Pitchfork

Every Welsh-to-English translator I've tried on this dad-gummed internet has failed me in my quest to determine just what the "Sŵn" is in "Sŵn Festival". But, with Beirut, Black Lips, Edwyn Collins, Two Gallants, Yeasayer, School of Language, Pony Up!, the Duke Spirit, and Sons and Daughters crammed in among dozens of others at numerous Cardiff, Wales venues November 9-11, I'd posit that "Sŵn" is at least synonymous with awesomeness.

In addition to all the awesomeness a wristband will afford, there's a pair of separately ticketed shows going on around the festival. The Cribs, Those Dancing Days, and Shrag will play November 9 for an additional fee, while BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac, Cassius, and more follow suit the night after. A wristband will get you into everything else, however, and individual tickets will be sold at the door of every other show when available.

Not content to merely offer music, Sŵn will also feature film screenings. Reels set to run: freak folkie favorite Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, the Saint Etienne-scored trio of This Is Tomorrow, Finisterre, and What Have You Done Today, Mervyn Day?, a Vashti Bunyan documentary teaser, music videos, and more.