Compelling and career-defining: Tara Bandito Deluxe reviewed

Molly Stubbs

Very few of us can say we were doing anything of merit at eight weeks old, let alone undertaking an international tour. But for indie-pop’s baddie, Tara Bandito, this was her introduction to life, the universe, and everything.

If the North-Walian wasn’t backstage nestled in the arms of three-hundred-pounds of professional wrestling prowess known as El Bandito, her father, she was on stage in Rhyl charming the crowds with her own performances at only five years of age. It was likely these experiences which imbibed her with the show-business-sense needed to carry her career.

Yet Tara has taken something of a scenic route back to centre stage. After penning her first song following the death of her father in 2009 and playing keys for YNYS in the meantime, it took another thirteen years of soul searching, and projectile vomiting in front of Welsh music legends, to find the nine accompanying tracks that completed her 2023 self-titled debut album.

Now, after nearly two years, the deluxe edition of Tara Bandito had its eagerly-awaited release on 27 November 2024.

Commanding the conversation

Deluxe albums are odd beasts. With kind eyes of gratitude turned toward ‘real fans’, they also bear sharpened claws perfectly poised to money grab. To decide whether the price of bringing such a beast home is fair, we must look to its embellishments and decide whether they are improvements. What does the ‘new one’ do that its older sister did not?

In the case of Tara Bandito Deluxe, there are “electrifying extras, bonus tracks, re-worked songs in her mother tongue, and live tracks recorded from unforgettable gigs.”

First up on the chopping block are the unplugged rendition and Welsh reworking of the original album’s fifth track, I Do.

I must admit, I was a little disappointed on learning this, as I Do was by far my least favourite Tara Bandito offering. But, after listening, I’m pleased to say the version yn Gymraeg feels much more fitting. The translation dilutes the atmosphere of oversharing and, rather than awkwardly and anxiously reaching out for connection, allows Tara to command the conversation.

It is the unplugged version, though, that succeeded in changing my opinion of I Do once and for all. With such honesty inherent to the song, it’s only right that the instruments are pared down, presenting and enhancing the meaning.

It feels, without sounding too clichéd, that this is how the song was always meant to be sung. Relaxed and refined, but still characteristically candid. In future, I will press play on the unplugged version far more enthusiastically than the original.

Next, a few more songs, Woman and Unicorn, receive Tara’s translation treatment. Of this decision, Tara explained “The energy and message of Unicorn and Woman made me want to really sing them in my mother tongue, so I could feel completely rooted in the lyrics. I went back to the studio to record them again in Welsh and it felt so good.”

You can certainly hear this concoction of comfort and pride in the reworkings. Although the sparkling synth-pop and beat-filled backing tracks are much the same, these foundations somehow feel fuller, stronger, underneath Tara’s first language.

Finally, we have a live recording of Datblygu, my favourite track from the original album. A tribute to the ‘non-conforming non-conformists’, Datblygu themselves, Tara proved just how much influence Wales’s answer to The

Fall had on her and many other artists in the forty years since their first album by borrowing lyrics from their masterpiece, Can i Gymru.

Compelling

Welsh music is often political, even if the politics our artists choose to support or denounce rarely affect more than the three-million individuals within our own borders. In contrast, Tara’s statements usually swing broader, more feminist less FWA. As such, Datblygu, with its in-your-face post-punk leaning and concrete stance, was highly compelling.

However, knowing what had happened with I Do, I was afraid something of a similar u-turn would take place on hearing Datblygu’s live version. Would I go from loving the track to finding it lazy, or worse, realise that Bethan

Elfyn’s “formidable live artist” was a fraud?

Not quite.

Datblygu’s live recording begins with a career-defining anecdote from Tara, delivered in her charming gogledd accent, and storms quickly into the live track.

Her enunciation is so crisp and clear, it’s an undeniable treat for the eardrum. Unfortunately, the third act transition that defines the original track doesn’t pack quite as much of a punch in this version. But, Datblygu Live still feels like a necessary addition, and solidified my adoration for the original.

Power

When Tara Bandito was first released in January 2023, it earned its artist the title “The best creator of F**k You songs in contemporary times.” Although, I never quite agreed with this label.

Tara undoubtedly exudes power, but it is the honesty she displays, the lack of apology for being autobiographical, the ability to break open her ribcage and reveal her heart from which her true power stems.

If this was what made the original good, more poetry and projection in her mother tongue can only make the album’s deluxe edition great.

Tara Bandito Deluxe is also available on vinyl, a perfect complement to any Welsh record collection. But if these extras aren’t enough to tide you over, not to worry.

Twenty-twenty-five looks set to be a big year for Bandito. In her own words, “I’m so happy to be able to give [Tara Bandito] one last dance, along with pumping new energy into it, before moving on to new sounds and releases next year with even more truth, unicorns and f**k yous. I can’t wait.”

The re-worked deluxe album, with all its extras, is released through Recordiau Côsh and is available to stream and download on all major digital platforms.

The vinyl and CD formats can be purchased through Tara Bandito’s website, tarabandito.com.