Cardiff's class of '23

There's nothing like someone taking the pulse of Cardiff's music scene to make me realise quite how out of touch I currently am.

Truth be told, on the evidence of the samples provided, I'm not wild about any of the acts selected by fellow Buzz writer Tom Morgan for this Clash article (though Shlug are probably the pick of the bunch), and indeed I actively disliked Monet live. Nevertheless, it's always welcome when out-of-town publication/website shines a spotlight on the city, giving wider exposure to what's going on - not least because it makes it less likely that local heroes will go unacknowledged and undiscovered beyond the city limits.

Tom makes a good point about the contemporary proliferation of diverse styles and genre fluidity (even if the Super Furries influence remains strong in bands like Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Melin Melyn and CVC). He's also right in flagging up the importance of arts funding provided through the devolved government, which helps to support individual artists all around the country (rather than just in Cardiff) as well as major industry showcase events such as the annual Focus Wales festival in Wrexham.