Since I first featured Welsh singer Casi on the blog back in 2015, I’ve had the opportunity to see her live a number of times and one thing has become absolutely clear – she wears some very fine trousers. This is important because as far as I’m concerned, I want my pop singers to look great. Let’s face it, if David Bowie (surely the model for all pop musicians to aspire to) had just gone on stage in a scruffy pair of jeans and a grey beer stained t-shirt from Primark, nobody would have taken much notice, would they? Talking of good trousers, another up and coming musician I’ve featured several times on the blog is Jerry Williams, who never fails to impress a fine cut and colourful number. Jerry sports the sort of trouser that if you or I wore them, we’d look like clowns, but when Jerry wears them she looks cool. That’s the reason why last night I was disappointed not be able to make the BBC Introducing gig at the Lexington in London, which found Jerry and Casi sharing the same bill. Surely it was a show of off-the-hook pantaloon sensations? If you were there, let me know if it was or not*. Edit: My spies tell me Jerry was sporting a fine pink pair. This is a good start. I'm still waiting for news about Casi though. Of course, besides the trousers, it’s also pretty important for decent pop types to have some decent pop songs and Casi’s latest Homesick ticks the boxes as far as that goes. “Attachment to place and people can be both cruel and magnificent. Homesick is me accepting what is now, how I feel today, and the realisation that sometimes, we have to let go,” says Casi of the song. Sadly, as you get older, you realise that it’s the same with those once cool clothes you wore as well, which creates a particularly difficult dilemma for older pop stars – to flaunt around the stage looking like a d*ck – or to slip into something a little more comfortable and uncool Of course, the best pop stars manage to look amazing and have great songs all the way through their lives. Casi doesn’t have to worry about that for a long time yet though, so for now let’s just enjoy her stirring electronic pop, which is streaming below. Casi - Homesick
Following yesterday’s post of 5 Breaking More Waves approved acts that I’m recommending to watch at 2017’s Great Escape in Brighton here are a further 5 that, should you be a little overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of music on offer at the festival, you might want to consider watching. If you fancy watching them all, this is possible - the timetable allows you to catch all 10 with a bit of planning. Alas the Royal Pavillion pictured above isn't one of the venues at the festival, but if you do have any spare time in Brighton when the music isn't on, I'd recommend a trip there as well as Resident Records store, the North Laines, Brighton Museum and a stroll along the seafront. 6. Alice Jemima (UK) Regular readers won’t be in any way surprised to find Alice Jemima on this list, she has after all been one of the most featured artists on Breaking More Waves since 2011. Alice first played the Great Escape 2 years ago at a small Alt-Escape event watched by about 10 people. Last year she was on the main programme with just one afternoon show at the outside venue of Jubilee Square. This year she returns with several million streams on her Spotify, 2 shows at Great Escape (one late night and one opening) and a debut album of softly sung indie singer songwriter pop with touches of electronica, that fulfils on her promise.
Latest Music Bar 23.00pm May 19th Komedia Studio 12.15pm May 20th
7. Bokito (UK) Not to be confused with Kero Kero Bonito, Bokito come to Great Escape with a strong debut song (Better At Getting Worse), a decent amount of support from music blogs and a nomination on the Glastonbury Emerging Talent competition longlist. With a lead singer that looks like a metal band but ‘dances like an African woman’ (his words) and having drawn comparisons to Vampire Weekend, Everything Everything, Metronomy and Jinja Safari, Bokito will be playing their blend of tropical indie in the Queens Hotel, one of the stranger venues of Great Escape – the space is basically a staircase lobby below the reception. But everyone has to start somewhere – I saw Dan Smith from Bastille play this space, before he’d even formed Bastille (see this review from 2009 here). Queens Hotel 13.30pm May 20th
8. Sultan Of The Disco (South Korea) Two of the best things about Great Escape is the sheer variety of music on offer and the fact that there are many international showcases. This year one such showcase is a South Korean extravaganza, which will include rapper MC Sniper, rock band The Monotones and the incredible Sultan Of The Disco who first came to prominence in the UK following an appearance at Glastonbury Festival 2014 (although they formed in 2006). Taking inspiration from soul and funk, Sultan Of The Disco are all about dance moves, costumes and lots of entertainment.
Latest Music Bar 15.15pm May 20th Latest Music Bar 22.30pm May 20th
9. Casi (UK) Back in 2013, another music blogger, Chris from The Metaphorical Boat tweeted me about a singer called Casi Wyn, suggesting he thought she would be my metaphorical cup of tea. At the time the music she was doing didn’t really grab me. Fast forward two years and not only had I changed my mind (see here) but Casi (minus the Wyn) had played a Welsh music showcase at the Great Escape in 2015. Since that time her music has developed even further significantly and her expressive electronic pop song The Beast encapsulates just how good she has become. She’s back at Great Escape 2017 and is now firmly one of my recommendations.
Coalition 21.15pm May 20th
10. Skott (Sweden) Striking electronic pop from Sweden? Yes, it’s Skott, one of Breaking More Waves past 10 Ones To Watch for 2017 and the last of my tips for the Great Escape 2017. You’ll find a number of the 10 acts that I featured as One to Watch for 2017 on the Great Escape bill such as Jerry Williams, Hazel English, Cabbage and Liv Dawson but it’s Skott that takes the glittering, icy crown with her dramatic multi-blog approved sound. Catch her immediately after Casi on Saturday night. Coalition 22.15pm May 20th
“Whatever happened to xxxxxxx?” It’s one of those questions I tend to ask when an artist I’ve written about falls off my radar. I almost got round to asking that about Welsh singer Casi. After posting about her in March 2015 on Breaking More Waves and catching a live set in May 2015 things seemed to go very quiet. Had she given up music to go on a spiritual journey to Goa to find herself? Or maybe she’d invested in a property portfolio in London and made her millions before retiring to the Bahamas? It seems it was none of these, because now she’s back, with a new song called Lion. Not only that it’s on a proper record label (Chess Club) which means that the song has already had a radio exclusive and a music website premiere because that’s how these things tend to work in the music industry. So what’s Lion like? Well, you can probably decide for yourself by just pressing play, but if you want some words, I’d suggest it’s a weird mix of the ethereal combined with the heavy hitting. A sort of modern day synthy Clannad perhaps? I can certainly imagine a video that features clouds of mist, lots of eerie blue light, wind machines, an icy lake and some muscular looking warrior lords from the north.
We’re not sure if we’ve ever heard an electronic pop song sung in Welsh before today, but then we hadn’t listened to Hardd by Casi Wyn. Then we did and even although we’ve absolutely no idea what she’s singing about, (let’s hope it’s nothing too rude or controversial) its sound is haunting and seductively lush enough to find us not caring. It’s no wonder that Casi was chosen last year as one of twelve Welsh artists to be part of Horizon, a partnership between BBC Cymru Wales and the Arts Council of Wales, to support and promote emerging Welsh music. You can hear Hardd by clicking here. Nearly one year on from Casi’s inclusion in that project we get Roads, which finds her growing in confidence as an artist, adding soft R&B beats to her lilting accent and a ghostly otherworldly electronic production. It all makes for a fascinating and rather impressively dreamy concoction from this Bangor singer who is currently studying in London. Casi - Roads
