A night at the museum…
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The Cardiff Story Museum has teamed up with two of Cardiff’s top music institutions, Clwb Ifor Bach and Spillers Records, to curate The Cardiff Sessions, a night of free live music in the museum’s galleries.
On May 18 , five Cardiff acts – The Gentle Good (pictured), Spencer McGarry, Evening Chorus, Miss Maud’s Folly and Little Arrow - all hand picked by The Cardiff Story, Clwb Ifor Bach and Spillers Records, will take the stage for The Cardiff Sessions. Radio Wales DJ Georgia Ruth Williams will MC the night, which will also include a music quiz with prizes provided by Spillers Records.
The event is part of the Museums at Night, an annual after-hours celebration of arts, culture and heritage when hundreds of museums, galleries, libraries, archives and heritage sites open their doors for special evening events. It is coordinated by Culture24, and takes place over the weekend of Friday 18 to Sunday 20 May. The Cardiff Sessions will celebrate some of the best live music Cardiff has to offer, and also give visitors a chance to see the galleries and the city’s history in a new light, completely free of charge.
The Cardiff Story Museum opened its doors for the first time in 2011 to become the only museum dedicated to telling the city’s tale. The Museum focuses on portraying Cardiff’s history through the eyes of those who made it – its people.
The new Museum provides both an introduction to the city for visitors and a community resource for residents. The Museum is open seven days a week and entry is free.
The Museum’s collection is made up of over 3,000 objects, the vast majority of which has been donated by the Cardiff public. Items on display in the museum range from a cutlass used by the Bute Docks police in the late 19th Century to a jukebox from Clwb Ifor Bach Cardiffians danced to 100 years later. The Cardiff Story also worked in partnership with the National Museum of Wales to allow Cardiffians access to over 8000 Cardiff related objects in their collection. Many of these are on display in the Cardiff in Context gallery.
The new Museum is located on the site of the iconic Victorian Grade II* listed Old Library. The Museum includes a permanent introductory gallery (Cardiff in Context), a fully interactive lifelong learning suite (City Lab), state of the art classrooms, a community showcase gallery and access to the Grade II* Listed historic tiled corridor.
The Museum’s phase 1 development was completed in 2011 with funding from Cardiff Council, Heritage Lottery Fund, the Engelhardt family’s Moondance Foundation, the Welsh Assembly Government via Museums, Libraries and Archives (CyMAL) and the Federation of Museums and Art Galleries Wales with kind contributions from donors to the Big Give public appeal as well as various community groups across the city.
Rachel Carney, Learning Officer at The Cardiff Story said: “We’re really excited about The Cardiff Sessions. It’s not the kind of event you’d usually expect to find in a museum, so it’s a great opportunity to attract new audiences to the galleries. Clwb Ifor Bach and Spillers are the mother ships of the Cardiff music scene – nobody is better placed to curate an evening of some of the best our city has to offer!”
Catrin James, Events Programmer at Clwb Ifor Bach said: “It’s an honour for Clwb Ifor Bach to be part of ‘The Cardiff Sessions’ for Museums at Night 2012. The Cardiff Story is an unique museum that celebrates not only it’s social history but it’s current cultural tapestry of music / theatre & art and beyond. I’m really excited about the night and looking forward to hearing the musicians play in the wonderful surroundings of the museums galleries.”
The Bands
The Gentle Good
The Gentle Good is the stage-name of Cardiff born songwriter Gareth Bonello. Writing in both English and Welsh, The Gentle Good create beautiful modern folk music tinted with psychedelia that has seen the critical press draw comparisons with such luminaries as Nick Drake, Martin Carthy, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, John Martyn and Donovan. Since Gareth began performing in 2005 his music has become a prominent feature of the Welsh music scene and is regularly broadcast on both Welsh and English language radio and television.
Spencer McGarry Season
A project from Cardiff based composer Spencer McGarry to record 6 albums in 6 different styles, he is currently halfway through having completed a rock, orchestral and electronic pop albums. He will be performing solo, playing songs from forthcoming R’N'B and folk albums.
Evening Chorus
Evening Chorus are currently working on their debut album: a follow up to their self released studio EP, Acorn. Their preference is to small intimate venues delivering handsome, personal acoustic performances. This quaint pretence extends itself to their releases and to their ethos, favouring DIY handmade affairs and a passionate yet flippant attitude towards their career. Evening Chorus offer no pomp nor ceremony but simply pleasant music for those who care to listen.
Miss Maud’s Folly
Miss Maud’s Folly perform a blend of gypsy, jazz and folk tunes, full of beautiful imagery and delightful instrumental arrangements. From raucous, breakneck-paced gypsy tunes to delicate Spanish lullabies; from velvety jazz numbers to lolloping honky-tonk saloon music – the band delights and excites audiences every time they perform.
Little Arrow
Little Arrow are an emerging talent based in Pembrokeshire Wales. The latest musical venture and brainchild of William Hughes, they are an indie-folk outfit combining great songwriting and musicianship with strong textures and driven enthusiasm, which make their live performances a toe tapping moment not easily forgotten.
Over the last 6 months they have established themselves on the Cardiff music scene with numerous gigs, radio plays, great reviews and a growing fan base.Their debut album, Music, Masks and Poems, released last year through Bubblewrap Collective, was well received and their second album is due to be released later this year.
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