Maes B event puts women performers in spotlight

Maes B – “the official afterdark little brother of the Eisteddfod” – got under way last night.

Featuring the best of the established and up and coming musicians in Wales, this year’s line-up also celebrates music made by female artists.

Merched yn Gwneud Miwsig (Women Making Music) is a joint project between Maes B and Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the project brought young women across Wales together to learn and develop new skills from established acts.

Project manager Elan Evans said due to the success of these workshops, the brand has grown and offers a platform for women music makers in Wales.

She said: “Merched yn Gwneud Miwsig is a great showcase of Welsh women’s creative talent. It is a great boost to see creative and inspirational work flowing throughout Wales at the moment.

“We’ve brought this to the Eisteddfod with the aim of giving female artists a leading platform to perform.

“For example, Maes B on Friday features an all-female line up and artists such as Kizzy Crawford, Eädyth and Adwaith, the all-female indie band from Carmarthen.”

Meanwhile, the doors of the Eisteddfod Pavilion will be thrown open “with sassy gusto” for what organisers call a “full-on queer mode” party, entitled Parti Pinc late tomorrow.

Hosted by Mas ar y Maes (Out on the Eisteddfod Maes), it will be a celebration and introduction to ballroom culture from the Welsh Ballroom Community hosted by duo Seiriol Davies and Lisa Angharad.

Organiser Marc Rees said the ballroom scene is a subculture where performers compete in dancing, modelling and elaborate drag performances; founded in New York by the black queer community and now promising to “burst and strut onto the Pavilion stage serving style and face”.

Mas ar y Maes is a partnership between the Eisteddfod and Stonewall Cymru, which has grown significantly since it was established in 2018.

Since 2011, Stonewall Cymru has had a stand on the Maes and launched Mas ar y Maes at the Eisteddfod in Cardiff as a collaboration that celebrates LGBT+ identities with the Eisteddfod.

Also being hosted by Mas ar y Maes is a celebration of Dance Culture from the Welsh Dance Community under the leadership of Seiriol Davies and Lisa Angharad.

Among the other activities on the Maes this week will be a discussion on the representation of the LGBT+ community within literature in Wales.