in there as well. There will be some songs from Echoes Of Our Time and also tracks that I haven’t done or included in the sets for quite a while. Some of…

SING&SMILE charity is reaching across South Wales with fun-packed daytime singing sessions for older people. Starting on Thursday evening April 4 from 6-7pm a new Goldies Cymru session based on Bollywood music and dance will take place at Penylan Library in the community centre. It is supported by the Cardiff-based Moondance Foundation and will be taken by Amruta Garud who is well known for her work with older people from the Indian community across South Wales. Originally from India, Amruta…

Learn to Play Day -a free national event to encourage everyone in the UK to start making music- is coming to Wales this weekend. Supported by Jools Holland OBE, and run by charity Music for All, the 2019 Learn to Play Day will take place on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th March. This will see music shops, teachers, venues and schools throughout the country partner with leading musical instrument brands to offer thousands of FREE music lessons. Participating venues include:…

BLACK GRAPE ANNOUNCE UK SPRING TOUR 2019 Following the success of their album ‘Pop Voodoo’ (Universal Music) which showcased the band’s first new material in 20 years the band announce a series of shows in the UK.  As Irvine Welsh writes in the band’s biography: “I’m delighted to report that Black Grape are back on the road, and with new album Pop Voodoo that really does rock the f*ck out of the discotheque. Shaun’s word play has never been deployed…

    Carl Marsh talks with the musical legend that is Peter Hook. He is touring with his band Peter Hook & The Light at the Tramshed in Cardiff on the 23rd February. You will know that he was in Joy Division and New Order, and he will be playing tracks from two New Order albums called Technique and Republic, while he may get to do a few Joy Division ones also. Your new tour will be having you perform…