Llais Festival – ‘A Festival of Voice’ – Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

Photography: Chloe Jackson-Nott
Words: Chloe Jackson-Nott

A festival inspired by the instrument that connects us all – the voice

“Llais is Cardiff’s international arts festival, bringing artists and audiences together for incredible live music, thought-provoking performance and inspirational talks.”

Llais Festival began back in 2016 which saw a line-up of Van Morrison, Charlotte Church and Hot Chip. Last years line-up saw artists Cate Le Bon, Midlake and Pussy Riot take to the stage. For 2023, Llais Festival is bringing along The Staves, Bat For Lashes, Gwenno and many more!

(You might recognise Gwenno from the side of Clwb Ifor Bach on Womanby Street as a 38 metre mural!)

During the weekend of October 14-15, we managed to catch the sets of: Angharad Davies, Angeline Morrison, Gwenno, Clare Marie Bailey and Elaha Soroor. What a fantastic mixture of international sound and culture.

Angharad Davies – a Welsh experimental violinist demonstrating a psychedelic experience for the audience in the Cabaret bar. Angharad slowly approached the stage and setting the expectations of her performance. She performed a 52-minute solo violin piece from her single track album titled “Gwneud a Gwneud Eto / Do and Do Again.” The performance provided the room with a sense of meditation and enchantment. Angharad describes the violin as particularly intimate with an endless wealth of possibilities. The low repetitive drones and variety of high pitched scratches truly provided the audience with the psychedelic experience they were promised.

Angeline Morrison – with a focus on storytelling, Angeline performs elements of soul music, folklore, myth and the supernatural. Angeline Morrison’s 2022 album, The Sorrow Songs: Folk Songs of Black British Experience was voted Number One Folk Album of the Year in The Guardian. Angeline shared a touching story with the audience about how she was very close with her grandfather who had dementia. Her hypnotic performance interacted with the audience through precise storytelling. The audience were applauding the end of each song ready for the next.

Gwenno – this was a one- off performance exclusive to Llais Festival, titled ‘Tair Ton | Teyr Ton | Three Waves.’ We were told to expect a ‘sensory feast with added theatrics’ and that’s exactly what Gwenno treated us to. This performance celebrated her three albums with connecting themes and featured unheard live performances from her discography. Gwenno’s performance was filled with stunning lighting and graphics throughout giving the audience a show of visual satisfaction. The crowd came wearing their red hats and ready to be captivated with songs such as N.Y.C.A.W. and Men an Toll from her album, Tresor. Gwenno was a perfect wrap up act on Sunday at Llais Festival bringing along Welsh culture and voice at its finest.