±«Óãtv

Eleven up-and-coming bands and artists from the length and breadth of Wales have signed up to play live on ±«Óãtv Radio Wales as part of the station's second annual Music Day on 25 March.

The 11 will all perform live either at ±«Óãtv Cymru Wales studios in Cardiff, at Theatr Clwyd in Mold or in the Monkey Café in Swansea, as part of the celebration of new and established Welsh musical talent, the latter including exclusive contributions from Cerys Matthew, James Dean Bradfield and The Joy Formidable.

A panel of Radio Wales's promoters of new talent, including the Evening Show's Alan Thompson, Adam Walton and Bethan Elfyn came up with the list of bands and artists they think will be big in the next couple of years.

They are:

Karl Morgan, a 24-year-old singer-songwriter from Swansea who has just signed to EMI Publishing New York;
Toy Horses, a "melody-fuelled" two-piece from Cardiff;
Friends Electric, an "infectious, electric-pop" foursome from Neath who are on the ±«Óãtv Radio 1 playlist this week;
Jonathan Powell, a Cardiff-based singer-songwriter who worked with Charlotte Church on her latest CD;
The Gentle Good, aka Gareth Bonello from Cardiff, who sings in both English and Welsh;
Emmy's Unicorn, a two-piece of vocalist Emmy Lou Kay and Mr Ronz who hails from Swansea and is responsible for the soundtrack to Law And Order: UK;
Colorama, a sixties-inspired band whose founder Carwyn Ellis lived on Anglesey but is now Cardiff-based;
Courteous Thief, a four-piece acoustic rock band from Llandudno;
Masters In France, a Bangor-based band who have performed at both the Wakestock and Faenol festivals, who are due to join the Radio 1 playlist in April;
Houdini Dax, a Cardiff-based band whose first full-length CD release is due in the summer;
The Direction, a three-piece pop/rock band from Swansea.

Last year's Radio Wales Music Day participants have gone on to greater things, with Heal The Last Stand touring and recording in the USA, while Penarth's Pete Lawrie has been playlisted three times for ±«Óãtv Radio 2 and is about to release his debut album.

Radio Wales Music Day, which will include Welsh music and live acts across the broadcasting schedule, also sees some established Welsh artists joining in the celebrations, such as Manic Street Preachers's frontman James Dean Bradfield, who has signed up to record an exclusive track, plus The Joy Formidable talking about growing up in Mold.

Mid-morning presenters Jamie Owen and Louise Elliott will be travelling to Swansea to encourage patrons of the city's Monkey Café in Castle Street to get involved live on air from 9am, while Alan Thompson's Evening Show will be live from Clwyd Theatr Cymru in Mold from 7.30pm.

And there will also be a documentary marking one of Wales's most famous music venues, the "legendary" TJs in Newport, narrated by Cerys Matthews.

Tickets for the Clwyd Theatr Cymru event are free and available by calling 03700 10 10 51.Standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles will apply.

JW