Sir Tom Jones heads list of stars to appear during 2024 Eisteddfod week

* Sir Tom Jones appears on Tuesday July 2nd.

Welsh icons Tom Jones and Katherine Jenkins and international best-selling artist Gregory Porter will all perform headline concerts during the core week of the 2024 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

As the full line-up of events was announced today, it is revealed that music legend Tom Jones will present the opening concert of the week at Llangollen Pavilion on Tuesday July 2^nd, kicking off six days of evening concerts, with mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins closing the week on Sunday 7^th. 

Between these dates audiences can enjoy a huge variety of special evening events, featuring award-winning folk band Calan, royal harpist Alis Huws, Britain’s Got Talent favourites John’s Boys Male Chorus, West End and Broadway stars Kerry Ellis and John-Owen Jones, and two-time GRAMMY award winning jazz sensation Gregory Porter.

Tickets go on sale at 9am Friday December 8 from llangollen.net 

The core week of the iconic peace festival returns from Tuesday July 2^nd to Sunday July 7^th 2024.

* Katherine Jenkins sings on July 7th.

Beginning the week of events, which brings together people from across the globe, will be singing sensation Tom Jones on Tuesday 2^nd. 

The international and multi-award-winning icon is bringing his sell-out Ages and Stages tour for what is sure to be a memorable night filled with everyone’s favourite hits. 

Wednesday July 3^rd will bring a celebration of Welsh music with Wales Welcomes the World featuring Welsh folk band Calan, royal harpist Alis Huws and John’s Boys Male Chorus, who reached the semi-finals of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent in 2023. 

Musical theatre fans will be enraptured on Thursday July 4^th when superstars Kerry Ellis and John Owen-Jones, perform an evening of Broadway and West End classics Direct From The West End. 

And on Friday July 5^th Gregory Porter will make a triumphant return to Llangollen. 

Gregory is rightly regarded as his generation's most soulful jazz singer-songwriter and since breaking through almost a decade ago, he has become a beloved part of the British cultural firmament. The Californian has played at numerous festivals, including Glastonbury, where he wowed the Pyramid Stage, and Radio 2’s Live in Hyde Park and now he heads to Llangollen. 

The very best choirs, dance groups and young operatic stars compete for the Eisteddfod’s top prizes including the coveted Pavarotti Trophy with Choir Of The World on Saturday July 6^th.

Closing the week will be a classical gala concert headlined by Katherine Jenkins – officially the world’s most successful classical singer after she was crowned ‘The Biggest Selling Classical Artist of the Century’ by Classic FM. 

* Gregory Porter stars on July 5th.

A hugely successful recording artist, she has smashed the record books achieving 14 Number 1 albums and performed for thousands of serving British troops overseas as well as Popes, Presidents and Princes in a sensational 20-year career.

The headlining shows with Tom Jones, Katherine Jenkins and Gregory Porter are the latest to be announced as part of a new partnership between Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and Live Nation promoters Cuffe and Taylor. 

A series of concerts falling either side of the week have already been announced including Madness, Kaiser Chiefs, Manic Street Preachers and Suede, Paloma Faith, Jess Glynne and Nile Rodgers & CHIC with more to come. 

Vice-Chair of the festival Chris Adams said: “This year, we have partnered with promoters Cuffe and Taylor and people are already seeing the international artists we are bringing to Llangollen before and after our core Eisteddfod.  Our core festival is everything our long-time supporters have come to expect from our peace festival and more.” 

Lead Programmer and Production Manager at the Llangollen Eisteddfod Dave Danford added:“The core Eisteddfod week is the centrepiece of our activities each year, and in 2024 it will be bigger and better than ever. We’ve been committed to retaining all of the elements our loyal supporters expect, such as Choir of the World on the Saturday evening, which sits proudly alongside the big-name artists we have coming to perform.

"There’s no doubt that the programme we’re announcing today combines the best of our Eisteddfod traditions with the expectations of modern audiences, we look forward to welcoming friends both new and old to Llangollen in July.”

And Cuffe and Taylor co-founder Peter Taylor said: “It is exciting to be part of such as important week in the North Wales calendar. We applaud the tireless work of the Eisteddfod team and look forward to working alongside them to complement their activities while continuing to attract household names to perform in this beautiful part of the country.”

* For more information and to buy tickets go to llangollen.net

* Llangollen Silver Band's training band strikes up It's Not Unusual at the press conference.

Llangollen Silver Band’s training section – given special permission to miss the first few hours of school for the occasion – struck up a lively version of his hit It’s Not Unusual as it was announced that Tom Jones would be headlining at next summer’s Eisteddfod during a press conference in the Community Hall this morning (Monday).

The announcement itself by Clwyd South Senedd Member Ken Skates was greeted by loud cheers from the audience of trustees, volunteers and Friends of the Eisteddfod who had gathered for the occasion.

Addressing the Eisteddfod supporters Mr Skates said: “Thank you for bringing joy and peace to this famous area of north Wales.

“The Eisteddfod has had to change and adapt. The announcements about the range of artistes appearing during the core week next summer have been fantastic.

“This has always been an incredible international festival that people in this area and across the world hold dear to their hearts.”

New Eisteddfod chair, Chris Adams, spoke of the “huge effort” made by the volunteers now in charge of the festival to turn round its fortunes.

And Town Mayor, Cllr Paul Keddie, said that the “stunning” line-up of international performers the Eisteddfod would be presenting would make “Llangollen the place to be next summer”.

* Tonight (Monday December 4) the Eisteddfod will be holding another community meeting at St Collen’s Community Hall starting at 7pm. 

The hybrid session will be an opportunity to provide an update on the 2024 concert programme, answer questions about their plans for next summer, and to invite residents to join the growing team of volunteers.  

 

Police appeal for witnesses to fatal road collision on A539

North Wales Police investigating a road traffic collision in which a man sadly died are appealing for witnesses.

In a statement this evening they say: "We were called at 6.38pm last night (Saturday 2nd December) by colleagues at WAST to reports of a RTC involving a car and a motorbike on the A539 near the Sun Trevor, outside Llangollen.

"Local officers and Roads Crime Unit colleagues attended alongside paramedics, but sadly the motorcyclist passed away. The road was closed until approximately 2.20am.

"The man’s next of kin and the local Coroner’s Office have been informed."

PC Jo Roberts of the Roads Crime Unit said: “We are appealing for any witnesses, especially those with dashcam to contact us either via our live webchat or on 101. We are particularly keen to speak to the driver of a white panel van, who may have witnessed the incident.”

* Anyone in the area at the time, who could assist the investigation should get in touch quoting reference A190186.

Hundreds turn out to cheer illuminated tractor run through town

Hundreds of cheering spectators lined the centre of the town to watch as this year's Illuminated Tractor Run by the Vale of Llangollen Rotary and the Llangollen Young Farmers Club came rumbling through.

Building on the success of last year's event, organisers promised this year's event would be even more spectacular, featuring 50 tractors and an extended route for the brightly-lit and decorated brightly lit tractors.

Starting at 5 pm from The Pavilion in Llangollen, the convoy embarked on a picturesque journey through Llangollen, Trevor, Acrefair, Plas Madoc, Ruabon, Rhosllanerchrugog, Rhostyllen, Bersham, Wrexham, Morrison's car park (for a 45-minute stop), Bersham, Minera, Bwlchgwyn, Llandegla, Horseshoe Pass, and finishing back at Llangollen.

Leading the way, shouting "Merry Christmas" as he went was Santa himself.

The route was carefully curated to spread the festive cheer across the region.

This year the event aims to raise funds for three worthy causes - The Teenage Cancer Trust, Nightingale Hope Hospice, and a community defibrillator. 

* To make donations even more accessible, the organizing committee has set up an online fundraising page at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/TractorRun2023. 

Illuminated tractor run takes place later today

Vale of Llangollen Rotary and the Llangollen Young Farmers Club are gearing up for the second annual Llangollen Illuminated Tractor Run later today (Sunday). 

Building on the success of last year's event, organisers say this year's event will be even more spectacular, featuring an extended route and a convoy of brightly lit tractors.

Starting at 5 pm from The Pavilion in Llangollen, the tractors will embark on a picturesque journey through Llangollen, Trevor, Acrefair, Plas Madoc, Ruabon, Rhosllanerchrugog, Rhostyllen, Bersham, Wrexham, Morrison's car park (for a 45-minute stop), Bersham, Minera, Bwlchgwyn, Llandegla, Horseshoe Pass, and finishing back at Llangollen.

The route is carefully curated to spread the festive cheer across the region.

Before the spectacle begins, from 4 pm to 5 pm, all tractors will be on display at The Pavilion, offering the public the chance to get up close and personal. 

Father Christmas himself will be present for photo opportunities and chats with the little ones.

The grand old man in red will then join the tractors on their journey, adding an extra dash of magic to the evening.

This year the event aims to raise funds for three worthy causes - The Teenage Cancer Trust, Nightingale Hope Hospice, and a community defibrillator. 

Volunteers, identifiable by their high-visibility vests and badges, will line the route with collection buckets, offering everyone who comes the opportunity to contribute to these good causes.

* To make donations even more accessible, the organizing committee has set up an online fundraising page at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/TractorRun2023.

Father Lee's insider view of competing in TV Squid Game

* Lee Taylor (circled) with fellow players of the Squid Game.

As llanblogger recently revealed, Father Lee Taylor of St Collen's Church, has been competing as contestant #123 on the new reality TV series: Squid Game: The Challenge which is now showing premiere on Netflix.

The 10-episode competition, dubbed ‘The biggest Netflix show ever’ on the trailer, has had the largest number of players ever to compete in the history of reality television. Here, Father Lee gives an insider view on what it was like to be involved in the show ...

"Last year I was contacted by an independent television production company who asked if I would consider being one of 456 players from around the world to enter a reality television competition show in pursuit of a record-setting cash prize of $4.56 million.

I began watching the original series when it came out on Netflix in 2021 but didn’t get very far into the first episode. It was too gory! However, the casting production team urged me to watch the whole of the original series and I was relieved to be given the reassurance that all contestants for Squid Game: The Challenge would leave ‘unscathed.’

So, I ensconced myself on the sofa in front of the television and settled down to a Squid Game spree. Having overcome the spine-chilling scenes of the elimination process of the games, I was surprised and drawn in by the subliminal themes and motifs that began to emerge. There are many messages that call for attention! The story is not simply about a large number of people competing in a series of games, testing their agility and endurance for a life-changing cash prize. Something dark lies beneath the innocent exterior of childhood games and colourful playgrounds.

The overshadowing theme is capitalism. The Squid Games conveys a political, moral and social message of how the ruling, global elite are keeping the rest of us locked in a state of fear. Living in constant survival mode from one day to the next in a competitive, anxious, debt-laden and fear-driven society is making people sick. The Squid Game draws attention to fear: the emotion that drives people to take risks and betray each other.

So, what could I expect if I was to agree to go on the reality show? Surely there would be a chasm of difference between the hopeful contestants of Squid Game: The Challenge and the characters in the original series who were facing some harrowing dilemmas. Fear of deportation and crippling debt, the cycle of gambling addictions and the atrocities of gang violence had brought these players to the very edge of despair.

Trapped in a cycle of fear and as a last resort, they entered the deadly Squid Games in the hope of a way out of their pain and suffering. John Hay, an executive producer of Squid Game: The Challenge, recently responded to criticism about the new reality show missing the political point of Squid Game by saying, ‘Our version is driven by opportunity, rather than being driven by need.’

Finding the philosophy of the original show interesting, I decided I would take up the challenge. My only concern was how contestants would be eliminated in the games. Was I selected as a priest to read the Last Rites?

All contestants were accommodated at The Tower Hotel, just by the iconic Tower Bridge in London. We all arrived four days before filming. We were allocated a room, issued with our player number and advised that we were to stay in our rooms, not speak to any other players or leave the hotel unless it was an emergency. With a stunning view out of my window of all the London landmarks lit up at night it was so tempting to nip out for a few riverside cocktails! No chance! The hotel was monitored by security 24/7 with guards on each floor!

Meal times at the hotel followed a phased schedule to avoid all the players meeting up at once. Food was served into take-away boxes to be consumed back in our rooms. I did wonder whether the greatest test of endurance of the whole experience might be being cooped up in a hotel room. But apart from larking about with other contestants through our bedroom windows like something straight out of Commedia dell'arte - the pretend walking downstairs mime was one form of silent entertainment - some time was taken up for a number of pre-filming activities: briefing videos for us to watch via our iphones, a schedule of fitting times for our Squid Game tracksuits (as well as thermals) and photoshoots for graphic purposes.

All our personal items, mobile phones and luggage were collected from our hotel rooms by a member of the production team the night before filming. A combination lock, unknown to the players, sealed our luggage and we wouldn’t see this again until after filming. The only items we were left with were our Squid Game clothes, a complimentary hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste with our contestant numbers branded on them and a small zip-lock bag for any essential, approved items like medication and contact lenses.

We set off at 4am the next day for our unknown destination and it was freezing cold. Now the thermals made sense. Several coaches took the 456 players on a two- hour journey. We arrived at what appeared to be an old RAF hangar which I later discovered was Cardington Studios. It was even colder in that haunting, cavernous building. It was so cold my nipples could have cut through diamonds!

There was a lot of waiting around outside of the main set for more briefings and microphone fittings, but hot drinks, snacks and hand warmers were provided. When the time came to play the first game ‘Red Light, Green Light’ there was a lot of excitement as we all congregated outside the set to wait for the doors to open.

The set for the first game, ‘Red Light, Green Light’, was very similar to the original series, very colourful but eerie. It was a huge cathedral-like space with a painted scene of a cornfield that spanned all surrounding walls. The temperature was unpleasantly and painfully cold. There was a personal trainer from a local gym who led us all in ‘warm up’ exercises before the game began: jumping jacks, jogging on the spot, squats and burpees etc. I guess this was to prepare us mentally, physically as well as to increase body temperature.

In the far distance, across the finishing line, was the iconic doll whose tune we had to run to. The aim of this game was to get to the doll's side of the field within a set time limit, but we could only move when the doll was singing and had its back to us. The doll sang the chilling song we recognised from the original series, ‘Mugunghwa Kkoci Pieot Seumnida’ which translates as ‘The hibiscus flower has bloomed’. Hibiscus is the national flower of South Korea.

When the doll stopped and turned around we had to freeze (and we did in more ways than one) on the spot, maintaining the same position for ten, fifteen and even up to twenty-five minutes while drones flew overhead to detect the slightest movement from players. I knew the longest time was around twenty-five minutes because I sang (in my head) the popular Christmas carol, ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’, five times and I know it takes about five minutes to sing this carol once through. Very appropriate for these post-Christmas, ‘hard as iron’ conditions. This was the most challenging part of the experience. The game took around 7 hours to film. About a quarter of the way through, pain, tingling and numbness set in all over my hands. My nose was dripping like a leaky tap. 

Several people collapsed and concerned players nearby yelled out ‘medic!’ In my stationary position and from the corner of my eye, I noticed that a couple of people were being taken out on stretchers. At these points throughout the game it was announced that we would take time out to relax a little while the medics intervened. Although we could relax a little, we were told not to move from our spot. During these pauses many of the players around me were advising each other to keep hands in pockets. 

I felt so sorry for Jordan (Player 385) who was stuck in a squat position for almost 15 minutes. I stood behind her (almost 1 o’clock position when viewing the scene on TV) and watched her. With the shivering and numbness caused by the penetrating cold, and the rapid onslaught of eliminations, it’s fair to say that I became a bit fearful.

But let us make no mistake: fear is the key note of the Squid Game. The tone of fear even makes its way into the theme music of Squid Game. Having an interest in sacred music, I became fascinated at how Gregorian Chant is adroitly utilised in the Squid Games soundtrack. The haunting Pink Soldiers melody signals when trouble and danger is brewing around the games. The first four notes are taken from the opening of an ancient plainsong melody Dies Irae, from the Latin text meaning, ‘Day of Wrath’.

This chant was sung regularly during Requiem Masses in churches over 800 years ago. It is a very foreboding melody that matches the solemnity of the funereal text which goes on to remind those grieving the dead of the day of impending doom and judgement when everything will turn to ash. This four-note Dies Irae musical idiom has been picked up by many film composers as an effective way of sending a cue to the viewer of imminent peril and danger. It is meant to be fearful! For example, this musical motif can be heard at appropriate points in films such as, ‘The Shining’, ‘Friday the Thirteenth’, ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ to name just a few.

Fear is the undercurrent of the philosophy of Squid Game. Fear is generated by money: who deserves to have enough of it and who is willing to compete for it. I guess this is capitalism and the underlying message of the Squid Game." 

* Father Lee's hotel room overlooking the bright lights of London.

* Father Lee (left) with some of the other contestants. 

* The toothbrush and comb handed out to players.

* Contestant number 123. Picture: Andrei Daniel.

Collision near Sun Trevor closes A539

UPDATE: The road was reopened later in the evening.

North Wales Police posted on Facebook just after 7pm tonight (Saturday):

"Due to a Road Traffic Collision not far from the Sun Trevor Hotel the A539 between Llangollen and Trevor is currently closed. Please avoid the area for the time being. Thank you for your co-operation."

Firefighters up for award for dramatic Llangollen river rescue

The BBC is reporting how six firefighters who sprung into action to save an injured kayaker in Llangollen have been nominated for a heroes award.

"Outstanding actions" by the Staffordshire crew - Dale Glover, Phil Salwey, Martin Bailey, Tim Bullock, Justin Cooley and Adrian Smith - led to the Uniformed Heroes Award nomination.

It is part of the Your Heroes Awards, taking place in Stoke-on-Trent.

* For the full story, see: Staffordshire kayak rescue firefighters get heroes nomination - BBC News