This has been a gig I had been looking forward to for a long time and it so happened to be the first gig of 2026. Another presentation from those fine folks of FHED, who strive to showcase the bands on the fringes of the UK music scene.
Here we had a headliner who have been rapidly rising up the bill across the UK, supported by some of South Wales finest who brought the sludge and post metal, to round out the show. Let's get down to it then, as this was a very well attended show, Fuel Rock Club packed to the gunnels, I mean literally sold out, so there was clearly something special in the air.
I just want to stress that Adfeilion (7) were let down by the limits of the venue, the complexity of their sound was not meant for the sound desk of Fuel, strangled by the limiter they played a set with all the gusto and power they usually do.
Weaving a newly written spoken word tale through instrumental post metal, those near the front of the stage were able to get the full effect however anyone past the sound desk just heard a band being suffocated and the PA picking up on the wrong parts but still appreciated it all the same.
Thankfully the band have the skill and the troubadour spirit to win over a crowd even when not at full volume. Hopefully creating more fans on the Eastern side of South Wales area with a group that may not have seen them before.
Following up from here was something less complex but still just as powerful as Haast (8) again took to a South Wales stage. The veterans of the scene craft atmospheric, prog soaked, grunge, driven by thunderous bass and riffs heavy enough to level mountains, though again the sound in the venue made sure that it didn't hit as hard as it has before.
Weirdly it was their lead vocalist who benefited the most, as you could hear the clarity and power in the vocals, but the rest of the band weren't quite as potent as they should have been. The influence of Mastodon and those who bridge sludge and prog clear to anyone that may not have seen the veterans of the South Wales scene before.
With a set made up of mostly new material from their as yet to be released album, the future of Haast looks just as heavy as their past, I'll be keeping an eye on them in 2026.
Finally though it was the band who everyone was here for, carrying a Welsh name but hailing from Scotland (all Celts innit?) Cwfen (9) are a band who already have a very dedicated following, their atmospheric, LGBTQ+ positive, feminist music is drenched in folklore and witchery and has meant that their shows gather fans from multiple backgrounds, collectively joining together for these rituals on what was their debut UK headline tour.
With their debut album Sorrows compared to the likes of Amenra, King Woman and heroes like Type O Negative, Cwfen play music that immediately grabs you but will haunt you long after. The gothic doomgaze of the band is driven by the ferocious performance of Agnes Alder upfront, beginning the show with Bodies and Wolfsbane, the first two songs on the record, the cheers went up early and loud as they set the tone with two of the singles from the record.
The rage was intense, on Wolfsbane especially, Agnes channelling the lingering spirits of witches from the past, conducting a ritual in front of the Cardiff crow. Wrapped in a microphone you can feel the crushing weight of past injustice coarse through every vein. Behind Agnes the band composed of Guy DeNuit (guitar), Mary Thomas Baker (bass) and Rös Ranquinn (drums), played the evocative gothic doomgaze that Cwfen do so well, heavy lumbering riffs melded with atmospheric melodies to create a soundscape to pagan worship that captivated the Fuel crowd.
The soundscapes got broader when Agnes picked up a guitar for Reliks before shifting into a double newbies of Reviled and Revenge. With the two guitars the sound of Cwfen became bolder as there was a jangling, almost 12 string sounding harmony, plucked from the goth rock style, which brought and extra dimension to Cwfen's already intense and vibrant sound.
Playing the entire debut album the climax to the evening for a lot of people was the incredible Embers dedicated to "any woman that, loved another woman" and this sense of communal acceptance and catharises through emotionally charged music, really hammered home why Cwfen should be on you 'must watch' list. The personal lyrics, gothic splendour and inventive songwriting make them a special act to bare witness too.
Hwyl Fawr, Am Y Tro, Cwfen.
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