Hiya!

So a little extra from FOCUS Wales in 2024 before we’ve even properly begun. Because, for the first time ever, I started on the Wednesday at the Gorwelion Horizons launch event over at The Parish!

Normally a delegate-only gathering, I was there tonight by way of a personal invitation from none other than Andy Jones, co-founder and head booker at FOCUS Wales, and all round cool guy. That’s him you see up above.

I was just very happy for the opportunity to be here, and to take the time to to catch up with friends, and to meet new people. By the time the evening was over, I ended up doing quite a bit of networking, a first for me! I’m definitely not just a punter around these parts any more.

But, as is always the case with me, it’s first and foremost about the music. And it was great to get in amongst it from the get go.

(NB This will be the only piece of this style that you will see here during FOCUS weekend. For all my other pieces, please head on over to Millimagic and look under LG Takeover. And stay on for everything else that dear Amelia has to offer.)

It was very busy in The Parish, as it pretty much always is during this particular weekend.

This is a shot of me stood in a prime spot. If you’re in The Parish for the music, it’s always good to find such a space and stick to it, especially when solo.

Music wise, the night started formally when PARCS took to the stage. I also saw them play at last year’s FOCUS, and I could have sworn that there were more of them onstage the last time around. And I wasn’t wrong, It was explained mid set that they were a member down.

But the rest of the band did a great job in her absence, and it was pretty cool to speak to them at length afterwards. That’s the other part of FOCUS that I love.

Hopefully we’ll be seeing plenty more of them again, I definitely will travel to do so as and when I can.

Wrkhouse were up next, and I appreciated their effort and enthusiasm onstage, and I told them so afterwards.

I definitely hope to see them return to Wrexham for a future FOCUS. But who knows, perhaps I’ll see them play elsewhere first. I know for a fact that I’ll be going to future shows in Leeds that one of them promotes, under the name ffin.

A change of pace and tempo as Bethan Lloyd then took to the stage and delivered those cool Celtic vibes.

Her rich and powerful vocals carried everything along like a serene ride across an ocean. Very thankful for the opportunity to have seen her play tonight.

Tonight’s music concluded with slate. To those reading (and thank you for doing so), it is bands such as them that keep me coming back to festivals such as these.

They were truly amazing, and I would have happily watched a set for twice as long.

Again, so thankful to Andy for giving me access to The Parish tonight otherwise I might have missed them completely this weekend.

It was fun to meet them and to talk to them afterwards too.

So, all in all, off to a great start! Remember, get yourself over to Millimagic to read the rest of my main FOCUS dispatches, and I’ll see you here on Friday morning for a very special piece dedicated to The Empty Page.