SWN Festival 2012

Swn promotes and celebrates new music coming in and out of Wales. Swn (su:n) is Welsh for sound or noise.

Swn put on gigs and events all year round as Swn Presents, predominantly in Wales, from their base in Cardiff, which is where they host their annual four day, multi-venue Swn Festival. Now in its sixth year as Wales’ premier new music festival, Swn Festival will be held in Cardiff, Wales on October 18-21, 2012.

The first Swn Festival 2012 line-up announcement will be made on Weds 18th July, along with the launch of a new website.

Swn Festival are booking 3 acts in partnership with Sonicbids this year. They are open to bids from signed and unsigned artists based in the UK, Europe, North America and Canada. The selected bands will receive agreed expenses, hot meals, beer, soft drinks, and water.

Swn Festival is co-curated by Huw Stephens, Radio 1’s number 1 promoter of new music, who will participate in considering submissions. He is known for presenting their “In New Music We Trust” and “Introducing…” platforms, both of which promote unsigned and emerging talent and help launch new bands in the UK. His shows have been broadcast from SXSW in Texas, Sonar in Barcelona and Green Man in Crickhowell. Huw presents a show twice a week on BBC Radio Cymru and also presents television programs for BBC Wales.

Swn Festival began in 2007 when Huw Stephens and Cardiff promoter John Rostron decided to start their own multi-venue festival in Cardiff. Over three days in November of 2007, over one hundred bands and DJs performed at the first ever Swn Festival. In that first year people got to see a then unknown Yeasayer play an afternoon slot in the 150 capacity Buffalo Bar, the upcoming American artist Beirut play an incredible show in the equally incredible Point venue in Cardiff Bay, and Cherry Ghost perform at Chapter Arts Centre shortly before his debut album went Top 10. The festival was a thrilling success, and six years on its even bigger and better, but still with a focus on emerging acts and new music.

Other artists such as The Big Pink, The Joy Formidable, Clare Maguire, Girls, The Drums, Cate Le Bon, Los Campesinos! and Marina & The Diamonds have all played at Swn Festival and got much success out of it.