Aberration returns to the Bank Vault bar in Aberystwyth on the evening of Thursday 14 November. Doors 6pm, onstage 7pm. £6 on the door (cash / card / phone)
Kaan K will perform spoken word from their brilliant collectionIf I Were Erol(published by Fourteen Poems) AND a brand new book just out (see below)! We are delighted that Kaan, who had a short slot at last year’s talent night, will tonight take you on a journey through their moving work. Books available to buy on the night, with author signings.
Sharing the stage is Aitch, the comedian alter ego of your regular host Helen Sandler. Aitch will perform new material especially written for tonight. She’s even been on a course!
A magical queer night! Drinks available from the well-stocked bar including a range of craft beers. No pressure to drink alcohol, as there are lots of great soft drinks on sale too. Please support our friendly venue.
KAAN’S FIRST FULL-LENGTH POETRY COLLECTION
Rosewater
Raw, sexy, vulnerable and challenging, Rosewater asks what it means to embody a border.
‘The land isn’t binary and neither am I’ Kaan K dives deep into their Cypriot heritage, pondering their connection to an island with the world’s only divided capital city. They reflect on the divisions in their personal life – cultural, spiritual, sexual.
Rosewater is a homage to trans tenderness, a cry for connection and a search for hope, joy and change. Follow Kaan on Instagram @dream.with.kaan
AITCH’S FIRST PROPER COMEDY OUTING
Tales of the Village
Come with Aitch on a journey. Around the village and back. Perhaps she’ll get a nice little part-time job along the way. What could possibly go wrong?
Saturday 3 August 3.30pm Plas Newydd, Llangollen: Queer Tales from Wales present ‘An Extraordinary Female Affection: The life and love of the Ladies of Llangollen’. An entertaining promenade performance in the grounds of the very house where the ladies lived two hundred years ago. Performed in English.
Tickets are £22.50 (plus booking fee), to include tea and cake with the Ladies and entry to the House during the day.
Perfformiad chwareus lle mae Sarah Ponsonby ac Eleanor Butler yn mynd â chi ar daith o diroedd eu cartref, Plas Newydd. Atgynhyrchiad bywiog o’u 50 mlynedd gyda’i gilydd, gyda help y gynulleidfa, gwartheg anwes, hel straeon enllibus ac ymweliadau gan ferched sy’n eu hedmygu, gan gynnwys Anne Lister. Wedi’i gyflwyno gan Jane Hoy a Helen Sandler mewn hetiau befar.
Pris tocynnau yw £22.50, gan gynnwys te a chacen gyda’r Merched a mynediad i’r Tŷ yn ystod y dydd.
A playful promenade performance in which Sarah Ponsonby and Eleanor Butler take you on a tour of the grounds of their home Plas Newydd. A lively re-imagining of their 50 years together helped along by the audience, pet cows, scurrilous gossip and visits from their women admirers including Anne Lister. Presented by Jane Hoy and Helen Sandler in beaver hats.
Tickets are £22.50, to include tea and cake with the Ladies and entry to the House during the day.
Friday 26 July 6pm Amgueddfa Ceredigion Museum Exhibition visit, artist talks, film and discussion around the exhibition ‘For the Curious and Interested’, led by Voices from the Edge. With Rose Thorn and Abid Hussain. Read more >>
and the next day… Saturday 27 July 11am to 3pm Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / National Library of Wales ‘Peace of Writing’ – Creative writing workshop led by historian Norena Shopland and our own Jane Hoy, inspired by the Welsh Women’s Peace Petition of 1923-24. Details >>
Friday 16 August Aberystwyth South Beach Picnic after work – bring your own food and drink to this fun social event. Don’t forget a rug or folding chair to sit on too.
September: We’re taking a break – no event.
Wed 16 October Aberystwyth Arts Centre A new operetta marks the centenary of Edward Prosser Rhys winning the Crown at the National Eisteddfod with his poem ‘Atgof’. And Aberration will host an intervention that turns a queer gaze on the poet and his circle.
Thurs 14 November Surprise event at Bank Vault!
Details of all above events to be announced soon on our website and socials!
www.aberration.org.uk @aberrationcymru
SPONSOR
We are grateful to Prifysgol Aberystwyth University for financial support for Aberration.
[PAST EVENT] Thursday 20 June 2024: Aberration presents queer folk duo Lucy and Hazel, with special guest Cerys Hafana, at Bank Vault, Aberystwyth – 6pm doors for 7pm start
A wonderful evening of inspiring music! Lucy and Hazel combine a love of groove, soulful raw harmonies and passionate songwriting to bring you hope and rage in these strange times. Mid Wales’ own Cerys Hafana will open the night with spellbinding tunes that blend innovation with tradition. Come on down! Edrych ymlaen!
Entry: £7 full price / £5 for concessions. Pay on the door.
Lucy and Hazel
Sheffield-based duo Lucy and Hazel write songs on feminism, politics, climate, land rights, swamp monsters, lawns and anything that gets their goat. Playing guitar, uke, melodeon, clarinet and blending voices in harmony, they draw influences from multiple musical traditions from Europe, and the comings and goings of Hazel’s brain.
Two of the Aberration team met Lucy Huzzard and Hazel Thompson when they were visiting Mid Wales – and when they sang harmonies in the back of our car we immediately invited them to play Aberration. We were delighted when they said a big YES! We can’t wait for you to hear them!
‘Surely the queens of the new tribe of British folk emerging from the radical activist left. Folk music just got very exciting.’ Sam Lee, singer
‘Poignant and witty, Lucy & Hazel will make you laugh and cry. Absolutely brilliant!’ Tamsin Elliott, musician (Solana)
Don’t miss this special performance. With inspirations spanning from Joni Mitchell and Ivor Cutler, to stories of resistance, Lucy and Hazel are a powerful and entertaining duo.
Cerys Hafana is a composer and multi-instrumentalist who mangles, mutates, and transforms traditional music. She explores the creative possibilities and unique qualities of the triple harp, and is also interested in found sounds, archival materials and electronic processing. Cerys comes from Machynlleth, where rivers and roads meet on the way to the sea.
Edyf is her second album, released in 2022, and was selected as one of The Guardian’s Top Ten folk albums of 2022. In January 2023, Cerys was also featured on Cerys Matthews’ BBC 6 Music ‘Highlights of 2022’ New Year show.
‘Mae gan Cerys Hafana amser: amser i fynegi ei syniadau trwy gyfrwng ei hofferyn, amser i greu awyrgylch, amser i ddilyn ei dychymyg, ond yn bwysicach na hyn oll, amser i wneud i’r gerddoriaeth anadlu.’ Tomos Williams, O’r Pedwar Gwynt
‘Hafana explores resonances from the past that connect with the modern day in a contemporary, creative way. On her second album, Edyf (meaning “thread”) she uses her harp as a percussive, jagged-toothed tool… Hafana also sings movingly, her high voice like an indie-pop soprano shorn of its sweetness.’ Jude Rogers, Folk Album of the Month, The Guardian
Aberration is a series of exciting events with an LGBTQ+ theme. We aim for a friendly community space. Everyone is welcome, including open-minded straight friends and allies of course. Events are very much trans-inclusive as well as highlighting gay, bi and lesbian lives and culture. All under one rainbow! Your friendly hosts are Jane Hoy, Ruth Fowler and Helen Sandler.
The venue is the Bank Vault bar at 1 New Street, Aberystwyth SY23 2AT. A supportive venue where we are made very welcome. Please buy drinks to return the support! There is a range of craft beers, ciders, wine, spirits and soft drinks on offer.
We are grateful to Prifysgol Aberystwyth University for financial support for Aberration.
Friday 17 May 7pm at Wynnstay Hotel (in Old Pizzeria), Machynlleth, as part of Balchder Mach Pride: An Extraordinary Female Affection: The Life and Love of the Ladies of Llangollen – see an intriguing pair of women from 1778 brought back to life by Queer Tales from Wales.
Aberration presents GAY! Gardeners’ Question Time at Bank Vault Bar, Aberystwyth on Thursday 25 April at 7pm. Doors open 6pm. Suggested payment on the door: £7 / £5 (but no one turned away for lack of funds, see below).
We bring you our very own Aberration tribute to the long-running Radio 4 show Gardeners’ Question Time – with a queer twist! Our panel are three highly knowledgeable local gardeners, who also have a sense of fun. They are ready and willing to answer your questions about your own gardening, as well as telling us why they love getting down in the dirt. Whether you have a garden, an allotment, or just a straggly houseplant, you will enjoy this very special evening, which adds an LGBTQ+ slant to the world of horticulture. And non-gardeners are of course very welcome!
Questions
It would be great if you could email questions to aberrationcymru@gmail.com in advance, but there is also the option to bring them on the night. The panel will answer a selection.
The Panel
Alys Fowler is a well-known horticulturist who lives in Aberystwyth. A former presenter of Gardeners’ World on BBC2, Alys writes a regular column for the Guardian. Her popular books include The Thrifty Gardener, The Edible Garden (to accompany her TV series of the same name), and Hidden Nature. Alys is a regular attendee at Aberration and we are delighted that she will be chairing our “Gay Gardeners’ Question Time” panel. (Photo: Francesca Jones / Guardian)
Colin Audigé-Soutter (otherwise known as the gay gardener) is a self-taught gardener and landscaper working in and around the Dyfi Valley. He is happiest with a pair of secateurs in his hand and his head in a bush! Colin is originally from Conwy and was given his first plant, a Venus Flytrap, at the age of six. He learnt how to keep cacti and orchids from his grandmother in his teens. Since moving to Machynlleth in 2018, he has started the Houseplant Hospice and Cacti Against Covid; as well as working on market gardens and with the Mach Vegbox scheme, which supplies seasonal local produce. Since 2020 Colin has been running his own garden maintenance and landscaping business in the area.
Preds Tomos has been gardening in the Dyfi Valley all his life, first at his parents’ farm and subsequently in Machynlleth. For the past 13 years he has tended the garden of the old house near Darowen where he lives with his partner Mike. This special place was inherited from their dear old friends Reg and George, who were together more than 60 years. Preds’ sense of place – and of being the custodian of the land – drives all of his planting and design ideas, and inspires much of his artwork too.
Contributions
After a run of subsidised, free Aberration events at the Bank Vault, we now need to start asking for your contributions to cover costs, including paying our speakers and artists. Please contribute on the door if you can afford it. Suggested payments: £7 waged, £5 concession / low waged. Cards or cash accepted. If you don’t have funds right now, just say ‘Not today thank you’ on the door!
AllOut
Aberration will still collect for our favourite campaign, All Out, by passing the bucket round, so please bring cash to donate if you can. Or you can give to AllOut direct on their website >>
The All Out movement works with activists around the world to mobilise efforts to shut down hateful bigots, change anti-LGBT+ laws, and provide life-saving support to LGBT+ people facing emergencies.
Venue
Bank Vault is a lovely bar where we are made very welcome. They serve a fantastic range of craft beers, ciders, wine, and soft drinks. Please support them by buying drinks.
Ethos
This is a friendly LGBTQIA+ themed night, and all open-minded folk are welcome. Trans and non-binary people are of course very much part of our rainbow at Aberration. And just to be clear, straight allies are welcome too!
Sponsor
Aberration is grateful to Prifysgol Aberystwyth University for its generous support. Diolch yn fawr.
Join us at the Bank Vault bar in Aberystwyth on Thursday 14 December for our Seasonal Social! Doors open 6pm. Games, reindeer, karaoke, stories and socialising! Join in as much or as little as you like. Bring friends or come alone.
Whether you love this time of year or prefer to ignore that it’s C—mas, there will be something jolly for you… possibly in a stocking.
Come along and enjoy a relaxed evening together in a festive atmosphere. Free! All LGBTQIA+ people & friends are welcome.
Bank Vault is a gorgeous venue that kindly welcomes Aberration without charge, so please support this lovely intimate bar in return by buying lots of drinks! They are well stocked including superb craft beers and soft drinks.
SPONSOR
Aberration is generously supported by Aberystwyth University.
We are thrilled to welcome Aim King to Aberration at the Bank Vault – intimate bar venue in Aberystwyth. Doors 6pm, onstage around 7pm. Host Helen Sandler. Free Entry. Donations to All Out.
Prepare to be bathed in sound, as haunting new voice Aim King performs original spoken word over live beats from their new band. A unique evening!
Aim writes amazing lyrics that wash over you and evoke visions and emotions – unique but with an affinity with artists such as Arlo Parks or Kae Tempest, or going back in time Massive Attack and Tricky. You can have a listen to the stunning Liminal album here: https://aimking.bandcamp.com/album/liminal-l
Aim King is an ecologist, filmmaker, and poet, who grew up in London and is currently undertaking a practice-based PhD at Aberystwyth University. Through writing, they are interested in drawing together threads of inner and outer worlds, in accessing the collective heart-mind, and in making transitory feelings tangible. This year they released a spoken word album, entitled liminal(l), which explores the in-betweenness we exist within.
Bank Vault is a gorgeous venue that kindly welcomes Aberration without charge, so please support this lovely intimate bar in return by buying lots of drinks! They are well stocked including superb craft beers. Also please bring cash for donations to AllOut, the international campaigning charity that channels funds direct to LGBTQ+ projects at grassroots level.
Aberration is generously supported by Aberystwyth University.
13 July 2023, Bank Vault bar, Aberystwyth. 6pm doors, 7pm start
The popular Queer Diary night from ‘That London’ is on tour – and they’re coming to Aberystwyth especially for Aberration! People, get ready!
Would You Read Your Teenage Diary Aloud To A Room Full Of People?
A brave group of LGBTQIA+ folk are doing just that at Queer Diary – the night where queers share our teen angst (and joy, dreams, follies, and fabulousness). We can’t promise to reunite you with your first crush, but we do aim to reignite that rush of adrenaline you got when they first noticed you.
In here the goths, the punks, the emos, the nerds, the glee-clubbers (and maybe a few populars?) come together as grown-ups, to escape cis-het-normativity by sharing our younger selves’ innermost thoughts via old diary entries, fanfiction stories, tumblr posts, and possibly the odd bit of cringey poetry!
Mae croeso i chi ddarllen yn Gymraeg – rhowch wybod i ni pan fyddwch yn cofrestru, a chrynhowch yn Saesneg ar ddechrau neu ddiwedd eich darlleniad os yn bosibl plis.
If your contribution is not in English – whether it’s in Welsh or another language – please let us know when signing up so we can facilitate your reading. It would be great if you could summarise in English if possible at the start or end of your reading.
Note: If you have registered to read then you don’t need to book a ticket. If you incur expenses you can claim them back from Queer Diary.
Don’t want to read? Come and listen! We need an audience!
Please book if you possibly can, so that the fabulous Queer Diary presenter and producer, Beth and Josie, can share details with you!
TICKETS: Pay what you can – between zilch and £12 depending on your circumstances. Book via OutSavvy here >>
ACCESS: Ground floor bar. Wheelchair access by side door which bar staff will need to open for you. Let us know if you would like us to meet you outside at a specific time to make this easier. (Email aberrationcymru@gmail.com) There are two unisex toilets. We are sorry but the toilets are not accessible by wheelchair.
Ethos
This is an LGBTQIA+ themed night, and all open-minded folk are welcome. Trans and non-binary people are of course very much part of our rainbow at both Aberration and Queer Diary. Straight allies are welcome in the audience too.
Please note this event is themed around memories of teenage years gone by, and is aimed at adult audiences.
Queer Tales from Wales are back on the road in the sunshine this summer (2023) with our most popular show, ‘An Extraordinary Female Affection: The Life and Love of the Ladies of Llangollen’.
This is a playful performance (in English) that brings these intriguing women and their household and friends back to life. Described by audiences as ‘superb’, ‘sensational’ and ‘fabulous’! You can catch the show at these venues:
Sunday 11 June 5pm Out & Wild festival – thanks to those who came along and threw flowers!
Sat 24 June 3pm Storiel Bangor Tickets include tea and cake.This will be our first-ever performance at Storiel. Edrych ymlaen! Details and booking line here >>
Sun 2 July 3.30pm Plas Newydd, Llangollen – home of the Ladies! Tickets are £22.50 (plus booking fee), to include tea and cake with the Ladies, our promenade performance, and entry to the House so you can look round during the day and see the Gentleman Jack Costume Exhibition too. Book via Eventbrite >
The Ladies will look forward to reading your letters of introduction and meeting you and your cows. Croeso cynnes i bawb!
