Countdown is on for Other Voices in Cardigan

Other Voices is one of the biggest cultural events in Cardigan’s calendar and from Thursday 26th to the small hours of Sunday 29th October, Cardigan will be buzzing with an extraordinary line-up of multi-genre artists representing the cutting-edge of musical talent from the two countries, and beyond.

The festival has three main elements. Firstly, at St Mary’s Church, eight very special headline acts will perform on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th to a competition-winning audience in the church, whilst also being live-streamed globally via the Other Voices YouTube channel and to the big screen in Mwldan for all to enjoy.

Susan ONeill Picture: Mwldan (Image: Mwldan)

Performances at St Mary’s are also filmed for later TV broadcast on S4C and Irish broadcaster RTE. Welsh artists Adwaith, Cerys Hafana and The Joy Formidable will be joined in the church by Susan O’Neill and Colm Mac Con Iomaire from Ireland, folk-indie legend King Creosote from Scotland, vibrant alt-pop Sans Soucis from Italy, and possibly the most vital UK band of the moment, Yard Act from Leeds.

Secondly, at ten venues across Aberteifi, 40 artists exclusively from Wales and Ireland will be performing 80 sets over the three days, an extraordinary spectrum of music from R&B to punk, pop to alt-folk, electronica, rap and soul. And thirdly, in five Clebran sessions held at Mwldan over the three days, sixteen of Wales and Ireland’s leading thinkers, artists and voices will be discussing shining examples of progress, creativity and inspiration, and the power we have to broaden our worlds and turn tides for the generations to come.

Yard Act. Picture: Phoebe Fox (Image: Phoebe Fox)

Mwldan’s CEO Dilwyn Davies says, “We are all so moved by how much the whole community has come together to make Other Voices happen in Aberteifi, October 2023. There’s now a palpable sense of excitement in the air, and we are so lucky to be welcoming such a huge number of incredible artists and speakers to our town to share their talent and inspiration with us.

"We’re also celebrating the very real connections we have with our friends from Ireland – eighteen incredible acts will be making the journey plus our dear friends from Other Voices Ireland. Plus of course all the amazing Welsh artists we will be welcoming.

“This really does feel like a festival for the town, by the town and the generosity shown already across the board has been overwhelming.

"We have the ten partner venues – St Mary’s Church, Cellar Bar, Crwst, Bar 45, Small World Theatre, Canfas, Pizza Tipi, Cardigan Castle, Stiwdio 3 and Mwldan – who are all hosting multiple performances and, in the case of St Mary’s, will be visible worldwide.

"Then we have numerous generous local businesses who are giving fabulous prizes of local experiences and products to some of the lucky audience members – Siop Y Pentre, Cilgerran, Adventure Beyond, Bay Coffee Roasters, Boys And Girls, Cardigan Bay Properties, Clynfyw Care Farm, In The Welsh Wind, Mantle Brewery, Mundos, St. Dogmaels Pottery, Walden Arts, Welsh Homestead Smokery, Dai Crabs, Anne Cakebread and Claire Wigley at Canfas, Mwldan, Cardigan Castle / Castell and Theatr Mwldan Film Society. And others who have so generously helped in other ways including Cyngor Tref Aberteifi, OC Davies, Cardibanners, Jane Davidson and many more.

“The story here really is one of a community working together to welcome audiences and artists from both our own locality as well as those from far and wide to join together, united by rich musical and linguistic cultures, to create and share extraordinary and inspirational experiences. We all know we live in a very special place, but very much on the edge geographically and economically. The edge is a good place to be and we have so much to celebrate and look forward to, a vibrant future for our community, and I hope that Other Voices helps to create that future for us all.”