Music has changed and evolved a lot over the years. It has always transcended trends, limits, and even languages while encompassing genres new and old, which makes for many great things about music. And every single day, aspiring musicians from all around the world never cease to amaze with their talents, serving up great additions to the already vibrant industry, including the growing Welsh music scene. So if you’re always on the go to discover and delve deep into new music, especially Welsh music, we’ve got something just for you!
Meet Klust, an online music platform founded by Owain Williams that features Welsh musicians, both new and established. It celebrates and promotes them through comprehensive reviews and exclusive publications and showcases them through shows in Wales and beyond. Owain, together with a team of creatives behind the scenes, works towards a vision for Klust where people are brought together by a shared love, appreciation, and discovery of Welsh music.
And to help elevate their audience’s experience in every show to that level, Klust partnered with noissue to create brand merchandise that perfectly fits their needs, achieves the quality they strive for, and reflects their commitment to sustainability. If you want to hear more about Klust, all about Welsh music, and their noissue packaging journey, just read on!
Tell us a bit about your brand, introduce it to the world!
Hey, we’re Klust—an independent, bilingual music website that champions new emerging Welsh artists! I (Owain) initially launched Klust as the world was healing following the pandemic—and despite it being a bit of a cliché by now—that troublesome period between 2020-2021 allowed me to take my first steps into what had always been an ambition of mine, which was to launch a new platform to champion the plethora of new artists coming out of Wales at the moment.
After a few months of being a website-only brand, I quickly realized that Klust could become something much bigger, and by the end of 2022, Klust’s first print edition—aptly titled ‘01’—was developed, working with other creatives in North Wales to bring together a zine that reflects the amazing Welsh music scene of today.
Since then, Klust has curated showcases far and wide—from descending on a small, independent café in the Llŷn Peninsula—to hosting two sold-out Welsh language shows in the heart of London. It was here that we ventured out to noissue—to source our beautiful ‘Klust Coasters’, to be used in various venues as we take Welsh music to new places.
Tell us about the design for your packaging and how you’re using them?
The coasters were designed alongside the wonderfully talented illustrator, Sioned Medi Evans, and independent filmmaker, Aled Victor. Staying true to Klust’s ethos of having clean, minimal design concepts, the design came together as we sought to create a ‘character’ to reflect what Klust stands for, which is to unite like-minded people to excite, experience, and discover new Welsh music in an inclusive and progressive space.
The coasters work brilliantly in our showcases and truly reflect Klust as a brand that embraces new, fresh ideas, ready to work with ambitious creatives. We also incorporated the website into the design where people often follow the link to the website (klustmusic.com) and discover a world of new sounds. The images are taken from our third sold-out showcase, held at the Victoria Dalston in London, in December 2023. We cannot wait to see where they go next!
What made noissue a good fit for your packaging?
noissue was a great fit for Klust, not only as the quality is undeniably fantastic—bringing out the rich, dense colors that the brand has—but also as it aligns with our values of sourcing environmentally-friendly materials.
As we’re set to tackle the biggest challenge known to mankind—the climate—it’s important to make small, yet important decisions, regarding how we make use of day-to-day materials. What became clear when working with noissue was the value placed on sustainability.
Each coaster is made from recycled paper and can be reused multiple times after they have served their purpose, and that, for me, was as critical as the product's quality. Thankfully, noissue does both great!
Klust’s brand logo, designed by Elis Povey
Klust’s images, photographed by Aled Victor, Lewys Meredydd, Jake Rowles, and Hannah Tottle