Immersed! 2023 will take place 17-19th February in partnership with Orchard Live and Libertino Records to raise awareness and funds for Music Declares Emergency, the industry’s climate change charity.
The fifth Immersed! Festival returns to Tramshed Cardiff on Saturday 18th February for another year of exciting musical talent, showcasing South Wales’s ever-evolving, diverse music scene over four stages and accompanied by a unique narrative experience and important sustainability message.
For the main stage headliner, Immersed! unleashes Lady Leshurr, the MOBO award-winning rapper who brings her explosive live show to Cardiff for the first time in five years. Well known for her charitable work, Lady Leshurr was awarded the British Empire Medal by the Queen in 2020 after she donated all the proceeds for her “Quarantine Speech” to the NHS. Lady Leshurr will be supported by Sage Todz, whose “O Hyd” became the unofficial anthem of the Welsh football team in Qatar, alongside the mighty Minas, who will be performing tracks from his outstanding new album “All My Love Has Failed Me”. Completing the mainstage line up are Cardiff punk titans Terrapins, hard-hitting hip hop duo DiffJaxx and the explosive trio Shlug. Curated by University of South Wales students, the four stages feature over forty artists and bands. Expect an eclectic music mix, DJs, street food, live theatre, workshops, a tattoo parlour and an upcycled fashion market.
The festival weekend kicks off on Friday 17th February with the Immersed! 5th Birthday Awards Event at the Cardiff Atrium in collaboration with Libertino Records, a celebration of the artists and key players that have made Immersed! so vibrant and special over the last five years. The event will feature live performances from participants of Skills Competition Wales, and a music industry careers fair. After the main event at the Tramshed on Saturday, the festival concludes on Sunday 19th February with Immersed TV, an online live broadcast featuring highlights from the main stage, exclusive artist interviews and “5 Years”, an Immersed! legacy documentary.
The festival is also partnering with climate change charity Music Declares Emergency to highlight the effects of climate breakdown and help promote change towards a greener and more sustainable future. For the first time in its four-year history, the festival will feature a compelling narrative experience. Each of the stages will embody one of the four elements: Fire, Earth, Air and Water cohering to the festival’s theme of climate change. USW Drama students will be cast as “Wizards”, alongside a wide range of absorbing characters that will engage with audiences and encourage them to participate in the festival’s narrative.
Since the festival was founded four years ago, it continues to collaborate with a wide array of musicians, promoters, labels and organisations across South Wales to support its vibrant music scene. For 2023, Immersed! aspires to build upon previous years and create an exciting new experience for audiences through its compelling narrative experience, fringe events and fifth birthday awards ceremony.
