When I previewed FOCUS Wales 2025 a few weeks back, I was looking forward to the eclectic, international line up that was set to descend on the North Wales city of Wrexham. It’s the essence of a cultural exchange, sharing the music of different countries and cultures in a 3 day showcase, spanning over 20 venues across Wrexham.
From the smallest rooms, the Welsh-est pub and the big top at Llwyn Isaf, everything is catered for and broadly speaking, well attended. Indeed, when I arrived on Thursday, local band Factory Set had packed out The Parish to the extent that I could barely squeeze my camera lens through the door to get a shot of the hotly-tipped band.
Rather than stand in the street, I took the short walk around the corner to catch Seattle singer-songwriter Whitney Lyman deliver a beautiful set in the stunning surroundings of St Giles Parish Church. Indie-rock and pop songs, coupled with powerful lyrics filled the ornate room and entertained an appreciative crowd, easing themselves into the event on Wednesday evening.
Another Welsh act – Seazoo – were on the other side of town at Llwyn Isaf, the main event space, so I dashed across to get my first experience of the big festival tent. A pleasant half hour and the local fans certainly appreciated their brand of good humoured, classic indie-pop.
The Rockin’ Chair has been developing a reputation of late, having welcomed some big names during their UK tours. Both rooms in this great venue were in action across the festival, and my first visit saw dream-pop, indie-rock outfit Half Happy, before heading to the next room to be blown away by Antwerp-based 4 piece Meltheads. Up there as one of my festival highlights, the Belgian rockers hit us hard, with their super tight rhythms, crushing guitars and Sieste Willems’ punky lead vocal and inexhaustible energy.
Irish rockers SPRINTS headlined the marquee at Llwyn Isaf, winning round the initially reserved crowd by the end of a fantastic set. Lead singer Karla Chubb definitely earned her money with this set, getting the crowd going by the time Heavy rang out under the canvas.
Across town, Lizzie Esau delivered a beautiful set in the sparsely attended surrounds of nghtclb. Up against the main stage headliners is always a difficult slot, but Esau performed like it was packed to the rafters and more people should have seen this performance. She’s on the road later in the year, so definitely worth a look.
Legs aching, I attacked Day 2 with coffee from the hub of the whole festival at Tŷ Pawb, before heading into an industry panel discussion. This is one of the lovely features of the festival. This isn’t just a chance to catch some of the best up and coming international talent, but for those in the industry (or just interested in the industry) there is the chance to hear from those who have been there and done it.
This panel dealt with the challenges of management and representation starting out in the music industry. Chaired by Megan Devereux from Marshall Group, panelists Eve Horne (We Are The Unheard), Amy Love and Georgia South (Nova Twins), Henca Maduro-Struiken (Epitome Entertainment) and Andy Harrison (5000) gave their deep insights into just how uneven the playing field can be for new artists.
It’s the perfect start to this day, as we heard their experiences of working to get exposure, the sacrifices that have to be made, and crucially, those you should never make, on the journey towards a career in music. It’s a stark reminder of how important events like this are to keep new music going, through the network of independent venues all over the country.
As for the music itself, I started where I’d left off last night – nghtclb – down at the bottom of Town Hill. The Spanish Mixer was in full flow by the time I got in, as Cushla were just finishing up their set – Irish melodies, Spanish lyrics and cutting edge beats made for a fascinating mix. Ona Mafalda – Madrid based singer-songwrirter – gave us chilled vocals with electronics beats before Mirage showed us a different side to the Iberian music scene with heavier, guitar-led alt rock.
Day 2 was arguably the strongest day at Llwyn Isaf, spanning the rock spectrum. Sustinere kicked things off, drawing inevitable – but justified – Royal Blood comparisons and creating a strong sound from just drums and a guitar. Local boys HAZMAT enjoyed being on home turf, then SUN lit the stage up with her emphatic brand of Brutal Pop. Dramatic, huge sound and the best staging of the festival fired up the crowd, who bounced to the heavy riffs, anthemic songs and piercing screams.
It might be early in festival season, but already the final two sets of the day could be my highlights. Panic Shack took a break from their own headline tour to tear up FOCUS Wales, getting a huge welcome in the North, despite hailing from Cardiff! A typically unapologetic set of crunching guitars and scything lyrics got the crowd fizzing in the big top.
The tent filled up again for headliners Nova Twins. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve seen them, last time out in the confines of The Key Club in Leeds where they absolutely blew me away. Since then, they’ve been gracing much bigger stages and it shows as their stagecraft is exceptional and their sound – well, earth-shattering. Even though Amy Love struggled to get a guitar working, Georgia South held things together with an astonishing performance on bass. It gave Love the chance to get around, mic in hand, serving up her powerful vocals from all over the stage.
Day 3, with my ears still ringing from Nova Twins’ onslaught I headed back to nghtclb to see Wet Iguanas, a Catalonian indie four-piece who have been stretching their legs internationally lately. A power cut meant that their set was somewhat interrupted, but the drummer gave us a virtuoso performance which kept the dancefloor filled until things got back underway.
I wandered through town to find (probably) the Welshest of all the venues taking part in the festival. Saith Seren is a haven of Welsh language, images of iconic sporting scenes and the barrier in front of the stage comes from the old Kop end at the Racecourse ground. It’s here I’m watching Morgan Elwy, who gives us a set of “dub in the pub”, a fusion of reggae, folk and rock all in the musical Welsh language. The pub is packed out, with fans of all ages dancing at the front as Morgan told his stories.
Last minute, I decided to head back to nghtclb, and I’m glad I did. As I walked the stairs to the first floor room, they vibrated beneath my feet, from the music and the dancing that was happening on the other side of the wall. Hypnosis Therapy were in full flight, with the Seoul-based duo smashing out their brand of electronic rap, complete with a light show and lasers attached to Jjangyou’s gloves. Quite possibly the best thing I saw all weekend in terms of vibe, off-the-scale crowd energy. They hit so hard, I’m surprised they didn’t go through the ceiling and invade the sports bar below.
Gruff Rhys is the final headliner down at Llwyn Isaf and gives a typically idiosyncratic performance – carrying on signs in Welsh, and an engaging visual representation of his 2014 album American Interior. Earlier on the day, Rhys had presented his film of the same name at the film festival which runs in parallel with the music.
This is a great festival. Many and varied genres, a large number of countries represented, from South Korea to Canada and plenty in between. Music, film, valuable panel discussions, all of these combine to bring the focus firmly into the city of Wrexham.
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