Line-up announced for Llais 2022 at Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre has today announced the final artists joining the line-up for Llais 2022, their flagship international arts festival which returns to Cardiff from 26-30 October with an eclectic line-up of international acts and a varied free public programme.
Mercury Prize nominee Gwenno will join the bill for the first live audience performance of Death Songbook, which features delicate new versions of songs about death performed by Suede’s Brett Anderson, Charles Hazlewood, and Paraorchestra.
Malian guitarist and singer-songwriter Vieux Farka Touré will join the previously announced Les Amazones d’Afrique, a creative force from across the African diaspora, in a West African double bill. This replaces Bombino, who will now not be appearing due to unforeseen circumstances.
The Centre’s Glanfa stage will host three days of free music open to the public. Starting on Friday night, Race Council Cymru will curate an evening of talented Welsh Black artists including Cardiff hip hop collective Afro Cluster and the Dabs Calypso Trio. Saturday’s soul takeover will feature the sultry R&B vocals of rising star PRITT and former Paul Weller support act Nia Wyn. And on Sunday, a takeover by eclectic indie record label Recordiau Noddfa will include performances by Melin Melyn and 3 Hwr Doeth.
Throughout the festival, the City of Sound exhibition will showcase a snapshot of items from Cardiff Music History’s archive, with items like posters and tickets brought to life by interviews with people from Cardiff’s music scene. Other highlights of the free schedule include a talk on the fight for independent music venues, opportunities for young people to get hands-on creative experience, and a performance from former American National Youth Poet Laureate Kara Jackson.
Among the previously announced headline artists is John Cale, who performed at the inaugural Festival of Voice in 2016, returning in his 80th birthday year to perform a special one-off performance with Sinfonia Cymru and special guests, and to chat about his life and career. Other Welsh headline acts include audiobooks and Cate Le Bon.
Llais tickets are now on sale at www.wmc.org.uk/en/llais.
