CERYS Matthews, the former golden girl of pop, returns to Newport this autumn.

The once queen of the indie charts may have countrified her sound, but her ever-present charisma is sure to produce a memorable show at the Riverfront.

From humble beginnings of busking in Cardiff, Matthews shot to fame with a mixture of musical brilliance and hedonistic excess in the 1990s.

The Welsh singer's seductive, rasping vocals, striking looks and down-to-earth charm turned what would have been a pedestrian indie outfit into a glittering, sometimes magical band.

Matthews' qualities helped Catatonia to surf the Britpop wave with a string of hits like You've Got A Lot To Answer For, Mulder and Scully and Dead From The Waist Down.

But she also acquired a reputation as a party animal, and generated a catalogue of outrageous stories of drunken shenanigans on the road.

In 2001, the rock n' roll lifestyle caught up with Cardiff-born Matt-hews. An entire UK tour had to be cancelled when she left the band, which subsequently split up, citing "anxiety and exhaustion", and she fled to LA.

Things got back on track after she married American music producer Seth Riddle, and for the last five years they have lived an idyllic existence in the Tennessee countryside, whilst bringing up their two young children.

Now 37, she and her family relocated to Wales just in time for the release of her second solo album, Never Said Goodbye, this summer.

Whereas the first LP, 2003's Cockahoop, was deliberately low-key, Never Said Goodbye constitutes a bona fide comeback with melodic guitars and big choruses and a bigger fanfare all round.

"Having children has made me fully understand how much I love music, and how much it's part of what I am," she said in a recent interview with The Independent.

"I think I've just come to terms with the fact that I really love performing and I really love huge songs and this is what I should be doing."

Cerys plays Riverfront Arts Centre, Newport on Wednesday, November 15, tickets are £12 and doors 8pm, call 01633 656757.