Welsh metal bands are acts often lost on.
Yet some of the biggest projects in the alternative and hardcore scene hail from the southwest of Wales. From Bullet For My Valentine, to Funeral For A Friend and Skindred. These are just a few of the major artists who continue to sell out arenas.
Situated in Wrexham, Focus Wales is a festival showcase prioritising independent music from artists around the world. At its heart is a space to champion emerging artists and grassroots venues. For smaller acts like Endura and Two Tonne Machete, it’s a foot in the door. And for major ensembles such as Shame and Fat Dog, it’s a space to embrace their roots. To go back to where it all began. The small, intricate places that bet on them and provided opportunities that later led to successes.
This year, Focus Wales announced over 200 artists, with a lineup bolstered by some of the most exciting assets within the next wave of noise rock bands. Between venues like Penny Black and The Rocking Chair, both spaces proved to be pivotal grounds for some of the gnarliest punk and the grittiest metal.
The very weird and wonderful Servo comes with a strong boisterousness that is a direct reflection of post-punk. A French trio, throughout their music, the band effortlessly provide a tight-knit sound that is pensive, yet with a seductive swagger.
Meanwhile, travelling 29 hours from the sunny rays of South Australia is emo, pop-punk duo Teenage Joans, a name you’ve likely heard of before. In November last year, they made their debut in the UK at The Great Escape’s ‘First 50’. Since then, the pair have been touring all over the place. The realms of rock and punk are no strangers to a crazy duo, from Royal Blood’s dominance of every corner of the UK to the more recent punk fusion of House of Protection dominating the heavier space. With this all-girl two-piece, offering crunchy vocals, rhythmic drums and soaring guitars, especially within the newly released ‘Coming Up From Hell’, they are offering up a sound that delivers a delicate blend of nostalgia and hopefulness.
Then there’s CLT DRP, otherwise “pronounced as clit drip, for those wondering,” as so pleasantly announced by lead singer, Annie. Playing an unapologetic frenzy of hard-hitting punk with a dash of electronic-pop. Watching this band live is like experiencing Slayyyter if she ever ventured into heavy music.
Meanwhile, disorientating, obliterating noise takes hold of Penny Black’s second venue, and Dublin trio, Bucket, are the culprits. Shredding into math rock with a speed so calculated and intricate, this group cuts straight to the chase. Their singer and guitarist, Cian Dahdouh, is making good use of his guitar slide, which already looks like it’s had several trips around the sun. “Where’s your bass player?” a heckler belts from the crowd, which is comically followed up by a few cackles from the audience. But Bucket don’t need one, because their sound is packed.
It takes a sharp eye to notice that the drummer isn’t your average heavy metal player, either. In fact, there are a few jazz elements in the passes he makes. For the most part, this is his show, as the band frequently riff off of each other, freestyling alongside the jagged rhythmic patterns of their drummer.
The role grassroots venues play in shaping the next generation of musicians is critical. It showcases that events like Focus Wales are not only honing in on talent worldwide, but also on incredible Welsh acts. Some of whom have never played outside of their hometown.
Whether it be Endura, Two Tonne Machete, or Only Fools and Corpses, Focus Wales has its very own plethora of alternative acts innovating heavy music.
Opening with the ominous sounds of a spellbinding wooden flute, Aotearoa is an indigenous band, blending English vocals with their native tongue, te reo Māori. Playing a set of empowering spoken words, Aotearoa is unapologetic about their punk. Playing songs about anti-establishment and honouring their heritage. Even if you don’t understand all of the phrases, there is an incredible spellbindingness about each of their songs.
Last year, UK Music confirmed that the music industry contributed £8 billion to the economy, and earlier this year, stats showed that the decline in grassroots venues was the smallest it’s been since 2018. The conversation around grassroots venues is often negative in the music industry, as many are threatened with closure. But on the other side of that, it’s clearer than ever that there is a market for these spaces, and some of the best musicians saving it are at Focus Wales.
Very little ease is brought into this next show. And somehow you can’t expect otherwise with a name as abrupt as this. Angsty spoken words. Agitated guitars. Feral screams of feminine rage and pig squeals that feel like they could shatter glasses. PISS comes in with huge energy and a setlist all about female liberation and protection. It’s punk at its truest form: deliberate, manic, yet with an important statement at its core. Nothing about PISS is clean cut, and that’s precisely the point. It’s raw. Authentic. Even difficult to consume at times. Their music mirrors the darkness women often face. But don’t be fooled by the chaos because there are moments of catharsis, too. If there’s one thing for sure, it’s that a PISS show is hardly predictable.
Bands like Bucket, PISS, and Only Fools and Corpses are reminders of why grassroots venues are critical for heavy bands. The DIY and rawness in their shows is what this scene is about. Behind the sweaty walls of a dingy, small venue, what’s crafted here is something that can, of course, be refined later, in larger capacities. But, not without first taking shape in the underbelly of a gritty underground scene.
