Festival N°6 | 2016

Multi-instrumentalist soprano Rachel Zeffira and The Horrors’ Faris Badwan might seem a strange pairing, but it’s these differences that make their collaborative work so compelling. Lushly arranged and intensely cinematic, their noir-ish baroque-pop synthesises influences as diverse as The Shangri-Las, John Barry and Dick Dale. Following guerrilla gigs at Buckingham Palace and The Vatican, they play Portmeirion on Friday.

After a half-decade hiatus – and solo albums from founding members Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning – the Canadian collective are back playing live and reportedly working on a new album, featuring frequent collaborator Feist. If you’re lucky, you’ll hear some works in progress during their Saturday night set, alongside material from classic albums Forgiveness Rock Record, Broken Social Scene and You Forgot It In People.

Signed to the same label that discovered MØ, Wolf Alice and Jungle, this East London-formed five-piece are being widely tipped as one the UK’s most promising young bands. Listening to the clutch of singles they’ve released so far, it’s difficult to disagree. Think brooding, new wave-influenced indie-pop, topped with Isabel Munoz-Newsome’s drama-drenched vocals, which have a definite hint of Siouxsie Sioux to them.