Entertainment

BBC ‘diving head first’ into a summer of live music at events across Wales

Published

4 years ago

June 11, 2022

AS FESTIVALS and events are making a comeback, BBC Wales has announced an exciting summer of music across television, radio and digital.

BBC Wales says that it is “diving head first into a summer of live music at events across Wales – from local town hall shows to large scale concerts and festivals.”

On television, an exclusive Stereophonics homecoming gig will be broadcast live from the Principality Stadium Cardiff when the band play in front of 60,000 fans on the second of a two night stand at the iconic venue. Stereophonics Live in Cardiff: We’ll Keep a Welcome will be on BBC One Wales – and BBC Two across the UK – on Saturday, 18 June from 8.40pm just as the band hits the stage.

BBC Wales’ Director Rhuanedd Richards says “As people across Wales at long last come together again to enjoy live music and festivals, BBC Cymru Wales will be supporting and broadcasting from events across the nation. It’s going to be a jam-packed summer – with live music being central to local community and large scale events – and BBC Cymru Wales will be there to capture the performances of Welsh and international artists. Following the pandemic, it’s time to turn up the volume again, and celebrate music as a force for bringing people together and showcasing the best that Wales has to offer. I’m also delighted that our ‘Summer of Music’ will culminate in a landmark series with Huw Stephens exploring The Story of Welsh Music.”

Wynne Evans’ Townhall Showdown sees the presenter and opera singer visit towns and villages across Wales, starting at the Newbridge Memo, and bringing with him regular features from his daily show. Wynne will also perform at each event, as will a local Welsh band or artist. And John Quirk and his band will provide musical accompaniment to the evening. Highlights from the evening will be heard on Wynne Evans’ show every Friday following each event.

Fresh from Gŵyl Triban at the National Urdd Eisteddfod, Radio Cymru will be live at Tafwyl festival in Cardiff, the Sesiwn Fawr in Dolgellau and at the National Eisteddfod in Tregaron, and will bring unmissable and exclusive music to Radio Cymru listeners and BBC Sounds users. To coincide with each of these major events, the station will embark on a schools tour, bringing the best of live Welsh music to a school in each of the local areas.

The BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales will be at a variety of events across Wales over the summer. From performing their season closing Romance and Revolution concerts in Cardiff and Swansea in June, to entertaining the crowds at the Welsh Proms in July and accompanying Carwyn Elis at the Greenman Festival in Crickhowell in August. BBC NOW will then return to the St Asaph Festival in September. The orchestra is also performing over the summer at four of the BBC Proms in London, including a concert with the Tredegar Band.

In September, BBC Two Wales will show The Story of Welsh Music, where presenter Huw Stephens will look at key stages in the history of Wales as a musical nation. The two part series will tell various stories – from the history of the triple harp and how it’s importance meant it was considered Wales’ national harp – to the story behind Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, the phenomenon of ‘Cwl Cymru’ and the international success of bands like Manic Street Preachers and Stereophonics.

On digital, BBC Wales’ Horizons/Gorwelion project will feature coverage from the In It Together festival in Port Talbot. And will have filmed and recorded sets from venues across Wales – including Queen’s Hall Narberth, Swansea’s Sin City, Aberystwyth Arts Centre and Pontio in Bangor.

BBC Sounds will feature summer playlists and set highlights from across the summer’s events and programmes.

Entertainment

Tenby steams up in spectacular style as crowds flock to festival

Published

1 day ago

March 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Colourful parade, towering creations and Victorian flair bring town centre to life

TENBY was transformed into a vibrant Victorian fantasy on Saturday (Mar 21) as hundreds of visitors descended on the town for the annual Steampunk Festival.

The highlight of the day came with the much-anticipated Peacock Parade, which saw elaborately dressed participants wind their way through Tenby’s narrow streets, drawing large crowds of spectators.

Residents and visitors lined the route, many stopping to take photos as performers in eye-catching costumes passed by. From brass goggles and top hats to military-inspired uniforms and elegant gowns, the outfits on display reflected the creativity and theatrical spirit of the steampunk scene.

Among the most striking sights were the towering pink flamingo creations, which rose high above the crowds and became an instant talking point. Musicians in period costume added to the atmosphere, playing lively tunes as they marched through the town.

Families were out in force, with children and adults alike enjoying the spectacle. Many visitors had travelled from across Wales and beyond to attend the event, which has grown in popularity in recent years and is now firmly established as a key date in Tenby’s events calendar.

The Herald understands that local businesses also benefited from the influx of visitors, with cafés, pubs and shops seeing a steady flow of customers throughout the day.

In addition to the parade, a range of activities were taking place across the town, including markets, performances and themed entertainment centred around the De Valence Pavilion.

Organisers have worked to create an inclusive and welcoming event, with many people choosing to dress up while others simply come along to enjoy the unique atmosphere.

The festival continues on Sunday, with further events planned as Tenby remains firmly in the grip of steampunk fever for the weekend.

Photos: Colourful characters take part in the Peacock Parade through Tenby on Saturday (Pic: Gareth Davies).

Entertainment

St Patrick’s night celebration at Giraldus Centre

Published

4 days ago

March 18, 2026

Tom Sinclair

GET ready to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in style this Friday at the Giraldus Centre in Manorbier.

The community venue is hosting a lively evening of music, dancing and Irish-themed fun, with entertainment from popular local group The Slipway Ukes.

Doors open at 7:00pm on Friday (Mar 20), with free entry for all. A fully licensed bar will be open throughout the evening, serving drinks and snacks with an Irish twist.

Organisers are encouraging everyone to “unleash their inner leprechaun” and enjoy a night on the dance floor.

There is no need to book—just turn up and join in.

Donations on the night will be gratefully received in support of the Paul Sartori Foundation.

The event takes place at the Giraldus Centre, Manorbier, SA70 7TN.

Entertainment

Met Opera’s Tristan und Isolde comes to the Torch Theatre

Published

1 week ago

March 15, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Lise Davidsen leads star cast in Wagner’s epic tale of love and death in special cinema broadcast on Sunday (Mar 22)

AFTER years of anticipation, a truly unmissable event arrives in cinemas worldwide as the electrifying Lise Davidsen takes on one of the ultimate roles for dramatic soprano – the Irish princess Isolde – in Wagner’s transcendent meditation on love and death, Tristan und Isolde.

Heroic tenor Michael Spyres stars opposite Davidsen as the love-struck Tristan in what promises to be a powerful and emotionally charged performance.

The production also marks the arrival of a new staging at the Metropolitan Opera by Yuval Sharon, making his Met debut. Sharon has been hailed by The New York Times as “the most visionary opera director of his generation” and was the first American to direct an opera at the famous Wagner festival in Bayreuth.

Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin also leads Tristan und Isolde at the Met for the first time in this landmark production.

The cast includes mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova reprising her acclaimed portrayal of Brangäne, alongside bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny as Kurwenal following his celebrated Met appearances in Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländerand the Ring cycle. Bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green makes an important role debut as King Marke.

Reviewing the production for The Observer, Fiona Maddocks described it as a “glorious production” and “well worth catching”, adding: “This was one of those rare and blissful nights when dropped jaws silenced noisy opinion in the queue for coats afterwards.”

The recorded broadcast of Tristan und Isolde will be screened at the Torch Theatre on Sunday (Mar 22) at 4:00pm.

For further information visit www.torchtheatre.co.uk or contact the Box Office on (01646) 695267.

ENDS