Since the opening of Grangetown’s Tramshed in 2015, the Cardiff music scene has only reaped the rewards. The latest – and perhaps greatest – of these rewards is the introduction of a new day-long festival, Shimmer Sounds. The basics: twenty quid, ten acts, one venue… isn’t that offer already good enough? Well, dearest reader, it gets better. A lot better.

Cardiff is no stranger to this breed of festival. HOYFest, Wales Goes Pop and Sŵn are some of the finest annual affairs that are on offer throughout the year, though Shimmer Sounds is different in its format; not only does the quality of the lineup far exceed its price point (bargain, bargain, bargain), but it has also struck the right balance between upcoming and established artists – you’ll have actually heard of them.

In its freshman year in the festival-sphere, the line-up is the only indicator of what Shimmer Sounds could be. It is clearly on to a corker, though, so fear not. Essentially, on the surface, Shimmer Sounds appears to be a melting pot of different shades of indie rock and pop. Expect crowd-pleasing choruses from sugary supremos Fickle Friends and Anteros, as this one-two punch of pop acts is sure to be a knockout, whilst Cardiff’s rising rockers – Al Moses, Rainbow Maniac and Himalayas – will add some local flavour into the mix. The Howl and The Hum (god, that one is a mouthful) are set to slow the pace down a little, as their cinematic soundscapes will act as a respite from the moshpits that many of the other acts will inevitably induce.

Critically panned but commercially lauded, the third LP from headliners Peace, audaciously titled ‘Kindness Is The New Rock And Roll‘ was released earlier this year. Though the record may be bound by insipid, uninspired clichés (that title!), it doesn’t mean that this new set of tracks won’t translate well live. Picture this: take the bombastic banger ‘Power‘, mix it in with old classics such as ‘Lost On Me‘ and ‘Lovesick‘, imagine up a fair few hundred revved-up gig-goers and put them all together in Tramshed. Carnage will ensue – you know it – and we are all for it. If this idea is anything to go by, then we can forgive them for their latest release and focus on their renowned live reputation – after all, we should all give Peace a chance.

Peace will headline Shimmer Sounds at Tramshed, Cardiff on Saturday, 17th November. Tickets are available HERE for £19.61 from Eventbrite.

Full lineup:

• Peace
• Fickle Friends
• The Night Cafe
• Anteros
• The Howl & The Hum
• Himalayas
• Jordan Allen
• Lauran Hibberd
• Rainbow Maniac
• Al Moses

Words by Sophie Williams

Twitter: @fluorescentsoph