Swansea’s much-loved Fringe Festival has announced its full lineup for this year’s festival. The festival has a long history but returned in its current form in 2017, organising a wealth of music, comedy, poetry, and theatre performances across Fringe weekend every year.
Organised by Swansea Music Hub, the 2023 event is supported by 4TheRegion, Coastal Housing Group, PRS for Music, and Swansea Arena Creative Learning. A new project from Menter Iaith Abertawe funded by Tŷ Cerdd will also see new and emerging artists using the Welsh language in their work feature across the whole weekend, including sets from rising stars such as Francis Rees, Tesni Hughes, and Dafydd Hedd.
The 2023 Fringe gets underway on Thursday the 5th of October with a launch event featuring Angharad and Edie Bens, both fresh from performing at this year’s Green Man festival, as well as sets from Mali Hâf, Achlysurol, and Charlie J.
Friday the 6th has something for everyone, with 7 stages of live music and comedy at venues across the city centre. BBC Radio 6 favourites, The Bug Club, play The Bunkhouse following a string of festival dates throughout the summer and ahead of a 32-date tour of Europe, the USA and Canada. Hangar 18 gets an immense metal and hard rock lineup, featuring Lurcher and local heroes Vails. High street is in for a huge night too, with live music stages at Volcano Theatre, Hippos, and Elysium Bar & Venue. The Elysium’s line up will feature sets from Monet and Slate before they play at Cardiff’s Sŵn festival later in October, while the Volcano will see a bilingual Menter Iaith Abertawe and Fringe showcase stage featuring SYBS, Aisha Kigs, Part Time Signals, and Elli Glyn. Urban HQ on nearby Orchard Street is home to the evening’s comedy lineup, featuring Josh Elton, Gilly Webb, and Welsh Jesus amongst many others.
Saturday the 7th sees the return of the immensely popular Folk at Fringe stage to Elysium Bar & Venue with a stellar lineup that includes Rona Mac, Old Moll and Orange Circus. Tŷ Tawe’s lineup includes Band Pres Llarregub - a Bronx hip-hop-inspired, New Orleans-tinged, North Walian brass band with attitude - along with bilingual MC, producer and live looping artist Mr Phormula, who has collaborated with hip hop greats like The Pharcyde, Jungle Brothers and KRS-One. There’s more hip-hop on offer at Hippos thanks to a showcase by Winger Records, whilst Hangar 18 and Crowleys host punk and indie stages featuring Kneeon, Shlug, Swan Hill and Two Til Twelve amongst others. The Bunkhouse’s experimental rock and electronica lineup features local talent in the form of Grey FLX and Kikker alongside two internationally acclaimed acts: Gallops and Brecon.
“Nearly 200 acts from across Wales applied to perform at Fringe this year”, says co-organiser Josh David-Read. “The quality and variety of applications was incredibly high because the Fringe has established a reputation for putting on an incredible weekend of arts and culture. We are really proud of this year’s lineup, which will see heavyweight acts like The Bug Club, Edie Bens, Gallops and Brecon playing on the same bills as the bands and artists who’ve come through the application route. Some of these acts tour globally but they all have a strong link to Wales, which is important to us as organisers.”
You can find the full lineup below. Fringe weekend and day tickets are on sale now at www.ticket247.co.uk