Welsh Wednesdays – THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN

WELSH WEDNESDAYS : #10 : SUPER FURRY ANIMALS

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Is This The Life?

#10: Patience by Super Furry Animals

Ah fuck it. I tried, I really did. I don’t want you to think I’m weak or anything, but I guess I am. Try as I might, I just couldn’t let this series pass without including the Super Furry Animals. This might be the last episode of Welsh Wednesday, or it may not, but just in case, I’m getting that monkey off my back and giving them the space they deserve. (JC adds……..I really hope it isn’t the last episode!!)

You see (and I’m aware many of you will already know this) Super Furry Animals simply are the greatest thing to ever come out of Wales. Like EVER. OK, I mean Aneurin Bevan was a decent fella for inventing the NHS, and Brains do make a very decent pint of ale. That Owain Glyndŵr bloke probably deserves a mention too, but for me, the Furries take it because they always make me feel good. Not many things can do that: chocolate-coated pistachios do, browsing record shops does too, and maybe one or two things I’m not going to share with you…

As I’m more than likely preaching to the converted, I’ll just introduce today’s song. Patience was recorded during the sessions for ‘Rings Around The World’, SFA’s feted fifth record from 2001. It’s one of my all-time favourite albums ever of all-time ever. Like EVER! It was also hugely groundbreaking in that it was the first ever fully multimedia album, with a DVD format which included animated videos for each song on the album plus ones for two bonus tracks.

Patience was one of those bonus tracks, and for years languished, almost forgotten, as track 17 on the DVD. It took 15 years before it saw the light of day again, since when it’s been a popular inclusion of the band’s releases. Firstly, it was included on the best of album ‘Zoom!’, though even then it was buried away with little fanfare between two well-loved singles. The 20th Anniversary release of ‘Rings…’ saw it revived TWICE on the CD of b-sides and outtakes (the original and a demo version), and then for Record Store Day in 2022, a lovely little b-sides companion record included an exclusive extended version of it.

It’s a mystery why Patience was such a secret for so long. It’s a delight, as pretty much everything the band did around that time was. Its got that widescreen cinematic feel and a wonderful melody – it would have felt right at home on the album. I suppose it illustrates just how good the Furries were at the time, that a song like this was so surplus to requirements, it didn’t even make it out as a b-side. What a band. So sadly missed.

mp3: Patience – Super Furry Animals (outtake from ‘Rings Around The World’, 2001)

The Robster

Tristwch Y Fenywod, Welsh Wednesdays

WELSH WEDNESDAYS : #9 : TRISTWCH Y FENYWOD

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Is This The Life?

#9: Blodyn Gwyrdd by Tristwch Y Fenywod

This week’s band comes from the ancient Welsh-speaking heartland of Leeds, a…. wait, Leeds? Let me just check that……. Nope, I’m right, they’re from Leeds. So what the hell are they doing on Welsh Wednesday? Well, I mean, their name, right? And the song title? And the fact it’s sung completely in Welsh. Oh, and at least two of the members are actually Welsh. Look, Julian Cope qualified back in the original series because he was born a few miles the right side of the border, so if he gets in, so do Tristwch Y Fenywod.

Gwretsien Ferch Lisbeth, Sidni Sarffwraig and Leila Lygad are all members of other bands on the underground scene in goth’s first city. They collaborated following trips to North Wales and deciding to play instruments other than their usual ones. Leila, usually a vocalist, learned the drums, while Gwretsien invented a new instrument, which essentially consists of two differently tuned zithers stuck together.

The result: a band whose name translates as Sadness Of Women and who sound like a cross between early Dead Can Dance and The Cure (‘Pornography’-era). They definitely would have been signed to 4AD back in the 80s, and would have played the same festivals as Sisters Of Mercy, The Rose Of Avalanche and numerous other Leeds-based goth luminaries.

They released their self-titled debut album back in August, a record described as an “unholy grail of edgy, atmospheric, occult feminist goth emissions.” Blodyn Gwyrdd (trans. Green Flower) is the record’s opening track, and is without a doubt the most haunting music you’ll hear today. And a tad unsettling too, perhaps.

mp3: Blodyn Gwyrdd – Tristwch Y Fenywod (‘Tristwch Y Fenywod’, 2024)

These mysterious elfins seemingly shy away from visuals, so there’s no video this week. I did toy with finding some classic Welsh goth as an alternative, but the only band of that ilk I could track down was Gene Loves Jezebel, and they were shite…

The Robster

Pys Melyn, Welsh Wednesdays

WELSH WEDNESDAYS : #8 : PYS MELYN

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Is This The Life?

#8: Defaid by Pys Melyn

I’m aware that this run of Welsh Wednesdays has not yet featured any acts from the North (or “y Gogledd” – down here we refer to our northern compatriots as “Gogs”). It’s time to put that right with a bit of psychedelic folk from the coastal town of Pwllheli on the Llŷn Peninsula (a part of the world you really need to visit).

Pys Melyn (Yellow Peas) began releasing singles in 2018, and in 2019 formed Ski-Whiff Records. They were ejected from their first ever gig, at Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach, because they were underage: “We were 15, with about three pieces of facial hair between us.” They persevered nonetheless, and their debut album ‘Byd Llonydd’ (Still World) was nominated for the 2021 Welsh Music Prize. Like a lot of Welsh bands, they do have a slightly quirky sound, but they do integrate all kinds of influences into their music. More recently, Pys Melyn have supported Gruff Rhys and Spiritualized, and played a live session on BBC 6 Music. Cate Le Bon is also a fan, so that’s more than enough of an accolade.

Their second album ‘Bolmynydd’ was released in the summer of 2023. It draws on a range of styles from the 60s and 70s, and lyrically it’s political and humorous in equal measures. It features today’s Welsh Wednesday pick, the short-and-sweet Defaid, which is Welsh for… sheep. Yes. Go on, snigger away. Cliché it may be, but the song is one of disillusionment and resignation. The third verse translates (roughly) as:

The sheep in the field have never been in the gutter / Eating grass all day is a fucking easy life
I’m sure worrying my life away is my fate / Because I have to.

mp3: Defaid by Pys Melyn (from ‘Bolmynydd’, 2023)

Here’s an early track that has a rather different feel to it.

The Robster

Los Blancos, Welsh Wednesdays

WELSH WEDNESDAYS : #7 : LOS BLANCOS

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Is This The Life?

#7: Christina by Los Blancos

If you Google “los blancos” you’ll get quite a few results that don’t mention any bands from Wales. Not surprising really seeing as it’s not a very Welsh-sounding name. Yet very Welsh they are – formed, and still based, over to the west in the ancient town of Carmarthen (reputed to be the oldest town in Wales, in fact – you can’t get much more Welsh than that).

Once described by their record label as “beat up converse, rusty strings, cheap beer and heartfelt lyrics written on the back of half empty cigarette packets”, they live in a world soundtracked by American alternative and slacker rock – they cite Pavement, Pixies, Brian Jonestown Massacre and Ty Segall among their numerous influences. And that sort of sums them up really, other than the fact they perform in the Welsh language which none of those other acts do. They also provided the theme song to S4C’s coverage of the Wales football team’s (ultimately brief) World Cup campaign in 2022.

Christina is a single taken from their second album ‘Llond Llaw’ (trans. Handful) released in 2023. It’s a short- sharp blast of what they do best

mp3: Christina – Los Blancos (from ‘Llond Llaw, 2023)

The video was recorded for the Welsh language TV show Lwp which reflects the nation’s music and cultural scene. It’s another song from the latest album.

The Robster

Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, Welsh Wednesdays

WELSH WEDNESDAYS : #6 : BUZZARD BUZZARD BUZZARD

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Is This The Life?

Welsh Wednesday (and a bit of a gig review…)

Today we return to a band who featured in the Lockdown incarnation of Welsh Wednesday over at my place in July 2020…

#6: In My Egg by Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard

Back in part 2 of this Welsh Wednesday run, I featured CVC, a band who revel in the sounds of the 70s. This week, another lot who take their cue from that otherwise terrible decade – the fabulously named Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard who hail from our fine capital Cardiff. Their early material ploughed the furrows of glam rock, with the songs on their first EP and debut album ‘Backhand Deals’ wearing their influences so proudly on their sleeves, you’d be blinded by the glare of their gaudy flares and glittery make-up.

On the follow-up ‘Skinwalker’ though, things took a slightly darker turn, with songs about snarling beasts, depression and a malevolent Navajo witch. I think. Its riffs are fatter, heavier, louder – more Sabbath than Slade. Yet, for all that, it’s still a hell of a lot of fun and the tunes are still there. It’s one of my top albums of 2024.

MrsRobster and I caught Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard live just a couple weeks ago at the brilliant new Newport venue The Corn Exchange. They were every bit as good as I hoped they’d be. The disappointingly small crowd were treated to a lot of songs from the new record, but more than a handful of earlier tunes too, as well as new single Street Worship.

There’s a lot of energy in the Buzzards’ shows, and musically they’re on point. Interspersed with the songs were extended breaks of noise and feedback (which is always a major plus for me) and frontman Tom Rees’ wit (which at one point had MrsRobster and I creased up in tears.) It confirmed to me how, despite already having a Welsh Wednesday, they fully deserved another one.

So today’s track was the set’s second song and is a highlight from the latest album. It’s about how Tom struggled following the band’s touring and promotional duties around the first album. Physically and mentally exhausted, he started to withdraw into himself. It sounds like it would be a difficult listen, and in the hands of most bands it probably would be, but if you’re not humming In My Egg incessantly by lunchtime, I’ll scramble it and have it on toast.

mp3: In My Egg – Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard (from ‘Skinwalker’, 2024)

Here’s some footage of the Buzzards at a prestigious hometown show at Cardiff Castle from a couple years back. They still play this, ending their Newport set with it.

The Robster

El Goodo, The Eggmen Woooooo!, Welsh Wednesdays

WELSH WEDNESDAYS : #5 : EL GOODO

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Is This The Life?

#5: In A Daze One Sunday Morning by El Goodo

Google ‘El Goodo’ and you’ll get loads of results for The Ballad Of El Goodo by Big Star. Buried somewhere amongst them all you may find a link for a band from South Wales who named themselves after that song. Often dubbed Wales’ most overlooked band, El Goodo released four albums between 2005 and 2020, but each one is a must.

Formed in the village of Resolven in the Vale of Neath, they were picked up by Welsh kings Super Furry Animals who took them on tour and released El Goodo’s self-titled debut album on their Placid Casual label. Turns out, El Goodo’s name more than encapsulates their sound – their psych-rich harmonies and chiming guitars made them sound like a Welsh Big Star for the 21st Century. Or maybe what would happen if you crossed the Supper Furries with The Coral. If you think that sounds gorgeous, wait ‘til you hear this track!

In A Daze One Sunday Morning is taken from the band’s final studio album ‘Zombie’, released during the quagmire of 2020 which probably means no one knows it exists. And that is the real tragedy here. It’s something you need during bad times, which makes it even more essential right now.

mp3: In A Daze One Sunday Morning – El Goodo (from ‘Zombie’, 2020)

Former members of El Goodo are doing their own things now. One of them, Benedict Frye, has teamed up with members of fellow Welsh bands Los Blancos and Trecco Beis to form the band with possibly the greatest band name ever. The Eggmen Whoooooo! released their debut album ‘Fuzzy Eggs, Please’ last month and it’s another record you need to hear. Here’s a track from it. I think the Teenage Fanclub fans among us might like this one a little bit…

The Robster

PS : A huge thanks to everyone who entered the competition to win the Half Happy t-shirt. Sorry that there could only be one winner, and congratulations to Steven Aldred.

Dafydd Iwan ac Ar Log, Welsh Wednesdays

WELSH WEDNESDAYS : #4 : DAFYDD IWAN ac AR LOG

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Is This The Life?

#4: Yma O Hyd by Dafydd Iwan ac Ar Log

After examining some of Wales’ younger contingent in the past few weeks, today we’re going for something a bit older from a true Welsh legend; a song that has become a second national anthem.

Dafydd Iwan was born in the west Wales town of Brynamman and spent much of his youth in Bala in the north, before relocating south to attend university in Cardiff. He soon became known for his political activism and protest music. In 1969 he wrote the satirical song Carlo for the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales. The following year, his activism for Cymdeithas yr Iaith – the Welsh Language Society pressure group – got him imprisoned following a campaign of defacing English language road signs. His songs have taken in subjects including Welsh devolution, the Falklands war, The Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Gulf War and the Tiananmen Square massacre.

But in 1981 he returned to the topic of the Welsh language by penning the defiant anthem Yma O Hyd. Over the years, this song has taken on a life of its own. Yma o hyd means ‘still here’ in Welsh, and the song hails the resilience of the language to withstand the numerous attempts to obliterate it (and Welsh culture in general) against all the odds. Sports fans have adopted it as a rallying call, and most recently, it has become a pre-match ritual at Wales football internationals. Of course, the Wales national football team is currently experiencing its most successful period in history. Following them plummeting down the world rankings at the start of the century, Yma O Hyd is bellowed by fans. “We are still here/In spite of everyone and everything.”

40 years on, Yma O Hyd has become Wales’ second national anthem. In Dafydd’s own words: “It all started at the Austria game in March 2022, when The Red Wall propelled the song onto the world stage. After the second performance before and after the Ukraine match, the song was on its way to the World Cup as the Welsh Team’s official anthem. But what has happened since is even more significant, with people all over Wales singing the song, and people from other countries seeing Wales on the world stage.”

The album ‘Yma O Hyd’ enjoyed a 40^th anniversary re-issue last November which also coincided with Dafydd Iwan’s 80^th birthday.

MP3: Yma O Hyd – Dafydd Iwan ac Ar Log (from ‘Yma O Hyd’, 1983)

Here’s the rendition Dafydd referred to above, where he is joined by “the Red Wall” prior to Wales’ World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final against Austria in Cardiff. Rousing, moving, inspirational. Astonishing!

The Robster

PS : a quick reminder that there is still time to enter the competition associated with Welsh Wednesdays #3. Click here for all the info and details.

Half Happy, Welsh Wednesdays

WELSH WEDNESDAYS : #3 : HALF HAPPY

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Is This The Life?

#3: Say This Twice by Half Happy

OK, before we start, full disclosure: I work with the dad of today’s band’s drummer. There. Any accusations of nepotism are therefore fully justified, but I don’t care! And I don’t care because, actually, Half Happy are pretty damn good. They are one of the youngest bands on Cardiff’s current scene but are showing a heck of a lot of promise. After a handful of singles across 2022 and 2023, they won the 2023 Welsh Music Prize’s Triskell Award for new artists. Then in October 2024 they released their debut EP ‘Conversation Killer’, described by vocalist Rosalie Miller thus:

“Each song almost feels like a different part of the day sonically. I feel like we imagine we’re in different locations; work, pub, town, back in your bedroom for each track. The EP is one big diary entry, one crazy day with lots of drama.”

‘Conversation Killer’ showcases Half Happy’s penchant for sparkling indie-pop tinged with sadness, frustration and defiance. But there’s more to them than that, with some songs lurching towards shoegaze, and others boasting a glaze of synths. You wouldn’t be far wrong if you made comparisons to the likes of Alvvays and Camera Obscura (they recently played a very well-received support slot with the latter) but I think Half Happy have given themselves a lot of room for movement in terms of their evolution. It’ll be interesting to see where they go from here.

This week’s track is Say This Twice, a rather excellent single that pre-dates the EP.

MP3: Say This Twice – Half Happy (single, 2023)

And the video is for one of the EP tracks. Well Done Honey was written by Rosalie after a particularly bad day at work which left her “crying in the car”. It’s my fave of their repertoire to date and has drawn comparisons in some areas to The Sundays, which I know you’ll agree is no bad thing whatsoever!

But that’s not all folks. We also have an added bonus for you today. You see, not only do Half Happy make excellent music, they are also a lovely, generous bunch who have donated one of their t-shirts to a lucky t(n)vv reader* who can answer this simple question:

What is the title of the opening track on ‘Conversation Killer’?

If you need a hint, check out their Bandcamp page: https://wearehalfhappy.bandcamp.com

Answers should be emailed to thevinylvillain@hotmail.co.uk with the subject line ‘Half Happy t-shirt’ and must be received by midnight GMT on Saturday 30 November.

Please also include the size of the t-shirt you would like sent to you, should you be the lucky winner who will be chosen at random by someone not in the slightest bit related to the band. He/she/they will be contacted directly and announced on another Welsh Wednesday in a couple of weeks.

*apologies in advance, but the competition is open only to folk living in the UK. The postage overseas is just a bit too expensive in this instance. The blame can be attached to the usual suspects…..

Good luck!!

The Robster

CVC, Welsh Wednesdays

WELSH WEDNESDAYS : #2 : CVC

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Is This The Life?

#2: Docking The Pay by CVC

There are too many people in the UK who wish it was still the 1970s. You know, casual racism and homophobia, the Three-Day Week, terrible clothes, the birth of Thatcherism, the fucking Austin Allegro… Why? I mean really – WHY? I’ll tell you why – the music! Bowie. Punk. Reggae. The Ska revival. Abba. Yes, Abba. SHUT UP!

You see, us lot in Britain seem to have a perverse love of nostalgia. Everything was apparently better back in “our day”, whenever that was. My generation loves the 80, another really awful decade. But it’s the culture we hold dear, not real life. Wales wasn’t in a good place in the 70s, like the rest of the UK, yet musically we seem to be finding guidance in the decade that fashion forgot, despite the fact that many of those forging this trend weren’t even close to being born back then. CVC, for instance, look and sound like an episode of Life On Mars. Yet, for some reason – probably because the best bands in Wales have traditionally been rooted in psych-rock – they sound so NOW.

Hailing from Church Village – a tiny town on the southern edge of the Rhondda Valley, halfway between Llantrisant and Pontypridd – CVC (Church Village Collective) released their debut album ‘Get Real’ in 2023, catapulting themselves into the national spotlight thanks to BBC 6 Music going absolutely ga-ga for them. It probably doesn’t hurt that their guitarists are also related to Welsh music royalty (I’ll give you a clue – their names are David Bassey and Elliot Bradfield…) so there’s more than few good genes kicking about in there.

Depending on when this piece is published, CVC may have a new album out, or it may still be pending. Docking The Pay features on the debut though.

MP3: Docking The Pay – CVC (from ‘Get Real’, 2023)

An album of off-cuts called ‘B-Real’ also snuck out last year, and from it, you can listen to this cover of a song by the best Welsh psych-rock band ever. Yes, EVER!

MP3: Juxtaposed With You – CVC (from ‘B-Real’, 2023)

The Robster

Adwaith, Welsh Wednesdays

WELSH WEDNESDAYS : #1 : ADWAITH

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Is This The Life?

JC WRITES……….

It’s the start of another new series, one which will have at least ten parts to it over the coming weeks, but I’m hopeful that the author will enjoy himself enough to become a regular contributor to this little corner of t’internet during 2025. He’s someone who shouldn’t need any introduction to many of you who are regular visitors. I won’t add too much as he tells the story in his own introductory paragraphs below. I simply want to not just thank him, but to give him a very warm welcome on his long-awaited return to blogging. And with that…….it’s over to him.

THE ROBSTER WRITES……

Once upon a time, there was a blog called Is This The Life? Alongside all kinds of self-indulgent nonsense, it celebrated the music and culture of the tremendous land of song known as Wales, or Cymru to certain natives. A song posted each Wednesday by a Welsh artist was both an innovative and thrilling concept, the likes of which no one had ever thought to do before, or indeed since. (Imagine if something like that existed for a country like, oh I don’t know, Scotland?) When the blog finally ceased to be, all hope of a revival of this highly celebrated and much revered series appeared to expire with it.

But…

One day, the host of Is This The Life? got bored, so dropped a line to the legendary creator of the greatest music blog in the world (no, not No Badger Required, but you’re on the right track) to ask if he would like to help bring the corpse of this mighty entity back to life. Much to his (my) surprise, Lord JC of Alba said “Aye”. And so, in the face of absolutely no demand whatsoever, Welsh Wednesday returns. Until one of us gets tired of it. All at once, the people of planet Earth can set their differences aside for a few short minutes a week and rejoice at the sounds of a tiny province that gets cruelly overlooked by so many (including the UK Government and media). Don’t worry, there won’t be loads of waffle, just a bit of background and some tunes. I will be aiming to post stuff by artists who never featured in the original series (or its lockdown-induced follow-up), but that’s not a promise. There’s room for everyone here, especially if they are the Super Furry Animals (or one of the umpteen acts their various members have played in).

Make yourself a cuppa tea, some cheese on toast and a Welsh cake and enjoy what will hopefully be a slightly better than average look at some of this fair little nation’s finest musical offerings of the past and present, while keeping an eye and ear on the future. Mwynhau!

#1: Sudd by Adwaith

We’re starting off with a band some of you may have heard of. Adwaith (trans. Reaction) are a three-piece hailing from Carmarthen. They formed in 2015, and by 2018 were releasing songs to much acclaim. Their debut album ‘Melyn’ followed later that same year and in 2019, it won the Welsh Music Prize. A few singles appeared between 2019 and 2020 before the follow-up album ‘Bato Mato’ was unleashed in 2022. It also won the Welsh Music Prize that year, making Adwaith the only act (to date) to win the award twice.

Adwaith are passionate about the Welsh language and have been a part of Welsh Language Music Day for a number of years. They are UK festival regulars and are already making themselves known further afield.

Sudd (trans. Juice) is taken from ‘Bato Mato’ and is one of my favourites from their catalogue. The MP3 is the album version, the video is a live version performed for BBC Wales at the Lleisiau Eraill (trans. Other Voices) festival in Aberteifi last year.

MP3: Sudd – Adwaith (from ‘Bato Mato’, 2022)