FEATURE: Spotlight: Adwaith — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Adwaith

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WHILST many of us are not aware…

of the Welsh Music Prize, I think we need to tune or minds in its direction. Whereas the Mercury Prize often suffers from a lack of diversity and a Londoncentric heartbeat, in Wales, there is this wonderful award ceremony that collects together the best music from a fine nation. This year’s winners are the incredible Adwaith. The Guardian explain who was nominated this year:

“Welsh-language female post-punk trio Adwaith have won the 2019 Welsh Music prize for their album Melyn.

Announcing their win, BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens said the album was “a very exciting and deserved winner from an exceptional shortlist. Adwaith have made a real impact with their personal, beautiful music that captures what it’s like to be young, female, frustrated and bewildered at the world we live in.”

The Welsh Music prize, founded in 2011 and voted for by music industry figures, “celebrates the finest music made in Wales or by Welsh people around the world”. Previous winners are Boy Azooga (2018), the Gentle Good (2017), Meilyr Jones (2016), Gwenno (2015), Joanna Gruesome (2014), Georgia Ruth (2013), Future of the Left (2012) and Gruff Rhys (2011).

Receiving the Welsh Music Inspiration award were Phyllis Kinney and the late Meredydd Evans, who together charted the history of Welsh folk music and were Welsh language activists.

Adwaith released two new songs this month, including a relatively rare foray into English called Orange Sofa.

Welsh Music prize nominees 2019

Accü – Echo The Red

audiobooks – Now! (in a minute)

Carwyn Ellis – Joia!

Cate Le Bon – Reward

Deyah – Lover Loner

Estrons – You Say I’m Too Much I Say You’re Not Enough

HMS Morris – Inspirational Talks,

Lleuwen – Gwn Flan Beibl

Lucas J Rowe – Touchy Love

Mr – Oesoedd

Adwaith – Melyn

VRï – Tŷ ein Tadau”.

I am chuffed for Adwaith because it is great to see a group like this get recognised. They have been on the scene for a bit – I think I first heard their music early last year. I was struck by the fact they could sing in Welsh but appeal to those who do not speak the language. Like Gwenno, Adwaith can bring Welsh into the musical conversation and show that it is a beautiful language that we need to hear more of. For years, artists have been expected to sing in English, but now we are seeing a lot of popular artists perform in different languages and broaden the musical lexicon. I am fascinated by the band and would recommend you get involved with them if you are not familiar. I will end with their social media links, so you can follow them and check out their music. Before then, I want to bring in a couple of interviews – one from 2017 and one from 2018 -, that introduces Libertino Records’ Hollie Singer, Gwenllian Anthony and Heledd Owen.

They spoke with For the Rabbits in 2017 and were asked about their influences and the importance of singing in Welsh and the Welsh music scene:

“FTR: Your press release has probably the most eclectic list of influences we’ve ever seen. Who inspires you to make music?

Hollie: We have so many inspirations. Mainly we could collectively come up with – The Slits, Happy Mondays, Velvet Underground and Wolf Alice.

FTR: What about influences outside of music? Are you interested in other art forms?

Hollie: We’re definitely all interested in the arts. There’s so many ways you can express yourselves, but music has always been our number 1.

Gwenllian: I think day-to-day life inspires me! working in a bar, we get a massive array of people from different background and really inspires me to write songs about them.

FTR: You sing in both English and Welsh, is promoting/maintaining the Welsh language important to you?

Hollie: It’s definitely important to us as a band. The Welsh music scen

FTR: Why do you think so much great music come out of Wales?

Hollie: Probably because there’s nothing else to do. People have time to over think things and write good songs”.

Adwaith are a group I definitely want to catch live and, if they have plans for London next year, I will do my best to come along and see them. With a prestigious prize in their corner, here is a group that will keep that momentum rolling in 2020.

I want to mention their album, Melyn, in a bit, but I want to source from one more interview. They spoke with M Magazine last year and talked about inspiration, advice and their favourite local band:

“Post-punk trio Adwaith are making waves on the Welsh music scene and beyond for their beguiling but defiant sound.

Hailing from Carmarthen, South West Wales, they’ve been making all the right moves since emerging in 2016, picking up supports with the likes of Gruff Rhys, a remix courtesy of Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield and were recently selected as a BBC Horizons artist for 2018.

Sonically, there’s layers of early Siouxsie and the Banshees to be found, while latest cut Y Diweddaraf is a rebellious number with the scratchy proto-punk hallmarks of The Velvet Underground.

Sung entirely in Welsh, its gutsy mood is a reaction, the band say, ‘to everyone saying leaving uni to do music was stupid! It’s about feeling empowered to do whatever you want, regardless.’

What is your worst musical habit?

Always writing in the key of E.

What’s the best piece of musical advice you’ve ever been given?

Don’t put yourself in a box – write whatever you want.

Where do you discover new music?

Gigs, word of mouth, Spotify discover weekly.

What’s your favourite venue?

The Parrot in Carmarthen.

Who is your current favourite band/artist?

Boy Azooga/ Gwenno are our favourites at the minute.

What inspirations outside of music impact your songwriting?

Day to day life, people you meet and situations that you find yourself in.

What track of yours best represents your sound?

We change our sound with every song but currently it’s our new single Gartref.

They have had a fairly busy year and I know that they will have some solid plans for 2020. I wonder whether we will see an album or E.P. at all. Given the popularity and praise that headed their way when they released Melyn last year, I suspect the band are gearing up for a fresh assault. The Libertino Records stable is a healthy and busy one so, if you are looking for a new fix and acts that will make a splash next year, go look at their website. Melyn is one of 2018’s best albums and, when reviewing it, Louder Than War observed the following:

“Adwaith (Hollie Singer, Gwenllian Anthony, Heledd Owen) have seen their profile raise sharply. Through their music and hard work, they have had one of the most exciting first eighteen months any new band could wish for. We at LTW spotted this from the time we were sent their first single by the band’s label Libertino Records who are another independent label and who, most importantly, are not based in Cardiff where all attention seems to focus on. Adwaith are not Cardiff cool or fame-chasers. They are a trio who are doing things the exact way they want to. No chasing the in-crowd or crawling up to those who have placed themselves at the top of an imagined pile of importance. Those whose blessings you seem to need to get anywhere in Wales have come to them and that is even more exciting. Now with a tour supporting Gwenno, a single remixed by James Dean Bradfield, and a numerous amount of festival appearances under their belt Adwaith deliver their much-anticipated debut album. We’ve heard the singles and now it is time to see if the band can deliver a fully realised long-player.

Melyn isn’t another Welsh language album. It is Wales herself. It is its foreboding skylines and invisible drizzle (thanks Jay). It is its beautiful summer mornings and its life bringing rivers. It is fierce and proud. It is strong and vulnerable. It is its communities and high streets ravaged by uncaring politicians. It is her rural heart and her street-smart city dwellers. It is her multitude of different cultures and dialects. Melyn is welcoming, warm, sarcastic and funny. It is unashamed of who it is. Melyn is also the voice of the youth of Wales who were shafted by the older generation. It is the voice of those screaming out at us to look after our environment and to support the vulnerable. Melyn is one of the best debut albums by ANY band of recent memory and demands attention not only from those who reside here in Wales but those who live over the bridge. If there is any justice then Adwaith will be embraced and discovered by young adults from all over the UK looking for a band who mirror their own politics and beliefs and who are needing of a shared community. The future belongs to the young and with Melyn the future is Adwaith”.

There are so many great acts out there, so it can be hard deciding which ones to follow and watch. I think Adwaith are a tremendous band who have made some big steps since their formation and, as we look ahead to festivals next year, I expect them to be firmly in the mix. Adwaith will be on a high after they won the Welsh Music Prize for Melyn last week. I love what they are doing and know that they will be in the music industry for…