Last week, we shared the new single from Welsh composer and multi-instrumentalist Cerys Hafana – The Wife of Usher’s Well, a traditional ballad from the English-Scottish borders. You may recall that her second album, Edyf, received much praise and was selected as one of The Guardian’s Top Ten Folk Albums of 2022 and was shortlisted for the 2023 Welsh Music Prize.
As we mentioned in our premiere, Cerys was due to perform at the Other Voices Cardigan Festival over the weekend, which was live-streamed via the Other Voices YouTube and on the big screen Mwldan in the heart of Cardigan. You can now watch her performance in full below.
She performs on the triple harp and electric guitar, including her new single, ‘The Wife of Usher’s Well’, which she jokingly introduces: “Over lockdown, I did a very bad thing and started singing some English folk songs and in the process learnt that the English are a deeply troubled people; all of their songs are about the worst things that you could possible imagine mashed into one horrible thing…” While The Wife of Usher’s Well is one of the less odd folk songs, it’s not without its moments. As Cerys explains, it is about a wealthy woman with three sons. She sends them away, and they all die, but then they return to her one night; she’s thrilled until she realises they are all wearing hats made from bark that’s only grown in paradise. The live rendition is equally enthralling as the single, so I encourage you to try and see Cerys on one of her upcoming live dates below.
You can also hear Cerys in our latest Folk Show here.
Cerys Hafana Live Dates
More dates for February and March 2024 will be announced very soon.
27/10/23 – Other Voices, ABERTEIFI / CARDIGAN
3/11/23 – The Met, BURY
23/11/23 – Divine Schism, Common Ground, OXFORD
24/11/23 – Kings Place (Hall 2), LONDON
30/11/23 – The Bank Vault, ABERYSTWYTH
7-9/12/23 – Trans Musicales, RENNES
2/02/24 – Trawsnewid: Transform, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, ABERYSTWYTH
15/02/24 – The Kitchen Garden Café, BIRMINGHAM
20/02/24 – The Boileroom, GUILDFORD
Tickets and more details can be found here: https://ceryshafana.com/live-dates/