What more could you possibly want from a Bank Holiday weekend in the capital? 150 acts covering 8 venues all for £15!!! Hub festival looks set to be a great celebration of music in Wales.
We caught up with Sam from Hub festival to find out a little bit more -
EMW: How long has Hub being running?
S: This is HUB Festival Cardiff's first year running and we've had a fantastic response from the city already. We're hoping to become a staple part of Cardiff's festival season.
EMW: How would you best describe Hub festival?
S: HUB Festival Cardiff is an opportunity to showcase some of the incredible music, art and performance that this city is overflowing with at the moment! In our opinion, Cardiff houses some of the best music in the world at the moment, and the scene has never been so vibrant. We've tried our best to put as much of it as we can all on one street, for a nice and affordable price.
EMW: What music are you listening to in the Hub office at the moment?
S: We're currently sat in the office getting familiar with some of the acts that are performing this weekend! Trippy Wicked & The Cosmic Children of the Knight are something a bit special, if you prefer your music on the heavier end of the scale. Joe Driscoll and Sekou Kouyate are an interesting one too. They're one definitely not to miss. We've also been rocking out to Howl, and jamming to Tree House Fire. It's a hard old life running a festival!
A load of info on the festival is up here: hubcardiff.com
Weekend wristbands are £15 and there are a ton of great acts across the weekend.
James Reichelt, Cardiff producer Alone and promoter of What The Math? gives us a low down on one of the many events that are happening this weekend.
On Saturday Midnight - 3am What the Math? and JC Ents are curating at Four Bars above Dempsey's, bringing retro consoles, beats, glitches and loops from local artists and DJ's
JellyBear
JellyBear is the alias of Jack Farrow, twenty year old experimental producer currently living in Cardiff. After studying music from an early age playing the piano JellyBear moved on to writing chiptune influenced music in 2008 taking inspiration from Sabrepulse, Philter, nsrrenard and many other chip artists. In July 2013 JB released his colourful debut album Hey, JellyBear!, 10 tracks of buzzing squarewaves, looping samples and sweet as candy beats:
jellybear.bandcamp.com/album/hey-jellybear
Alone
Alone is Cardiff based producer James Reichelt. Loops of guitars, reverb and delays cascade into beat laden chiptunes powered by the now 30 year old NES console, a host of DIY synths and a Game Boy. Alone's music touches on many genres, blending post-rock, video game soundtracks and Kompact-inspired dance. Alone paints a post-something slice of hazy danceable sounds pulled from late night memories of virtual adventures.
Alone live has played with Hexstatic @ Swn Festival 2012, Laurence Made Me Cry, Citizens! and Mr Fogg. Tracks have been featured on AmazingRadio and BBC Radio1 Introducing with Jen and Ally.
alone-music.co.uk // soundcloud.com/alonemusic
Byzanite
Going solo from an Electro/Glitch duo in March 2009, Byzanite since then soared to a unique sound of chiptune. With other tastes in music, He indulges in non-purism chiptune or creations which have no 8-bit elements in at all!
With tracks featuring on Adam Walton's Welsh Music Show on BBC Radio Wales, Jen Long's Introducing Show on BBC Radio 1 and working closely with Babycakes Clothing, Byzanite will soon be a house hold name for Dance & Electronic music!
In 2013 Byzanite unleashed Citadel of Chaos, his latest album mixing dubstep, chiptune, house, hard beats and a passion for partying, pizza and cigarettes. Both as a live performer and DJ, Byzanite is an artist not to miss.
soundcloud.com/byzanite
Chemical X and Kepler
This mysterious duo (who would not provide a bio) close our night with a set of deep house, reverse bass and filthy beats.
soundcloud.com/chemical-x
What the Math? (whatthemath.com) promotes retro tinged musical events, inspired by the healthy chip/retro scenes of New York, Liverpool and Manchester. In April 2013 WTM? brought US Nerdcore MC MegaRan for his first ever show in Cardiff and hosted the Retro Game Party in 10 Feet Tall. In November, alongside JC Ents, WTM? will present Gameaplooza, a full day festival of retro videogames, art, video and of course, music from the finest chip/retro inspired musicians in Wales.
JC Ents (jackcooperents.com/) presents a wide variety of events across South Wales, including gigs, stand up night, variety shows, speed quizzes and more. JC co-promted the Retro Game Party with WTM? and this partnership continues with Gameaplooza in November 2013.
Many thanks to both Sam and James for the info. If you are in the area then do not miss this festival!
Here's the full festival line up -
Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate
Trippy Wicked & The Cosmic Children of the Knight
Right Hand Left Hand
Sophiaisfunk
Treehouse Fire
Them Squirrels
Maddie Jones
Prosperina
Heavy Quartet
Wonderbrass
Dead Residents
Chris Ridgeway
Zail
Fjords
Howl
Gwenno
Nanook of the North
Totem Terrors
Iron Eye
The Vendettas
Kundama
The Earth
The People, The Poet
Johnny Cage's Hopeful Sinners
The Dirty Revolution Soundsystem
Tomos Lewis
Fingertrap
Wight
Sen Segur
Third Party
Ruby Samba
Tim Short
Estrons
The D Teez
Evanjack
Best Laid Plans
Candelas
Bright Curse
Wicket
Masts
Junior Bill & The Scallies
Harri Morgan
Jimmy Rowe
Greta Isaac
Stalins Street Party
Groblar
Think Pretty
Mixalydia
Old Samuel
Rhodri Brookes
Firewood Island
Francescas Word Salad
The Bones of St James
Ampersand
Maharaja Blues
Shhh...apes!
Heavy Flames
Knights of Boom
Christian Pattemore & Phil Andrews
Swnami
Stereoripe
XicoRodrigues D'Taba
The Lost & Found
Jets to Zurich
Redmoth
Little Eris
Byzanite
ALONE
Chemical X & Kelper
A Shoebox Orchestra
Shiny Tiger
Ellie Makes Music
The Reardon Smith Lecture
Dominic Griffin
Luke Williams
Rob Cross
Fontaine
Steve Winch
Geraint Rhys
Candelas
Cobalt Sons
Hud
Jam With Robina
Sinéad Claire
Ten Year Trip
Tarsiers
Y Pencadlys
Kinetic Monkey
The Lay Lows
Soap
The Cradles
The Bluebells
Lee Dai Jones
Calum Duell
AC Fear
Magnu
Scarbelly
Aaronson
Sugardogs
The Seratones
Jefferson Lobo
Ieuan Williams
Dead in the Water
CJ Blues
Goldbringer
Evan Gardner
Remembering
Jess Jenkins
Jamie Willets
Kyle Kirkhouse
DJ Puddlefunk
DJ SpunTongue
F-Block
DJ Chisol
Gary Twisted
Undercover DJs
Toclifrench
Daff (Juju Nations)
Sowande (Juju Nations)
DJ Jaffa
Tim Tyson Short
Disco Palace
Sarah Sweeney
Mikey Snooze
DJ Lovelytime
Love n Harmony Sounds
Joy Collective
Balderdash
Rockpie promotions
Music Box
Freakscene
No Sweat
Fizzi Events
Bluebox
Crosswire
Split Personalities
Jack Cooper entertainments
What the Math?
Lesson no1
FYB
Dragon Era
Candela
Big Scott presents
This, That, & the Third
Five Dollar Shake
Gigantic
Strange Daze
WOMP
Boom
Juju Nations
Audio:Traffic
Boulevard
Disco Sucks
Eclipse
Deep Inside
Delirium
FAO
Obey
Signature
Delete
Dirty Knees
Batucada Basics
Bye Bear
The Lost Agency
Club Love
Spiral Brothers
Young Promoters Network
Astrosnooze
Back to Basskicks
Rave Revue
Busk Stop
Péchés Mignons
Spun Tongue