It's been too long since our last update, but there is a very good reason… Rhiannon has been busy with her baby. Reuben was born in February and has become a permanent feature at rehearsals. He has also been to quite a few gigs- his first one at only 5 weeks old!
Reuben isn't the only new addition to the band - we have also taken on some additional members. We will still be doing gigs as a duo, but will also be performing as a full band for certain events.
Our first gig of the year was at Newport Music Trail in March, followed by a fundraiser at Le Pub in April for local charity Ffion's Gift. We raised £238 so we would like to thank everyone who came along and also the guys who performed with us - Joe on guitar, Lewis on keys and Ollie on bass.
In May we played two sets at The Cellar Door as a trio with Lewis on keys. It's such a cool place with a great vibe and it was great to do some intimate gigs. We provided entertainment at a private event in Cardiff Bay - an incredible charity ball that raised a whopping £21082.00 for 2wish. We had a very exciting Sunday filling in a last minute cancellation on the main stage at Devauden Festival. It is one of our favourite local music events so we were really happy to be involved.
We had the pleasure of opening for our good friend and music producer Tobias Robertson (stage name ‘Blino’) at Urban Circle. It was our first time in at the venue and we were really impressed with the space and the wonderful staff. If you haven't listened to Blino then check him out, you will be blown away! We ended the month of June with a set at RebelFest with the band. It was such a great day and felt like a big milestone for us as a group.
We started July by providing some entertainment for the participants of the Pontypool cancer research Relay for Life. We were so impressed by the dedication of the relay teams and how much effort was being put in to fundraising.
In the middle of August we played in the Newly refurbished Kingsway Market with the band. It was bittersweet as it was our last performance with Ollie as he has moved out of the area. We then started rehearsals with two new band members- Rob on bass and Owain on drums.
We spent some time recording a new single with Tobias which we will be releasing in the New Year, featuring artwork from the amazing George Goom. Keep an eye out for updates on the single launch! We also had some new promo shots taken by our multi-talented bassist, Rob.
We were honoured to be part of the Newport Rising Festival, playing a set as a duo after the torchlit march in the Newport Rising Hub. One of the things we love most about the Newport Music scene is how friendly and welcoming it is. It was great to meet new musicians as well as catching up with people we have met at previous events.
So… what is next for Act Happy? We are playing at Mccan's on 14th November to celebrate the launch of the new Sons of Shem album ‘First of the Flood’. We are so excited to be sharing the stage with our friends from Sons of Shem as well as UZU, Head Noise and Dark Passenger.
On the 19th November we are playing a fundraising gig in Le Pub for CALM - Campaign Against Living Miserably. This cause is very important to us as we know a lot of people in the community have been affected by the loss of loved ones to suicide and/or have struggled with their mental health. We would love to see as many people as possible come out to support this fantastic charity. It will be £8 entry on the door with additional cash donations welcome. If you can't attend but you still want to donate, you can find a link to our JustGiving page on Instagram or Facebook. You can also reach out to us via email - acthappyltd@gmail.com - and we can send you the link.
This gig is particularly exciting as it is our debut as a 6 piece band, and the first performance of the band ‘VIC’ who will be opening the show. It will also be the 10th fundraising gig that we have organised so it feels like quite a milestone for us. Charity work is a big part of who we are and what we do and we have raised over £2000 for various causes over the past 4 years, not including playing at fundraising events organised by others. If you are putting together a charity event next year and you would like us to perform free of charge, please reach out.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Le Pub for their ongoing support as well as Dirty Carrot Records for helping us over the last few years. Thank you to our listeners, our regulars at gigs, and anyone reading this right now! We are so grateful to everyone who is a part of our journey. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube and you can listen to our music on most streaming platforms.