waverley.

waverley. play Clwb Ifor Bach on Thursday 15 October, as part of Swn Festival 2026. They're an Edinburgh band, so they've come down from Scotland for this one, and the Cardiff dates sit within the festival's wider run from Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 October.

If you haven't come across them yet, they're a five-piece fronted by Ewan Malloch, with Jake Cunningham, Donnie Campbell, Rory Millington and Leo Bacica rounding out the line-up. They describe their sound as Americana-tinged indie, and that's a fair place to start, though it's the shifts that really define it: folk-rooted songwriting that can pull back into something quiet or build into moments of intensity and intricacy. It's that dynamic range they're known for, moving from a steady, grounded feel into something more expansive.

Their 2023 debut EP, It Makes An Emptiness Of A Crowded Place, released on Blackhall Records, gives a good sense of where they sit. 'Rest And Be Thankful' has fiddle-inspired guitar riffs that lean into that folk influence, while 'Lowry Scene' builds to a euphoric crescendo. The two together show the range they're talking about — one more rooted in the tradition, the other pushing into something bigger. It's that combination that has drawn comparisons to Wilco and Frightened Rabbit, both bands that know how to balance a strong song with a slow-burn build.

Tom Robinson at BBC Radio 6 Music put them 'squarely in the ranks of fine Scottish guitar bands at their unbeatable best', which is a high bar to set for a debut EP. With the Cardiff dates falling inside Swn Festival, they're one of the many acts playing across the city that weekend, and this is their night at Clwb Ifor Bach.