LOUD WOMEN Fest Newport: sold out, turned up and full of love!

Well, Newport, that was rather wonderful, wasn’t it?

On Saturday 3 October, we brought LOUD WOMEN Fest to Wales for the very first time, taking over the brilliant Le Pub for an evening of live music, feminist solidarity and some seriously excellent bands. And what a way to celebrate LOUD WOMEN’s 11th birthday!

I’m not going to pretend that having a sold-out festival isn’t a lovely feeling. When you’re running DIY events, ticket sales are usually one of those things quietly nagging away at the back of your mind. So to arrive in Newport knowing we’d already sold every ticket, and could just concentrate on enjoying the day, was an absolute treat. Although I did feel terrible for the people who missed out. We really wish we could have squeezed everyone in!

Le Pub is exactly the sort of venue we love. Independently run, welcoming, proudly inclusive and genuinely passionate about grassroots music. It’s a proper home for the kind of community we’re building with LOUD WOMEN, and we couldn’t have asked for a better place to launch our first Welsh festival.

With two stages running throughout the evening, we had 11 fantastic acts bringing everything from furious feminist punk to delicate acoustic songwriting, with artists travelling from across Wales, the UK, Germany and the USA to join us.

And every single one of them was brilliant.

The music

Eilis Frawley kicked things off inside with her extraordinary combination of drumming and spoken word. Based in Berlin, Eilis makes music that is fiercely intelligent, political and completely her own. What a fantastic way to announce that LOUD WOMEN had arrived in Newport!

Over on the outdoor stage, emmy woods brought us a beautiful change of pace. Travelling all the way from Minnesota, emmy’s gorgeous voice and thoughtful, country-tinged songwriting provided one of those lovely moments when a festival audience (and Newport High Street) stops chatting and really listens. Such a treat to have her with us.

Newport’s own Hairdye were up next, bringing a proper blast of youthful punk energy to the indoor stage. There’s something especially satisfying about seeing brilliant local bands playing to a packed hometown crowd, and Hairdye absolutely deserved their moment. Loud, spirited and full of attitude.

SheBeat is one of the hardest-working people in the LOUD WOMEN family, so it was particularly lovely to have her performing rather than organising for once! Her warm, witty, beautifully crafted indie-pop songs were perfect for the outdoor stage. She’s travelled down from Edinburgh to support so many of our events, and having her on the bill felt like having family around.

Then came 1blackfrend, our visitors from Jacksonville, Florida, bringing their infectious blend of indie rock, huge hooks and emotional honesty. It’s one of my favourite things about these international festivals: bringing artists into rooms full of people who might never otherwise have discovered them. The reaction in the room told us that Newport has given 1blackfrend a whole new collection of fans.

Cape Orange brought some London magic to the outdoor stage, proving that stripping things back doesn’t mean sacrificing impact. Their powerful vocals and irresistible melodies were a wonderful addition to the evening.

Then it was time for I, Doris! We were joined by the wonderful Charley Stone on guitar and Tee on drums, and had an absolute blast bringing our own brand of menopausecore kitchenpunk to Newport. Such a lovely crowd, and always a joy to play Le Pub.

Local Rainbow was another absolute delight on the outdoor stage. This Cardiff-based bilingual artist makes dreamy, experimental pop that feels intimate, thoughtful and refreshingly different. I love that our festivals can accommodate such a wide range of sounds. LOUD WOMEN has never been about fitting everyone into one musical box.

Back inside, Lady Garden reminded us just how strong the South Wales feminist punk scene is. Fierce, unapologetic and rooted in the DIY ethos that LOUD WOMEN holds so dear, they were a perfect fit for this festival. We need more bands like Lady Garden, and more stages for them to play on.

ScareBears brought the political fire, with their uncompromising anti-fascist feminist punk. At a time when the world seems determined to give us more and more reasons to be angry, bands like this feel particularly important. Loud guitars, righteous fury and absolutely no interest in keeping quiet. Another band we want to see again on a LOUD WOMEN stage ASAP please.

And finally, what better way to end our first Welsh festival than with Newport’s very own The NaNaz?

If ever there was a band that embodied everything LOUD WOMEN stands for, it’s The NaNaz. Formed through Newport’s Nana Punk workshops, they’re living proof that there’s no age limit on picking up an instrument, starting a band and making yourself heard. Their infectious enthusiasm, brilliant humour and punk spirit made them the perfect finale. What an absolute joy to see the NaNaz owning that hometown stage!

The people who made it happen

Of course, none of this happens without the people working away behind the scenes.

A huge thank you to our wonderful Newport crew: Becky Haycock and Jemma Paull, who helped make this festival run so beautifully. Putting on an event across two stages is no small undertaking, and I’m enormously grateful to everyone who gave their time, energy and expertise to help everything come together.

Special thanks to Deb de Lloyd of the NaNaz, who was instrumental in bringing LOUD WOMEN to Newport in the first place. It’s exactly this kind of local connection that makes our international festivals work. We’re also hugely grateful to Marega Palser and Anne-Marie Bollen from The NaNaz, who helped with compering and introducing the bands throughout the evening. Having their warmth, humour and enthusiasm keeping everything moving across the two stages was absolutely lovely.

And a massive thank you to our photographers Amy Smith and Jo Haycock, who helped capture the day so beautifully. These events fly past in such a blur when you’re involved in organising them, and it’s wonderful to have photographs to look back on afterwards.

Thanks, too, to Sam Dabb, Elisha Djan and everyone at Le Pub. We absolutely love your venue, your ethos and the welcome you gave us. Independent spaces like yours are precious, and supporting them is such an important part of what we do.

Newport, you’ve been absolutely lovely. We’d love to come back.