Crwth #1

Ty Swn, Tom Emlyn, Jon Safari, Tori Sillman

Yushy, Dali Poulsom, Elijah Thomas Lewis, Sion Teifi Rees, Sophie Fieldwick Gigs Ty Nain, Seatbelt Sessions Becky and the Bands, Tate Powell Leo Jones, Andrew Ogun, Wedi Blino Erin Julian, Twinkle and Gloom, Bean Head, Molly Allen, Blandoodles, Megan Elinor Jack Vil, Mari Mathias, Ellis Dyer, Violet Humphries, Rhys Underdown, Zac White, Eadyth Crawford, Leila Mckenzie

The CRWTH was an ancient Welsh stringed instrument, once lost to the mists of Welsh history and myth. Once its tones were heard accompanying courtly feasts, recounting the valiant acts of long-forgotten heroes, singing the praises of poets and princes.

Now, we are manifesting its spirit and tones for the creation of this magazine. We are adopting what it represents for the tradition of music and creative expression in Wales, and bringing it to the present. After all, what inherent

difference is there between the crwth player in the courts of medieval Wales, and the music maker, producer, creatives of Wales today?

already being done.

Most importantly, CRWTH is something for you, dear reader, to engage with yourselves.

Skimming through, you will notice QR codes which will transport you to the source of the work in question. Here is an accessible collection of work being done by artists,

thinkers, and music industry folk all across Wales, served to you on a digital plate.

With CRWTH, we hope to champion the eccentric beauty of our current artistic culture in Wales, to fully embrace it, and embody it ourselves. To capture the voice and spirit which speaks from the individual, the community, the self, unapologetic and

unafraid.

The aim of CRWTH is to supply proof of what Wales is doing now. Where and what the artists are creating and contributing towards, even if they themselves are unaware of its full significance. We are a nation of makers,

poets, singers, thinkers, dreamers, and we belong to one of the richest traditions of creating art anywhere in the world.

With this project, we want to reconnect with our sense of tradition, to rekindle an awareness that Young Wales is continuing the march onwards. We are making art that is so fiercely itself, sparkling with a sense of place, a culture, a language all its own.

There are so many brilliant minds working and thinking around Wales, and we want to unite them into this one living, breathing collection of literature. It will be a statement

of intent, ambition and triumph, but it will also educate and inspire those who are just starting out. It will involve and engage the next generation, and go some way in continuing the innovative work

We want the beauty and delicacy of Wales, the barrenness and bareness of it, the harmony and disjunction of it. All of its marvellous juxtapositions and contradictions in one place, for all to see. More than anything, we want our audience to be aware of one thing:

the young people of Wales are ready to take it over and educate each other. Here is a glimpse into our vision of it.

A huge thanks to the contributors, Beacons Cymru and our funders for making this possible. CRWTH has been curated and edited

by Rhys Underdown and Alexandra Jones.

***We are looking for contributors for the next issue of CRWTH - if you’d like to be involved, please get in touch at: alexandra@beacons.cymru

ANDREW OGUN: AGENT FOR CHANGE GRAPHIC DESIGN IN INDUSTRY: SAFARI ART

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HOW TO START YOUR OWN MAGAZINE WITH LOWRI PRIOR SMITH TOM EMLYN:SONGWRITING LANDSCAPE

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NIKKI-LEIGH JOHNSON WEDI BLINO SEATBELT SESSIONS: IN CONVERSATION WITH RACHEL AND LIAM BEANHEAD HONEY SESSIONS THE SOLIDER MOLLY ALLEN TATE POWELL : ROCKSTATE BECKY AND THE BANDS LARYNX ENTERTAINMENT LEARN THE WELSH LANGUAGE WITH SGWRSIO YUSHY MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHY IN WALES GIGS TY NAIN WELSH RECORD LABEL ADVICE ROSE PARADE RECORDINGS NEW HAVEN TAPES

Adam Prosserr

I’m Jon, I’m a Graphic Designer based in Cardiff. I use the name Safari Art for my Graphics work. Most of my design work is for Welsh bands and record labels. I’ve always loved music and record sleeve art, especially vinyl. I love the size of it, it’s an object you can physically hold and even hang on your wall if you dig the artwork.

I was always ok at art at school (and not much else) but I knew I wasn’t good enough to make a living out of it.

Around that time I started listening to music properly and noticing the artwork on the sleeves of my parents’ and older brother’s cool friends’ vinyl collections. It was a game changer for me. I love how you can put a record on, look at the sleeve, and read about what you’re listening to.

You can soak up the image and vibe the artist wants to get across, all at the same time. I feel that’s lost to some extent with digital streaming. Anyway, I figured that maybe this is something I could try and get into, something I could do that I’d enjoy and get paid for.

Getting started was surprisingly easy. When I was studying at Llandaff college of Art and Design, a couple of music head friends and I decided we wanted to have a go at DJing so we walked into Dempseys/Four Bars (a now closed bar in Cardiff, R.I.P.) and asked them if we could hire the upstairs room and PA system to play some records and charge on the door. To our amazement they said yes. So I went about designing some flyers and posters and leaving them in every bar, cafe, music shop and clothes shop that would take them.

To our amazement people actually showed up and we met a whole bunch of like-minded people that loved music as much as we did. One of these people worked at Clwb Ifor Bach and she asked me to design a poster as she liked the

flyers I was doing for my own night. I think I did the first couple of posters at Clwb for free. They liked them and before I knew it I was designing a couple of posters a week for them and getting paid for it too. Local bands liked my designs too, so they would get in touch on social media and the next thing I knew I was designing vinyl and cd artwork, plus posters and merch for them too.

They would tell their mates in bands, and before I knew it the design work was just flowing in and I was making friends for life at the same time.

Dreamy.

Fast forward to early 2020 and Covid-19. Lockdown.

The design work dried up pretty quickly and I was trying to think of ways to do some interesting stuff. I had time on my hands so I decided to start sketching again as I always had a knack at it. I was good at drawing objects, like buildings and landscapes.

I decided to push myself and have a go at doing some pencil portraits as I had never been good at them. I decided to draw friends in bands as well as other artists, as I wanted to do something community related. I was amazed when I did one and it actually turned out pretty ok, so I decided to do some more. It’s been a lot of fun drawing again; I’ve sketched musicians from Welsh bands like Boy Azooga, Bandicoot, Panic Shack and The Mudd Club, and other amazing artists like Myths N Tits and Moll Spider. I find drawing really therapeutic and good for my mental health. It’s been super rewarding and I’d recommend it!

I also wanted to do something for the musical community as all my friends in bands were bored sh*tless during the first lockdown. It was dark times. I was thinking of ways that could get us together, despite being apart. I was keen to do something to raise money for PPE which was in super short supply at the time.

I decided to ask a bunch of musical friends if they wanted to record a version of The Beatles’s classic album Revolver for charity.

Again, to my amazement, they were well up for it! I allocated each musician a song and they recorded a cover of it at home using whatever means they had access to, be it a mobile phone, a cassette player, a computer or even a studio.

I called it ‘Corona Revolver’ and decided to release the album on bandcamp.com for free, while encouraging people to donate to Tarian Cymru who were sourcing PPE for frontline health and care staff.

As soon as I announced it on social media it went nuts, and people took to it immediately.

We did interviews for the Western Mail, online blogs, podcasts, and tracks were even played for weeks on Welsh radio. It resulted in thousands of pounds being raised for Tarian. After the first album’s success, the enjoyment everyone had from recording it, and everything that went with it, we decided to do some more. I ended up putting 3 more of these albums together: Corona Underground, a Velvet Underground covers album which raised money for Race Council Cymru; Corona Stardust, a

David Bowie covers album which raised funds for Save Our Venues; and finally Corona Logic, a Super Furry Animals covers album in aid of Welsh homeless charity Llamau. Across these four albums we have featured around 50 Welsh musical artists, and have helped keep the musical scene alive during these darkest of years.

If you want to be part of a creative scene, just create it, or just join it. Other ‘creatives’ (hate that term!) do too, be it musicians, film makers, artists or designers.

Reach out and connect.

Ask questions.

Support each other.

Be interested in what other Welsh creatives are doing. Although live music venues have been closing for good across Wales recently, I think the scene is stronger than ever before. There is a real sense of community here.

You don’t have to move to London to make it, everything you could want is right here on your doorstep. Gigs will be starting to happen again in the coming weeks and the music scene will thrive because people are really hungry for it.

There are incredible record labels based here, Libertino, Bubblewrap, Clwb Music, Rose Parade.

Great venues too, like Clwb Ifor Bach, The Moon and Sin City. Radio and press outlets are proud of and interested in Welsh music and art too.

Send these people your music, ask for that gig, ask if you can design a poster for them, ask if you can work with them.

They might say yes and change your life forever.

“BE PRODUCTIVE AND PROACTIVE. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING. HAVE FUN.”

My name is Lowri Roberts and I am an artist, working under the name of Twinkle & Gloom.

My work is about celebrating Tea, nostalgia for the 90’s, the colour pink and girl power. It’s also about expressing fear, frustration and anxiety through tongue in cheek imagery.

The main inspiration behind my pieces comes from feminist issues, stories I hear and

things happening in society.

The world can be such a dark place sometimes.

Making art throwing in a little tongue in cheek humour is my way of processing information and expressing my frustration

or delight.

Wales plays a big part in my pieces, I

like to play with the idea of the traditional ‘Welsh Lady’ and put a little modern twist on these characters, inspired by the strong Welsh women around me.

Being an artist in North Wales is great, the landscape and people are so inspiring. Sometimes I find it difficult to reach my audience, as my work is quite ‘marmite’ however, I’ve had so much support from local galleries, and creative people who have given me the best opportunities to showcase what I do. I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else, that warm hug North

Wales gives me feeds my creativity.

Still and proud, a hefty standing stone keeps a presence over the river Gwendraeth on the Carmarthenshire moors outside Kidwelly Castle. With letters carved deep and adorned with a large quaternary Celtic knot, the commemorative stone honours the warrior princess Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd – the only medieval woman known to have led a Welsh army to battle.

Gwenllian died in battle in 1136, but her fierce legacy was felt on battlefields for years to come, with Welsh soldiers known to have cheered the invocation ‘Revenge for Gwenllian!’ (‘dial dros Gwenllian!’) in the heat of a fight. Gwenllian and her husband Gruffydd ap Rhys were cherished among the Welsh and known as Robin Hood-style figures – redistributing valuable goods and money that had been stolen from them by the Norman, English and Flemish invaders.

To really understand why Gwenllian rose up and how she tragically died, we must revisit the years before her famous battle at Maes Gwenllian (the Field of Gwenllian), where it’s said a spring in the field is named after her and flows up in the exact spot where she died that day.

After countless wars fighting off AngloSaxon invaders between the fifth and eighth centuries AD, the Britons were eventually pushed into the western corners of the British Isles. There was a time when the old Welsh language was spoken from the Scottish borders in the

north, to the cliffs of Dover in the East, all the way to the southern tip of Land’s End. Forced westward, the mountains of Wales became a natural fortress, protecting the remaining Britons and their ancient culture.

In 1066, the Normans began their conquest of Britain, eventually setting their sights on the lands of the Welsh as the Saxons did before them. Gwenllian’s father Gruffudd ap Cynan was a vital leader in the resistance to Norman rule over Wales, and was one of very few people to carry the rare title of King of All Wales.

Gwenllian first became romantically involved with her husband Gruffydd ap Rhys, a Prince of South Wales, after he visited Gwynedd to meet her father.

Gwenllian joined her new love down South at a time when they were in a deep struggle against the Norman invaders. Gwenllian and Gruffydd had six sons and two daughters together. Her and her family were often forced to hide in the mountains, woodland forts and other hidden places.

From there she and Gruffydd would lead lightning raids against their enemies and then quickly vanish back into the Welsh wildlands.

Gruffydd ap Rhys’s father was a famous Welsh King named Rhys ap Tewdwr who was also slain by the Normans for resisting.

It is said in the Welsh Histories that with the death of Rhys lay the reason for the fall of the original kingdom of the native Britons. Gruffydd had as much reason to hate the French intruders as Gwenllian did – together they made a fearsome

duo.

The pair saw their opportunity to seize back control of their homelands with the sudden death of King Henry I. The Welsh began a national revolt, so Gruffydd ap Rhys quickly rode North to ask Gwenllian’s father for help and reinforcements. The Normans caught wind of this and decided to take action before the Welsh managed to gather enough strength to throw the Normans out of Wales for good.

Faced with this great threat, Gwenllian knew she had to rise up and act quickly.

She led a small but determined army toward the Norman castle at Kidwelly, accompanied by her two eldest sons Morgan and Maelgwyn.

There she set her forces beside a river so that when the Normans came out of their castle they would have to fight their way across it.

Tragically this plan soon fell apart, as a large number of Normans sneakily attacked Gwenllian’s army from behind so that they were surrounded on both sides. The brave Welsh warrior Princess was wounded badly during the battle and her son Morgan was killed by her side trying to shield his mother from enemy swords and spears. Gwenllian and her other son Maelgwyn were then captured.

The Norman Lord in charge gave orders for the Princess to be beheaded in front of him immediately.

Meanwhile, Gwenllian’s husband Gruffydd was charging back for revenge with 2000 horsemen and 600 soldiers.

And so ends the story of Gwenllian, the Welsh

warrior Princess whose important legacy lives on within her homeland to this day.

It has been suggested that Gwenllian is the author of the greatest work of medieval Welsh literature and one of the finest literary documents of Celtic mythology, The Four Branches of The Mabinogi, or Pedair Cainc y Mabinogi.

The oldest written copy of the Mabinogi dates from 1300 and is kept at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. It portrays the tales of Welsh princes and princesses in an ancient world of magic and chivalry.

Whoever wrote the Mabinogi certainly had an in-depth knowledge of medieval courtly life and culture.

The most commonly accepted explanation is that a monk wrote the work, though it has been pointed out that it would be very hard for a monk to write so thoroughly about the circumstances and perspective of the women that feature in the Mabinogi. Dr. Andrew Breeze, an academic specialist in Celtic literature puts forth these ideas in detail in his book Medieval Welsh Literature, and describes the Mabinogi as

‘that very rare thing, a feminist fairy story in which the roles are reversed and it is resourceful princesses who rescue princes’.

At the very least, Gwenllian is believed to have assembled the tales from ancient Celtic folklore and woven characters from native oral traditions into a single and compelling narrative, while fighting for the emancipation of her country. This would make her the first British female author, and a true icon of medieval Wales and Europe.

Words by Llewelyn Ap Huw See Right for “Gwenllian” by Leo Jones

Collen ap Pedrwn was a skilled swordsman

& Soldier Saint who fought many fierce battles of the 7th century. His grandfather Coleddog had resided at King Arthur’s court and had passed his sword down to Collen. As a boy he was sent to be educated in Gaul where he stayed for nearly eight years before returning to Britain. During this time the Pope was being attacked by a pagan leader named Bras.

Bras had challenged the Christians to produce among them any champion that could best him in single combat. If he lost he promised to adopt the winner's religion and convert his great tribe.

While the Pope was seeking out a champion, he was led to Collen by divine intervention, who turned out to be the first man that his men encountered in their pursuit. He willingly agreed to help the Pope and face Bras in battle.

At an appointed time and place, Bras and Collen met to fight, with the Pope and an array of spectators eagerly looking on.

Collen was quickly injured on the hand by

Bras who advised him to give up right away, offering him a magic potion to heal his severe hand wound. Collen accepted the potion and magically healed his hand, but then hurled the bottle into the river so that neither of them could benefit from the potion any longer. Fiercely he threw himself into the fight and eventually managed to bring Bras to his knees. The Pagan King asked for mercy and agreed to convert to Christianity. The Pope baptised Bras on the spot and rewarded Collen generously.

Years later, while living in solitude within a cave deep in the Mountainous vales of

Wales, Collen's meditation was disturbed by two passing Pagan men talking about Gwyn ap Nudd, the King of the Tylwyth Teg (Fairies in English). Gwyn ap Nudd was the first Lord of Annwn (the Otherworld) and resided on the Tor at Ynys Wydryn (the Isle Of Glass), now known

today as Glastonbury.

Collen proceeded to caution the men,

urging them to stop talking about devils and to go away immediately. The men retorted, warning Collen that Gwyn ap Nudd disliked being talked about in such a disrespectful manner, and that they'd inform him of Collen's insulting behaviour.

sorts of directions. These were the most graceful and radiant people Collen had ever seen. One of the King’s courtiers told Collen that Gwyn ap Nudd was waiting to feast with him inside and so Collen apprehensively followed.

Soon enough Collen received a summons from an enchanted Owl sent by the King of the Fairies,

Inside the majestic magical castle, the King of The Fairies was sitting on an awesome gold throne decorated with a myriad of wondrous glass jewels of every colour, and m a n y lavish flowing silks adorning the great seat.

It was

requesting Collen to meet him at the top of the Tor at noon. After refusing many times, and continually being disturbed from his peace by the men outside his cave invoking Gwyn Ap Nudd's name, he finally decided to agree to the meeting.

Collen gathered his things and prepared a large flask of holy water to take with him for protection.

Atop the Tor, beyond the haze and bewitched mists Collen saw the most beautiful castle he had ever beheld before appear suddenly through the iridescent brume. It’s walls and grounds were occupied by mighty warriors, countless singing bards, handsome youths and extremely beautiful women. These were the Tylwyth Teg, the people of Gwyn ap Nudd’s court and every one of them dressed in clothes of deep coral reds and opulent royal blues. The air was filled with the noise of celebrations and musicians playing harps, flutes, drums and

crwths.

The beautiful melodies floated around the hill as if it was the wind itself. Everyone was dancing joyously around the summit, forming rings and spinning each other wildly around, occasionally letting go and flying off in all

carved from polished apple woods and covered in shapes of winding silver serpents. His eyes

glittered a wonderful green and his long blonde hair shone as bright as rays from the sun.

As Gwyn ap Nudd noticed C o l l e n approaching, his face broke into a wide, attractive and almost menacing smile. He turned to his guest and began to tempt him with all the bountiful pleasures of the Otherworld, where anything he desired Gwyn could provide him with instantaneously. Steadfast and strong in his convictions, Collen refused to eat any of the king’s luxurious food or drink any of his delicious wine. He saw only absolute evil in everything before him. Whenever the king drew his reluctant guest’s attention to the wonder of his many subjects, their marvelous appearance and colourful clothes, Collen could only relate the deep coral reds to the burning fires of hell and the opulent royal blues to coldness of death. He couldn’t endure any more and swiftly pulled out his large round flask of holy water and lunged

toward the Fairy King, throwing it all over

him and his courtiers. Right away everything faded and vanished from sight as the enchanted mists dissipated and the King, his castle and all his fairy folk disappeared among a unified ear-piercing, manic laughter leaving Collen all alone on the hilltop of the Tor in silence and s o l i t u d e .

Many years later Collen, once again looking for a safe and secluded home, arrived in an area in North Wales now named after him called Llangollen. Arriving by Coracle (an ancient type of traditional Welsh boat) he founded a small chapel beside the river Dee. Collen believed his new dwelling was the perfect place for his meditation and solitude. That was until he found out that a fearsome man eating Giantess named Cares y Bwlch lived in the mountain pass of Bwlch Rhiwfelen nearby.

The Giantess was constantly harassing the local people and so Collen was determined to rid them of her forever. The Soldier Saint once more took up his mighty sword that had served him so well in the past. He travelled to the mountain pass and called out for the fearsome Giant Lady to appear.

The two adversaries exchanged a few short, sharp words before the brutal battle swiftly began. After a harsh clash and a tight struggle Collen was able to cut off the Giantess's right arm, which she then picked up off the ground and started beating him down with it. So Collen sliced her left arm off too. Cares y Bwlch called out in pain at the top of her lungs for Arthur the Giant of the nearby Eglwyseg Rocks to come help her out, but Collen managed to slay her before he could hear her cry for assistance.

After his victory, Collen washed his

sword in a well on the mountainside now named St.Collen’s well and retired finally, to a life of peace in his new Welsh valley home. And so ends the story of Collen ap Pedrwn.

Artwork by Corey Bowen Davies Words by Llewelyn Ap Huw

In all honesty, I am deeply excited about the future of the music industry here in Wales. I’ve been making music here since I was 16 and it’s only now that I’m truly starting to feel like I’m involved in a ‘music scene’ here; opportunities are rife at the moment and people are really starting to connect and collaborate. I like how interconnected things feel (I’m aware that this is a really South Wales-centric perspective) and also the sense of community, and not competition, that we have here.

I still think there’s more work to be done to make the music industry more financially viable for people; paid opportunities are still quite sporadic and short-term and the majority of artists are still having to balance multiple commitments alongside their music. I just want people to start taking Wales seriously as a creative country, especially in the music industry, particularly those making music of Black origin. I also want us to do more to formalise the music industry here; proper events and proper awards. These are important aspects of any creative industry in my opinion. I know these already exist in Wales but more of them would be ideal.

Music has already been a focus of mine in my short time at the Arts Council. A lot of things are currently embargoed or in the pipeline so I can’t say too much but ourselves, PRS Foundation and Creative Wales are working to create exciting and new opportunities for

musicians in Wales.

Obviously we have great relationships with venues in Wales and that will be an important avenue for me in my role to use in order to elevate the industry here. My aims are for an inclusive and democratised music industry that has the lowest barrier of entry possible. It’s also imperative that people can economically benefit from their art as well. Lastly, we need to ensure that our approach is equitable across all lines; race, socio-economic background, disability and neurodivergence, sexuality and crucially, geography as well.

The most important thing that the musical community can do is to communicate and co-create with us; tell us what you want to see and tell us what support you need for that. We’re completely reinventing our approaches at the Arts Council; we want people to be a part of our journey right from the get go.

We don’t want to assume what people need without building that relationship first. Secondly, show love and support all the people that are working to make the music industry thrive; the artists, engineers, producers, videographers, venues,

promoters, graphic designers and everyone else. None of us can do it alone.

I think at a base level, I’m simply inspired to make art for art’s sake. In a world full of smoke and mirrors, delusions and illusions, I genuinely believe that art is one of the most honest things we have as humans.

However, I think I’m also driven by the need to communicate with the world through my art because sometimes I feel like regular conversations don’t do it justice sometimes. Music allows me to communicate things in a way that resonates in a different way to regular words. Lastly, I just love music; as a creator, as a consumer, as a critic and as a spectator. Music was the first thing I ever loved. In terms of upcoming releases, I’ve done some features here and there which should be coming out in the near future.

Me and my long-time collaborator Tonyy want to get out another joint EP at some point as well as me and my other long-time collaborator Mirari More. For my own solo music I have two singles and music videos in the pipeline, working with Forte for the Honey Sessions and another renowned organisation (I can’t say right now because it’s embargoed). It’s an exciting time for me.

Words by Andrew Ogun

My art is inspired by a good mixture of fantasy, mythology and history. Greek

and Celtic mythology have amazing storytelling in them and Welsh history and culture provides a backdrop for my work.

I love being an artist in Wales! I think there's a lot to draw inspiration from and there's a

certain magic growing up in Wales with that cultural connection to the land.

My favourite Welsh artist is Mari Phillips (MythsnTits) - I love her work with Welsh myth and comedy. I also love Lleucu Gwenllian/Studio. Lleucu also works with Welsh myth and culture in a really fun and beautiful way! I have to mention Dorry Spikes who also creates THE most beautiful work that really evokes the landscapes she is in.

Besides making art, I enjoy reading and writing for sure! I write poetry a lot

and am currently in the planning stages of a novel. See the next page for my poem “AND THE

BLOOD OF THE PEOPLE SINGS”.

My tip for anyone wanting to get into

don't stop and keep practicing. I know those are really boring and everyone's probably heard them a hundred times by now but I swear by it.

art:

If you push through and keep practicing over and over, you will notice a difference - and maybe sooner than you'd think.

And the blood of the people sings

I've always been into art from a young age - specifically storytelling, so it's no surprise that I'm following that route now.

“My father was not a miner.

My grandfather was not a miner.

I did not grow up in the valleys With the connection to the coal pits and picket lines.

But this does not matter.

The inherent anger of being Welsh Lives in my skin, in my bones, in my Heart.

It’s a loud thing.

Something that Screams.

‘The Land of my Fathers’.

This anger lives through Generations and will live for Years to come. It lives in A place in my belly that Breathes fire.

‘Their lifeblood let fall’.

Take my blood, take it and fill The rivers with it.

And the blood of the people sings.”

Hi! My name is Tori Sillman and my pronouns are she/her. I’m from Swansea but currently based in Cardiff and have been since June 2021, I undertake the role of Project and

Marketing Assistant for Anthem Music Fund Wales – Anthem Cronfa Gerdd Cymru!

Music has been and is such a prominent part of my life. From a young age, it has inspired me to truly feel and express myself in the best way possible, leading to meeting extraordinary people and having unforgettable experiences.

Performing music is not where I find myself in the industry, although creativity has taken many forms in my life so far – music, artistry, dance. It all sits in one place: expression.

Expression through music is something I’ve always cherished as a young person and I’m over the moon to be part of a team that uses a strong network and platform to provide opportunities and help young people in music today.

I graduated with a BA in Advertising Design in 2019, and within my work I always try to make music a key element in what I do. Making use of my knowledge and skills for important and non-profit organisations such as Anthem is vital for me. My goal is to

achieve unity, a feeling of

safety and a sense of community through music among people. Anthem’s vision is to create a Wales where music can empower every young life and that’s what it’s all about.

So, this is my first industry job after university. Working from home, the role involves communications, planning, social media management, marketing and some writing/ creating here and there! With some help from the Wales Music Youth forum, Anthem have just released a podcast to chat monthly about topics surrounding youth music in Wales! And we’re chuffed with how it’s coming along.

We have monthly meetings with the Wales Music Youth Forum, opportunities for artists and organisations to talk about the industry and how we can improve the music scene in Wales. Having a direct

connection with young voices means that Anthem can act and take their next steps to make change.

I love the Welsh music scene and I’m proud of how solid it’s grown throughout the years.

Seeing it become so established and witnessing the support everyone has for it is really

special.

It would be great if there was more funding for venues in smaller towns and community centres, making music more accessible to young people overall. More

Welsh

language

music events would be amazing. There are so many musical favourites of mine but Los Blancos, Boy Azooga, Mellt, Novo Amor, Adwaith, Telgate and Bandicoot all day. Also INSCAPE and French Alps Tiger from Swansea. Insane!

Not being fluent in Welsh can test your authenticity. I can speak

fragments and understand parts of conversations but reading it is a lot easier. I try to learn and speak it as much as possible.

Hopefully one day I’ll be fluent!

I’ve been blessed to live in two of the biggest cities in South Wales.

Although I have never travelled up North, it would be

great if there were opportunities to connect different Welsh regions through music. It was particularly inspiring to see how everyone came together to support each other in any way that they could during the pandemic. I really feel that there is huge potential for the Welsh music scene to fuse various regions together, to learn and grow from each other and create some epic stuff.

I’m loving the enthusiasm from the Welsh creative youth culture to collaborate and create! It’s soul warming to see so many amazing opportunities being fulfilled and the results that follow from hard working individuals and groups in Wales.

It’s still very early days for me in my career, but my advice is:

there is always a place for you where you feel like you belong. If you’re uncertain about the role you want to pursue and think you’re “not talented enough” or “not creative enough” it doesn’t matter.

Always push for where you know you need to be. Jump on projects, help out on your friends’ projects, start something up with your mates!

Experience is important but drive goes a long way. Follow and surround yourself with the industry. Follow organisations and artists and enquire about opportunities you come across!

It’s always fun and super rewarding to be included in a project.

LISTEN TO ANTHEM’S AMPLIFY PODCAST:

My name is Lowri Prior-Smith, I’m 22 and the Founder/Director of the brand new

colourful and quirky bilingual Welsh music mag Tŷ Sŵn!

My story starts in the village of Machen on the outskirts of Caerphilly, South Wales, though I’m now based in St. David’s Pembrokeshire where I work full time alongside creating Tŷ Sŵn.

If you have absolutely no idea who we are or what we do, Tŷ Sŵn is a magazine

released on a quarterly basis that follows and documents the independent music scene and arts sector in Wales.

Tŷ Sŵn is the product of three long years of studying music journalism at the UCA (University for the Creative Arts) campus in Epsom, Surrey. There was never any

doubt in my mind that once I had graduated I would return to Wales, and for my final major project I felt compelled to create something in honour of my homeland, and a project that I could see myself working on for years to come!

During my time at university, I just couldn’t shake this feeling that Welsh

creatives weren’t given the same opportunities, recognition or platforms as others. I wasn’t scrolling through ads belonging to Welsh businesses on my social media and I sure wasn’t seeing bands coming to play in our venues.

I view my platform as an opportunity to finally shine a big bright light on all of the incredible creatives that Cymru has to offer.

To me, Tŷ Sŵn has never been about making money or a product, it was about creating a community and spreading a message. I do

however find value in the number of messages I’ve received from other

creatives telling me that they feel inspired by what I’m doing and that I’ve encouraged them to keep creating!

The Welsh are known for being super inviting and friendly and that is definitely reflected within the music industry. You can’t help but feel connected to everyone, but sometimes it just needs that little push

to get some more attention from those a little further afield. I couldn’t be more thankful and grateful for the way both I and Tŷ Sŵn have been welcomed into the creative community.

Unlike the impossible task of trying to forge a creative career in a city as busy as London, it’s been so refreshing to be embraced by as many open arms as I have been by the Welsh community. We all strive for the same goal

and do our best to promote and lift each other.

Just a month after its release Tŷ Sŵn has been shipped to all corners of the UK so surely this is a promising sign that times are a ‘changin!

My advice to anybody planning on starting their own magazine/blog etc would just be to find

something that you believe in and hold onto it for dear life!

You need to feel inspired by your own work to keep pushing and keep delivering the best work you can do!

Don’t skip corners, read a lot of books!

Gather a good understanding of music, know your genres, decades and other musical references that you can use in your work. Push boundaries and forge

great friendships with other people in the industry. We’re all here to help!

Mali Haf

I started writing songs when I was 17.

Nobody told me how to do it, and it wasn’t a calculated thing, I just started doing it one day and haven’t stopped since. I wasn’t very good at first, but I enjoyed it, so I carried on, doing my own weird thing without

worrying too much about where it was going.

Now I’m 27, and playing music has become, by accident, one of the most important parts of my life - maybe even the most important.

It’s a lucid dream diary, an archaeological dig, an open door, and it doesn’t let you down. I’m not sure what I want to say in this piece - I’ll figure that out as I write, but I think I’d like to talk about what music generally means to me, and some of the unexpected things I’ve learned from it…

I live in Cardiff now, but I grew up in Swansea and went to university in Bangor, so I’ve been part of different scenes over the years, in three very different corners of Wales, playing solo and with my bands Wild Abandon, News From Nowhere and, most recently, Bandicoot.

Music is something that crosses social boundaries like nothing else class, language, and socio-economic differences can melt away in surprising

ways, through collaboration and shared listening. It’s a humbling thing to

participate in, and it can help us understand each other and what we have in common, rather than our supposed differences.

I’ve also learned that the literal and

psychological landscape of your surroundings can have a profound effect on songwriting. I went to a Welsh language primary school, then moved to an English language secondary school, so I lost some of the ability in the language that I did have, although it’s still embedded in my

mind to some extent, both consciously and unconsciously. This was confusing for my identity, in a way - I felt removed from ideas of Welsh identity, and unsure about whether I felt like I belonged.

In the end, though, this uncertainty has been a good thing for my songwriting, ironic as

that might be. (I’m planning to improve my abilities in the language, hopefully before too long).

In my music, I’ve tried to map the territory of Swansea as if it were a newly discovered place, using my surroundings to explore these ideas, using that feeling of

a ‘lost’ childhood language as a metaphor for the Welsh experience and the way that it can arguably be seen to be divided between languages, cultures, North and South, industrialised and rural.

I studied English literature at university, and reading Welsh writers and poets was a big part of this process for me. I’m not saying this was a conscious or contrived approach, though - I’ve always just written

about what’s around me and worked out what it meant afterwards.

A lot of my songs haven’t been released yet, but hopefully they will be quite soon! I think this psychogeographic approach can be seen in a song like ‘Stranded at the Border’, which layers Welsh and English on top of each other;

Stranded at the Border Washed up on the beach Walked into my old hometown But something’s out of reach And no-one will buy me a round Stranded at the border, Stranded at the border Nad yw’r ddinas yn ddim fy ngharu Ond mae’r mynydd yn bur a chanu In the folk museum Llywelyn was stabbed in the back In the shopping centre A dragon hangs by its withered and ancient neck Stranded at the border, Stranded at the border Nad yw’r ddinas yn ddim fy ngharu Ond mae’r mynydd yn bur a chanu

There’s also this song, ‘The Ballad of Tea Cosy Pete’, which I wrote about a wellknown Swansea character, a homeless man that I thought deserved to be memorialised as a folk hero after he died several years ago;

The Ballad of Tea Cosy Pete Gather round your glowing screens and I’ll tell you all a tale Of a Swansea boy who walked the town In the rain and in the hail They said you were a millionaire when they saw you on the street Woollen hat on your matted hair and bin bags on your feet Maybe that made them all feel better Inside their warm and lucky lives Or maybe you chose to live that way But you’re not around anymore So who can say?

Don’t forget about Tea Cosy Pete Enlightened gentleman of the street I can still see him standing in Castle Square Watching the lights dance upon the funeral screen Now the Archbishop is in the Evening Post With grammar school recollections of something that you wrote A melancholy poem of crowds and loneliness The boys all laughed but now he can see what was expressed Maybe he regrets the way your life turned out Did he think that God would sort it out?

Maybe he wishes he’d done more With all his earthly power to help the lost and poor Don’t forget about Tea Cosy Pete Mythical gentleman of the street I saw him shaking like a leaf In the record-breaking heat Don’t forget about Tea Cosy Pete Enlightened gentleman of the street I always meant to talk to him But I never did How does it feel?

I think the reason I wrote this was not just to memorialise this Swansea character, but also to try and engage with an imagined community in some way. It’s the sense of

community that I think of when I think of music - the generously spirited grassroots promoters and independent artists that work together on the fringes to create something different and interesting.

I also write music reviews, which has been a lovely way to engage, and there are plenty of interesting Welsh bands playing at the moment and writing songs in both languages - artists like Mellt, Papur Wal, The Bug Club, Sam Barnes and DD Darillo.

Wales is an inspiring place to create, although it can feel quite fragmented at times in terms of its identity. I do actually think that there have been seemingly more opportunities for young up-and-coming musicians in the last few years, at least in terms of Swansea - I can’t remember there being many chances to play and get experience when I was a younger teenager, but in the last few years, there’s been things like Swansea Fringe Festival and Swansea Music Hub popping up.

Organisations like Beacons and Horizons are also really useful, I think. We all need

music, especially in these complicated times, so let’s try to support our venues and promoters, and work together to make these precious connections.

Words by Tom Emlyn

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ry time. e v e t n e r e diff g for me is strument, a piano or in it r w g n o f “S se a main ining some for m o h u y ll a u s u I start writ idea whic guitar, to Then I’ll add a lyric otions, life structure. influenced by em others, the is usually s and relations to r to me. experience d things close/fa wave of world ans I’ll get a huge or lyric first Sometime and write a melody poems and inspirationsome music. I write turn these then add t my thoughts and g this first texts abou Then I usually brinyers myself. into lyrics. o my band, or add la w weeks or draft idea tsit on songs for a fe em more. I Usually I d slowly develop th sic that is months ansted in writing mu, but also am intere ostly from feeling etically and driven m rhythmically, theor will never interesting y. Although I feel I finding my melodicall ing new tricks and Jamming in stop learn of being musical. s is another own ways with other musician er, we flood bands and o song-write. Togeth something way I like t we all connect with work on. ideas until strong enough to cians usi we feel is , ff other m

o gs Bouncing y favourite feelinself is one of m language in it ally and is ach we all individu .” from whi ther, learn from and togephries Violet Hum

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which I try and oes by in condense something ab my experience into out where I listen a line, or melody or chord for some and settle somew to strike purpose. It usually here with happens w

hile out walking, or la te at n ig h t, or sometimes while w at ch in g a fil m or listening to music, see something and itwhere you hear or your brain into life. sparks that part of fully formed in ten mSongs can come out form over weeks, moninutes, or they can from scraps of other ths, years, formed debris piling up and moments, useless something complete uniting to become that a line resonates. And the moment begins to feel like so , and when a song and real, is like mething per manent existence. It can an affirmation of retrospective sense ouhelp you make of yourself, your t of your life, out view of the world. E relationships, your process of writing soverything about the Rhys Underdown ngs is magical.” -

iting was out of “The reason I started wr really pinpoint or necessity really. I couldn't so putting pen to express how I was feeling, thering my paper was my main way of ga

just thoughts together and hing chucking them into sometith.” which I could be honest w Ellis Dyer

I’ve been drawing from a young age, it’s something I’ve always loved to do. In 2020 I graduated from Fine Art at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

I created some of the page accent art you’ll see throughout this magazine.

A few months ago I broke my leg skateboarding I’ve been so focused on my art, I can’t stop drawing and making things.

Whenever I feel creative I put on some music and it just comes to me. Music is a big inspiration within my work along with 60s/70s psychedelia and personal experiences.

I love being apart of the Welsh art community. There’s so many great artists around here. I wouldn’t change anything about it at all, it’s brilliant! I’m

proud to be Welsh.

Recently I’ve been loving Phillip Morgan’s work, Liam Barrett and Cadi Lane.

When I’m not making art I’m either playing guitar, skating, going to gigs or spending all my money at Welsh record shops!

My advice would be, put on your favourite record, draw absolutely everything and have fun with it! It’s hard being an artist at times but it’s great to challenge yourself.

family nor my friends so I didn't take it too seriously. I think you don't understand what it is to be Welsh until you move away. Unless your immediate circle are fluent obviously.

I started writing lyrics from about age 10, inspired by early 2000s pop punk. Dookie

by Green Day was my life for a good few years! Then I got into poetry at 13. Edgar Allen Poe, Allen Ginsberg, Merseyside poets.

I've just always loved music, my parents brought me up around The Smiths, The Cure, Stiff Little Fingers, The Clash, Wu Tang, King Tubby and Kate Bush to name a few.

Lyrics have always been the most important thing for me.

Performing took some guts to post online, hearing my voice is proper cringey so I am very greatful for the response to it all. I'm yet to perform in real life but I do have a gig in Pontypridd coming up!

I write in Wenglish because I can't speak fluent Welsh!

Being born in Ebbw Vale means Welsh isn't as encouraged or taught - most of my Welsh was learnt throughout school but again; it was not encouraged by my

I found that despite not being fluent; I use words even while living in Bristol! My English friends know what I mean when I say “nos da” or “barod?”. I work in a pub where a few regulars speak Wenglish, so we try to speak it to eachother when we can, which is nice.

The zine I made was inspired by experiences in Swansea as a late teen going through experimental stages.

The poems express the best and most free times as adolescents, the good and ugly. I moved to Bristol to explore it and I think the zine shows that - lots of things change but hiraeth stays, right?

It took me a while to think people wanted to read my words despite any sort of Instagram validation. I want every zine I do to feature a friend’s art work. I would say mixed media is a great way to grab attention; for me my attention span is short so I like the messiness of it all!

To think of my favourite poets is difficult, let alone Welsh ones. I try not to read too much because I'm worried it'll

affect my style, if that makes sense. Obviously props to Dylan Thomas and Jonathon Edwards. Otherwise, I get inspired by Welsh rap.

Check Luke RV and Minas.

I'm not a big fan of the classics so deciding who my favourite poet of all time is hard, but I'd say Toria Garbutt: just for the fact that her writings make sense of emotions I can't articulate...and in such a raw fucking way. She's the best man. So yeah, “Nowt Matters Now” by Toria Garbutt.

I think the Welsh creative scene is amazing. Mind you, I only sort of got into it during the first lockdown so I’m not sure what it was saying before that! The art; music and spoken word coming out of Wales is astonishing.

Adwaith, Myths n Tits, and Miss O'hare, my lush friend teaching Welsh through instagram just to name a few Welsh women paving the way!

If I could change anything

about Wales, I would make

In coNversation with R a c h e l a n d li a m Let’s kick this off by asking: Why did you create Seatbelt Sessions?

R: We’re both creative people and were looking for an outlet whilst working full time in retail in February 2020, when we came up with the idea. I’ve always been a huge music fan and had noticed how many fantastic bands there were in the Cardiff music scene, both brand new acts and those that are more established. I got chatting to Liam about it and he knew nothing (literally nothing, being from Scotland) about the local scene but was keen to work together to create a platform for the musicians, especially those with smaller audiences, to show off their stuff. With the first episode filmed just a week before the initial March 2020 lockdown, the project, in a way, couldn’t have come at a better time for the bands and artists who have visited us. It’s been a chance to get new music out there when gigging hasn’t been an option. We’ve met some really lovely people with great music too, so we’ve had a blast.

If someone wants to perform on a session, how should they get in touch?

R: We usually put the feelers out for the launch of a new series a couple of months before shooting, so we can put together a schedule around both of our jobs. We’re most active on our Instagram, where we posted Series One (@seatbeltsessions) but the best way to get in touch would be to shoot us an email at seatbeltsessions@gmail.com What have been the highlights for you whilst creating the Seatbelt Sessions?

R: We’ve genuinely enjoyed meeting everyone who has filmed a session, so the whole process has been a highlight really. But there are particular songs that have become earworms for us both - ‘Key Largo’ by Angel Hotel and ‘Destination’ by Yasmine and the Euphoria (both great bands, check them out) are

songs that the pair of us are constantly humming. When someone comes along with a great song we both look at each other over the car roof and raise our eyebrows like ‘oooo this is good,’ and that’s probably my favourite part.

Do you have any advice for someone who wants to create their own music sessions?

R: I always find it a bit annoying when I read answers to this kind of question and it’s ‘just do it’, but it is the only way. We started out absolutely clueless, pretending we knew what we were doing and what our vision was, but it has completely changed now. What we’ve learnt is that no one is going to judge you for trying to make this kind of thing, and a lot of music people will appreciate you! My advice would be to give everyone a chance, form good relationships with other people doing similar things, and most importantly have a bit of fun with it and don’t take it too seriously. Also, ask for advice! In the vast majority of cases, people will be more than happy to give you some guidance when you’re just starting out.

What about advice for someone who’s looking to be a presenter/interviewer? We think your interviewing style is amazing!

R: Thank you! Again, my advice would just be to have fun with it. We decided very early on that we didn’t want the interview to be something that the acts were nervous for or worried about what to say, so we’ve tried to keep it as laid back as possible. Write a list of questions, but make sure you listen to your interviewees answers – they might have already answered one of your later questions and oftentimes what they have said leads to something that you may not have even thought about to start with. I’d say just be mindful that even if you’re on camera, the interview is not about you at all. Before the camera starts rolling, I often ask the interviewee if there’s anything in particular they’d like me to ask them about – they appreciate that, and it makes my job easier.

What are your top videography tips for someone starting out?

guest we’ve had on Seat Belt Sessions is just great.

L: I find it strange giving any kind of advice as I’m just starting out myself and learning as I go.

I’d say if you have an idea, a camera and free time then just go out and shoot it. I enjoy both filming and editing, but if it’s only editing you are interested in then you can work easily by reaching out to creators online who are looking for content editors. I got to work for some of the best known YouTubers by just simply sending a message on Twitter.

Can we have any cheeky spoilers for Series 3?!

What have you learnt about the Welsh music scene since starting the sessions?

R: More than anything we’ve learnt how united the scene is. Our sessions have been well supported by other bands and artists in the local scene and everyone only has good things to say about each other, which is really lovely. I don’t think Welsh music gets anywhere near as much praise as it should in the mainstream, either. There are great bands who have broken through of course, but there’s so much talent in South Wales alone that, though recognised by platforms like ourselves and other local sessions or festivals like Immersed, they are being left behind. More than anything though, it’s confirmed that the Welsh scene is class.

What do you think the Welsh music scene needs?

R: Above all else, what the Welsh music scene needs is strong support for independent venues that everyone from a grassroots level right up to the top can rely on. It’s a crying shame how many venues have been closed down and others which are well on their way to the same fate. It’s part of the reason we feel like we have to do what we do. Wales needs more venues outside of Cardiff, and Cardiff needs venues that aren’t a tiny yellow car!

Do you have any recommendations for us?

Welsh

music

R: I absolutely love Welsh music, and there’s so much class stuff out at the moment. Gruff Rhys’ latest album Seeking New Gods is fantastic and well worth a listen, and Adwaith’s Melyn from 2018 is an album I revisit time and time again. Cardiff band Red Telephone released a new single Happy Man recently, so I’m really looking forward to their debut album dropping soon. And, of course, it goes without saying that every

With both of us working full time jobs it is so difficult to plan another series at the moment, but we desperately want it to happen. All I’ll say is expect more great tunes and even more subpar one liners in between sessions.

The Honey Sessions is a brand-new collaborative project by ‘Forte X Beacons’ that challenges the song writing and production level of Welsh artists and producers respectively, whilst providing them with creative consultant support in song production and high-level industry feedback from professionals currently involved in some of Music’s biggest careers and productions.

With the pilot having taken place throughout the month of August, The Honey Sessions has been a success giving 13 music creators the opportunity to meet incredible Industry Professionals that had valuable information to help these artists launch themselves into the Welsh Music Scene. Lead by Sizwe Chitiyo, Lily Beau and James Minas, the project also gave these artists long lasting connections and relationships with fellow artists on their scene.

Moving forward, the Project Manager for The Honey Sessions, Sizwe Chitiyo believes that they can only improve and provide better experiences in the Welsh Music Industry whilst giving underrepresented communities the opportunity and the means to create, collaborate and achieve new levels to their music, with The Honey Sessions just being the beginning of a long and wholesome journey.

A n d r e w o g u n There comes a time when even the most stoic soldier Questions the reasons why he is forced to bear arms.

Day after day, the soldier fights valiantly for a cause Which he does not know, let alone understands.

Regardless, the Soldier fights on tirelessly, as if he Will simply cease to exist if he stops fighting.

He fights in the name of Hope, And haunts our Present.

He fights in the name of Faith, That elusive figure who still manages to Ignite imperishable flames even though He is hardly ever around.

He fights in the name of Success, Perhaps the most important figure of all, And the one that is the hardest to define.

Amidst the blood, the limbs and the gore, The Soldier inevitably begins to lose sight of His original goal.

In fact, the Soldier begins to realise that he cannot even Remember what the original goal is.

He has become inebriated by the violence.

Delirious and desperate, he calls upon the only people That can deliver him from his stupor; Hope and Faith.

Hope responds, telling the Soldier that he must trust in him.

Faith responds, telling the Soldier that disbelief will not be tolerated.

And so the Soldier, mystified but motivated, picks up his rifle And returns to his perpetual battle but this time he has a grin On his face because he knows that Hope and Faith will never

“I'm a Welsh visual artist whose discipline is predominantly digital. My art work primarily explores the theme of identity- specifically queer identity- and attempts to challenge heteronormativity, the gender binary and traditional beauty standards while championing counter culture and those who inhabit it. These ideas are expressed and configured through the use of 70s punk aesthetics and garish, neon colours and patterns.” - Molly Allen

Molly Allen

That perennial, God-like figure that ignores our Past

Everyone has a story about music; whether it's the first CD they bought, the first gig they attended or the people they've met through it. Like many, mine started at a young age. In a household where music was, and still is, very important, it was inevitable I'd want to be involved in some way.

People seemed to already know each other, they seemed to know what they wanted to do - I didn't. It didn't help being a little shy at times either. All I knew was that I wanted to be a part of it. But I overcame that, the welcoming scene in South Wales being a massive help.

Dio, Shinedown and Fall Out Boy are just a few that soundtracked my childhood.

They're the ones, along with my parents, who started my love affair with music.

I got to meet colourful people, with different stories, and that's what captivated me. Once I’d finally established the blog, I got my first private stream, then my first invite, then my first face-to-face interview. They may sound small, but these were massive achievements for me, and you have to be proud of the little things.

So to begin with, I dabbled with instruments. First the violin in primary school, then the trumpet, then bass, then guitar. Unfortunately performance, or playing any sort of instrument, was never my forte. Though I can crack out a bit of ABBA on the piano and after a few ciders I'll have a go at karaoke. Once I realised I'd never start a band, I looked behind-thescenes; journalism, promotion, managing, it was all something I wanted to do. This is where Rockstate comes in.

I'd just heard an infectious new track from an old favourite and I wanted people to hear it. It wasn't a review as such, it just acted as a bit of promo for the band. Then the reviews started and that's when I found my field. It was about being captivated by the hooks, living in the moment at a gig and itching to share my experience afterwards, wanting everyone to discover the best new artists.

R o c k s t a t e became a gateway to creativity for me.

The first steps into the music industry were a little daunting at times, especially being so young.

One of my favourite aspects of being a creative in Wales is the environment, the folk, and the history hidden within.

Cardiff is home to a big-hearted industry that seeks creativity and ingenuity. It's a city of artisans who express themselves through music, art, comedy, poetry. It's a hub where every individual plays a role in defining the city as a cultural space.

It’s never just a brick wall in Cardiff, there's a story everywhere. I knew I wanted to be a part of it when I took my first walk down Womanby Street, into a venue packed with like-minded people. The laughs you have with newfound friends, the fun you have dancing to local music, and the feeling of euphoria afterwards - you can't beat it!

Wales is home to a collective of creatives that I'm very lucky to be a part of.

I often look back at some of my first uploads on Rockstate and cringe slightly, but that's good, it just shows how far you’ve come since. Rockstate started as a place where I could tell stories about the gigs I’d just attended, somewhere to share what music I'd been listening to; now it's a platform where I'm able to shine a well deserved spotlight on musicians, review riveting debut singles, introduce brand new acts, and that’s not all.

It's not quite NME by any means, but it is something I've started from the ground up, and I'm very proud of it. You have to shout about your ventures, hit that share button, and get it out there.

Don't get me wrong, it gets difficult. I've had a lot of self confidence issues in the past regarding the blog - is it good enough? Am I doing enough? What's the point if no one's reading it?

Honestly the one thing that made me believe I was getting somewhere near my goal was when Rockstate got nominated for an award at the Cardiff Music Awards last year. What it's taught me though is you've got to stick with it, disregard those negative thoughts - stay patient, stay dedicated, but most importantly stay excited. Hurdles will appear but you'll find a way to jump over them. The pandemic was an unexpected hurdle, but instead of dropping everything, it’s given a number of people, including myself, the time to really delve into the crooks of the industry. Live music is a language we’re only just starting to hear again after

over a year without it. The pandemic made us realise how important music is and how we’d been taking it for granted in the past.

During my time in the industry, I've found that the door is never fully slammed shut. Opportunities present themselves in the most unlikely of places and you have to take them while you can. The best piece of advice I have ever been given is 'the worst they can say is no’, and I live by it now.

Remember, a 'no' isn't necessarily a ‘no'; a no can just mean that it's not the right time. You have to email that artist you’ve been wanting to interview for years, keep striving for what you want.

Cardiff allows you to evolve, to take things at your own pace, to build a network of like minded individuals. I’d love to say I’ve been following a plan but honestly I’ve been winging it over the past couple of years. The secret is to go with the flow, find the rhythm of the city and the people in the city.

That's how I've navigated my time as a creative in the industry. Cardiff is in the middle of something special and it’s due another creative explosion: Cwl Cymru 2.0 maybe, but this time much bolder, and far bigger?

Writing about music in wales

To write well about music, you need to have passion. Whether you play an instrument is not the important factor, what really matters is how music makes you feel.

If you are able to articulate that into words and truly put your heart into what you write, then believe me, you have what it takes to become a music writer.

I started my blog Becky and the Bands, after a hobby turned into an obsession. Live music became something I craved, and lyrics became a lifeline.

Understanding the meaning behind songs fascinated me, and I found myself yearning to be so much more involved with music, than merely standing in the crowd. Writing had always been an interest that I toyed with in my mind, and childhood dreams of becoming an author still danced around my conscience. It made sense that my love for music naturally gravitated toward my love of writing, and a close friend finally gave me the shove to combine the two.

Since then I haven’t looked back, my strength as a writer develops further by the day, and my adoration for music fuels my ambitions. Writing about new music and emerging musicians allows me to share that passion. By showcasing these incredible hard-working artists on my blog, I can help others discover their music too, and that is truly special.

The welsh music scene needs to be considered as much a part of UK music as other areas of the UK are. That might seem blunt, but truth be told with the quality and quantity of talent that exists in Wales across all genres there shouldn't be any reason for not shining equal light on our scene in comparison to others.

For anyone who wants to start making their own sessions: Perseverance is key so no matter what your aim is just remember it's highly unlikely you'll achieve that overnight. If you’d like to get involved with Larynx, just drop us a message! See the QR code to check out our work. We shine a light on hip-hop and grime in the country using whatever means we can!

The story of how I learnt Welsh began when lived in Welsh language university halls in Aberystwyth (Pantycelyn) for a year. I took some courses and practiced a lot, as well as carried a little notebook around to write down new words, phrases and slang.

“Welsh is a language” is

The phrase

dying

misinformed and ignorant. A language used daily by hundreds of thousands of people isn't dying. The people this way don't give legitimacy to the Welsh language.

If you want to learn the Welsh language:

Don't get caught up in the rules. If you use the wrong mutation, people will

still understand you. Think of the patience you give second language English speakers. It is the same for Welsh spekaers.

I started my podcast Sgwrsio help other people to learn Welsh and to create an opportunity to hear other learners from around the world. They share the reasons they started learning and the interesting or funny stories that arise from the process. I also did it to show that it is possible to have a chat with someone in Welsh and it's ok to make mistakes and not know words. Have a listen and see what you think!

“Find out about the latest events being hosted by The Shutdown Show and stay up to date with all the latest going-ons in the MOBO Wales scene by following us on social media.”

I got into photography on the back of my college course. I studied creative media production and that was a massive blanket course which covered everything.

I really liked filmmaking but the more I took pictures, the more I wanted to be a photographer. After my course I went to work as a social media intern and took photos in my spare time and before I knew it I was taking photos all of the time that I had free. I went to uni and studied photojournalism and now...here I am!

Since studying in Cardiff, I’ve been freelancing, working for different people and shooting different things – mostly trying to stay out of trouble. I started photographing protests, which is a whole new world and took a while to get used to. I am still learning new things the more I cover.

I got into photography by needed a job and I saw a needed a said “I can one gig led and it

f r o m

specifically music accident really. I once I started uni promoter who photographer. I do that!” Then, to another

snowballed there.

My biggest tip for anyone wanting to start photography: never leave the house

without a camera, be brave and just take the photo.

If you want to get into music photography specifically, see what’s going on around your area, start local and grow.

The music scene in Wales is great because of the closeness. It was a tightly knit group and was very welcoming. One minute, I could be photographing an indie band and then a drum and bass rave in the same day and see the same people between the two massively different genres.

Cardiff was fast. I liked how small and accessible the city was, and how I could bounce between two or three venues without having to travel hours between them. The fast paced environment kept me on my toes and forced me to move and act quickly.

The Welsh scene is different to the rest of the UK in my opinion. It’s a close environment and it’s very unique. To me it’s so raw and real.

As much as I like music photography, my future in photography includes moving to document bigger social issues.

Left to right : Hollie Singer (Adwaith) Heather Roberts (TJ Roberts + Rose Parade Records) Emily Kocan (Clwb Fuzz) Josh Dickens (Shreddies, Rose Hip Teahouse) Tara Turner (Musical Director, BLM Cardiff Community, BLM Cardiff & Vale) Ellis Walker (Mellt)

Davey Newington (Boy Azooga) Tom Rees (Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard)

music photography in wales

Rose Hip Teahouse, Clwb Fuzz, Bandicoot

The catalyst for setting up Gigs Tŷ Nain was the longing a crew of us felt for live gigs. Amongst the crew there are members of bands within the scene: like Alffa, Gwilym, and Elis Derby, gig photographers and videographers, sound technicians, but primarily, big fans of the Welsh scene in general.

The idea was born from the frustration of Carwyn Williams (a member of Elis Derby’s band and Gwilym) at the fact that he had just bought a brand new drum kit, but hadn’t had a chance to play it properly yet. Although a couple of the bands had had the opportunity to film the odd online gig during the lockdown period, there was little else on the horizon, and so we decided as a crew to establish our own movement, and organise online gigs so that Carwyn could play his new drums.

As everybody in the crew specialised in a different creative field, everything fell into place pretty easily and each member brought their own strength to play a part throughout the process. In terms of branding anything, there’s nobody better to lead the visual side than the artist Rhys Grail, who to all purposes gave Nain a face!

With Llew Glyn’s organising, Carwyn Williams’s technical abilities, and the crew’s ability to contribute and receive ideas, the process of organising details of the gig were without fuss, despite it being an entirely new experience for us all!

Not only is Dafydd Nant an incredible videographer and an owner of filming equipment, but he is also from Myntho, Pen-Llŷn, and knew of a good little village hall there; and just like that, Nain had a camera crew and a location to hold the gig.

Having Alffa, Elis Derby and Gwilym to play was a no-brainer really, for obvious reasons, but we needed one additional artist to complete the

lineup.

Although live gigs were few and far between during the lockdown, there was plenty of music being released by Welsh artists throughout the year.

One such artist who had been the subject of great attention was Malan from Caernarfon, who had released two singles by the time we filmed the gig, but hadn’t been able to perform them live.

Ensuring that artists who hadn’t had a chance to present their music in a live context was an important consideration for us when discussing our lineup, and Malan was the perfect choice. The process of recording the gig was a really odd thrill, because the crew hadn’t seen each other in one room since before lockdown.

But very suddenly that feeling of unfamiliarity left us for a feeling we all knew very well. And that was the payout for us as a crew; seeing a discussion about a new drum kit in a Facebook group chat become a gig which looked class, sounded good, and was built by friends.

That’s something we always want to remember as we move on and organise more gigs.

The DIY elements of organising everything ourselves, collecting and placing our own set, filming and editing everything ourselves. It’s an incredibly satisfying feeling to watch the livestream and know that it was us who put it all in its place!

To be honest, the intention is to develop and grow Gigs Tŷ Nain to become one of Wales’s biggest gig movements, and to offer opportunities to artists and bands from all corners of the country.

Whether it’s an established artist, or one who has never played a gig before, Gigs Tŷ Nain will be there to offer live performances to all kinds of Welsh music, and to present it to audiences all over Wales.

- Words by Ifan Pritchard

“Labels can be an important ‘step up’ for artists who are looking to take the next steps in their careers, making the releasing process feel a lot less lonely. Welsh labels are especially important as sometimes (although not always) Welsh artists can feel ignored by labels outside Wales and so having a supportive network of labels in Wales can give those artists the step up they need.

Our primary aim is to give artists a fair deal and provide them with total transparency and creative freedom.

We’re committed to collaborating across communities and working with the most unique and inspiring artists from Wales and further afield.

At Rose Parade, we started with a mission statement, our goals as a label so to speak. This has really helped us figuring out where we want to go as a label, the kinds of artists that we want to work with and the work we want to do for our community. As we grow as a label, our priorities may change but our values will always be the same.

Make sure you do your research so you know exactly what you’re getting into and talk to other label owners who in most cases are more than happy to advise!

Definitely think about what you can offer that is unique and run with that.”

- Caitlin Whelan

“For myself, in my artistic pursuits as well as other areas of my life, I try my hardest to focus on intrinsic goals. In the case of running a label, that means putting music out for the sake of putting it into the world – whether people are interested or not. It's about

documenting music, and building an archive of music with its own identity. I suppose I would hope that a community can grow organically from that. But only time will tell if that's the case.

I think a record label should be primarily a way to archive an art form – a musical time capsule of sorts. That said, New Haven Tapes is about as new as a label can be, so we'll see how my ideas around that change over time.

Worrying about how other people will receive an art form corrupts it, in my opinion.

Do it for yourself.

It's better to create something unique than something 'successful'.” - Josh Dickins, New Haven Tapes

“The purpose of Afanc as a label in Wales is to bring dance music from across Wales to the attention of the rest of the world, and in our opinion that’s the importance of labels in general.

Our main aim is to take Welsh dance music beyond Offa’s Dyke and to raise people’s awareness of the amazing electronic music that’s being made in Wales.

Every label should have a particular aim in mind before starting, and keep to that purpose.

Create your own scene, work with the people you want to work with and the community you create will grow as one.

Having a niche and doing something nobody else is doing helps to keep the label solid too.

Do it. Don’t hold back. If you like songs and want to show new music to people, it’s an amazing way to be immersed in any music scene wherever you are!”