EMERGING Welsh artists will take part in a tour of independent music venues - including a stop in Newport - next week.

Horizons, a music project from BBC Wales and Arts Council of Wales, will see performances at five venues across Wales between January 25 to 29 - Independent Venue Week 2021.

These will be broadcast at midday every day online and across BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru, and sessions and mini-documentaries about the venues released on social media.

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Le Pub in Newport is among the venues to host a performance, along with Neuadd Ogwen in Bethesda, Queen’s Hall in Narberth, Galeri in Caernarfon, and Sin City in Swansea.

On Monday, hip hop artist Mace the Great and R&B singer Faith will perform at Le Pub.

Other artists performing across the week - across a range of genres - include rock band Those Damn Crows, urban brother and sister Leila McKenzie and K(e)nz, country singer Jodie Marie, and electro pop artist Malan.

Sam Dabb, manager of Le Pub in Newport, and Wales’ representative for Music Venues Trust, said: “It’s not just a pub, it’s not just a music venue. It’s important to the area, it’s where people meet, and have somewhere to be.

“It’s important that there’s somewhere for musicians to have a place to start out, but also just somewhere to play music, not for those who want to become huge and tour the world, just somewhere to play music.”

South Wales Argus: The Horizons tour of Welsh venues for Independent Venue Week. Picture: Horizons.The Horizons tour of Welsh venues for Independent Venue Week. Picture: Horizons.

The full programme of performances as part of the Horizons tour. Picture: Horizons.

Bethan Elfyn, project manager with Horizons for BBC Wales said: “We’ve been watching helplessly as Covid-19 has kept venues and theatres from opening, keeping communities that need each other apart, keeping us from watching, supporting and growing talent in Wales, and keeping us from the benefits of wellbeing and personal growth that music brings to life.

“Independent Venue Week is a chance to celebrate everything about our map of venues around Wales, the maverick producers and promoters behind the venues, and the talent that would normally fill the empty buildings with life. The tour is a celebration of what we have, what we miss, and a nod to the future when we can get back to the community that we’ve missed.”

Horizons will also have guests performing home sessions, talking about their formative experiences watching or performing shows in music venues across Wales, including rock bands Holding Absence, Funeral For A Friend, and Junior.

Sessions will be broadcast across the week on bbc.co.uk/horizons.