Swansea Fringe presents an evening of folk music at Elysium Gallery & Bar, High Street.
Featuring:
The Orange Circus
Mari Mathias
TBA
James Morgan
Desert Life
Ellis Thomas
The Orange Circus
The Orange Circus Band are a Bluegrass/Americana collective based in the UK, with roots in Virginia, USA.
Whilst having a hand in roots, rock and gospel music, and updating traditional songs taken from The Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia -The Orange Circus Band produces original music that has a wholly unique, fresh sound. You can expect wild playing, beautiful harmonies and boundless energy guaranteed to raise the roof and warm the hearts.
Mari Mathias
A journey of modern folk with traditional welsh folk tales and experimental soundscapes.
2021 Forté Artist Mari Mathias grew up in the rural village of Talgarreg, just a stones throw away from the Ceredigion coastline. She sings in her native welsh tongue and puts her own contemporary take on traditional folk melodies. She is now based in Cardiff studying her Masters degree in Songwriting & Production. After releasing her first EP “Ysbryd y ty” in 2020 dedicated to her grandmother, she is now about to embark on releasing her debut album “ANNWN” in 2022 with JIGCAL RECORDS, devoted to her great grandfather’s home recorded cassette tapes.
Over recent years Mari has supported acts such as Gruff Rhys, Meic Stevens and Plu. She has performed everywhere from the St.Fagans Museum to HubFest, Immersed Festival, Clwb Ifor Bach, Swansea Fringe & The Big Cwtch. She released her EP ‘Ysbryd y ty’ in March 2020 , produced by Mei Gwynedd after winning Battle of The Bands (Maes B) in the National Eisteddfod, 2019. Her Track “Helo” was also awarded track of the week on BBC Radio Cymru & Praised by Cerys Matthews (BBC Radio Wales)
Having graduated from the Forte Project, she is now performing with a new and exciting ensemble of young folk musicians with her new material.
James Morgan
Swansea’s own James Morgan recently released his debut EP ‘In Our Endless Day’ through Death Monkey Records.
Desert Life
Desert Life is the moniker of Welsh alt-folk / singer-songwriter, Chris Swales, multi-instrumentalist, Tom Jordan and drummer/percussionist, Jason Downes. Described as “sublime contemporary folk rock”, desert life, is a blend of alt-folk / Americana that captures the spirit of Neil Young, Wilco, Ryan Adams and Other Lives.
Starting out as a ‘typical bedroom project’, desert life have expanded to become a trio, performed at the Swansea Fringe Festival and bring their tinge of the American south-west, via the west of Wales.
Desert Life’s release, ‘My Darling Friend’ was nominated by Radio Wigwam for ‘best single’ category and he also made the Record Store Day ‘Unsigned (2019) long list’.
Releases ‘Not My Girl’, ‘Whisper to the Wind’ and ‘My Darling Friend’ have been played by BBC Radio Wales’ Adam Walton, Welsh connections, Oystermouth Radio, Radio Wigwam, Pure West Radio, GTFM, Belter Radio and CILU (The Sonic Blender). Desert Life has played a live sessions for Welsh Connections, Pure West Radio and GTFM’s Alternative Show.
Ellis Thomas
Ellis Thomas is a singer songwriter from Cardiff, UK. His debut single ‘Summer Rain’, had airplay on BBC Introducing, and was highly praised by host Adam Walton. Highlights include being invited to 2000 Trees Festival to play a combination of original songs and Frightened Rabbit covers, as tribute to the late Scott Hutchison. Ellis organised and played for a three-day multi-city charity weekender, supporting local mental health charity, Heads Above the Waves.