Right, listen; I noticed on Instagram yesterday there are at least three different entities doing Cardiff gig listings including ‘RADAR MAG’, ‘Diff Music!’, and the uncanny-looking ‘Cardiff Gig Guide’. ‘Diff Music!’ in particular seems pretty comprehensive, even for weird stuff. And so for that reason I’m scaling things down here at TTN to focus on my own gigging and Sgarab Tapes.
Not disappearing completely; I’ll still be pushing the occasional thing I think you should turn up at, or stuff that’s fallen through the cracks, and to signpost cool releases. Might even get round to these features I’ve repeatedly promised at some point. ‘Through The Night’ will become simply the Sgarab Newsletter.
My relationship with music writing has always felt strained, even (or especially) when I was doing it for something like a living. Just before I started the newsletter it had reached a point where I saw virtually no social value in it. I’m still not sure I do, but it’s been really special hearing from folks that they’ve actually gotten something out of Through The Night. Utility; you cannae whack it! Similarly, being on Substack has introduced me to lots of folks doing cool writing things, some favourites include Tone Glow and First Floor. Thanks for reading, it’s been a nice ride, I love you, see u soon x
TACTILEBOSCH AND SHIFT PRESENT: THROUGH THE FLOOR
FRI JUL 19 – SUN JUL 21 @ Carnedd, Cardiff; 7-10pm on the Friday, 1-11/10 on the Saturday / Sunday
FAO all South Wales freaks, absolutly gargantuan gear alert: Carnedd—the collaborative effort of SHIFT, TactileBOSCH, Umbrella, Dyddiau Du and Pinc Studios—are doing a full weekend of fringeland sound and performance art. A spiritual successor to last year’s Whitsuntide weekender, I think what’s gonna be cool (besides the maddening variety of acts) will be your chance to encounter the many different qualities of this nightmarish space we’ve ended up in, including the main hall’s untameable reverb. Some line-up picks:
Rhodri Davies / Luigi Marino (Fri 19): The harpist from the outer-edges joins Bristol-based Luigi Marino, who uses electronics and percussion including the zarb—an goblet drum with origins in Iran—and custom bowed cymbals. His work ‘focuses on networks able to display relationships between human and nonhuman actors, with particular attention to how intuitive decisions can profoundly affect pre-existing conditions’. Groovy baby! Expect solo performances from both artists too, serious bang for your buck
Pamdox Trio (Fri 19): before that there’s myself, Luke Robinson and Pam Rose Cott. Following on from mine and Luke’s sonic pilgrimage through the ethics of burning down empty private hospitals as Randox Duo, we’re going to play some improv games across the whole of the building’s main space, and you are invited! ‘If there’s one thing missing in our space today, it’s a threesome of complete morons,’ is what I’ve got written in the concept notes
Sgor (Sat 20): If you were at the Mayday event, Sgor were the geezers who showed up for work and were all wrecked by 4pm. You’ll also agree they were the best thing on all day: sonic abstractions and infinite play, a gently writhing bed of chaos. I have no idea what they’ve got planned
Lucia H Chung / Solar Return (Sat 20): fate has dealt us a belter in that Taiwanese, London-based noise artist Lucia H Chung and Solar Return—the duo of sound artists Jenny Pickett & Julien Ottavi—are on tour at just the right time. Lucia’s no-input mixer work (released as en cruex) is the ground-up stuff of throbbing fever dreams, whilst Solar Return’s rich and unwieldly electronics take electromagnetic phenomena as their starting point, ‘from solar flares and inner city mobile phone masts’ to ‘the unfathomable audio world of kitchen appliances’
Carnivorous Plants Trio (Sat 20): Liquid Library kings Charlie and Owen are joined by magician-percussionist Dan Johnson; they ruled supporting Lo Egin last year and something I think about regularly is something Charlie said (I think, seems they’ve deleted all their tweets), which was that you shouldn’t pay any attention to people banging on about the importance of grassroots venues lying in the fact that they might produce the next Coldplay or whatever: they’re important because heading down some basement to listen to ur mates make drone and noise is fuckin class (pretty sure that was them anyway, the sentiment stands regardless)
yy wood (sun 21): JT and Tess of Sgor—who have a debut recording coming up on Sgarab which I am intolerably excited to share with you all—will be performing together on the Sunday. Once again I’ve no idea what they’ve got planned which is how it should be, this time last yearish JT was on a big Meredith Monk tip which sounded amazing
Kelan (Sun 21): The real stuff. Kelan of Bad Tracking (and previously of Tangled Parrot Carmarthen!) brings raw industrial aggravation and post-watershed poetics to Carnedd. For the unacquainted, the fucking Bristol Post of all people wrote this excellent primer in 2019
Gindrinker (Sun 21): the best band in Cardiff. Nuff said. Returning after at least a year out
Other equally notable names who are performing: Charlie Lockwood, Rachel Helena Walsh, Noah Radley, Martin Chitty & Jon Ruddick, FONTS, JAG Orchestra, May Swoon, Truly Kaput, Fuck Radio, NPOT, Pato Canton, Matthew Grigg & Robin Foster
BUY TICKETS HERE
Please listen to what Pato Canton has to say on the matter: https://x.com/PatoCantonDJ/status/1807765093569945642
SAT 20: NAWR W/ KELAN, BEAUTY PARLOUR, LIFTING GEAR ENGINEER @ Tangled Parrot, Swansea, 19:00ish but check
If you’re stuck in Swansea that weekend but have the Saturday evening off, come see me n Kelan (see above) in Tangled Parrot, a tiny 30-cap record store space where I had the pleasure of seeing Pat Thomas and Orphy Robinson perform as Black Top last year, as part of NAWR’s consistently class curation. Joining us is Lifting Gear Engineer, an expert talent plying thoughtful, fluid electronica with bonus breaks
SGARAB NEWS
yy wood’s debut LP of raucous pop-auteurism is sounding brilliant; slippery sheets of sound born of air and born again of fire. A release date is imminent! If you want to hear a wee bit of that then get over to NOODS where you can listen back to my guest appearance on ADRE where I play ‘Not Golden Yet’
Thanks very much to Shaun and Theo for having me, it’s an ineloquent mess but amazing to have the chance to play some stuff out from the label and to talk about all the cool things happening in Cardiff. That includes Through The Night which, as explained, you are reading the last edition of, so apologies for that boys (but you know I’m not really going away eh)
SOME COOL RELEASES
PEIRIANT - DYCHWELYD
Have always enjoyed the music of Peirient, the Mid-Wales-based duo of Rose and Dan Linn-Pearl who work across folk, minimalism and improv via violin and electric guitar. This latest offering, which comes via NAWR’s own record imprint, feels like their most complete achievement to date, encompassing the fragility, the majesty and I think at some points the horror of landscape
THE DOGS - DOG SHIT / STILL DOG SHIT
Never have I been more serious when I say; ‘Oi Oi’
RHYS ANEURIN – CITY CIRCLE
I meant to talk about this ages ago when Rhys had an exhibition in SHIFT to accompany this wonderful album that blends Cardiff Bus ambience with vintage electronica; the fruits of deep reflection on my favourite subject, i.e. Cardiff City Council’s permanent mission to alienate us from everyone and everything [please can I have some funding now]
BLUTMAGE - S/T
Nocturnal Curse is run by the man behind the incredible Ysbyrdnos, and this latest offering is from Netherlands-based crypt-dweller Blutmage. Strictly for serious questers and sadboy knights
Right that’s enough
Xavier Boucherat is a Cardiff-based musician, promoter and writer. Check out Sgarab Tapes on Bandcamp
If you are a recording artist in Wales or from Wales making anything freaky, I’d love to hear your stuff, particularly if you’re from a group that traditionally lacks representation. You can email me at sgarabtapes@gmail.com