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Thank you, Loge. The address was still valid, but only for another month as Mailmask is closing down.

It often takes me 2 or 3 sessions to finish these, but today it was all over in well under an hour.
Keyed into google the two characters I could spot in the completed grid, and it gave me the 3rd character and the three sets. Read the wiki article and it presented me with the finale.
A bit disappointing.

Found the 29 cells without much trouble but just can't see how they're connected to the 12 extra words or how they can be assigned to three groups of four? I didn't need them for the 29 cells but it would still be nice to understand them.

Also ...

36d - Capital of African nation relocating half southwards (4) ?IMA

There is an obvious "capital" but it's not in Africa and I've already got 12 extra words and can't match it to "relocating half southwards"?

Brendan, I'm just starting this one, but I thin the def. is just 'capital', and 'African nation' is the wordplay, with the first 2 letters moving to the end.

Aahhh! Thank you so much Mattrom, that was slowly driving me insane🤬

.... and just figured out the groups 😀

Big thanks to Karla, that was a really well thought out and most enjoyable puzzle:-)

Well, I’ve completed the grid and have twelve seemingly disconnected words and that’s as far as I can get. Nothing has revealed itself in the grid except a pop group and an opera, and I reckon these are just coincidences.

Sebastian, the pop group is no coincidence - but in a very different context Of the twelve words, for me the little feathery one might be a good start to think about possible connecting words.

Thanks Cranberryboat. I didn’t have the feathery word in my original list. I do now. There were also a couple of clues where I felt it was possible to remove one of two words, though that didn’t help with the list’s continued unconnectedness. Anyway, I’m pleased to have at least finished what must have been a gentle grid, as it’s rare I even understand the preamble of most IQs.