Live review: Sunshine Sunday celebration of Welsh excellence
As the BBC 6 Music Festival crawled to a chilled close, a last day of chat and music was just what the hangover ordered
Venue: Tramshed, Cardiff
WORDS, PICS & VIDEO: Cadi Thomas
Entering the venue to the unapologetically Welsh warbling of Gruff Rhys set the scene perfectly for the Sunday leg of the 6 Music Festival - a celebration of Welsh excellence.
With all the placid ambience of the last day at a festival, the Tramshed courtyard was filled with music lovers basking in the April sun. Some sipping posh coffee, some craft ale, but all poised for an eclectic line up of conversation and music.
Gruff Rhys played to a captivated audience with fans clinging to his every word. Unpretentious as always, he sat with just guitar and microphone. His performance caused DJ Tom Robinson to proclaim, “And that’s why legends are legends.”
With a cohesive collection of atmospheric and brooding tracks, Art School Girlfriend, accompanied by her ‘digital band’ and guitar, brought melancholic nonchalance. Hypnotising the crowd into a collective head-nod, it was mesmeric and brought a sense of calm that her audience embraced.
Musical performances were punctuated by a series of interviews. Although being broadcast on Radio 6, they felt intimate and revealing, with the likes of Jon Ronson and Green Gartside crediting their Welsh upbringings and thus increasing a sense of patriotism around the room.
Huw Stephens and Self Esteem cultivated excitement ahead of her performance later that night at The Great Hall. Her emphatic attitude was inspiring and captures the zeitgeisty female-empowerment-in-music that she so embodies.
Swapping his presenter hat with his musician’s cap, Tom Robinson’s performance was a real treat. His jovial lyrics underpinned the important messaging and activism that has spanned his career.
‘Glad to Be Gay’ was a moment. Prefaced with an admission of self-harm after ‘falling in love with the wrong sex’ at age 16, it was obvious how much society had changed since he first sang the song. The whole room belted out the chorus with immense pride and emotion, mirrored by Robinson’s beaming gratitude.
H Hawkline closed the show. His practiced indifference, falsetto vocal and jumping melodies created a different and exciting vibe.
The warehouse room was filled from floor to ceiling with his band’s melodic riffs, bringing the day’s line-up to a close with a buzz of positivity.
The crowd spilled out into Grangetown satisfied, leaving the bunting-clad red-brick building behind. Until next time…
