Llinos Belcher: Meet the Artists- P4MH Swansea Alternative Big Weekend 25th-27th May
Playing the Sunday afternoon of the Punks 4 Mental Health Alternative Big Weekend on 27th May in Creature Sound is the talented Llinos Belcher. Ahead of the event , Llinos answers some questions about her music and playing the event!
How long have you been performing live music? I've been playing music since the age of 8 and singing since the age of 3. Who are your musical influences? My musical influences are expansive as I was initially classically trained until the age of 18, but loved Iron Maiden other metal bands to listen to. I then went on to enjoy the rave scene and also reggae. My idol both musically and as a person is Bob Marley although I currently don't play too much reggae. The 2 people that my audience have described me as is Janis Joplin and Eva Cassidy but I would not label myself as that talented . How would you describe your music ? The music I play is soulful as I always have a reason for choosing the songs I do (prefering to make arrangements of other songwriters songs to perform myself) I have written lots of my own music but find it quite difficult to bring myself to play them live. Are there any of the bands or artists who are playing Swansea’s Alternative weekend that you are looking forward to seeing? I'm looking forward to seeing all the other artist as I LOVE all live music. Punks 4 Mental Health is about challenging stigma around mental ill health . What does it mean to you to be playing this event? The reason I am playing this event is purely for the reason that it is to challenge stigma around mental health.... I'm not a punk artist (although I am a strong believer in the punk ethos) but my son suffered a very serious psychotic episode at the beginning of the year and it was very traumatic for all of the family .... And so is the aftermath. I also have suffered all my life with various mental health issues, but honestly what wants to make me challenge the stigma is what's happened with my son, I cannot and will not allow him to be discriminated against because he's been ill. What can people expect from your set if they come out to see you ? I'm not sure what people can expect.... It will depend on how I feel on the day. That's mental health for you!! 😊 Anything else you want to add? Just thank you to all the people involved in organising this event. Thank you for making it happen and thank you for letting me be involved, it means a lot to me to feel that I'm helping to do SOMETHING as in these situations we, the people suffering and the families of people that suffer, feel so helpless. You can buy tickets on the door At Creature Sound £4.50 for the weekend. Children are free on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
