International showcase festival FOCUS Wales returns to scenic Wrexham on 4, 5 and 6 May for a weekend jam-packed with inspiring new music.

And LOUD WOMEN readers will be particularly inspired to see a well balanced gender mix in the lineup, and some strong female headliners.

If you’re heading to North Wales, here’s our 7 top tips to catch.

Adwaith

Carmarthen’s Adwaith have been LOUD WOMEN favourites for many years now – they had us at ‘Lan y Môr‘. With work on a 3rd album underway, having scooped the 2022 Welsh Music Prize for their 2nd album Bato Mato, Adwaith are at the top of their game.

Murder Club

We were lucky enough to host Murder Club at LOUD WOMEN Fest 5, what I believe was something like the band’s 2nd proper live gig! Even then, their confident performance of truly excellent song won our eternal devotion (as if they didn’t already have it by virtue of being at the heart of the Newport music scene – the Welsh home of LOUD WOMEN). Catch them at FOCUS Wales, then catch them again supporting Miesha and the Spanks for LOUD WOMEN at Le Pub on 8 June – a gig that their awesome multitasking drummer Elisha is also running.

Billy Nomates

The Bristol-based singer-songwriter gives voice to the silenced, the disillusioned, the broken-hearted, and the burnt-out, assembling brilliantly biting dispatches from the fringes of a society mired in austerity, inequality and insularity.

Dream Wife

The actual dreamiest. How have we not managed to book Dream Wife for a LOUD WOMEN event yet? Let’s make that magic happen soon.

Juice Menace

AKA Cardiff’s CEO, Juice Menace is a 21 year old rapper making a big splash right now.

Prima Queen

Indierock songwriting duo and best friends Louise Macphail (Bristol, UK) and Kristin McFadden (Chicago, USA) are set to be our new faves.

Chroma

Ponytypridd’s finest alt-rockers Chroma stole our hearts forever with their roof-raising performance at last year’s LOUD WOMEN Fest – can’t wait to see what this band do next.

Full FOCUS Wales line up, tickets and info here

And if you missed it, there was a FOCUS Wales preview on last weekend’s LOUD WOMEN radio show – you can listen again here!