S┼Án Festival took place last weekend in Cardiff city centre, an annual event that has become one of the most exciting events on the Welsh capital├¡s music scene. The event took place from 17th-20th October across a number of city centre venues, such as Clwb Ifor Bach, The Moon Club, and the Student Union├¡s Great Hall.
This yearís event expanded on previous years to include a greater number of venues, from rock and metal club Fuel to the acoustically stunning St Johnís Church.
The festival was founded in 2007 by Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens and John Rostron; they named it ‘S┼Án’, the Welsh word for ‘noise’. Having hosted the likes of Alt-J, The Vaccines and Disclosure in recent years, this year├¡s event was attended by thousands and featured a diverse lineup of over 200 acts from the UK and abroad. This included post-dubstep producer/singer Ghostpoet, indie/electronica band Everything Everything, and Welsh-language pop artist Mr Huw.
S┼Án is a festival that artists find to have a very different atmosphere to summer camping festivals. “These ones feel a lot more like a gig,” said Daniel Solomons, bassist for the guitar-pop band Childhood.
Owen Richards, the bass player for Cardiff-based band Houdini Dax, who played the outdoor stage on Saturday, called the festival a “fantastic asset for the Cardiff music scene…┬á for bands it offers the opportunity to play an incredible gig to a truly appreciative audience”. He went on to say “it really does showcase the best of new music in and out┬á of Wales, in a unique venue-hopping experience.”
Aside from the music, there was a great deal on offer; DJs, exhibitions, film screenings, quizzes and much more. The festivities kicked off with the Welsh Music Prize and finished with legendary closing party Dim S┼Án.
Alec Evans
News Writer
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