Written by Joe Bayliss

I am an unabashed geek.

I also love music.

So, when an opportunity arose to not only marry those two loves of mine, but to work together with two close friends that have recently opened up their own restaurant in Mumbles, I would have been stupid to turn it down.

I first encountered Professor Elemental with Ben Cripwell (the culinary side of the dynamic duo behind The Front Room, Mumbles) at a show a number of years ago and was bowled over by his flair, his wit and his amiable nature.

you can now follow us on twitter Moog_Peculiana prof_elemental www.professorelemental.com The first single from professor elemental's ep: the indifference engine. Directed by Moog (http://www.peculiana.com) and with music by Tom Caruana (http://www.teasearecords.net) Brace yourself, as Professor Elemental fires off the first shot in a chap-hop/ steampunk battle.

Professor Elemental, alongside his arch-nemesis Mr. B, has pioneered his own brand of ‘chap-hop’ over the last decade or so, fusing geek-inspired theatrics and lyrical-work with lively, light-hearted and immersive performance.

What’s more, we wanted to make the most of the Professor’s trip to ‘sunny’ Swansea, so we’ve invited him to The Front Room in Mumbles where, before the evening’s entertainment, he’ll be hosting a special High Tea. Honestly, the entertainment is just the “icing on the cake” - the food is terrifyingly good.

Joining the Professor for the evening’s performance in Cinema & Co. we have two acts that both Si and I absolutely adore.

Curious Orange are a high-octane band who effortlessly fill the room with joyous noise, perfectly blending up-beat covers and humorous, anecdotal originals whilst The Orange Circus are a riotous whirlwind of bluegrass and country that are set to kick the night off in true, knee-stomping style.

Uploaded by Curious Orange on 2016-09-20.

Official Website: https://www.theorangecircus.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theorangecircus/ AINT GOT NO HOME Music Video by Howard the Duck Words and Music by Woody Guthrie, Shep! and The Orange Circus Band Taken From 'Live Sessions Vol. 1 - Let the Circus Take You' I ain't got no home, I'm just a-ramblin' round I'm just a wandrin' worker, I go from town to town.

* Tickets *

CLICK HERE

An Evening with the Professor | £8 ADV

*** SOLD OUT *** Afternoon Tea with the Professor | £20

*** SOLD OUT *** The Full Package | £25

UPDATE (11:06am 12.10.18) - PLEASE BE AWARE THIS SHOW HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS.

As soon as we hear a rescheduled date we’ll let you know!

What a weekend we’ve just had. For those unaware, Simon & Joe (Swansea Music Hub) organised the second instalment of the Swansea Fringe Festival last weekend & we’re only just about recovering. But we cannot think of any better way of capping off a week of reflection, relaxation & recovery than by seeing two of Wales’ most exciting artists as part of Libraries Week.

In the somewhat unconventional setting of the South Wales Miners Library, Horizons & Y Selar present I See Rivers & Eädyth for what will be a magical afternoon of live music. Best of all it’s FREE!

I See Rivers are Lill, Eline & Gøril - three girls originally hailing from the Northern, Southern and Western parts of Norway. Now based in Tenby, I See Rivers’ music is beautiful. Dubbed ‘Float Folk’ their memorable melodies and untraditional vocal harmonies their soundscape can be associated with artists such as Fleet Foxes, Sufjan Stevens and Feist. 

Joining them is one of South Wales’ most exciting young musicians: Eädyth. With a stunning sound evoking influences from electronic music, RnB and soul.

Libraries Week (8-13 October) is the annual showcase of all the creative, innovative and diverse activities that libraries have to offer and this year, with a focus on wellbeing, they will showcase how they bring communities together, combat loneliness, provide a space for reading and creativity and support people with their mental health.

Don’t sleep on this one. It’ll be one to remember. Grab your free tickets from eventbrite now.

In the week prior to the second Swansea Fringe Festival - things at SwanseaMusic Hub are pretty mental in preparation for that - but we couldn’t ignore this HUGE show at Sin City tomorrow night (sorry it’s late in the week!!)

Melodic Rock/Punk quartet Mallory Knox head to Sin City for a special intimate show that will be one hard to forget we’re sure! Joining them are a trio of the finest alternative rock bands on the UK music scene at the moment: All Ears Avow, Hide Your Eyes and one of Swansea’s finest alternative rock bands The Effect make a strong return (check out their latest single below!).

Tickets are £12.50 adv but will be more on the door.

Described at Wales’ best kept secret, The Fireside Family from Llandrindod Wells play a special intimate show at Cinema & Co (hosted by Welsh Connections) this Friday.

Joining them are two of Swansea’s most cherished singer songwriters, Lost Tuesday Society’s Sarah Birch (who’s album we’re all eagerly waiting to hear!) & Tansy! Head to Cinema & Co this Friday! £5.00 entry / £3.50 with a valid NUS card!

We focus on Creature Sound this week for an absolute master class in local punk music this week. Swansea legends (and former Swansea artist of the week) The Groundnuts & Independents headline a show brought to you by ERECT Music & Biscuit Bookings). 

The Groundnuts & Independents have been together since 1991, and if you’re ever seen them live, you can certainly tell. 

They’ll be joined by X Twenty-Two, described as “your favourite worst punk band ever”, South Wales punk rockers ILL FATE & Cardiff rock/punk band Throwing Knives. 

Listen to all four below & head to Creature Sound this Friday for 19:00! £3.00 entry.

Over the years Swansea has produced some real gems that have grown out of our small but thriving music scene to go on to bigger things and our artist of the week this week is no exception. Dream State have had an ridiculous 2018 so far and rightly so, as they're absolutely amazing. 

I grew up listening to bands like Funeral For a Friend, Alexisonfire, BMTH etc... and now only really pay attention to similar bands that are really a cut above. After we started compiling artists for our artists directory back in December of last year, I contacted a few people to get their suggestions and BBC Radio Wales DJ Bethan Elfyn emailed me linking me to Dream State.

I then proceeded to check them out and was not disappointed. I thought to myself, this band MUST have a huge future ahead of them - every song I listened to I was like "that is a certified BANGER". 

And it seems like the WORLD agrees. Their track "White Lies has now reached a whopping 6+million views on YouTube and their recent EP 'Recovery' has received the highest of praise worldwide. 

I was lucky enough to have the chance to see Dream State at FOCUS Wales earlier this year.  In fact in a weekend of incredible bands (from all over the world and across many genres) it was genuinely the best sets I saw that weekend (and one of the best I think I've ever seen).

It was a busy room filled with hard core Dream State fans and front woman CJ Gilpin made sure it was an unforgettable night. She spent the majority of the set in amongst the crowds and mosh pits, singing along cheek to cheek with fans, whilst the rest of the band played flawlessly (often resorting to maintaining the high energy by running around the room whilst playing complex riffs). CJ & the band then made a point of sticking around post show at the merch stand to sign autographs, take selfies and chat to the bands' fans. 

Their was so much love in the room and a real sense of togetherness and this appears to be present at every Dream State show.

I unfortunately missed their homecoming show at Sin City, but I've had multiple reports that the same love and energy was present (see the above video), with many saying it was the best gig they'd been to in our city. 

Their currently on a whopping European & UK tour with The Amity Affliction, they've just been on the road with Babymetal, they've been signed a worldwide deal with heavy music label legends UNFD , won a Kerrang Award for best breakthrough artist and have been putting and unbelievable shift in with music videos, live shows and more. But for CJ, guitarists Aled and Rhys, bassist Danny and drummer Jamie, this is definitely only the beginning.

Dream State Website

Written by Simon Parton

A little later than usual this week (sorry Joe's been busy busy busy preparing for the Swansea Fringe Festival and Simon's been in Berlin for 37d03d festival and his stag do) but we're back with an absolutely massive gig of the week, this week at The Vault! 

Three absolute giants in the Swansea indie / rock n roll scene - The Penny Drops, The Zinvandels and The Riff will be providing you with a superb night of original music from 20:00. Tickets are also an absolute steal at just £3.00 - which you can grab from No Sign Wine Bar. 

What better way to spend your bank holiday!! 

We're super excited about this one. The guys in Picsel have organised an absolute whopper of a one day festival at Cinema & Co this weekend - expect awesome music, great beer & great burgers (from Exist) this Saturday - and better still you can bag yourself a ticket now for just £5.00! 

So! Let's take you through the line up:

Picsel

Organisers of the event & noisey pop punk quartet Picsel have made a huge impact on the Swansea music scene after releasing only 3 tunes. Their songwriting game is superb, their live game is superb & they're the nicest guys too! Check out their latest video for "Alcohol & Drugs" filmed at Cinema & Co below:

People & Other Diseases

Noisey, post-punk, garagey, grungey Swansea legends People & Other Diseases will be making a wonderful racket too at Cinema & Co this Saturday. They were one of our highlights from last year's Swansea Fringe festival, and they were really ace supporting The Wytches at Sin City - we're super excited to see them again this weekend! 

French Alps Tiger

We caught French Alps Tiger at Cinema & Co back in April and we were blown away! Check out their tune The Floor is Lava below - proper good punky, post rock goodness that wouldn't be out of place on a Tony Hawks Pro Skater Soundtrack!! 

Luv Dot Got (NYC)

We'll also be graced with chunky guitars, sweet melodies & pop-punk bangers from New York this Saturday! Luv Dot Gov will be stopping by Swansea to deliver some top notch tunes and after listening to their latest release 'At Least We've Got This Madness', we're really excited! 

William Poyer

After a superb headliner show at Cinema & Co, Will's back for another stunning set at South West Fest this Saturday! Superbly written songs from this Welshman (via Mexico). His songs perfectly combine storytelling, strong rhythms and melodic hooks all wrapped in a unique blend of folk & americana.

Emilie Merry

Ahead of her EP release later this month, Emilie joins the lineup to deliver her stunning compositions. Her EP 'Not Your One' comes out soon and if the recent release 'Different' which was played on Adam Walton's show a couple of weeks ago is anything to go off, we're super excited to hear more! Here's an old one from Emilie that showcases her superb talents: 

Ben Luc

Completing this stunning line up is non other than former artist of the week and #SwanseaMusic legend Ben Luc. Expect wicked tunes draped in lusheous soundscapes, drenched in reverb, delay and all through Ben's awesome ability with his looping pedals. His ability as a producer is also superb: check out his most recent release Frequencies below: 

If you're not convinced that Cinema & Co is the place to be this Saturday I'm not sure what else you'd want!! Make sure you bag yourself a ticket early too because it'll be more expensive on the door! 

We're back at Sin City this week for our featured gig of the week as Swansea band Static Fires release their album 'Thirteen' following their 2016 debut EP. 

We really enjoyed the lead single from their album entitled 'Black Velvet' (that we suggest you listen to below) and couldn't ignore the lineup they've put together for what will be a great night of original live music - and for just £3.00 it's an absolute steal for your Friday night this week! 

Joining them are South Wales based The Caspiens, Swansea rockers In With The Jellyfish and last week's artist of the week String Theory! 

Music is Important

#SwanseaMusic 

Having a browse through String Theory's Soundcloud back catalogue is unbelievably reassuring; five tracks that show a consistent ability to develop their craft, their approach and their style while maintaining a core sound that is vibrant, relentless and exhilarating.

Their most recent offering is a noticeable step up in production quality from the more garage'y demos previously released, and it's here that you see these four "millennials from Swansea" really coming into their own.

'17' is a pounding journey through adolescence and tackles the burgeoning decent into adulthood with a rather apt hypnotic quality to the weaving, repetitive guitar lines and gruelling rhythm throughout - the latter of which is beautifully captured too. Kudos to the producer - whoever they may be!

There's a sneering quality about the track that is reminiscent of their contemporaries Pretty Vicious and a toying, playful bent throughout à la 'Dookie'-era Green Day. Going off on a slight tangent, but I find something in '17' that's comforting; in much the same way I might feel when listening to tracks I've grown up with - like a big, warm musical hug...

Back on track.

Simply put; String Theory make me excited about young music coming out of Swansea.

String Theory Soundcloud | String Theory Facebook | String Theory Twitter | String Theory Instagram

Written by: Joe Bayliss

We head to Sin City this week for our featured gig of the week and what a show you're in for!! It'll be loud. It'll be rocky. It'll want to make you move. It'll make you want to bang your head. And this is largely down to the three ridiculously good bands on the bill.

Headlining the evening are Swansea legends Heavy on The Ride - if you live in Swansea & haven't heard of these guys you must be living under a rock, because these guys have a firm footprint on the music scene. For fans of Queens of the Stone Age, Mastadon, Zeppelin, Foo Fighters etc... 

Joining them on this killer night are Blackburn based band Sky Valley Mistress (who have been described as "a cacophony of rock n’ roll excellence" and local hard rockers Fallen Temples (described by Adam Walton as "Intoxicatingly melodic and genre defying".)

Tickets for the show are £4.00 - alternatively they'll be £5.00 on the door. 

Some bands are timeless, others burn out, creatively, like a flash in the pan. It takes something truly special to stand the test of time, and there are few, if any, acts in Swansea who have remained as vital, vibrant and relevant as The Groundnuts & Independents - they are a constant, perpetual and necessary force of nature.

The Groundnuts & Independents are Greg Fabb and Jason Williams, playing bass and guitar respectively, who share vocal duties throughout, finishing off the trio with Lee Thomas beating the skins.

They’ve a healthy (for the soul, if not for the ears) menu of releases on Bandcamp - something that always excites me, so I dove right in to Hellish Tidy with wild abandon. Hellish Tidy is a solid collection of traditional punk tunes with a few quirks that exemplify what make The Groundnuts & Independents such a lasting exponent of Swansea music.

Album (for lack of a better term - with Hellish Tidy clocking in at a metronome defying 13.82 minutes long) opener ‘Oh Shit’ lulls you into a false sense of security with it’s ‘found audio’ introduction before launching into a ferocious, musically manic audio assault that doesn’t let up throughout ‘Spread The Word’ and ‘Draw The Line’. ’Bosina No. 3’’ is perfectly timed within the collection for a small reprieve from the carnage with it’s central riff that beautifully bastardises ‘60s surf melodies before launching back in to the unflinching ‘FBR’. ‘Cock Rock’ is a modern day ‘King Rocker’ whilst ‘One Shot’’s acoustic introduction and half-time rhythms caught me off guard before launching into a solid, neatly-worked album closer that left me wanting more!

Bite size releases, perfectly penned with production that’s snappy, in no way convoluted and captures the essence of the act. Full marks from me!

The Groundnuts & Independents Facebook | The Groundnuts & Independents Bandcamp

Written by Joe Bayliss

Mozarts is the place to be this Saturday. Black Wolf Shows have curated this incredible line up of rock & punk for their all day festival By The Bay. Over 15 bands, pirate themed and a reward of a free pint if you come dressed as pirate - what's more of a reason to go!! 

Confirmed bands playing are as follows: The Murderburgers / Jake and the Jellyfish / Tim Holehouse / Crooked Little Sons / Peachfuzz / Deadlines / Ocean View Sunset / The Groundnuts & Independents / The Boneless Ones / Iron Gosling / Low Blows / Richie Smith / Jebbers / .....But Pirates? / Shy Lizard / & more... 

Tickets are £10.00 on the door and the event will also be supporting Many Tears Dog Rescue! 

Support Swansea Music & support our incredible Punk scene by getting down to Mozarts at 13:00 this Saturday! Here's a very quick teaser of just a few of the bands that will be playing:

Something a little different for our featured gig this week, but something we feel very passionate about supporting - the Swansea Hip Hop Scene. 

If someone asked me about the hip hop scene in Swansea before we started the Swansea Music Hub - I would have answered with "little to non existent", but the fact is, there is a really strong underground hip hop scene in the city that needs to be celebrated & supported by a wider audience. With acts and producers like Craze The Jack, Rufus Mufasa, Ananas, T-Rev, F Dot Xtra, Lewis Cullen & Neezo listed on our artist directory and leading the way, you immediately get a sense that our city's hip hop scene is thriving. (I'm sure there's so many more amazing acts missing here too - if so get in touch & let us know!!)

And what better way to celebrate and support it then by heading to Cinema & Co this Saturday evening! With live performances from the artists at the forefront of the scene - Rufus Mufasa & Craze The Jack, this is one night not to miss. 

Your ticket will not only provide you with live sets from these two, but there's also

• a graffiti exhibition featuring the works of Smak, Skroe, Over, Sadsak, Unity & friends
• Breakdance from B-boy 'Rickie the Spin' & friends
• a screening of STYLE WARS: THE ORIGINAL HIP HOP DOCUMENTARY (1983)

Tickets available here: 

Doors open at 19.00

**Age Restriction: 12 and up**

We're super thrilled to announce that we have curated two days worth of live music across three stages at this year's Wales Airshow. The three stages are located across the main airshow site:

Main Stage: On the front near the cenotaph

Other Stage: Near the Civic Centre

Acoustic Stage: On Oystermouth Road opposite the BayView. 

The event, which is free to attend, will see music running between 12:00 and 17:00 on both Saturday and Sunday - allow yourself enough time to make it through the crowds if you'd like to see any specific acts! 

Be sure to share your experience with us tagging us on social media (@swanseamusichub) and using the hashtag #SwanseaMusic. 

Hopefully catch you on the weekend!! 

Joe & Simon x

To make a music scene thrive, you need passionate, talented and hard working musicians. One of these musicians in Swansea is Ben Luc - and we're very lucky to have him! 

Like many of the musicians I have discovered in Swansea, I first heard Ben play in Cinema & Co, during the open mic that Horizons/Gorwelion held. I was really blown away & watched him intently - not only because of Ben's ability to create amazing soundscapes using his voice, guitar and looping pedal but also because I was thinking "man, this is the sort of music I'd make and love - and it's drenched in reverb!"

Awesome vocals & melodies, really interesting looping work and guitar playing that Jonny Greenwood would be pleased with!

All you need to do is check out Ben's most recent live EP, recorded in Creature Sound in April to see where I'm coming from:

Every time I see Ben live I'm left in awe - and it's not only his service to the music scene he provides through his own music - he's always at gigs supporting other musicians in the city and he also organises an open mic at The Last Resort on a Wednesday and is always supporting the Sonic Youth Sessions and open mic sessions at Creature Sound. 

Nice one Ben - we hope you know your hard work and passion for music in the city doesn't go unnoticed! 

Ben Luc Facebook | Ben Luc Twitter | Ben Luc Website

Written by Simon Parton

Our Swansea gig pick of the week this week this week is Static Fires' single release show at Creature Sound this Wednesday.

Static Fires are Sam Randles, Jack Clements, Thomas Gibbins & Jack Piper and are a band that have firmly stamped their name and signature heavy / alt rock sound on the music scene. This Wednesday, their next single and music video for 'Black Velvet' will be debuted on New Noise Magazine and they'll be celebrating the launch at Creature Sound alongside Wine Morals & Hobgoblin! 

This is one night of local rock music that you don't want to miss! 

"Delyth and Angharad, also known affectionately ‘DnA’ not just because of their initials, but because they are a mother and daughter duo with music literally woven through their DNA." 

And they're providing us with a very special gig of the week this week at the Mission Gallery to celebrate the launch of their new album 'Llinyn Arian'. 

"Llinyn Arian (Silver Thread) is a Welsh idiom that describes the journey of life. It is the title of this second album which celebrates family bonds and friendship, and features intimate conversations between Angharad’s fiddle and Delyth’s harp. It recalls pieces that have been the mainstay of their musical home, tunes composed together and inspired by special occasions with family and friends."

We're really looking forward to this one, it's going to be a really special evening of music, art and conversation. 

What a weekend last weekend was for Swansea the wider music scene. We've only just recovered (hence the late in the week gig feature) but across the board it was an incredible weekend for Swansea. Whilst megastars like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Florence & the Machine & Sam Smith graced the main stage at Singleton park, the Introducing stage saw the likes of Swansea's own Rachel K Collier & Trampolene play to a huge crowd at the festival! 

For those not lucky enough to have a ticket, there was lots going on elsewhere in the city - like in Creature Sound, where the Punks 4 Mental Health Festival took place, featuring local bands like Godkilla, World Vs World, Windshake, Lost Tuesday Society, Ben Luc, King Goon and so many more. A truly special weekend for #SwanseaMusic. 

Now this is where we need to step up & keep the momentum of our music scene going. And what better way than to come party with Dream State at Sin City tomorrow night! (Also, Ed Sheeran name dropped Sin City twice on stage and twice in a backstage interview - so you know it's the place to be...)

Celebrating the release of their EP 'Recovery', Dream State play a very special homecoming show before they head to Donington Park later in the year to play Download. After that (at their current rate) we expect they'll be taking over the world. 

The band have been tipped by Radio One's own Huw Stephens & Annie Mac as well as Kerrang, Rocksound & more. I also caught them play FOCUS Wales earlier this month and was totally blown away. We really recommend this one. 

Not only that, they're joined by a top notch bunch of bands in support including Bridgend's Breathe In Silence, Cardiff based Winchester and Swansea's own I Digress. 

Tickets are £6.00 (£7.50 with booking fee) and available here. 

What a treat you're in for if you've got a ticket for this Friday's show at the Taliesin. The critically acclaimed / award winning collaboration between Welsh Harpist Catrin Find and Senegalese kora player Seckou Keita. This duo deliver a sound that is not only incredibly virtuosic but blissful, enlightening & demonstrates musicianship at the highest level. 

“Absolutely hypnotic" Guy Garvey, BBC 6 Music

"Intricate, ethereal and entrancing, an elaborate pas-de-deux... remarkable" Neil Spencer, UNCUT Magazine *****

"This, I suspect, will be remembered as one of the classic concerts of the year" Robin Denselow, The Guardian *****

For more info head here.