Beina Beats preview - two nights of live music

Beina Beats started as a simple idea in a local pub in December 2024. Ten local music lovers sat around a table talking about how many grassroots venues were closing, how hard it was becoming to find intimate live music spaces, and how much we all wanted something special right here in Rhiwbina.

Instead of waiting for someone else to make it happen, we decided to do it ourselves.

What’s grown from that conversation is Beina Beats. Started in 2025 as a hugely successful one-night event, this year we are holding a two‑night festival in the heart of Rhiwbina. Two stages, ten artists, and a dedicated group of people who love music.

Beina Beats is built on the things we care about:

• using local spaces to bring people together

• showcasing an eclectic mix of musicians you don’t usually get this side of the city

• creating a space for live music where it isn’t readily available

• doing it for the love of music, not profit, not prestige, just passion

This festival is our way of keeping live music alive, intimate, and accessible. It’s about celebrating creativity, supporting local talent, and giving Rhiwbina something new.

Friday line-up

Main stage

Pigeon Wigs - A talented five-piece alt rock band with riff-laden fuzzy tones and melodic harmonies which come crashing together. Whether aiming their sights at social commentary, dysfunctional relationships or alien abductions they leave you ravenous for their next drop. Having already recorded glowing praise from BBC Introducing’s Adam Walton and Bethan Elfyn, as well as a multitude of press praise, the band’s debut EP Rock by Numbers has solidified them as true ones to watch.

Mantis - Based in Caerdydd, bringing bilingual lyrics, spoken word, Spaghetti Western and native folk to their psychedelic rock sound. Shaped by and reflecting the vast landscape which surrounds them, Mantis’ dynamic, cinematic debut album The Amber Sun Saloon’s “commanding storytelling” brings words and sounds informed by both imagination and experience - with a line between the two unclear. This is a band that you need to see live.

The Malakites - An indie rock outfit formed in 2019 from Cardiff. They have played shows all over the UK, including festivals such as Shine On Weekender, BBC 6 Music Fringe Festival, Y Not Festival and the Isle of Wight festival. Their music and unique sound have been widely applauded. 

Acoustic stage

Evyn - A Welsh bilingual, psychedelic, jazz-folk act, inspired by the likes of Nick Drake, John Martyn, and James Taylor.

Jonny Forever - Ahead of his debut album, this multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer has been emotionally devastating early audiences with live performances that are intensely intimate, virtuosic and volatile. Written in the wake of his father’s death, the album charts a hero’s voyage through mythic soundscapes of grief.

Saturday line-up

Main stage

Total Clusterfunk - A Bristol-based eight-piece soul-funk band whose high energy shows are getting a great rep. Their line-up features a talented crew, who give the audience a “rollercoaster of a ride”. Brass funk classics with some supreme soul gems flavoured in the band’s own style makes for a great gig.

Ophelia’s Beard - A genre fluid songwriter combining her UK folk roots with an injection of modern angst and passion. Ophelia creates familiarity in songs you’ve never heard before. New wave folk, with a hint of punk madness. Described as a ‘complete redefinition of the meaning of powerhouse vocals’ she fronts her band with captivating ease. Bring your female rage. This is folk with a bite. 

Slow Life - An alt rock band from Wrexham via London known for '90s indie/psych-folk vibes. Straddling the many eggs of genre, their songs are cooked in a one unmistakable and unrepentant pop rock omelette.

Acoustic stage

Betsan - A Welsh soul and jazz-influenced singer-songwriter based in Cardiff and London. Following a support set for Buddug at Clwb Ifor Bach in November, she has been highlighted as one of the young artists to watch in 2026. 

Loafus - Hailing from the rolling hills and fields of the Llyfni Valley, they offer a psychedelic resting place for those who wander off the road well travelled. Carried by grungy, discordant guitar riffs and a soulful voice, the music is a dreamy soundscape inspired by many different artists and styles drifting from raw to ethereal.

Beina Beats comprises two nights of live music, local food, and Rhiwbina at its best.

20-21 March 2026, doors open 6pm.

Ticket for two nights - £40

Single night tickets - £25

You can buy tickets here.

To keep up to date with what's going on, keep an eye on our Events Calendar.