Listen Year: the Podcast by Seat Belt Sessions Rachel O'Brien and Liam Boyd

Dan Abrams, or more commonly known as DJ Dabes, is an international multi genre DJ and music mentor who has spent the last few years serving tunes to club and festival goers in the UK. Since starting his career in 2018, he’s brought big vibes and bangers to student unions, DJ’d private parties, been featured on Capital FM and worked with BBC Radio Wales.

He’s performed on main stages at festivals all over the UK, and currently has a residency at the iconic Cardiff nightclub Clwb Ifor Bach! He has recently embarked on a joint endeavour with fellow Welsh DJ Molly Palmer - the pair performing together as a duo, coining themselves the “Welsh Chicks”. Dan also performed at Pride Cymru this Summer and we know that he has big things coming his way in the near future. In his own words, pop music is what keeps Dabes truly living and breathing, and he’s here today to talk about his favourite year in music with us.

Leila Nevabi is a 23 year old writer and comedian from south Wales. Described as ‘the actual future of comedy’ by LMAOnaise, in 2021 she wrote and starred in the BBC iPlayer series Vandullz, which was met with high acclaim.

Since entering her first BBC Writers Room in 2017, Leila has written for Nevermind the Buzzcocks, BAMEshow, and Tourist Trap, among others, and is currently writing on Jack Whitehall’s Bad Education.

She has recently been named a ‘breakthrough writer’ by BBC Comedy, and her original BBC Radio 4 drama I’ve Been So Touched has just been released this Autumn. It seems there is nothing Leila can’t do - but today she joins us not to write comedy, but to discuss her favourite year in music.

Tom Auton is a Welsh rock artist, who’s nine year musical career has resulted in his name becoming synonymous with the live music scene in Cardiff. At just 23, he could be described as a veteran of the field, having played venues on Womanby Street since he was a young teen. His home studio is becoming an invaluable space for Cardiff artists to record, with Tom mixing and producing many local artists’ music. Between his home studio and Longwave Studios in Grangetown, he recorded, mixed and produced his latest single, Devil on my Shoulder, at the beginning of this year, before heading out on a headline UK tour to promote its release.

Along with his band The Bottle Breakers, Tom recently supported fellow Welsh boys Feeder at their homecoming show in Newport, performing to an audience of 3000.

One of the most hard working musicians in south Wales, Tom is fast also making a name for himself in the production world. He joins us today to talk about his favourite year in music.