Act Happy

2025 has been our busiest year so far with 26 gigs alongside the return of the Stadium Arcadia open mic nights. We have also had some fantastic growth across various streaming platforms and an increase in social media followers. We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us over the last year. Whether you listened to our music, made it out to a gig, or even shared one of our posts- every little thing makes a big difference to us. 

So what does 2026 have in store? We are taking a break at the start of the year for Rhiannon to have her baby, so you might not hear much from us for a little while. 

We have applied for lots of festivals so keep an eye on our social media to find out if we were successful! We are taking bookings from April onwards for various types of gigs. We are looking to branch out and play our original music in new venues as well as returning to our old favourites. We love performing at different types of events so keep us in mind if you are planning anything that requires live music. 

Whilst we prefer performing our original material, we also do cover songs and can learn some requests if we have enough notice. We have performed at private events and parties and have our first wedding booked in 2026. If you are interested in booking us please get in touch. 

We will perform at charity events in the local area free of charge. We will also consider events outside of the local area but may need to ask for a small payment towards our travel costs depending on the distance - please reach out if you are interested.

We will be planning several fundraising gigs across the year. If you would like to get involved please get in touch. Perhaps you are a musician who would be willing to perform free of charge, or you know of a venue that would be willing to host the event? You can also let us know if you have any suggestions for local charities or causes that need some help with fundraising. 

We have some exciting new material to release next year and we will continue to write and record new music. We have enjoyed working on some original Christmas songs this year, so keep an eye out for a festive music release in 2026. 

Don't forget to follow us on social media to keep up to date with our latest news, and to come back to the blog to see what we have been up to. The best way to get in touch is via email at acthappyltd@gmail.com, so if you need any information about prices or availability please drop us a line. 

Happy New Year, and see you in 2026! 

We are almost half way through 2025 - this year is flying by! We wanted to use this instalment of Folk & Mirrors to reflect on our year so far and share our plans for the months ahead. 

We have performed at some great venues for the first time this year including Corp Market and Granny Mac's in Cardiff and The Lamb in Newport. We managed to film our full performance at The Lamb and we have some videos to share- keeping on top of posting content on social media can be tough, but we will try to catch up!

We had a fantastic time at Immersed Festival at the TramShed in Cardiff. We performed in a room that had a cinema style set up, with a forest scene projected on the screen behind us. It was an intimate performance with a great atmosphere. We also watched some fantastic sets from Macy and Half Happy. The pizza truck was a big hit!

The Newport Music Trail was a definite highlight of our year so far. It was such a privilege to be a part of an event that brought the community together by celebrating the diversity of the local music scene. We performed in Newport Arcade in the afternoon, and again in the evening at Arcadia Coffeehouse. We were very happy with the turnout, playing to a full house in the evening. We focused on performing our original songs and were blown away by the positive reception they received. 

We also had the pleasure of performing at Devauden Festival in Monmouthshire as part of the Tangerine Trees Stage hosted by Dirty Carrot Records. The set up was beautiful - tucked away in the trees with hanging decorations and fairy lights. We were in very good company, with performances from artists such as Josh Hicks, Ophelia's Beard, and Greg Ryan. We absolutely loved the vibe of the Tangerine Trees stage, and the festival as a whole. We managed to catch performances from some local favourites of ours- Upstairs at Hannah's, Joe Kelly & The Royal Pharmacy- and were blown away by Mike Dennis and his loop pedal work. 

At the end of May we performed at the launch of Pride In The Port at the Corn Exchange. It was a really fun and exciting evening filled with a range of performances -upbeat pop, indie, metal and folk along with a drag/comedy act that got the whole room laughing. The audience were warm and welcoming and the atmosphere backstage was incredibly friendly and encouraging. Jon Baines was a brilliant host for the event and it felt like a very special evening filled with love and hope. I'm sure the Pride In the Port event in September will be fantastic. 

Before Christmas we recorded the first single for our upcoming album with producer and singer/songwriter, Tobias Robertson. This summer we have started working on another song with him. We are really enjoying the process of building atmospheric layers and experimenting with different recording techniques. Tobias is a fantastic producer and we love working with him. We are really excited for you to hear the recordings as they have a very different feel to the music we have previously released. 

Speaking of music releases - we finally released our second EP ‘Stained In Red’. It was recorded back in November 2023 at Cobra Music Studios and we had intended to release it sooner, but got caught up with gigs and writing new music. The full EP is now available on all major streaming platforms. We are now on Band Camp, which we know is a preferred platform for a lot of our listeners. Our first EP ‘Acoustic Sessions’ is currently available, and we will be adding the new release very shortly. 

The final update we have for the first half of 2025 is the outcome of the Newport City Radio Love Live Music Awards. We were over the moon to win Best Duo and we had an amazing evening celebrating the local music scene. We enjoyed live performances from artists such as Frankie Wesson, Josh Hicks, The Rogues and The Honest Poet. It was also a great chance to catch up with people we have met at various events over the last few years. 

We want to say a big thank you to everyone who voted for us for the awards, who listened to our music, and who made it to one of our gigs. Your support means so much to us and we are always grateful. 

So…what do we have in store for the rest of the year? We have our first gig at Bourton's on the 13th June- a venue we are really excited to play. We are also going on Newport City Radio with Kym on the 14th of June so keep an ear out for that. We will be playing Rebel Fest and Caerleon Arts Festival this summer, and may be returning to the Caerphilly Cheese Festival in August. We have also booked some performances at the Phyllis Maud Performance Space which is a lovely up and coming venue in Newport. 

We will be organising a charity fundraiser gig for the autumn so keep and eye out for announcements. We will also be planning the release of the first single from the upcoming album. Make sure you are following us on your favourite streaming platform for updates on this. 

You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok! 

In this instalment of ‘Folk & Mirrors’ we want tell you all about our first gig of 2025 at Corp Market. Corp Market is on Cowbridge Road East In the Canton area of Cardiff. The 1889 building, formerly known as The Corporation, has undergone extensive refurbishment to give it a new lease of life as a hub for independent traders. It has a bar that serves a range of hot and cold drinks as well as snacks and meals (we definitely recommend the fried chicken burger!). 

You can watch live music in Corp Market on Tuesday evenings, or attend an open mic on Thursday evenings. We were invited by No Poetry Music to perform an opening slot on 21st January. We met the headliners, Dan's People, last summer at the Beechwood Park Summer Sessions and were very excited to play with them again. Also on the line up at Corp Market was Something About Dinosaurs, a local band with wonderful harmonies. 

When we arrived at Corp Market there was a stage set up with a big glitter ball. The lighting set the mood and there was plenty of seating dotted around the bar as well as a standing area in front of the stage. The set up gave people the opportunity to listen to the live bands as background music or come closer for more of an intimate gig experience. The turn out was great and there was a fantastic atmosphere. We ordered food from the bar and did our sound check, then jumped on stage for our 30 minute slot. 

We started with O'Malley followed by some of our new songs. We also played Drunk and Broken Glass. It was lovely to see lots of new faces in the crowd and to meet new people who enjoyed our set. Keith Bolton attended and took some fantastic photos as usual. 

If you are interested in checking out a new music venue that supports local artists then get down to Corp Market on Tuesday evenings! Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date with our latest events and performances. 

We want to use this instalment of Folk & Mirrors to tell you about a new project we are excited to be part of. You might have seen the poster for our upcoming gig- ‘Mountain Song Revival Presents A Night Of Live Music’ - and wondered what it was all about. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know. 

Mountain Song Revival is a collective of folk musicians based in South Wales. We use the term ‘folk’ broadly, encompassing traditional folk, doom folk, dark folk, country folk, acoustic folk and more. The aim of the collective is to organise events that embody the sense of community and togetherness that is sometimes missing from the modern music scene. This will include charity gigs to raise funds and awareness for various causes, events that bring folk music to smaller communities, and opportunities for musicians and local communities to create meaningful connections.  

The origins of word ‘folk’ can be traced back to Germanic and Old English terms for ‘people’ or ‘common people’. Folk music was traditionally created for and by the lower socio-economic classes. It was passed around the community and down the generations by listening and sharing in social groups, as opposed to hymns taught in church or formal music education in schools. Many folk musicians were amateurs as folk music was more about participation than performance. The songs were incorporated into daily life- work, play, celebrations, rituals etc, which made folk music integral to the local community. 

In modern culture, folk music is often associated with traditional instruments, acoustic style, story-telling, and songs with political messages. The Mountain Song Revival collective will strive to embody these elements of modern folk music. The Logo, designed by Kristian (artist name ‘Our Mother The Mountain’), represents this well. The colliery lamp is a symbol of the longstanding connection between folk music and the working classes in Wales. The head of the bull references the Tawr Scotch who were prevalent in the 1800s for their defence of worker's rights. Their motto, ‘The Enemy Of All Tyranny’ is apt for what Mountain Song Revival represents. The sun is rising above the lamp and the bull, signifying a new dawn. This new dawn is the revival of the mountain song- empowerment through music. 

Act Happy started in 2022, so we are fairly new to the South Wales Music scene. In our experience, there is so much pressure to create a strong online presence in order to promote music. ‘Success’ is often measured in terms of monetising music and getting as many streams as possible, rather than connecting with people through music. Whilst we have embraced social media and online communities as part of our journey, we jumped at the chance to be part of a group that puts humanity and community at the heart of music.

The first Mountain Song Revival event will take place on 27th November in Le Pub on Newport High Street. Entry is a minimum donation of £5 to raise money for Cwtches For Gaza- a small fundraising operation run by a small group of people in the Rhymney valley. The donations are taken to Palestinian refugees living in Egypt to be used for basic necessities like food, housing and medical expenses. The event was originally due to take place at alternative venue, but they did not want to be associated with a charity offering support to Gaza. You can find out more about this on our social media pages. We are very grateful to Le Pub for their support which has allowed the event to go ahead. 

The gig will be a wonderful night of live music featuring performances from 6 local artists. Our Mother The Mountain will open the evening, followed by Moonface The Mage, Ryan Keyse, Irish Tom, Act Happy, and our headliner, Burn The Ladder. This is just a sample of the musicians who make up Mountain Song Revival, and future events will include other artists in the collective. We have lots of ideas for the types of events we want to organise. If you have suggestions or would like to get involved, please reach out. 

If you would like to show your support for Mountain Song Revival, please follow the collective on Facebook and Instagram and share the poster for the first event. We would love to see as many people there as possible, so save the date and bring a mate! 

In this instalment of Folk & Mirrors we want to tell you everything you need to know about our upcoming fundraiser on the 26th September. 

If you have been following Act Happy then you will know that we organise several fundraising gigs a year for local charities. Our last one was in May when we raised £300 for All Creatures Great & Small at Le Pub. Thank you so much to everyone that came along, it was a fantastic evening!

This time we are venturing to Cardiff to raise money for Umbrella Cymru. We wanted to find a charity that supports LGBTQ+ rights as well as helping young people in South Wales, and Umbrella Cymru does just that. They are Gender and Sexual diversity support specialists that improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in Wales, which includes vulnerable people and young people. You can check out their website for more information on their specific projects: umbrellacymru.co.uk 

We have really enjoyed playing at The Moon in Cardiff as part of their monthly Folk Nights. The venue has kindly offered to host our event for free, which means that all money from ticket sales can be donated to the charity. The Moon is an accessible venue on Womanby Street and is a vital part of the grassroots music scene in Cardiff. The venue is 18+ only and you may be asked to show ID on entry, so please keep this in mind if you are planning to come along to the fundraiser. 

We are always so grateful to the artists who agree to play our fundraisers for free. Previous line ups include Katie Lou, Isembard's Wheel, Adam Morgan, Greg Ryan, Blind Baby, Joseph Everett and Ryan Keyse. But who are the amazing artists for this event? 

Kicking off the night will be Our Mother The Mountain, a Doom Folk singer/songwriter. Their music explores dark, primal themes with gravelly yet melodic vocals. You can listen to some of their tracks on Spotify - ‘Blood & Bone’, ‘Sway’, and ‘Days Of Rage’. 

In the middle of the line up will be ourselves, Act Happy, with 45 minutes of original songs including ‘O’Malley', ‘Drunk’, ‘Susan’, and ‘Broken Glass’. 

Our headliners for the evening are Crisis Talks, a 3 piece alternative rock band. They have all the angst and grit of a classic 90s band but with a modern twist. You can listen to their debut album ‘Heavy Is The Heart’ on Spotify. They will be doing an acoustic set to celebrate their upcoming acoustic EP, but even without the distortion their music still packs a punch.  

We usually have a fixed ticket price for gigs, but this time we are trying out a ‘Pay What You Can’ approach. Live music should be accessible to everyone, and we understand that people are struggling with the rising cost of living. We normally charge between £6-£8 a ticket, but we would love to see as many people at the event as possible even if you can only afford to donate £1. If you would like to donate more, any amount would be gratefully received. 

We understand a lot of our regular supporters are based in Newport which means additional travel costs when coming to support us in Cardiff. We hope to see as many of you as possible, but if you can't make it please spread the work and and encourage your Cardiff friends to come along. If you are planning to travel from Newport then you can save money by using the ‘tap on, tap off’ train ticket, or you could share taxis or organise a car pool to save some cash!

You can buy tickets by searching for the event on Eventbrite, following the link in the facebook event, or going to the ‘shows’ section of our website where you will also find a link to purchase tickets. We will be selling tickets and accepting donations on the evening via cash and card, but buying your ticket in advance will save us a lot of stress wondering whether or not our event will be a success. If you cannot attend but would still like to donate then please get in touch. 

There is an FAQ section on the Eventbrite link, but if you have any other questions or queries then drop us an email at acthappyltd@gmail.com or send us a DM on Instagram. 

Broken Glass is our second single from the ‘Stained In Red' EP. We are having a single launch event on 23rd July including an exclusive screening of our very first music video. Head over to our Facebook or Instagram to buy a ticket to the event! We decided to make Broken Glass the focal point of the EP and we can't wait to share the music video with you all. In this instalment of ‘Folk & Mirrors’ we want to tell you all about our first experience of creating a music video. 

The first decision we needed to make was who would be filming the video. Cheyenne Jayne-Manning is an independent creative from Newport, currently based in Bristol. Through her business, ScramSister Media, she has created a varied portfolio of live music and event photography, along with lifestyle, band promotion and sports photography. She is also a talented videographer, and her experience with coastal locations made her the perfect choice for our project. 

We wanted to create a dark and dramatic mood for the video, so we needed a coastal area that was quite striking. Monknash beach in Cowbridge was ideal, with it's stunning rock formations and remote location. We were hoping for cloudy weather to help contribute to the brooding feel, and we got exactly what we wanted on the day.  

Leading up to the day of the shoot we were exchanging ideas with Cheyenne and planning out what sort of shots we wanted to get. She was very committed to the project and listened to the song a lot to get a feel for the emotions she wanted to capture. We had some examples of photographs that captured the mood we wanted to create, and we explained the story we wanted to tell with the video. The process felt very collaborative from start to finish.  

We were quite nervous on the day of the shoot. Once we got set up and started filming the first few scenes we soon got into the swing of it. The dramatic landscape provided the perfect backdrop for the video and Cheyenne captured it beautifully. We had the song playing on a speaker so we could sing over it, and by the end of the day we never wanted to hear it again! Towards the end of the day the tide was coming in, and we were racing against it to get all the shots we needed. 

We are so thrilled with the video- it is exactly what we wanted and it fits the song so perfectly. The song itself is an important step towards us finding our sound as a duo. We take an even share of the vocals and experiment with how our voices complement each other - something we have continued to build on with every song we have written since. 

If you would like to join us for the release of ‘Broken Glass' and the preview of the music video, come along to Le Pub on 23rd July at 7:30pm. Tickets will be available on the door, but if you would like to purchase them ahead of time then you can find the link on our social media pages. See you there!

We are about to release our first single of 2024 - ‘ O’Malley'. It will be the first single from our second EP, ‘Stained In Red’, and is a tribute to Grace O'Malley, an important figure from Irish history and folklore. In this instalment of ‘Folk & Mirrors’ we will explain how she inspired the song. 

Jax first had the idea to write a song about Grace. We ordered pizza and opened a bottle of wine and started playing around with some chords - in the key of ‘C’ as a fun little joke about pirates. We had already done some research on Grace, and kept reading about her as we were playing around with the music. 

Whilst Grace is a historical figure, her story has blended fact and fiction as it has become embedded in Irish folklore. This gave us a bit of lyrical freedom when it came to telling our version of her story. Grace was from West Ireland, and began her life as a pirate at the age of 11. It is said that when she was very young she dreamed of sailing with her father, but was told her long hair would get caught in the ropes. She cut off her hair, causing much embarrassment to her family. We sing about young Grace in the first few verses of the song. 

Once Grace took over her Father's fleet she quickly gained a reputation as a brave and ferocious leader both on land and at sea. She married the heir to the O'Flaherty clan and became pregnant with a son. This didn't stop her from seafaring, and she gave birth to her baby whilst on her ship at sea. Within an hour her ship was ambushed by Algerian pirates. She wrapped her baby in a blanket and made an appearance on the deck to help her crew overcome their enemies. Her husband was later captured by a rival clan and then murdered. In retaliation, she attacked them and took back her late husband's castle.  

As England continued to exert more power over Ireland, Grace sank into poverty as her influence weakened. In her 50's Grace's brother and son were captured by the English. Grace sailed to England to petition for their release, resulting in an audience with Queen Elizabeth herself. Elizabeth granted Grace's request on the condition that Grace no longer rebelled against the English crown. It is said that Grace refused to bow to Queen Elizabeth, stating that she was Queen of her own land and not an English subject. This was the inspiration behind the chorus of the song. 

Grace O'Malley is a fascinating historical figure who is seen as a freedom fighter. For many, she is a symbol of feminism as well as Irish independence. Our single, ‘O’Malley' will be released on 06/04/2024. Give it a listen to see how we have woven these details into fun folk song! 

We have some exciting news to share in this instalment of ‘Folk & Mirrors’. We have registered as a non-profit social enterprise and are now operating as Act Happy Ltd! But what is a social enterprise, exactly? 

A social enterprise is a business that trades for social purposes. We do not keep the profits of the business, but use them to further our social objectives. In the case of Act Happy Ltd, our objective is to support the growth of the music community in Newport and the surrounding areas as well as supporting causes that are important to the local community. 

We will continue to organise fundraising gigs for charities and other non-profit organisations as well as looking for opportunities to perform at similar events organised by others. We will still be writing, recording and releasing music and making sure we perform our songs live for audiences in the local area and further afield. We are in the process of designing merchandise which will be available to purchase on our website and at some of our live performances. 

It's all very new and exciting, and we are still finding our feet when it comes to running a social enterprise. In the future we plan to offer Act Happy Ltd membership for a small monthly fee. Members would receive fun perks as well as having the opportunity to attend meetings and get involved with the good work we intend to do in the local community. We will keep ‘Folk & Mirrors’ updated as we get Act Happy Ltd up and running. 

If you have any further questions or you have some ideas you would like to share with us then please get in touch! You can use the contact form on the website or reach out to us on Instagram. We would love to hear from you. 

We have had a quite a few questions about our song writing process recently so we thought we would write about it in this instalment of ‘Folk & Mirrors’. Anyone who has had a crack at song writing will know that there is rarely a set ‘process’, and each song has a different journey that brings it to life. 

When we first started writing songs together it was not very cohesive. We progressed our ideas quite far individually and would work on them together towards the end. Neither of us had a lot of experience with writing songs and we were still in the early stages of our friendship, so it took a little while to build up the creative vulnerability that is needed to write songs with another person. 

We played to our strengths - Rhiannon with lyrics and Jax with chord progression and rhythm. Having someone to write with really elevated our personal ideas and turned them into something special. We are very proud of the our first original tracks (available now on our debut EP ‘Acoustic Sessions’). On reflection, the separation in the creative process has resulted in quite a random collection of songs. This makes sense, as we were still finding our feet as musicians and as a band. 

The song we enjoyed writing the most was ‘Susan’, because we worked on it together in the same room. Moving forward, we knew wanted to do more of this, and it became much easier over time as we grew closer as friends and creative partners. It's much more fun to write songs together- we wrote a song about a pirate ('O'Malley') while drinking red wine and eating pizza. It has also allowed us to write songs that are even more authentic and represent us not just as individuals, but as a duo. The more songs we write together, the more we are refining our sound and pushing the boundaries of what we want to create. We think this will really become apparent when we release our first album (likely early 2025). 

Another benefit of working more closely throughout the song writing process is stepping out of our comfort zones. Jax has been writing lyrics and Rhiannon has been contributing more with the composition of the music, making us both stronger musicians. This really came to a peak in our song ‘Broken Glass’. Jax wrote the lyrics, and Rhiannon helped with editing to get the song the right length without losing any of the emotion. The chords and melody were a joint effort, with lots of experimentation to get the right combination. The song also demonstrates Jax's progress when it comes to singing, making us more of a true ‘duo’. 

Writing in the same room helps you to be more honest with yourself and each other. You can play the song together as you are writing it and see which bits aren't working and what needs changing. We definitely experienced this while writing ‘When Morning Comes’. We had all of the elements of a great song but it took several attempts to put them together in the right order so that the structure and rhythm of the song was right. 

‘O’Malley', ‘Broken Glass’ and ‘When Morning Comes’ will all be released this year as part of our second EP that was recorded in November 2023. Keep an eye out for announcements on our social media pages and sign up to our mailing list for the latest updates. 

For us, there are a few things that are absolutely essential when it comes to writing songs together. Respect, vulnerability, open-mindedness and patience. And a bottle of red wine always helps! We trust each other enough not to hold back when it comes to emotions, thoughts, ideas, and mistakes. We've really got into the swing of it now, so much that we have to stop ourselves from progressing any idea too far until we can work on it together, ensuring that each song is a true ‘Act Happy’ creation. 

Going forward, we want to really explore the ‘dark folk’ element of our music. This means digging deeper into difficult emotions, pushing ourselves when it comes to melody, harmony and overlapping our contrasting vocals, and experimenting with new sound effects and equipment. We are really excited about the future of Act Happy and the evolution of our music - stay tuned for more updates along the way!