“From the bar I watch a man in his sixties who has just walked in. He is wearing a shabby suit and sunglasses that are too small for his face.

Without saying a word, he makes his way to the makeshift stage. He picks up the microphone. The few people in the bar remain oblivious to the scene, their eyes fixed on their half-finished pints. The music starts.

These photographs were made between 2013 and 2022 in the following cities and towns in South Wales: Porthcawl, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, Barry Island, Nantyglo, Merthyr Vale, Cardiff, Newport, Abertillery, Caerleon, Pontypool, Brynmawr and Swffryd.

In the working class communities of South Wales, ta-ra is another way of saying goodbye.”