Wales is the left hand bit of mainland United Kingdom and a quarter of the British Isles. It has its own language ‘Welsh’ although almost everyone speaks English. It is a land of mountains and valleys, dragons and beatboxers.

On Saturday 17th January 2015 a little bit of Welsh history was being made. In a small club on a Cardiff backstreet, mouth mechanics from all over Wales gathered to battle in the first Welsh Beatboxing Championships.

Throughout the afternoon competitors engaged in face-to-face combat though eliminations, quarter and semi finals to secure a place in the coveted final. The judges were 2014 Irish beatbox champion Scorch, European beatbox master Sid FX and local veteran of the beatboxing scene, Beatbox Fozzy.

Prior to the playoff for third place and the grand final, each judge performed a showcase before collaborating in a three-way freestyle jam. This was followed by a crowd-whipping hip-hop and drum and bass set from Welsh beatboxer and live looper Mr Phormula.

The playoff was between BEAT TECHNIQUE and CAMBOX with CAMBOX taking third place. The final was between CHUBZ and SCYTHE. Each finalist had a unique style. SCYTHE was a machine. His speed, timing and intricacy were spot on. However, CHUBZ built up routines, varied the style and switched beats, and it was this musicality that finally won the hearts and minds of the crowds and the judges. SCYTHE may have been the better ‘beatbox’ but CHUBZ put the ‘human’ back into human beatboxing.

The whole event was an incredible success and sponsorship meant that entry was free. However, fans could still donate if they wished to do so. As a donation bucket was passed around, one local graffiti artist dropped in a twenty pound note. He turned to me and said, “This is what it’s all about. Raw creativity. I love it.” And with crowd support like that, the Welsh beatboxing scene has an exciting future.