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Theme: Music

BRWYDR Y BANDIAU MAES B

Maes B and BBC Radio Cymru are happy to announce the four shortlisted artists in this year’s Battle of the Bands competition. This is the nineteenth year that the competition has been held, and this year fourteen artists or bands applied.

The four finalists are Alis Glyn, Francis Rees, Moss Carpet and Tew Tew Tennau. Judging this year’s competition were Glyn Rhys-James (Mellt), Marged Siôn (Artist and member of Self Esteem), Marged Gwenllian (Y Cledrau + Cube), and Sion Land (Alffa).

The competition was amazing this year, and the judges had a very difficult task choosing the top four. Marged Gwenllian, Y Cledrau and Ciwb’s bassist, said, “The standard this year was fantastic, and the number of entries made things difficult for us, but it was a wonderful problem to have.”

Siôn Land, the drummer of Alffa, who won in 2017, said “Brwydr y Bandiau is one of the most important competitions in the Eisteddfod, especially for contemporary Welsh music. The competition enables artists to go to the next stage and gain more awareness across Wales and beyond! The competition was an essential part of our journey and without the competition we wouldn’t be where we are now.”

The four artists have recorded sessions at Sain’s studio and the performances can be seen over on Maes B’s YouTube.

The Brwydr y Bandiau final will be held on Llwyfan y Maes on Wednesday 9 August between 15:30 and 17:50.

GAI TOMS – Melys Gybolfa

GAI TOMS – Melys Gybolfa

Oddi ar yr albwm ‘Baiaia!’, Recordiau Sain, 2023

From the ‘Baiaia!’ album on Sain Records, 2023

Recordiau Tŷ Cerdd

The Tŷ Cerdd Records label enables us to promote Welsh music to the world.   We make recordings in our in-house studio as well as in venues around Wales, working with a range of artists – from some of Wales’s best-known, to rising stars – and many of our releases have garnered plaudits and reviews […]

amrwd – Angharad Jenkins, Patrick Rimes

amrwd (the Welsh for raw) is the debut album from two artists who are simply at the top of their game on the Welsh folk scene.

As founding members of the multi award-winning band CALAN, Angharad Jenkins and Patrick Rimes (also a founding member of Vrï) have spent fifteen years at the cutting edge of Welsh traditional music, constantly bending and beating it into unfamiliar shapes with their relentlessly innovative interpretations of old repertoire.

Through five studio albums and gruelling tours across three continents a deep musical rapport has grown, a shared instinctive musical language and a yearning to hear these ancient melodies as they are: raw and unfiltered. 

“amrwd encapsulates the sound of our strings, our voices, with foot percussion and keys. The presentation is raw, stripped-back, pure and simple.”

Buy the ‘amrwd’ CD here

Mr Phormula – Tir

Fideo Swyddogol i “Tir”. Official music video for “Tir” (Land).

A.W.D.L (Artsit With Dual Language) OUT NOW / ALLAN RWAN!

Billy – Wigwam

Fideo ar gyfer ‘Billy’, sengl diweddaraf Wigwam – allan nawr ar Recordiau JigCal.

Billy – Steffan Thompson
Cyfarwyddwr / Golygydd – Gareth Scourfield
Cynorthwyydd Camera – Mared Lloyd
Cynorthwyydd Golygu – Rhys Morris

Wigwam yw – Griff Daniels, Gareth Scourfield, Rhys Morris, Dan Jones

Gyda diolch i Owen Morgan + y teulu Bleasdale.

GIG KLUST 01

Highlights of our first showcase event, held at the Victoria Dalston in London on 22 April 2023, with Sŵnami, Malan, Wrkhouse + Talulah.

GIG KLUST 02

Highlights of our first showcase event, held at the Victoria Dalston in London on 22 April 2023, with Sŵnami, Malan, Wrkhouse + Talulah.

Sywel Nyw – Deuddeg

Twelve months, twelve singles, twelve artists. This is a collection of alternative and melodious pop songs, all of which are songs co-written by Sywel Nyw and another Welsh artist. From musical pioneers such as Mark Roberts and Endaf Emlyn to emerging artists in the Welsh music scene such as Gwenno Morgan and Lauren Connelly. ‘Deuddeg’ is an eclectic collection of singles, with each artist bringing their own special relationship to Welsh culture and a unique way of expressing themselves through the language.

There are soulful dancefloor-fillers such as the effervescent banger ‘Amser Parti’ featuring the powerhouse vocals of Dionne Bennett, with drums curtesy of Kliph Scurlocks (ex-Flaming Lips and Gruff Rhys drummer). Also, nostalgia inducing moments on ‘10/10’ where Lauren Connelly’s compelling spoken word is layered over a pulsating 80s’s drum machine. Then there are the edgier moments found in the harder dance beats of ‘Y Meddwl Lliwgar Yma’ (feat Steffan Dafydd’s razor sharp delivery), and the electroclash punk attitude of ‘Seagal’ (feat. Iolo Selyf of Y Ffug).

Sywel Nyw is musician Lewys Wyn. According to Lewys, the project was a way of creating music outside the “formulaic” and “monotonous” album process, whilst simultaneously tapping into Wales’ diverse music scene with the album featuring both established and upcoming Welsh artists from far reaching genres. They are all artists who successfully present their own unique style of songwriting, each with its own unique relationship with Welsh culture and a unique way of expressing themselves through the language.

Sywel Nyw – Disgo Newydd

Lwcus T presents ‘Disgo Newydd,’ the latest single by artist and producer Sywel Nyw. It continues with the collaborative ethos of the musician, but this time embracing transatlantic sounds. ‘Disgo Newydd’ (meaning ‘New Disco’) is a track that reflects international friendship, as it samples a conversation over WhatsApp with Meirion Griffiths from Trelew, Patagonia. Meirion […]

Hyll – Hanner Marathon

A day in the life of Spiwan Williams

Lyrics:

Reckon you can tell two hearts apart?
Tell whole hearted from half arsed.
Get out of your little room, if you want it to start.
To be alone like that. To be alone like that!

Ddim yn siwr am neithiwr, sicr oedd hi’n brofiad.
Nai neud hanner marathon os nei di’r hanner arall.
(Sai’n meddwl ymlaen)
Nai neud hanner marathon, chi ond yn meddwl bo chi’n hard.
(Sai’n meddwl ymlaen)
Calon dal I rhedeg, ond coesau’n blino erbyn nawr.

Rho dy got efo’r gweddill, stedda lawr
(Braf yw cael dod mewn o’r glaw)
Llenwi’r gegin fach, fel llaw yn llenwi llaw.

Get out of your little room, you want it to start.
To be alone like that, to be alone like that!

Ddim yn siwr am neithiwr, sicr oedd hi’n brofiad.
Nai neud hanner marathon os nei di’r hanner arall.
(Sai’n meddwl ymlaen)
Garry’s house, gwario’r nos, cario mlaen, love the boys.
(Sai’n meddwl ymlaen)
Putting in the hours down the local and it’s really paying off.
(O ni na, yn y bar, a o ni’n meddwl, well na)

To be alone like that.
To be alone like that.
To be alone like that.

And you could have it all, my lover

2023 Applications Now Open

A collective of like-minded young people, aged 16-25, working together to connect fellow young people to music industry opportunities.

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INTRODUCING RESONANT 10 – 2023

Resonant is a groundbreaking new project which aims to empower young people identifying as marginalised genders to work behind the scenes in the Welsh music industry.

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Yws Gwynedd – Charrango (Fideo Swyddogol)

Warning
This video contains strobe lights

Yws Gwynedd is back with a new single and a shiny video to go with it. The video was shot by fotoNant in a new TV studio called Aria in Llangefni.

Focus Wales 2023

FOCUS Wales is back and will take place over 4th–6th May 2023!

FOCUS Wales is an international multi-venue showcase festival taking place in Wrexham, North Wales, which places the music industry spotlight firmly on the emerging talent that Wales has to offer the world, alongside a selection of the best new acts from across the globe. FOCUS Wales 2023 will mark the festival’s 12th edition, and will welcome over 20,000 people to the town, building upon 2022′s record attendance across a jam-packed weekend of events. There’s no place like Wrexham during FOCUS Wales, as we showcase 250+ artists, fill out a variety of spaces and music venues, using 20 stages, and hosting a full schedule of interactive industry sessions, arts events, and film screenings, throughout the festival.

Get your tickets now!

Gŵyl Cefni

Gŵyl Cefni is a Welsh language family festival held in Llangefni town centre. Its town centre location ensures that anyone can attend the festival to get a taste of the rich culture of Wales and to enjoy a varied programme.

Dathliad Cymru Affrica 2023

Dathliad Cymru Affrica Festival (meaning ‘Celebration of Wales-Africa’ in Welsh) brings you a pan-African arts celebration. The weekend will be a celebration of the richness of diversity in Wales, specifically African diaspora culture and arts. We have guest bands from Africa (Mali, South Africa, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo), plus African artists based in Wales and from across the UK.

Brought to you by The Successors of the Mandingue, Neuadd Ogwen, Butetown Arts & Culture Association (BACA) and Rahim El Habachi.

Neuadd Ogwen: 1-3/6

Wales Millenium Centre: 10-11/6

Tickets and more information

Pererin Wyf #6 Helen Phelan ‘Singing the Rite to Belong’

Pererin Wyf / Is Oilithreach Mé / I am a Pilgrim is a participatory arts project seeking to connect with the Welsh and Irish diaspora with particular reference to Pembrokeshire and Wexford and a new cross-border pilgrimage connecting these places. The project takes its title and inspiration from an 18th century hymn by the prolific Welsh writer William Williams Pantycelyn. 

‘Hitlist’ Official Music Video by 2080s

‘Hitlist’ Official Music Video by 2080s.

The short film, shot by Alex Molinares in Florida, features Robert Corcoran wandering through a broken version of paradise. Empty beaches, abandoned buildings, desolate motels.

“If my first single, ‘Confidence’ was about trying to feel like a confident person while surrounded by judgement, ‘Hitlist’ is about trying to remain positive when you’re trapped inside a dream, but it might be a nightmare.”

DIRECTED BY: ROBERT CORCORAN
SHOT BY: ALEX MOLINARES
ASSISTANT: IVANI CÁ
FX: OWEN JONES
SPECIAL THANKS: SIGNDANCE COLLECTIVE, VIVIANA MOLINARES.

Talulah – Byth yn Blino

I KA CHING are delighted to announce the debut single of Talulah ‘Byth yn Blino’.

Talulah is a North Walian singer, composer and DJ. They create genre-blending & woozy futons with jazz, classical sounds and hazy vocals. Dancing in between the lines of genre with glittery harmonies & playful basslines.. 

Video supported by PYST CYMRU

TIWN

TIWN is three individuals with one common goal to shout out about the amazing wealth of musical and artistic talent that Wales has – crossing over geographic and linguistic barriers to promote this talent via worldwide radio shows, podcasts, magazines, live events and television often working in partnership with other like minded individuals and organisations. […]

Pererin Wyf #5 Catherine Dunne ‘The Irish in London: An Unconsidered People’

Pererin Wyf / Is Oilithreach Mé / I am a Pilgrim is a participatory arts project seeking to connect with the Welsh and Irish diaspora with particular reference to Pembrokeshire and Wexford and a new cross-border pilgrimage connecting these places. The project takes its title and inspiration from an 18th century hymn by the prolific Welsh writer William Williams Pantycelyn.