roundup
WHAT’S ON OUR RADAR THIS MONTH.
ELLA
EYRE
Q&A
Soulful r'n'b singer
and BRIT nominee
Ella Eyre heads to
Cardiff this month.
She talks to Rhonda
Lee Reali about her
music and the story
behind her name.
Did you choose Eyre as your stage name because of the book,
Jane Eyre?
No, nothing to do with Jane Eyre. I just liked it. It's one of those
things where my nan had told me it was in our family history
someplace.
You used to be a competitive swimmer?
Yeah, I was a competitive swimmer from the age of about two,
really. When I was living in Jamaica, my mum wanted to make sure
I could swim because I kept running off into the sea. Then it turned
out to be quite a competitive hobby as well. I really enjoyed it. It
instilled quite a healthy competitive nature into me.
If you had a choice, which would you choose – winning an
Olympic gold medal or a Grammy Award and/or Mercury Prize?
Oh, 100% a Grammy or a Mercury Prize! I've got so much respect
for sportsmen. They put a lot of hours and a lot of hard work into it.
It's a very competitive nature, but I'm creative. It doesn't allow me
to stimulate my mind as much. I like to create things.
Where do some of your ideas come from?
Writing comes from a personal place, really. Everything I write
about is very real. When people are listening, I want them to be
able to relate to it, and I don't feel they can do that unless it IS real,
really. That's because half the music I grew up listening to is music
where it's like a girlfriend is writing about their situation. People
relate to that because everybody's had a heartbreak. That's the
most beautiful thing about music – you can touch them by saying
something that everyone can agree on.
Who are your favourite artists?
I grew up listening to a lot of soulful voices – I was actually named
after Ella Fitzgerald. I loved Aretha Franklin, and I loved Tina Turner
and all that, but I also love more of the sort of modern music.
Michael Jackson is one of the first albums that I bought. I love
Michael Jackson! I love Gnarls Barkley as well.
Cardiff University Students Union, Sun 12 Oct. Tickets: £13.
Info: 029 2078 1458 / www.cardiffstudents.com/boxoffice
BUZZ 06
BOOK
NOW
WWE LIVE
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Thu 6 Nov
Tickets: £45.50-£56.25
www.motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk
“Mum
wanted to
make sure I
could swim
because
I kept
running
off into
the sea.”
CARDIFF FILM AND COMIC CON
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Sun 9 Nov
Tickets: £8-£14
Info: 01908 671138
www.cardiffcomiccon.com
ROSS NOBLE: TANGENTLEMAN
Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Fri 14 Nov
Tickets: £25
Info: www.aberystwythartscentre.co.uk
DAWN FRENCH:
ONE MILLION MINUTES
Grand Theatre, Swansea
Sun 16 Nov
Tickets: £35-£39.50
Info: 01792 475715
www.swanseagrand.co.uk
IMELDA MAY
St David’s Hall, Cardiff
Mon 17 Nov
Tickets: £25-£35
Info: 029 2087 8500
www.stdavidshall.co.uk
AN EVENING WITH NOEL FIELDING
St David's Hall, Cardiff
Sat 22 Nov
Tickets: £25
Info: 029 2087 8500
www.stdavidshall.co.uk
KOOKAMUNGA
St Donats Arts Centre, Llantwit Major
Sat 22 Nov
Tickets: £10/£8.50
Info: 01446 799100
www.stdonats.com
RUGBY: WALES VS NEW ZELAND
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Sat 22 Nov
Tickets: £30-£80
Info: 0870 013 8600
www.millenniumstadium.com