It's no secret that Cardiff has a rich musical heritage. We've produced some greats over the years and we've been part of a larger launching pad from which awesome bands and artists first get to spread their wings.
This month, four Cardiff venues will celebrate the next wave of acts about to fly the nest in their Hometown Heroes series.
Across the four venues that Buffalo now owns – including the recent addition Buffalo Lounge, formerly Mr Smiths - some of the bright young things from the Cardiff scene will be performing.
VVolves w/ Plyci, 25 January, Buffalo Bar
At SWN festival this year, a band appeared on stage who wowed the crowd with their outstanding take on industrial poprock. VVolves are a four-piece band from Monmouth with baby-faced exteriors who are hiding a brilliant live act and songcraft behind those masks. They're launching their EP at their gig for the Hometown Heroes month.
Supporting them in the Peski Records night at Buffalo on 25 January is Plyci. The one-man act from Rhyl leads a tour through the library of strange noises that he keeps on his laptop. Combining the two best electronic genres, electro and techno, the north Walian remixes tracks which he has already recorded, adding an interesting twist on the idea of a live remix. Not to be missed.
H. Hawkline, 21 January, Buffalo Bar
For those wanting to watch something a little bit less out there and a little bit more fun, there's H.Hawkline. Huw Evans has been kicking around the Cardiff scene for quite some time but has recently taken to playing pop songs that sound as if they come straight from Syd Barrett's book of whacky tracks. Don't let the joviality of the music fool you, Evans has some serious guitar playing skills and his band will almost certainly be comprised of other gems from Cardiff's best bands.
The Gentle Good w/ Stephen Wheel, 11 January, 10 Feet Tall
If that isn't what you're after, be sure to catch Stephen Wheel and The Gentle Good at 10 Feet Tall on 11 January. Stephen Wheel, who has recently had a song accepted for soundtrack of the BBC Series 'Being Human,' is a musician who is far from blowing his own trumpet but is nonetheless inseparable from his beautiful but haunting music. "I go to bed thinking about it and I wake up thinking about it", he said recently, "I don't know when it will stop." Combined with the stunning Welsh folk melodies of The Gentle Good, this show will be the highlight of the whole month of January.
As well as all of the musical events going on in the month of January, Buffalo has organized a whole host of other comedy, fashion and alternative events for anyone looking to do something a bit different.
Today's guest blogger is Marc Thomas is editor of online culture magazine Journal of Plastik.
