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On Friday morning, before heading off to our Swansea concert, I picked up my music for this year's (which commences this week). You always know it is going to be a complex week, when the office has to send a detailed floor plan, carefully labelled, so everyone knows exactly where to sit for some pieces. It was with this thought in mind that I decided it was high time I investigated the dots for these concerts!

The 2012 Vale of Glamorgan Festival will celebrate the 75th birthday of American composer Philip Glass, the 80th birthday of Danish composer Per Nörgård, and will highlight the music of Chinese composer Qigang Chen.

As a student, a contemporary score used to send me into the depths of despair, panic and horror. Sometimes they still do. However, now I try to rely on four simple steps to get me through:

1. Don't panic

This is pretty self-explanatory, but often easier said than done. Panicking never got anyone anywhere - especially if they played the viola and were confronted with a passage that involved treble clef and multiple leger lines at a very fast tempo.

2. Take careful note of all the performance directions

There are occasions when you open a score and there will be several pages of instructions before you even get to the music. Though often dull to wade through, this can make your life a lot easier come rehearsal time.

It is also worthwhile taking time to look at all the performance directions in the score itself as you are frequently asked to play your instrument in a manner not necessarily explored in mainstream repertoire. Sometimes, even after you've done all this, you still don't know what is being asked for - that is then the job of the conductor to make an artistic decision regarding what may be required, or, if the composer is present, they will explain what effect they are looking for.

3. Mark your part carefully

By this, as a string player, I do not mean write loads of fingerings in indelible ink into your part (at least not without first consulting your desk partner). However, to me there is no shame in writing little reminders to yourself regarding mutes, rhythms etc. There is often enough to think about when performing contemporary music - you need to look for any opportunity to make life easier!

4. The metronome is your friend

The contemporary music of today often has exceptionally complex rhythmic patterns - the sort that make you feel like you are having a meltdown if you think about them for too long. I always practice this type of music with a metronome. If I don't, I just get stressed, headachy and really very grumpy.

The festival promises to be a real fusion of east meets west. I'm particularly intrigued by our second concert, which features several instruments I've never heard of before. Do come along, out of the utterly miserable weather, and try something new!

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ National Orchestra of Wales will be performing at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Hoddinott Hall, as part of the Vale of Glamorgan Festival, on Friday 4 May and Friday 11 May. For more information and to book tickets, call 029 2039 1391.

This week's show is now available via the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iPlayer. Please visit the link any time between now and the start of the next programme.

This week's show is mostly about Cate Le Bon's otherworldly and exquisite new album, Cyrk (released on 30 April on Ovni). Cate's our special interview guest, shedding some shimmering light on the album's mysteries and melodies.

It's a great album that single-handedly puts paid to the cliché that there isn't anything original out there.

Elsewhere, Hue Pooh (reverting to his stage name now that The Pooh Sticks are, again, one of the finest live bands in the country) reminds us of the surf punk, easy genius of The Barracudas.

Lara Catrin translates something ace, young and new from Camarthen's Blaidd.

Ben Hayes comes into the studio with some Georgio. Thankfully not the poison nerve gas perfume so effective at suffocating entire towns during the 80s, but a piece of wax from Georgio Moroder.

And there are glittering piles of new Welsh music scattered throughout, including début plays for Draw Me Stories, Quiet Marauder, P - Theory, Island and Gregory S Davies.

Send demos/new releases and correspondence to: themysterytour@gmail.com. High quality mp3s or download links preferred, please.

Race Horses live on next week's show...

Have an excellent, music-filled week, many thanks/diolch o galon.

- 'Marwnad Yr Ehedydd'
Ynys Môn

- 'Ploughing Out Part 1'
Penboyr

- 'Ploughing Out Part 2'
Penboyr

- 'Hanes Cymru [ Live C2 Session Version ]'
Aberystwyth

- 'Gay Marriage'
Dwygfylchi / Llanfairfechan / Conwy

- 'That Boy Is Mine'
Cardiff

- '2012 Interview Pt.1'
Penboyr

- 'Falcon Eyed'
Penboyr

- '2012 Interview Pt.2'
Penboyr

- 'Cyrk'
Penboyr

- 'Magical Day'
Croes - Y - Ceiliog

- 'Birdsong'
Cardiff

- 'Red Handkerchief [ Cornershop Remix ]'
Camarthen / Cardiff

- 'The Captain's Daughter'
Rhyl

- 'Secret Sixth'
Cardiff / Aberdare

- 'Empty Chest'
Pontypridd / Pyle

HUW WILLIAMS - 'Spoken Contribution'
Swansea

- 'Summer Fun'
London / Cardiff Distribution

- 'Market Square'
Winchester / Brighton

- 'Delete'
London

- 'I Want A Moustache, Dammit'
Cardiff

- 'Small Thoughts [ With Ratatosk ]'
Bangor

- 'Limestone'
Swansea

- 'We Got The Midas Touch'
Mold

- 'No Revolution'
Bangor

CAETANO VELOSO - 'Alfomega'
Brazil

- '2012 Interview Pt.3'
Penboyr

- 'Julia'
Penboyr

- '2012 Interview Pt.4'
Penboyr

- 'Greta'
Penboyr

- 'Aderyn Du'
Llanfaelog, Ynys Môn

- 'Loved On Look'
Canada

- 'Devil's Pinch'
Rhyl

- 'Multiple Love'
Milford Haven

LARA CATRIN - 'Spoken Contribution'
Bangor / Cardiff

- 'Rhedeg Gyda Blaidd [ Sesiwn Huw Stephens C2 ]'
Camarthen

- 'Wyndchymes'
Pontlliw

- 'De - Flank'
Swansea

- 'Hollow'
Cardiff

- 'The Murder Song'
Cardiff

- 'Kathleen'
Pembrokeshire

- 'Spoken Contribution'
Ruthin

GIORGIO - 'Looky Looky'
?

GREGORY S. DAVIES - 'Power Cut'
Unknown.

Tucked away, a street back from the creative hubbub of Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, is a new artist space and non-profit company: . Thanks to I was there on Saturday for the first Canton Crawl. We weren't exactly crawling anywhere, but it's another seed of an idea which could well expand over Canton in the future, and which introduced a fantastic new space to the music life of the Welsh capital.

With a new album, Cyrk, up her sleeve and under her belt, was the star attraction, and the day was billed as Cate & Friends, opening with long-time collaborator, the wonderful, . I managed to catch the next two acts, the noise terrorism of pop video genius Casey Raymond and the primal rock 'n' roll of Laura Bryon aka Tender Prey.

The Printhaus

It was a bitterly cold, damp day, but the colourful surroundings were a joy to stumble into, and The Printhaus space itself inside offering cheap screen printed t-shirts and posters specially for the occasion. What a nice touch! It felt like the pop-up venues of festivals like , and the atmosphere was really great - like a mini Sŵn Festival: full of smiley, music-loving, cider-drinking, tea-sipping, bobble-hatted people.

I spoke to John Rostron of Sŵn to see how it went for him:

How did you enjoy the day?

"It was great to see it come together, particularly as we had such a smooth day - no hiccups and every band on stage on time - which is no mean feat when you're doing an all-dayer like this. It was the first time I'd seen new outfit Fist Of The First Man - their set was a particular highlight. I though Cate's set was stunning - she's in another league now - a real talent.

This was the first Canton Crawl. Where and when did the idea start?

"I have a long list of ideas I'd like to realise, and this one's been knocking about for sometime; if I recall rightly I devised it with my friend Paul. We loved the idea of having something that sounded as grandiose as the Camden Crawl, but in Canton. I love Canton - how it has Riverside, where I live, bordering on one side and Pontcanna on the other, and the mix in the people and the shops that creates."

Cate Le Bon

The Printhaus is a great location. How did you find it and was it difficult to get it 'gig ready'?

The Printhaus approached me last winter about doing some shows. I had a recce and suggested that we could do something outside when the time and act was right. When Cate and her agent approached me about an album launch gig it felt like the perfect mix.

"I worked with the Printhaus to set up some structural things to ready the place to handle a day of live music and the number of people, bands and vehicles we'd have coming and going. It's always a bit nervy doing something new in a new space but it came together smoothly and the day ran without a hitch. I love working with Cate too - she helped pick all of the support acts to turn it into the all dayer that we put together."

Are there any residential issues with this kind of outdoor space in the heart of Canton? Any complaints?

"The venue is tucked away from houses, but nonetheless we were really considerate about potential issues with residents. Cate's set finished at 10pm and we put a curfew for the whole event at 10.30pm as a precaution. That meant we finished before all the pubs and bars in Canton on a Saturday night. We had volunteers helping to manage people and traffic too. I'm delighted to say we had no complaints at all."

Nice idea with the t-shirts. You got one made?

"Yeah I made a t-shirt! That was a lot of fun. The Printhaus set up all the screens and managed all that - it was a great way to show people what they do there. I'd never screen printed a t-shirt before. I'm wearing mine now!"

Listen back to an extended interview on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Wales between Cate Le Bon and Adam Walton.

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As a homecoming present to their Welsh audience, they said they'd play Start Something, their second album, in its entirety. They promised us a special show. They delivered, in spades.

Ian Watkins of Lostprophets

Lostprophets, touring their fifth album Weapons, have a formidable canon of work behind them now. Twelve years after their début, Fake Sound Of Progress, it's unarguable that they have been one of the UK's most popular and significant bands of recent times.

In that context, Start Something is attaining an importance that perhaps wasn't recognised at the time of its release in 2004.

It's their most complete work, and distilled their love of hardcore punk, pop and the twisted LA alt-rock of bands like Faith No More. Eight years down the line, it's become a UK rock classic and so it's no wonder that tonight the band return - over all their other records - to that album.

A scrolling DOS-style backdrop with a portentous -style invitation to 'boot the weapons system' draws a huge cheer from this arena crowd, and brings the Pontypridd six-piece to the stage.

So begins 'part one' of this two hour extravaganza - songs culled from their other four albums. Bring 'Em Down, from Weapons, is dispatched first, kicking off the moshpit, quickly followed by The Betrayed's lead single It's Not The End Of The World. As ever with Lostprophets, it seems to take singer Ian Watkins a couple of songs to settle his vocals, but the energy is palpable from both band and crowd; much like The Full Ponty 2007 there's a genuine sense of celebration.

Next up is one of their crowning moments, the new-wave-ish Adam Ant-meets-Incubus groove of Can't Catch Tomorrow, and it's as fun as ever. Channeling an inner Freddie Mercury, Ian Watkins leads the crowd in an extended to-and-fro chantathon during Town Called Hypocrisy.

Part one winds to a climax with Another Shot, Jesus Walks (both sounding a bit muddled), Where We Belong (epic), We Bring An Arsenal (rifftastic), Rooftops (biggest cheer thus far) and Shinobi Vs Dragon Ninja (ending with a stage dive from Watkins).

Lee Gaze of Lostprophets

So, after a short costume and backdrop change, to the main course: Start Something.

This is where it clicks. This, after all, was the album which allowed them to combine their influences into a fluid whole. On a major label they had the freedom to nail their hard rocking urges to their pop influences.

We Still Kill The Old Way is a statement of intent, and they bring the crowd with them. They may be the words of a younger band, but the positive themes of the album are in stark contrast to the more cynical, world-weary words of their later works. To Hell We Ride is a beast, followed in short order by their biggest single, Last Train ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ, in all its overtly epic dynamism.The crowd bellows along to its main hook, as they do with the other singles Make A Move and Burn Burn (yes, that melodic larceny from Adamski's Killer still bugs me, but it's so damn effective).

For a now-veteran band they have a few wobbles (Goodbye Tonight and A Million Miles), but in probably 20 times seeing them, I've never known them deliver a perfect performance - and tonight it really doesn't matter. Fist-pumping rock music can mask technical inaccuracy extremely well.

The album's title track is delivered with gleeful heaviness, offering a contrast to the breezy singalong of Last Summer, the final single on the album's tracklisting.

And that's the sole major problem with tonight: by following the record so accurately, We Are Godzilla You Are Japan, for all its fury, dips at the end of the set. Instead of a triumphant, crowd-pleasing highpoint we're left with the sampled beat coda of Sway as Lostprophets slink offstage and the lights fade up.

Just a simple all-band bow, a salute to their frenzied fanbase, is all that's needed to cap a night that otherwise showed why Lostprophets, critically lambasted in their time, became kings of UK rock in 2004.

Did you go? What did you think? Feel free to comment! If you want to have your say, on this or any other ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ blog, you will need to sign in to your ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account. If you don't have a ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account, you can - it'll allow you to contribute to a range of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ sites and services using a single login.

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I have an overwhelming sense of despair as I try to avoid looking at all the music piled up on/beside/under/around my music stand at the minute. Over the coming weeks, there are an awful lot of dots to get securely under the fingers, and time seems to be slipping away very quickly. is almost upon us, which always means a virtual torrent of notes to be learnt and Messrs Hindemith, Strauss, and Debussy are waiting in the wings for their turns.

This week's concert in Swansea's Brangwyn Hall, entitled Youthful Genius, has a number of interesting features. Firstly, in the Brahms Serenade No 2, we violas will once again prove that we are perfectly capable of coping without the violins telling us what to do. Scored for a standard orchestra, minus violins and brass (although the horns are included), it is, in some ways, an odd work. However, although it includes a movement that may possibly give the entire viola section tendonitis (see if you can spot which movement it is), the musical language is very typically Brahms. I am quite a fan of Brahms generally.

My second interesting fact about this week's programme is that two of the works were composed by two of our most loved composers when they were only young whippersnappers.

Strauss was only 18 when he composed his first horn concerto, probably for his famous horn playing father. Shostakovich was only 19 when he composed his first symphony as his graduation piece from the Leningrad Conservatory.

I find the youth of the composers at the time of these works composition quite incredible, especially with regard to the Shostakovich. All the hallmarks of his later style and musical language are already apparent in this early symphony. It is really very dark in places.

There is one bit of passage work in the second movement of the Shostakovich that I have been struggling a little with. I feel that unless I concentrate 200%, and refrain from blinking for its duration, I am in danger of either getting the bowing right (it involves a lot of up bows in funny places), or getting the notes right (it just doesn't 'lie' nicely), but not both. I will just keep practising it calmly with my metronome until it is secure!

The third interesting feature of this concert is our guest conductor, Giancarlo Guerrero. Now the orchestra's website describes him as a 'dynamic Costa Rican' conductor, but I think that is perhaps something of an understatement. He has such enthusiasm and passion for the music that he almost sweeps you along with him.

In rehearsals today, I genuinely forgot about all the notes I had to learn, I stopped stressing about that annoying bit in the Shostakovich and I really enjoyed making music in the Brahms. To me, that is a sign of a good conductor - someone who can make you leave your cares at the studio door, and enjoy making music.

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ National Orchestra of Wales performs at Swansea's Brangwyn Hall tomorrow (Friday 27 April), starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are available by calling the Grand Theatre Box Office on 01792 475715, or from the door.

It's one of the best-known pop songs of the 20th century; a million-selling anthem; a classic, but Without You, written by Swansea's Badfinger and covered by Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey among many others, has a dark story behind it.

Badfinger

The song was penned by the Welsh duo of Pete Ham (born on 27 April 1947) and Tom Evans of Badfinger. Despite being behind one of the most successful songs of the 20th century (Without You has been covered almost 200 times), they attracted tragedy arguably more than triumph.

Swansea's Ham, Ron Griffiths, Roy Anderson and David 'Dai' Jenkins formed The Panthers in the early 1960s. Anderson was replaced on drums by Mike Gibbins in March 1965, the year after they changed their name to The Iveys.

The Beatles' assistant Mal Evans saw The Iveys perform at the Marquee Club in London in January 25, and pushed for them to be signed to Apple Records. They were the first non-Beatles to be signed to the label. The Iveys' first single, Maybe Tomorrow, was issued in November 1968; it was not a success in the UK or US, though it fared better elsewhere.

A follow-up single, Dear Angie, was released in Europe and Japan in July 1969, and The Iveys' only album, Maybe Tomorrow, was issued in Italy, West Germany and Japan. It was blocked elsewhere by The Beatles' business manager Allen Klein, who was in the midst of an audit of the company's chaotic finances.

Paul McCartney offered them the song Come And Get It, which was written about Apple's early willingness to give money away to all comers. The Iveys recorded it in August 1969, with McCartney producing.

Prior to the song's release as a single, The Iveys changed their name yet again, becoming Badfinger. Around the same time, bassist Roy Griffiths left; Liverpudlian guitarist Joey Molland was drafted in, and Tom Evans switched to bass.

The name Badfinger was chosen after Bad Finger Boogie, the working title of The Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends. Rejected names included The Glass Onion and (John Lennon's suggestion) The Prix.

Come And Get It was a hit single, and featured in the soundtrack for the film The Magic Christian. Badfinger's first album, Magic Christian Music, was released in 1970.

Listen to Pete Ham talk about songwriting:

Badfinger's links with The Beatles lasted well into the 70s. George Harrison co-produced their album Straight Up in 1971, the same year that guitarist Joey Molland and Tom Evans played on John Lennon's Imagine. Additionally, Ham, Evans and Molland played key roles in Harrison's All Things Must Pass and Concert For Bangla Desh.

They released the No Dice album - considered by the band to be their best album - in 1971. No Dice contained the song Without You, written by Ham and Evans, which was covered by Harry Nilsson later that year and became an international hit.

In 1973 their manager Stan Polley negotiated a multi-million pound deal with Warner Bros, which soured relations between Apple and Badfinger. The band released a final album on Apple - titled Ass - and their début for Warners, the Badfinger album, in quick succession.

However, the group's finances were in disarray thanks to gross mismanagement, with millions missing from the band's accounts. The members of Badfinger were in personal debt, and relations with Warner Bros had deteriorated to the point where their third album for the label, 1974's Head First, was never released.

Listen to Pete Ham talk about playing Madison Square Gardens for the Concert for Bangla Desh:

In early 1975 Badfinger's contract with Warner Bros was terminated. On 23 April 1975, in despair at the turmoil within and around the band, Pete Ham hanged himself in his Surrey garage. His suicide note was addressed to his girlfriend and her son, and blamed the band's business manager Stan Polley. Ham's daughter was born one month after his death.

Over the next few years, the remaining members of Badfinger tried to control their increasingly complex legal and financial problems. In 1978 Tom Evans and Joey Molland kickstarted the band again, with ex-Yes keyboard player Tony Kaye and former Stealers Wheel drummer Peter Clarke, though without Mike Gibbins. In 1979 they released the album Airwaves, which was followed by a second album, Say No More, in 1981.

But tragedy was to hit the band again. Evans and Molland split with acrimony in 1981, and for two years operated rival bands, both called Badfinger. On 19 November 1983, following an argument with Molland and as the result of years of unhappiness with the band's business dealings, Tom Evans hanged himself.

In 1986 Molland and Gibbins reformed the band for tours, until the latter left in 1990. Joey Molland's Badfinger continues to tour.

A number of live and radio recordings by Badfinger have surfaced in recent years, in response to the still-high demand for the music of one of Wales' most popular and sorely-missed groups.

In October 2005 Badfinger drummer Mike Gibbins died at his Florida home at the age of 56. A statement on his website read: " To all of Mike's fans, it is with deepest regret to inform all that he passed away October 4th, in his sleep by natural causes. He will be terribly missed by all."

Do you have memories of Pete Ham and Badfinger? Feel free to comment! If you want to have your say, on this or any other ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ blog, you will need to sign in to your ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account. If you don't have a ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account, you can - it'll allow you to contribute to a range of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ sites and services using a single login.

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Sometimes, things go wrong that simply cannot be foreseen. This was the case last week when, due to ill health, Lisa Milne was unable to go through with the performance of our composer-in-association Simon Holt's final Radio 3 commission for the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ National Orchestra of Wales.

It is always disappointing when something like this happens - for the players who have spent their Easter break learning the incredibly challenging parts, and especially for the composer - but these things do happen. The immediate result is a flurry of activity. A replacement, or replacement work, has to be found, players rescheduled or booked, rehearsals reorganised.

And so it came to pass that, after all my smugness, the violas are playing in both halves of last Friday's concert after all. As Simon's The Yellow Wallpaper was a commission that would be premièred in Friday evening's concert, it was impossible to find another singer to take Ms Milne's place, so unfortunately it had to be dropped from the programme altogether. Fortunately Lisa was well enough to sing the relatively short last movement of Mahler's Fourth Symphony (she sung the movement with Utah Symphony Orchestra and Thierry Fischer just a couple of weeks ago) - and she performed it beautifully.

Instead of Simon Holt's work, we played Haydn's Symphony 104. We performed this work on our recent north Wales tour, so it was still fresh in our memories. We had a quick rehearsal of the work with principal conductor, Thierry Fischer, as each conductor will have their own interpretation of the work. For example, Thierry likes Haydn played completely without vibrato, whereas when we last played it, the conductor had asked for a little bit of vibrato. It sounds like such a small thing, but it does make a difference.

The second half of the concert remained unchanged and was my first performance of Mahler's Fourth Symphony! I'm a huge fan of Mahler. I know some people find his music over the top, overly self-indulgent, a bit too like an overly rich dessert, but I genuinely could listen to the symphonies and sing cycles all day.

The Fourth contains the song Das Himmlische Leben which is a child's vision of heaven. Surprisingly, this was also Mahler's starting point for the gargantuan Third Symphony and so, while they couldn't be more different in scope, the Third Symphony (which I actually shed a little tear in when we performed it last season - that last movement!) and the Fourth Symphony are intimately related.

Conductor Kenneth Woods in his blog A View From The Podium expresses it brilliantly when he writes "we have two symphonies... made of the same musical DNA - it's like a pair of siblings, or even fraternal twins - they are made of the same genes, but they grow up to be completely dissimilar people".

As a player, Mahler is always a demanding play. There are always lots of performance directions and subtle changes of tempo and character. In rehearsal, I suffered a terrible attack of brain freeze and lack of co-ordination and kept putting my mute on when the score read dampfer ab (mute off) and taking it off when it said dampfer auf (mute on). Thankfully normal brain function was regained by the concert!

Even though Bryn Terfel's Faenol festival is no more, the estate is continuing with live music with the world music-orientated in June.

Lee Scratch Perry

Held on the Faenol estate from 1-3 June, the 5,000-capacity Kaya - meaning 'home' in the Zulu language - brings together some well-known musicians and DJs from a wide range of musical styles around the world.

Highlights include Lee Scratch Perry, Craig Charles Funk and Soul Club, Tinchy Stryder, Dele Sosimi, Snowboy and Dub Pistols.

They are joined by local acts including Drymbago, Banda Bacana, Latin Groove Collective, Tacsi, Sundance, EFA Supertramp, Sam Parsons, Two Man Ting, 25 Past The Skank, Mizizi and Folie Ordinaire.

Co-founder Thabani Nyoni said: "2012 is a great year to kick off our new festival, we are offering something a bit different to the local and UK festival crowd celebrating diversity, music and art in beautiful north Wales."

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Welsh musical legend John Cale has announced a return to the venue that has been the location for some of his most special recent works.

John Cale

The former Velvet Underground man will play at Cardiff's Coal Exchange on 7 October in support of his as-yet-untitled new album, out on .

The Coal Exchange was the location for the filming of the film in 2000, in which Cale contributed with many of Wales' best young musicians of the time, while in 2009 he performed the whole of his classic album at the venue.

Having signed with the well-known indie label Domino last year, Cale recently released a limited edition remix 12″, pressed on white vinyl with packaging designed by Satomi. Three tracks from Cale's Extra Playful EP were remixed by Maria Minerva, Actress and Alva Noto, for Extra Playful: Transitions, a release for .

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This morning details have been announced for the line-up for a new boutique festival being held in Portmeirion this summer.

New Order

New Order, Primal Scream, Spiritualized, Mr Scruff, Derek Carter, Andrew Weatherall and Jerry Dammers are among the live acts and DJs who are booked to appear at from 14-16 September in the historic Italianate village in north Wales.

A full line-up is available on the festival's website.

Stephen Morris of New Order said: "It's an amazing location for a festival, we can't believe it hasn't been done before. It's going to be absolutely spectacular, so we're all really looking forward to it."

The festival features "Bands, DJs, musicians and string ensembles performing across the entire site, from the historic town hall to the Colonnade gardens to the picturesque Bay Stage and the promenade along the estuary of the River Dwyryd," according to a press release. "The diverse bill ranges from rock and roll to Balearic, funk to folk, seashanties to Welsh male voice choirs."

Festival director Gareth Cooper told us: "In a market saturated with festivals and with the Olympics looming it would take an idiot or something pretty special to warrant starting a new one. We've found what we hope will become one of the most outstanding and defining boutique festival sites in the world.

"It's fantastic to be announcing a lineup including New Order, Primal Scream and Spiritualized, and we're especially excited to work with Portmeirion as a location. It's a totally jaw-dropping, mind-blowing place, offering a premium event aimed at a slightly more mature and discerning crowd. We're confident it's going to be one of the most stylish festivals the UK has ever seen."

Portmeirion, on the Snowdonia coastline

Robin Llywelyn, managing director of Portmeirion Ltd, said: "It is a great pleasure to be working with Festival No.6. [Portmeirion architect] Sir Clough Williams-Ellis envisaged that his labour of love would give pleasure to as many people as possible and we believe that with Festival No.6 we can uphold his motto and final wishes by presenting Portmeirion to a whole new generation to enjoy and appreciate."

Will you be going? Feel free to comment! If you want to have your say, on this or any other ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ blog, you will need to sign in to your ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account. If you don't have a ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account, you can - it'll allow you to contribute to a range of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ sites and services using a single login.

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This week's show is now available on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iPlayer. Please visit the link any time between now and the start of the next programme.

It has been a busy old week. First off, I DJd a very good friend's wedding. It wasn't your typical wedding DJ set, featuring - as it did - wild handbrake turns from Steps to Mclusky, and the image of the groom up on everyone's shoulders, bellowing along to The Flaming Lips' Do You Realize??, will live with me for a very long time indeed.

Those raucous celebrations ran into the start of , a city-based festival held in Wrexham. The festival is in its second year. Ninety-ish artists played over four nights. In short, it was ACE, despite my only being able to attend for the first two nights. A review on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Wales Music pages is imminent - for the time being, you can enjoy We Are Animal live from Central Station during this week's show. It's rhythmic, primal and blinking great.

Away from the festival stages and bars, Alan Holmes waxes Punjabi about Charged; Lara Catrin translates Gildas, and Ben 'Soundhog' Hayes treats us to a bit of Killer Watts.

In between the talkie bits, oodles of ace music. Including début plays for The Bagel Project, The Black Music Workshop, Jack Dixon, Ocean City, The Knuckledowns, Enbe, Gavner P, Ben Lloyd, Richard Readey, Silver/Back/Club, Tea That Burns and the Joe Webb Trio.

Shows stats for 2012 currently stand like this: 528 unique songs out of 621 Total. 351 Artists in 17 shows since 1 January 2012 (songs per show: 37; unique artists per show: 21) Welsh: 94%.

Not that I'm obsessed with statistics. Oh, no.

How to submit music:

1. Be good
2. Send your (single) best track to me. An mp3/download link to themysterytour@gmail.com
3. I get a couple of hundred submissions every week. I'll get back to you if I play you, or if I think I can offer constructive advice.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Adam Walton

CIAN CIARAN - 'You And Me [ Radio Edit ]'
Bangor

- 'Stairs [ E P Version ]'
Wrexham / L.a.

- 'Never Thought I'd See The Day'
Cardiff

- 'The Great Unwashed'
Anglesey

- 'Take Me ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ'
Seattle / Welsh Management

- 'All Gone'
Croes - Y - Ceiliog

- 'Trippin''
Lampeter

- 'Take Control'
Cardiff

- 'Backhanded Compliment'
Swansea

- 'Gone'
Unknown.

- 'Tell The Truth About The Brace Position'
Cardiff

- 'Gold Medal Winner'
Bethesda

- 'Time Can Change Your Mind'
Penboyr

- 'Spoken Contribution'
Bangor

CHARGED - 'Jaanwur'
?

- 'The Last Drop ( 2008 Session Version )'
Mold

- 'Sea Song'
Cardiff

- 'Persistent Secrecy'
Newport

- 'Spin That Girl Around [ Single Version ]'
Pembrokeshire

- 'Lose Myself [ Dauwd Remix ]'
London / Bangor Remixer

- 'Feel It Up'
Caernarfon / Manchester

- 'It Goes Without Saying'
Anglesey

- 'Night Train'
Swansea

- 'Arowana ( Featuring Laura Whiteside )'
Flintshire

- 'Bill Hicks Saga'
Swansea

ENBE - 'Lean'
Cardiff

- 'Sacrifice'
Conwy

- 'Echo'
Welshpool

- 'Black Magic ( Live At Focus Wales 2012 )'
Bethel / Caernarfon

- 'Luminous Lights ( Live At Focus Wales 2012 )'
Bethel / Caernarfon

- '19:19 ( Live At Focus Wales 2012 )'
Bethel / Caernarfon

- 'Work ( Live At Focus Wales 2012 )'
Bethel / Caernarfon

- 'Make 'em Clap'
Cardiff

- 'Come With Us'
Oswestry / Wrexham

- 'Pharma'
Swansea

LARA CATRIN - 'Spoken Contribution'
Bangor / Cardiff

GILDAS - 'Hyfryd Lun'
Cardiff

- 'Walk Alone'
Mold

- 'Pale Face'
Connah's Quay

- '600 Light Years'
Cwmbrân / New York

- 'Spoken Contribution'
Ruthin

KILLER WATTS - 'Hoots Mon'
?

- 'Night Song / Fall In Love'
Swansea

Pontypridd's Lostprophets have today confirmed today that their 28 April homecoming show at Cardiff's Motorpoint Arena will be a special one-off, with their modern rock classic second album Start Something being played in its entirety.

Lostprophets

Bassist Stuart Richardson told us: "We wanted to do something special for our hometown. We wrote the record in Caerphilly. Start Something is when we kind of came into our own as a band, and Cardiff is where we came into our own as people.

"This is the biggest show of the tour, and when we were brainstorming ideas of how to differentiate it from the others this just seemed like the natural, obvious choice."

Start Something was released in February 2004 and went to number four in the UK album charts.

The single Last Train ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ saw them cross over into the US market with high rotation on music TV. The success of the single drove the record to a high of number 33 in the American charts, going gold in the process.

The band, busy promoting their fifth LP Weapons, are joining the growing list of established artists revisiting previous albums and playing them in the order in which they were intended.

Read an interview with Mike Lewis from Lostprophets at the time of Start Something.

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A new series, They Sold A Million, starts tomorrow on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One Wales (10.35pm), examining the careers of some of the Welsh people whose charisma, talent and sheer chutzpah led to them selling records by the bucketload. First up it's one of the all-time classic 'one hit wonders': Ricky Valance.

Rick Valance performing in 2011

Born David Spencer in 1940 in Ynysddu, in the Sirhowy Valley in south Wales, he was the eldest of seven children. Times were tough, and upon leaving school he tried various jobs before joining the RAF aged 17.

After being discharged, he decided to pursue a career in singing. He signed to EMI and recorded his cover of Ray Peterson's US hit Tell Laura I Love Her. In September 1960 it hit the top of the hit parade, driven by Radio Luxembourg support. The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ were less supportive, apparently banning it.

Listen to Valance talking about the song and its 'banning' on the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Wales programme The Dragon's Breath:

It was a controversial release at the time, dealing with the death of a loved one. Today the song has been a hit in 14 countries, and has sold over seven million copies. He released several follow-ups, including Movin' Away, Jimmy's Girl and Six Boys, but none of them were significant hits.

Ricky carved out a career singing on the cabaret and nostalgia circuit. Then, following a bout of severe depression and a nervous breakdown he became a born-again Christian.

Today Ricky Valance still performs, singing country songs, rock 'n' roll and ballads. And no, he didn't sing La Bamba. That was Ritchie Valens.

Do you remember Ricky Valance? Feel free to comment! If you want to have your say, on this or any other ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ blog, you will need to sign in to your ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account. If you don't have a ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account, you can - it'll allow you to contribute to a range of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ sites and services using a single login.

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Chart-topping Caribbean foursome Cover Drive have been announced as one of the acts playing at Colwyn Bay's one-day festival this summer.

Cover Drive

The Barbados quartet will play at the Eirias Stadium in Colwyn on Saturday 28 July, alongside Olly Murs, Pixie Lott and A.M.E.

Pixie Lott

The news of Cover Drive's appearance, coming hot on the heels of their number one single Twilight, brings to three the number of chart-topping acts the festival has secured.

Pablo Janczur, events director of promoters Orchard Entertainment, told us: "I'm really excited that we've been able to add Cover Drive as part of the line up for Access All Eirias this year. Not only are they no.1 artists and bring a new dimension to the bill, being from Barbados they bring an international element to the event as well."

Conwy Council's chief executive, Iawn Davies, said: "The line-up for Access All Eirias just keeps getting better and better. To have three number one selling artists on one bill is amazing."

Are you going? What do you think of the line-up? Feel free to comment! If you want to have your say, on this or any other ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ blog, you will need to sign in to your ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account. If you don't have a ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account, you can - it'll allow you to contribute to a range of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ sites and services using a single login.

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To begin, I would like to apologise for my abuse of the exclamation mark in my title, but it felt necessary in order to convey to you my excitement that the full details of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Proms 2012 have now been announced and I can talk about it with you.

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Proms are to classical music what Glastonbury is to rock, and they are one of the highlights of my musical year. I love the buzz of excitement that surrounds the Albert Hall. I love the queues of Promenaders who queue with seemingly infinite reserves of patience rain, hail, or shine, to get tickets on the day.

I don't love the coach journeys to and from London, but until I've mastered the use of The Force I'll just have to deal with that.

This season we will perform in four Proms concerts, two of which will be broadcast on TV (my grandmother will be glued to the screen, just in case there is a fleeting shot of me), all of which can be heard live on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 3.

Our Prom on Monday 6 August promises to be quite a spectacle, and after last year's Havergal Brian Gothic Symphony, I do not use the word spectacle lightly! In this concert, we will perform Bernstein's Mass - its first ever complete Proms performance - a work described by the Proms website as 'less a religious work than a theatrical happening'. However, what makes this Prom so special is that we will be joined by musicians from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, young singers from across south Wales, the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and the National Youth Choir of Wales.

I, and a great many of my colleagues, discovered our love of music and performing through our national youth orchestras, and this year each of the United Kingdom's Youth Orchestras will feature in the Proms alongside one of their 'grown up' counterparts.

My first experience of playing in a professional scenario was in a side-by-side project between the Ulster Orchestra and the Ulster Youth Orchestra in a performance of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring with its then concertmaster Lesley Hatfield and Principal Conductor Thierry Fischer!

I think this will be an immensely exciting project. We actually have a few preparatory sessions with the young musicians this weekend - our principals will take sectional rehearsals and there will be a few tutti rehearsals also. This is an opportunity for us to work with today's young musicians, an opportunity for them to work alongside professionals, and an opportunity for them to experience the excitement and spirit of being a performer at the Proms.

Moreover, in my opinion, it is an opportunity for the Great British public to see the great, and exceedingly necessary role that our national youth orchestras play, especially in the current climate when many of them are increasingly feeling the financial pinch.

Obviously, in this Olympic year, Proms aren't the only big event happening in London this summer, but to me, they are still the best.

Explore the full programme of events at this year's ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Proms by visiting bbc.co.uk/prom

Feel free to comment! If you want to have your say, on this or any other ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ blog, you will need to sign in to your ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account. If you don't have a ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account, you can - it'll allow you to contribute to a range of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ sites and services using a single login.

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Student-orientated music festival is back in Wales this year, and has today announced its biggest-ever line-up of music acts, including some up-and-coming Welsh bands.

The Maccabees

The Maccabees, Dizzee Rascal, Chase And Status, Labrinth and Ghostpoet are among the well-known names. Wales supplies the likes of High Contrast and Cut Ribbons. The full line-up is on the festival's website.

Cut Ribbons

Held at Pembrey Country Park in Carmarthenshire on 14-18 June, Beach Break has established itself as one of Wales' major events, despite some opposition from local residents.

Beach Break founder Celia Norowzian told us: "We're so excited to be returning to Wales for our third year.

"To us, Pembrey truly is the most perfect and beautiful festival location in the UK. Aside from how gorgeous it is, the incredible support from the local and wider community is one of the best things about running this festival.

"Our final artists have now been added to the bill and the reaction has been even bigger than we hoped. We already can't wait to get back to Pembrey and get started."

Feel free to comment! If you want to have your say, on this or any other ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ blog, you will need to sign in to your ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account. If you don't have a ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account, you can - it'll allow you to contribute to a range of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ sites and services using a single login.

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He might have represented Cyprus at Eurovision in 2010, but these days Jon Lilygreen is making an unusual start to his major-label quest for music stardom.

Lilygreen and Jon Maguire - as the duo Lilygreen And Maguire - have recently signed to Warner Brothers records, and are currently on a busking tour of Wales.

Lilygreen And Maguire

Watch the first part of their YouTube tour diary, starting in Wrexham:

They now count the likes of Katherine Jenkins, Green Day and Metallica as labelmates, but these young, Welsh singer-songwriters are building on an Olly Murs support slot by journeying across the country armed solely with a pair of acoustic guitars.

You can follow them on the tour via their .

Today (17 April) they're in Aberystwyth and Carmarthen. The other dates are: Swansea and Barry (18), Caerphilly and Chepstow (19), Newport and Cardiff (20). Details are .

Lilygreen said: "It will be great to grab my guitar, pitch up at some fantastic locations and play free acoustic music in the open air".

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Two Welsh acts have been added to the supporting bill for this summer's in London's Hyde Park.

Kids In Glass Houses

Kids In Glass Houses will line up as support for Seattle legends Soundgarden on Friday 13 July.

Aled Phillips of Kids In Glass Houses told us: "We're really excited to be playing Hard Rock Calling. It's such a big event it's an honour to be asked and be among such an incredible line up. We're hoping we can stay the whole weekend and see the rest of the shows!"

Meanwhile, ragga-metallers Skindred will headline the second stage on the same day.

Hard Rock Calling has three stages and caters for 40,000 people per day over its three days.

Feel free to comment! If you want to have your say, on this or any other ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ blog, you will need to sign in to your ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account. If you don't have a ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account, you can - it'll allow you to contribute to a range of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ sites and services using a single login.

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Did you ever have arguments at school about who was the best guitarist in the world? Maybe it's just me, but my friends and I debated regularly the relative merits of Slash, Brian May, Jimmy Page, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen. This was the 80s, so please excuse me.

Flicking through a charity shop purchase yesterday (Hugh Gregory's 1000 Great Guitarists, Balafon, 1994) I began thinking about Welsh masters of the six-string. Here's my selection:

Tony Bourge, Budgie
Now often overlooked, Cardiff's Budgie were some of the architects of British heavy metal, and their guitarist Bourge was central to their sound. From the late 60s until his departure in 1978, Bourge's riffing technique, sometimes recalling Rush's Alex Lifeson, became recognisable to the thousands of hard rock fans of the time. Budgie's influence spread across the world and musicians such as Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age), Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains) and Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) all list him as an inspiration.

Here's Budgie's signature tune, Breadfan, as covered by none other than Metallica.

Tich Gwilym:
Penygraig's Tich Gwilym, born sometime in 1951, was the guitarist for late-60s psych-rockers Kimla Taz, before embarking on a solo and session career. In 1989 he joined forces with Budgie's frontman Burke Shelley in the short-lived Superclarkes.

Here's a fantastic clip of Tich (on the left) playing with long-time musical partner Phil Miniaud at Cardiff's Royal Oak pub:

In 2005 Gwilym was tragically killed in a house fire in the city.

James Dean Bradfield, Manic Street Preachers
Criminally underrated, Bradfield has been the musical driving force of one the UK's best-loved bands for the last two decades. Leaving the lyrics to Nicky Wire, Bradfield and drummer Sean Moore have created instantly-recognisable melodies that make for classic songs.

Mixing fury and delicacy, James can riff like the best of them. Yes, it's been played a million times, but is there any better example of his grand vision than ?

Andy Fairweather Low, Amen Corner
Some in the know think that Fairweather Low's greatest work came not in his band's 60s heyday (think ), or in his 70s solo work, but in his session and backing band work with the likes of George Harrison and Eric Clapton in the 90s.

His performance as part of the multi-million-selling Unplugged (1992) for Clapton was especially praised. Since then, he has gone to work with people like Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris and even Joe Satriani.

Dave Edmunds, Love Sculpture, Rockpile
Cardiff's Edmunds began playing in the 1960s local blues bands The 99ers and The Raiders but left Wales to join The Image and The Human Beans. But it was Love Sculpture then solo work that showcased his talents.

Edmunds' solo career was distinguished by his painstaking re-creation of rock'n'roll classics, and in his own studio taught himself to replicate the techniques of his beloved Spector and Sun classics.

Here's the frankly insane Sabre Dance by Love Sculpture, in which Edmunds plays with a psuedo-punky abandon that belies its 1968 date:

Phil Campbell, Motörhead
Pontypridd's Campbell has been the lead guitarist of Motörhead since 1984. He started playing at the age of 10, influenced by the classic guitarists of the 1960s and 70s. It was in Persian Risk that he came to the attention of Welsh gig-goers, then in 1984 he successfully auditioned for the British heavy metal champions.

.

Jeff Rose, Dub War
When I was a teenager, this Newport band were one of the rare British bands whose intensity matched that of the likes of Pantera or Machine Head. Insane rhythms that combined heavy metal with ragga, Dub War's music was a head-banging joy and it was Rose's riffs that powered it.

Singer Benji Webbe and Rose went on to form the internationally-successful Skindred, but for me it's Gorrit that remains their bruising highpoint:

Donna Matthews, Elastica
Unfairly lumped in with Britpop and weighed down by accusations of none-too-subtle appropriations of other bands' melodies, Elastica were nevertheless prime exponents of spiky 1990s indie punk pop fare, and it was Newport guitarist Matthews who really shines on their first, self-titled album.

Here's their crowning glory, Stutter:

Micky Jones, Man
Swansea's Man are one of the most convoluted bands in musical history, with seemingly dozens of members, but Micky Jones was a constant for their heyday in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

In the words of Hugh Gregory: "...the main thrust coming from lengthy guitar duels between Jones and whoever else happened to be playing guitar in the band at the time." And in the words of music journalist Tommy Udo: "Massively underrated guitarist. Fluid, Jerry Garcia-tinged licks and Coltrane-like psychedelic improvisations."

Jones' style was progressive, but tempered with blues and country tones, an a keen sense of the dramatic, as shown on from 1969's Revelation.

Dai Shell, Sassafras
Formed in 1970, Sassafras were a sort-of Welsh Fleetwood Mac/Eagles hybrid, with soaring west-coast melodies and a real roadtrip rock feel. Shell, a Cardiff guitarist of some note, was largely responsible for the tone of the band.

They toured America's enormodomes with the likes of Ten Years After, Fleetwood Mac and Peter Frampton, but never saw their sales match those of their headliners.

Incidentally, Sassafras held the record for the most amount of gigs in a year, with 332 days covered in one year in the early 1970s. They beat Slade by one.

Here's the breezy , from 1975.

So there are 10 for starters. Others I could mention include Richard Parfitt of 60ft Dolls, Stu O'Hara of Acrimony, Jimbob Isaac of Taint, Myfyr Isaac, Glyn Knight, Mike Lloyd Jones of The Sunsets, Kris Roberts of Funeral For A Friend, Lee Gaze of Lostprophets, Chris Buck of the Tom Hollister Trio and Peredur Ap Gwynedd of Pendulum. But who else have we missed out?

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Our job puts a surprising amount of physical strain on the body, not to mention the great reserves of mental energy that it requires. I have often struggled with being able to 'turn off' but I realise how necessary it is, and so, at the beginning of this week I put my viola at the back of the wardrobe to enjoy a lovely patch of annual leave.

Our first week back is decidedly stress free, with just the heavenly Mahler 4 to prepare beforehand. What? What is that mumble I hear from other parts of the Orchestra? Do speak up chaps! It's not just Mahler 4? Ah yes, there is a brand spanking new work by our Composer-in-Association, Simon Holt, that features... no violas!

Please do not think that in anyway I am being dismissive - I am just enjoying a brief moment of smugness. In the 2010 Proms season we performed Simon's 'a table of noises', a percussion concerto for Colin Currie. There were no violins involved in the work at all, and many of my violin playing colleagues were rather (very) smug about going to enjoy another coffee, or a walk round South Kensington, whilst we violas, cellos and basses (and of course our windy, brassy colleagues also) sweated our way through what was really a very difficult, if groovy, score. I have not forgotten their smugness.

Simon's new work The Yellow Wallpaper is a commission by Radio 3, and is the last of his works in his tenure as Composer-in-Association. It features the gorgeous voice of Lisa Milne, and a number of other female vocalists dotted through the orchestra. With a libretto by poet David Harsent (who, incidentally, also composed the libretto for Birtwistle's 'The Minotaur' which I cried at the end of because I felt sorry for the Minotaur), Holt's work takes its inspiration from a novella by American feminist writer, Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

The Yellow Wallpaper was a work that I was aware of, but had never quite got round to reading. A bit like my dust covered copy of War And Peace, but feminist. However, I rectified the situation over annual leave (by reading The Yellow Wallpaper, not War & Peace).

It is an exceptionally uncomfortable read; set in the late 1800s, through a series of journal entries, it tells the story of a woman's dissent into probable insanity due to the ridiculous, though at the time perfectly normal, treatment she receives for postpartum depression. It is claustrophobic and as a modern reader, it is horrific to read what the protagonist is put through. It made me feel exceptionally uncomfortable, in the same way that James' Turn Of The Screw gave me a horrible gnawing feeling in my stomach for days after I first read it.

I really am interested to see how Simon brings this work to life. Music gives us the ability to express the lightest and darkest areas of the human soul and this work really does expose some of the very darkest corners.

The Orchestra will be performing Simon Holt's The Yellow Wallpaper and Mahler's Symphony No 4 at St David's Hall, Cardiff, on Friday 20 April, 7.30pm. For tickets and information, call the Orchestra's Audience Line on 0800 052 1812.

The Clash frontman Joe Strummer, a huge factor in Newport's music scene of the 1970s, is to be commemorated this summer with a festival in Somerset. Strummer Of Love will feature a line-up of friends of the iconic singer, in a secret location only made known to ticket holders.

Joe Strummer playing with The Vultures

Strummer Of Love will take place on 17-19 August 2012, almost 10 years after the death in December 2002 of the highly instrumental musician, who brought together punk and world music.

Strummer has extensive Welsh history, dating from his pre-Clash days in Newport in the 1970s. His time in the city left a legacy, galvanising the local music scene.

Between 1973 and 1974, Strummer - then nicknamed Woody - spent a year hanging around Newport Art College, working as a gravedigger and performing with his band The Vultures. They had existed before his arrival, but his presence gave the band and the local music scene more direction.

Strummer would tell different stories about how he arrived in Newport. Some say that he followed a girlfriend to Cardiff after being thrown out of London's Central School of Art for dabbling in LSD, while others believe he simply hitch-hiked to the city.

Regardless of how Strummer ended up in Newport, he hooked up with mutual friends in Newport, fronting The Vultures in return for use of his drum kit. Local resident and college friend Richard Frame said: "The Vultures were avant-garde jazz, I suppose. Obviously in terms of technique he wasn't that proficient - hence his name - but I think people don't give Newport as much credit as they should when looking at The Clash's influences.

"I used to have this tape of Joe just playing on his own. The style is nothing like the one he developed with The Clash; it's kind of country and western. He also went through this period of being nicknamed Woody for a while, after Woody Guthrie."

In addition, a fellow resident of his student digs in Newport, Mick Foote - studying fine art at the time - went on to produce The Clash's self-titled first album.

As well as The Gay Dogs and The Vultures, another local band was Crazy Cavan And The Rhythm Rockers, formed in 1965. The Vultures would use their equipment occasionally at the Art College students' union and some years later, one of The Clash's first gigs was supporting Crazy Cavan.

More information on Strummer Of Love can be found .

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This week's show is now available via the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iPlayer. Please visit the link below any time between now and the start of the next programme.

Send demos/new releases etc. as a download link/mp3 to themysterytour@gmail.com

Many thanks/diolch o galon. Here's the playlist.

- 'Whole Lotta Helter Skelter [Led Zeppelin Vs. The Beatles]'
Ruthin

CIAN CIARAN - 'Till I Die'
Bangor

- 'Through The Window'
Swansea

- 'Aufstieg'
Cardiff

- 'My Baby's Just A Baby (EP Version)'
London / Cardiff Distribution

- 'Fold The Cloth'
Penboyr

- 'Spoken Contribution'
Bangor

SERAIN - 'Geneth Heb Enw'
?

- 'Bare In Mind [Album Version]'
Llanfairfechan

- 'Tell It Like It Is'
Cardiff

- 'Nol I'r Dechrau'
Cardiff / Wrexham

- 'Gay Marriage'
Dwygfylchi / Llanfairfechan / Conwy

- 'The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade'
Mold

- 'No New Wave No Fun'
Cardiff

- 'Interview About Mclusky Do Dallas'
Cardiff

- 'To Hell With Good Intentions'
Cardiff

- 'Sheena Is A T - Shirt Salesman [Radio Edit]'
Cardiff

- 'Voice Of The Future'
Newport

- 'Brokenarmy'
Llandudno

- 'Kathleen'
Pembrokeshire

- 'Daft Pop'
Penarth

- 'Gold Medal Winner'
Bethesda

- 'All That We See Or Seem'
Chester / Llangollen

- 'Spoken Contribution'
Ruthin

AMERICA - 'California Revisited'
Texas

- 'Hapus'
Benllech

- 'Beehives'
Bridgend

- 'You Make Me Crazy'
Cardiff

- 'Deafen Me'
Mold

LARA CATRIN - 'Spoken Contribution'
Bangor / Cardiff

- 'Dafydd Iwan Yn Y Glaw'
Cardigan

- 'Where Sorrow Lays'
Wrexham

- 'Some Er... Groove?'
Wrexham

- 'Quite Frankly'
Mold

- 'I Feel Armed'
Swansea

- 'Wrong Side Of Town'
Bethesda

- 'Supplies The Light'
Wrexham

- 'Cow Motivation'
Pontlliw

- 'Don't Wanna Play Anymore'
Tonypandy

- 'I Had An Idea'
Dyffryn Ardudwy

- 'Rolling Down'
Croes - Y - Ceiliog

I am tucking into a hearty breakfast in the hope of giving me the energy necessary to traverse the myriad challenges of Bartók's Music for Strings, Celeste and Percussion.

This afternoon's concert with associate guest conductor François-Xavier Roth is part of our ongoing Sacher Series and will see us perform this incredible work by Béla Bartók live on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 3. Our colleagues in the wind and brass will perform Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments and we will be joined by pianist Benjamin Grosvenor for Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto.

It is only Wednesday, but I'm feeling decidedly tired. Perhaps mentally taxed is a better turn of phrase, because despite a great deal of conscientious prior preparation, Bartók's Music for Strings, Celeste and Percussion is still very difficult.

There are many issues with this work. Firstly, it is exceptionally complex in texture. There can be the temptation to overplay just to hear what you are playing, which of course has the result of thickening the texture further. During rehearsals, François has spent a considerable amount of time working passages (in particular in the energetic second and fourth movements) under tempo, encouraging us to listen and connect with other lines, rather than playing as individual musical islands, in order to bring clarity to the score. It sounds obvious doesn't it? In practice, it can sometimes be quite challenging.

Secondly, as two string orchestras, we are very spread out. If you wait for the sound to come from another section, you will invariably be late. Therefore, you have to play exactly with the conductor's beat, even if your ear is telling you that means you're going to be early.

The third issue with this work is that it is simply difficult. There are so many possibilities to make a catastrophic error if you switch off for just one second. The first movement looks so simple on the page, but misread the crotchet/quaver pattern and the uniformity of each section is disrupted.

The second movement is very fiddly and calls for a great deal of what my college professor called the percussive left hand. In other words, you may be making a beautiful legato phrase with the bow, but the fingers of your left hand must work like hammers to give the music clarity.

The fourth movement? Well, blink and you miss it. François has been encouraging us to search for the dance like, jazzy quality of the music, rather than playing in an angularly correct manner. I've found this helpful and am doing my best to get into the groove.

The last three bars themselves are a minefield all of their very own, with several different performance directions squeezed into what is less than four seconds of music.

All these issues aside, I'm looking forward to performing this work. It is a brilliant composition and not one I've had the opportunity to perform before. That said, I plan to have a little lie down after it!

This week's show is now available via the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iPlayer. Please visit the link below any time between now and the start of the next programme.

This last week has been more than a little mind-blowing for me. I've been fortunate enough to visit the East coast of the States with one of my favourite bands, The Joy Formidable. I won't recap on the details; there are far too many of them, for a start.

This week's show - live from WGBH in Boston - reflects many aspects of the experience. There is a tour blog I assiduously recorded every day - despite varying levels of lack of sleep and blood alcohol, and an interview with the band.

There's more about my experience with the band here. Much, much more!

Feeling all ambassadorial, the music is a selection of my favourite Welsh tracks of the last year, or so. Not definitely all of them, but a fine selection nonetheless.

Elsewhere, Huw Williams celebrates Wales' most musically influential ex-pat, John Cale.

Send demos/new releases etc. as a download link/mp3 to themysterytour@gmail.com

Many thanks/diolch o galon.

- 'Cradle'
Mold

- 'Gouge Away'
Boston, U. S.

- 'Puts Me To Work'
Penboyr

- 'If We Were Words (we Would Rhyme)'
Bethesda

- 'Joy Formidable Toy Diary - Day 1 (new York)'
Mold

- 'A Heavy Abacus'
Mold

- 'Treehouse ( E. P. Version )'
Llanrug

- 'Pressure'
Penarth

- 'The Snap Featuring Mudmowth, Rtkal & Ruffstylz ( Radio Edit )'
Cardiff

- 'Flux'
Hebron, Pembrokeshire

JOHN CALE - 'Big Apple Express ( Excerpt )'
Garnant

HUW WILLIAMS - 'Spoken Contribution'
Swansea

JOHN CALE - 'Ghost Story'
Garnant

- 'Joy Formidable Toy Diary - Day 2 (new York)'
Mold

- 'The Magnifying Glass ( Radio Edit )'
Mold

- 'Polymers Are Forever'
Cardiff

- 'Miami Spider ( Ponciau Edit )'
Wrexham

- 'Joy Formidable Toy Diary - Day 3 ( New York )'
Mold

- 'Austere (single Version)'
Mold

- 'Never Thought I'd See The Day'
Cardiff

- 'Love At Arm's Length ( Live )'
Cardiff

- 'No One's Ever Gonna Leave You ( Live )'
Cardiff

- 'Loyal To The Cause ( Live )'
Cardiff

- 'Interrupt ( Live )'
Cardiff

- 'Joy Formidable Toy Diary - Day 4 ( Philadelphia )'
Mold

- 'The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade'
Mold

- 'U. S. Tour Interview Pt. 1'
Mold

- 'Maruyama'
Mold

- 'U. S. Tour Interview Pt. 2'
Mold

- 'I Don't Want To See You Like This'
Mold

- 'Chwech'
Gwynedd

- 'Breast Fed'
Llanfairfechan

- 'Sunset'
Swansea

- 'Battleships Feat. Abigail Wyles'
Swansea

- 'Entwined Pines'
Cardiff

SUE DENIM - 'Brewster Mccloud'
Bangor

- 'Joy Formidable Toy Diary - Day 5 ( Boston )'
Mold

- 'Whirring ( Edit )'
Mold

- 'Bones'
Aberystwyth / Cardiff

So, to my last day with The Joy Formidable. Typical that I should get used to the touring bus lifestyle on my final day with them. I slept last night; if not like a baby, well, like a big-sideburned toddler.

The trip from Philadelphia to Boston takes over seven hours, so we're still in transit when I wake up early and eager to get yesterday's tour blog in before my colleagues at the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ finish work. A rather dead, wintery landscape - dead fields and leafless woods - rolls by in the bus window. By the time I have finished my scrawl about Philly, Boston has crept up all around us. We're quite a distance from downtown Boston. No skyscrapers here. We're in the university district and it's disconcertingly like a British town.

The Joy Formidable on stage in Boston

An old-time theatre front outside the venue declares: "The Joy Formidable: SOLD OUT". More pride! But in the world of rock 'n' roll, it's best to feign indifference: of course the show's sold out!

Back home, today is Radio Wales Music Day. This is my favourite event of the year, bar none. I delude myself into feeling paternal about it because it was 'my idea'. To be an ocean away feels wrong. But what could be more powerful - more inspirational - than being with a Welsh band making real inroads to a sizeable American audience?

The Joy Formidable on stage in Boston

I jump off the bus to do a two-way into Roy Noble's show, thinking "this should be easy, Roy will ask all of the right questions..."

As it transpires, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Wales are enduring something of a technological meltdown (not that you'd have noticed) so our two-way is via satellite.

The Joy Formidable on stage in Boston

"There is a very long delay," says Lydia, the producer. "You'll have to do a monologue."

You try doing a cohesive monologue after four nights on the road!

Back at the bus, I get a few words with Bob, the driver. He's highly valued by the crew. They tell me that many drivers are speed freaks and blowhards, unreliable and antisocial. Bob, though, despite having driven for over 20 years - for the likes of Bob Seger and Frank Zappa - is modest and funny.

"I like these guys. They're nice kids and they sound good."

"You seen their show?"

"I only check out the bands who are good to me and the bus... yeah, I like what they're doing."

Quite a compliment, by all accounts.

The Joy Formidable: sold out

Bob sleeps through the day, then comes over to pick everyone up after the show. That's 'Bus Call'. It's reverently adhered to. No one wants to upset Bob.

We have to get our interview done today. It's the main reason the band have flown me over here. But, as they have been so busy with vital preparation for the second album, and they've had a non-stop run of shows for nine nights, there just hasn't been an opportunity.

If you had any illusions that life on the road is a non-stop party, it isn't. These guys are dedicated workers. It's an impressive ethic. There are parties, but only after all of the word is finished.

The Paradise Club is Boston's most legendary venue. Someone inside tells me that "U2 and The Police played here.."

Oh, well. How about hometown band Pixies?

"Hell, yeah! Lots of times."

I go and kiss the stage.

It's a more intimate venue than the others I've visited. It holds just over 900 people. It's a shallower but wider room which brings everyone present closer to the stage. My heart starts to beat a little faster.

Soundcheck done, there is another meet and greet. If you've read all of these tour diaries, you'll be beginning to see a pattern emerging. Their day is more unusual and exciting than ours, but it's also much more regimented. Someone, somewhere is always checking a clock on the band's behalf.

This meet and greet is unusual because the 40-plus people who have turned up for it are allowed on stage to hear the band play a song. The techs look on nervously lest a clumsy foot should total a pedal board.

Ritzy hands a giant kid a hammer to hit the band's gong with. When he gets the opportunity, in the right part of the song, he looks like the happiest big kid in Christendom. Every one on stage is beaming. These meet and greets are powerfully good at forging a connection with the band. My predictable British cynicism might have had me snorting at the thought of these some days ago, but definitely not now.

So, interview time... at last! Once we've negotiated a couple of hurdles - it's rather difficult to find somewhere quiet to film an interview in a venue full of soundchecking bands, or a tour bus with its throbbing generator.

I do love talking to The Joy Formidable. they're passionate, opinionated and fascinatingly contradictory. I can't reveal much. The interview is the domain of the people who paid me to go out there to conduct it. Suffice to say, Rhydian is impassioned, enthused and defiant. Ritzy original, fiery and confident. Matt is funny and a little bored, I think. He has his C Mixolydian scale to learn. He's brushing up on his guitar skills in the long hours between gigs.

The second album will be a real progression. I've heard a couple of unmixed tracks from it and they sound remarkable and different.

There is an underlying frustration that they don't get as much coverage at home as they do in the States. It's not that they have a childish sense of entitlement, far from it. It's more a general bemusement verging on mild disappointment. We all want the people closest to us to love us the most. Don't expect bands to be any different.

Boston turns out to be their best show yet. The locals adore this band and get adored right back:

"We love you Ritzy!"

"Marry me, Ritzy!"

A phenomenal sound system juggernauts the songs into our ears via our shuddering torsos. Every melody surges in on a jet engine of power. There isn't a single weak spot in the set. The one new song that has figured over the last few nights - The Silent Treatment - is the most beautiful paean to a fracturing relationship. Unexpectedly, it brings to mind Elliott Smith. But like all of The Joy Formidable's music, it's them first and foremost.

Can you tell I have been entirely converted? To the point of evangelism?

The next time I see them, the venues will be bigger, no doubt about that. Attempting to stop this band's momentum right now would be akin to trying to harness a comet.

What a band. What a show.

There is a little post-show schmoozing. Not for me. I'm not much of a social animal, not great at ligging, and I'm starting to feel sad at the prospect of saying goodbye. I miss my wife and daughter, but I just want to go on - and on - with this experience. The band's life is filled with brief meetings, many faces and a multitude of hellos and goodbyes. I'll remember this week till the day I cough my final breath: a privilege, a blast, a revelation and - yes - a truly formidable joy.

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Today sees the release of Weapons, the fifth studio album by Pontypridd's Lostprophets. Here we track reaction to the album.

Lostprophets - Weapons

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Music
"Because of its compact form and committed performances, Weapons is a release that burns brightly. Its cause is aided by the fact that Lostprophets are a quite fabulous band in motion, one equipped with not just power but also nuance."

4/5
"...the majority of Weapons showcases a band every bit as hungry as the one that blasted out of their Pontypridd rehearsal room a decade ago."

5/10
"We Bring An Arsenal oozes gang chants worthy of a lads' holiday and Better Off Dead includes vocally-manipulated rapping, which isn't as unappealing as it sounds. But as a big comeback for these Welsh titans, it's more lost than prophecy... "

Rock Sound 8/10
"Weapons does indeed mark a new beginning for Lostprophets. Where in the past they specialised in instant hits, now they're aiming for something larger and more long-lasting."

5/10
"Another Shot adds tension and atmosphere but a tendency toward the derivative comes to the fore..."

2/5
"Heart On Loan, Another Shot and Jesus Walks save this record from the sonic doldrums because they're driven by bristling, big choruses and power riffs, proving that Lostprophets should stick to what they know."

4/5
"On We Bring An Arsenal, it means blending Auto-Tune, a mariachi football chant and a non-specific-but-disgusted lyric - a crudely effective concoction that captures the feeling of being 16 and looking for the meaning of life."

3.5/5
"It's perhaps a little strange that Weapons sees Lostprophets drawing further on influences from bands that they themselves inspired over the last decade (not least from some of their Welsh contemporaries in The Blackout and Kids In Glass Houses), but if taken for what it is (a pop rock record) it's a great listen with a few non-fatal flaws."

"It's hard to say the members of Lostprophets themselves perform badly here - all do their respective jobs well enough without ever becoming brilliant or more than mildly interesting at any point. It's really the songwriting, and a seeming allergy to experimentation, that brings Weapons down to the level that it occupies."

"Lostprophets still have a career and they've done well to sustain it, they've adapted to the changing times and they've gotten themselves an entire new fan base along the way. They've still got their style, they just don't have any substance left."

"This is a band that knows where its strengths are - in simple, fist-pumping choruses and ferocious riffs. It's not to say that they don't play with the formula... but the songs that step back a little are the ones that us newcomers are unlikely to be humming in the morning."

"I've used the words "anthemic" and "epic" a few times in this review, but they're words that epitomise the sound of 'Weapons'. It's clear that Lostprophets have put their heart and soul into this album, and are proud to be releasing something that they've worked so hard on... A very welcome return for one of Britain's best rock bands."

"As sad as it is to say (I grew up listening to fakesoundofprogress religiously) but Weapons just might be the final nail in the coffin for anyone holding out hope of Lostprophets ever being relevant again."

8/10
"However, for all the middle-finger, we're not going away attitude of the band in 2012, dig underneath it all and you find a band who still love writing catchy rock songs."

What do you think of the album? If you want to have your say, on this or any other ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ blog, you will need to sign in to your ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account. If you don't have a ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD account, you can - it'll allow you to contribute to a range of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ sites and services using a single login.

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