THROUGH THE NIGHT JUNE 2024

Haha yes

Alright fess up which one of you simps has been out in the Home Bargains yard yelling ‘bring back the newsletter, we miss the newsletter’

YES CMON

FRI JUN 28: SGARAB AND LESSON NO. 1 DOUBLE HEADER: MARCEL WAVE (ex-SAUNA YOUTH / COLD PUMAS) & PC WORLD, WITH BRUXISM, SANTACRUZ, BEAUTY PARLOUR, F.E.R (DJ) @ The Moon, Cardiff, 20:00

In a weird but welcome accident, me and Noel Gardener are doing a double header at the Moon. Two gigs, one venue, plus there’s dancing after

From Noel’s side, Marcel Wave: ‘Meades meets Pat-E-Smith meets Kirklees Borough Council’, how’s that for copy that just grabs you by the throat? Whip-smart velveteen post-punk with lots of organs, featuring ex-members of Sauna Youth and Cold Pumas, and fronted by ‘Professional Northerner’ Maike Hale-Jones. There’s a debut album out soon. Support from Bristol’s Bruxism, big faves of mine atm: gnarly-as-hell goth-punk giving more than a nod to the adjacent realms of dungeon synth and darkwave

After that, from my side, PC World: snarling boot-boy synth-punk via London / Australia, think Skinny Puppy at their most ground-down, bristling with spite amongst beautifully-crafted arpeggios that fall up through the ceiling. With them is Santacruz, who has performed under multiple monikers through the years including this excellent work of primitive, end-of-days industro-ambience. DJs after too; Spain’s F.E.R and myself playing EBM, New Beat, maybe some Pet Shop Boys. All the good stuff. Cmon out it’s gonna be good

In other news, I am going on NOODS on June 9 as a guest of the amazing Adre crew to talk shit about every artist on the Sgarab roster; tunes when I’m not burning bridges, possibly including some v exciting forthcoming stuff!

OTHER, EQUALLY NOTABLE GIGS

SAT JUN 1: GROUP LISTENING, ANCIENT PLASTIX @ SHIFT (Carnedd), Cardiff, 19:30

Group Listening is the duo of Paul Jones and Stephen Black, who between them have worked in the worlds of sophisto-pop, free jazz, harsh noise and contemporary classical. Their latest release ‘Walks’ decants melancholy woodwind with serene spatial keys and rhythm box percussion, positively drenched in sense and memory. Support from Liverpool’s Ancient Plastix, aka Paul Rafferty; organic synthsmanship, straight off the farm. A great opportunity to come visit the new SHIFT space if you haven’t done so already, here’s the address again; Ty Wilcox, Dunleavy Drive, CF110BA, Cardiff. The carpark is now open, as are the toilets!

THU JUN 6: CAREDYDD GALICIAN SESSION @ The Flute and Tankard, Cardiff, 19:00ish

So actually, this is a fairly regular event, but I wanted to gas it up since first of all I don’t mention the Flute enough, and second because the last time I was among these extremely talented Galicians (back when it was at The Albany) I was amazed to discover my black n bitter heart was completely full. You too will leave believing bagpipes can be beautiful. Participation encouraged; they will help you out

TUE JUN 11: BERESFORD/HAMMOND, BAZMATRONICS/OWEN @ Bank Vault, Aberystwyth, 19:30

NAWR’s programme on the outer edges continues with another free and thoughtful improv night at Aber’s Bank Vault; ‘Fyrfyfyr’ is the Welsh word for improvisation. Charlie Beresford (guitar) and Sonia Hammond’s (cello) 2014 improv collection The Science of Snow is eight tracks of high-grade rattling and terse, unsettled beauty. Contrast in the form of Bazmatronics, aka Barry Edwards, on guitar and industrious multi-instrumentalist Lyndon Owen, who look to explore ‘the dynamics of free experimentalism’, very cool to see this stuff happening

SUN JUN 16: LYDIA LUNCH & MARC HURTADO PLAY SUICIDE AND ALAN VEGA @ The Globe, Cardiff, 19:30

I’ve said before about The Globe throwing curveballs, but this takes the piss eh. Lydia Lunch, the legendary No-New-Yorker whose short-lived Teenage Jesus & The Jerks counted popular photoshop pervert Brian Eno among its advocates, is joined by Moroccan musician and performance artist Marc Hurtado, previously of Etant Donnes. Together they perform the music of Alan Vega, who was an enormous influence on the pair; Lunch shared a house with the Suicide frontman in her youth, and both collaborated with him prior to his passing in 2016. Whatever form this takes, I should imagine it’ll be extremely raw and ritualistic

FRI JUN 21: BLURT, GIVE ME MEMPHIS @ Le Pub, Newport, 19:30

I’d say ‘another unlikely blast from the avant-garde past’, but perhaps this is simply what the people want? Sax-led barb-wire post-punk non-stop with Ted Milton, who last time I saw in Glasgow some thirteen years ago showed up without a band and simply recruited the locals. None of that this time round I should imagine, one thing I enjoy as a promoter and maybe you will too is that Ted’s eminently reasonable rider is publicly available here. Support from Newport boys Give Me Memphis, who were on the same bill at the same venue (if not different building) with the same promoter Cheap Sweaty Fun’s first show, some forty years ago. Respect!

FRI JUN 21: DISTRAXI, PALE WORLD, SHEARMAN, JEAN RUDDIQUE @ SHIFT (Carnedd), Cardiff, 19:30

Noise tables are back on the menu (and I should know since I moved about fifty of the bastards into the new space this week): Distraxi aka Alina Church, who amongst other things has an excellent release with our comrades at Brachliegen Tapes, brings ‘audio ideation and ecstatic pain castration’ via pummelling frenzies of drums n drones; like fibreglass down the throat, real queer industrial gear! Support from Pale World, Shearman and Jon Ruddick, harnessing power electronics, no-input mixing, field recordings and more

THINGS I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO:

-       I watched ‘Oslo August 31’ for the first time the other night and am taken with this Keith Jarret rendition of the Händel suite your man attempts at the end

-        [Ahmed] are a quartet that works to re-imagine the music of composer, bassist and oud player Ahmed Abdul-Malik. I had the unlimited pleasure of seeing them at Strange Brew last month where (I’m pretty sure) they performed ‘African Bossa Nova’, a rendition of which is included on their latest release, Giant Beauty. I don’t know anything quite like it; if I was a sharp knife getting slowly heated over an open fire, I think the feeling would be similar

-       A lot of David Sylvian, who I think has made some of the most boring music I’ve ever heard, and equally, some of the most beautiful

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Xavier Boucherat is a Cardiff-based musician, promoter and writer. Check out Sgarab Tapes on Bandcamp. Through the Night is published whenever there’s time, here on Substack

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 throughthenightwales@gmail.com