The Garrys

Focus Wales is an exciting event at the heart of Wrexham that has been going for over a decade now. It’s a great event for discovering new bands and a fantastic opportunity for anyone in the music industry to network. With three days of acts from around the world there is something for everyone.

We had scheduled so many exciting acts to see that over the course of the weekend we must have walked a thousand miles! The first act that stood out to us was The Silver Lines at a fantastic venue called Hope Street Church. The band is genre defying with songwriting that covers all matter of taboo topics. We were totally blown away by them. Their fantastic new single ‘Cocaine’ is out now.

An act that has resonated with me all week since the festival is the wonderful Charm Of Finches, an Australian sister duo who performed within the stunning St. Giles Church, the setting was just perfect for their ethereal and enchanting performance. A song that really captured me was ‘Clean Cut’.

Megan Wyn rocked it out at The Rockin’ Chair. Megan is an Anglesey born artist who is destined to go far, for such a young age she has already accomplished so much as a musician. She gave an excellent performance, reminiscent of Debbie Harry from Blondie or even the likes of PJ Harvey.

The Garrys are a sibling quartet from Canada consisting of three sisters and their brother who make surf music dripping with nostalgia that could be straight out of a Quentin Tarantino movie soundtrack. They gave a fun and groovy performance at The Parish.

The Royston Club played the main stage Llwyn Isaf, they played a blistering set to a passionate Wrexham crowd who totally soaked them up. With immense vocals they delivered great song lyrics perfect for anthem singalongs, you could feel the crowds love for the band. What another great moment for these talented home town boys.

North Wales band Holy Coves played an electrifying set to an eager crowd at Hope Street Church, the venue was packed out with people listening in off the street. They opened with the vibrant Away We Go and closed with the darkly devastating Droner, they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. If they return to Focus Wales 2025 they will most certainly need a bigger venue.

Adwaith who are a Welsh band to the core played a stomping set at The Rockin’ Chair, the highlight was hearing their latest single MWY, a track that is made to be played live.

Sister Envy are a North Wales band signed to Snowdonia Records (along with Holy Coves). They played their debut at Focus Wales in the Wynnstay Arms and blew the crowd away. The very same day they released their second single ‘Tide’. This is a band that will go far with their exceptional talents.

Spiritualized, a prolific songwriter and musician of Space Rock delivered a beautiful set. It was great for the long time fans but maybe could of done with some of their more popular songs, they were still on fire and delivered a fantastic performance.

That was to name a few, there were many more I would of liked to have seen, for example, Mr. Phormula, Hazmat, Gallops, CVC, Chalk, the list goes on, it was impossible to be everywhere at once but it demonstrates the great variety of talent showcased at Focus Wales. The weekend was packed with astonishing performances from so many accomplished artists. I’m eager to see what Focus Wales 2025 brings us!

Super early bird tickets are now available for Focus Wales 2025 via the link below!

http://www.focuswales.com

Emily Marsden – Editor
#IndieRevolution
@Indierevuk
Indierevuk@gmail.com

Canadian sister trio The Garrys will release their new single, ‘Cakewalk,’ accompanied by a new music video, via Grey Records.

‘Cakewalk’ marks the first new music since 2021’s Get Thee To A Nunnery and the first release since the trio of Lenore, Julie, and Erica Maier recruited their brother Matthew on guitar. ‘Cakewalk’ is undoubtedly a The Garrys release in all the best ways, as the “doom-wop” outfit weaves criss-crossing guitar riffs and a three-part braid of harmony with rhythmic stutter, underpinned by the warm analogue hum of a VHS tape. The syncopated surf rock beats and guitars steeped in tremolo create a psychedelic dread drenched in dark nostalgia, conjuring images of a Lynchian school dance. “Cakewalk is the first song we’re releasing that was written by all four of us; lyrically, the track explores the nuggets of good advice we’ve all ignored, the existential discomfort of holding multiple truths, and the stoic relief of resignation to an indifferent universe,” the band added.

The accompanying music video for ‘Cakewalk’, shot and directed by filmmaker Carey Shaw, is also be available via The Garrys’ YouTube channel. Taking aesthetic inspiration from vintage found footage of a 1988 Miss Saskatoon beauty pageant, the video features the soft-focus romance and shoulder-pad glamour of a mid-80s soap opera mixed with a surrealist take on a local television channel’s variety show. In addition to the music video, The Garrys will be taking their hazy sun-bleached melodies on the road to the UK. Having played The Great Escape in 2018 and 2022, The Garrys are ready to retake the UK by storm having just played three sets at FOCUS Wales and have stops in Dublin and Glasgow.

Born out of the coldest part of landlocked Canada, The Garrys formed in the spring of 2015 and named themselves after their father, Garry. The trio debuted with Warm Buds in 2016, a lo-fi record that established what would become the band’s signature woozy garage-surf sound. The sister trio have since recruited their brother Matthew Maier to join the family fun, but only after the band’s last album, Get Thee To The Nunnery. Get Thee To The Nunnery won them a 2022 Western Canadian Music Award in the category of Breakout Artist of the Year, as well as Alternative Artist of the Year in the Saskatchewan Music Awards the same year.

Emily Marsden – Editor
#IndieRevolution
@Indierevuk
Indierevuk@gmail.com

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