Wales Feed

Sir Anthony Hopkins interview on BBC Radio Wales

2012-01-18T11:57:08+00:00

Yesterday Roy Noble was joined on Radio Wales by actor and composer Sir Anthony Hopkins to discuss his début album, Composer.

You can listen to the interview here:

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Steve Eaves wins at RAP awards

2011-04-05T09:18:33+00:00

BBC Radio Cymu's Gwobrau Roc a Phop (RAP) awards have honoured musician Steve Eaves with its outstanding contribution to Welsh language music award.

Steve Eaves

Speaking to the North Wales Daily Post, Radio Cymru producer Gareth Iwan Jones said: "Steve Eaves has over the years thrilled audiences and listeners and inspired fellow Welsh musicians along the way.

"What strikes me the most about Steve's music is its integrity and sincerity. There's gentleness and loyalty in the man, his words and his music. But behind all that there's strength and purpose in his words and his art.

"Steve is a poet who discusses the personal and the political but plays it all in a gentle and modest way; [he's] a likeable person and a talented musician."

Eaves said: "I am honoured and privileged to have been given this award for the music I've been creating up to now. But I would like to think that I've been warming up and that the best work is ahead of me.

"I've been very fortunate over the years to have good musicians and good producers working with me and I'm thinking in particular about Elwyn Williams, the band's guitarist, and Les Morrison of Bethesda. Both of them have created so much of the stuff I've recorded over the years. And now I'm enjoying singing more than ever with special thanks to the band that's currently with me: Gwyn Maffia on the drums, Pete Walton on bass and Elwyn on guitar."

More of the Gwobrau RAP award winners will be announced on Radio Cymru this Thursday.

Nicky Wire's 'terror' at homecoming gig

2011-01-28T11:51:32+00:00

Despite playing an absolute blinder at last night's Radio 2 Homecoming show from Blackwood, Manic Street Preachers' Nicky Wire has talked of his nerves as they took to the stage.

Bassist Wire described the moments before going on stage wearing his old school tie as "sheer terror. Hometown gigs are always really fraught but this one in particular was kind of emotional and kind of resonated deeply in us all," he said.

Listen to fans talk about the gig:

And you can also browse pictures of the day.

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Archive sessions: Texas Radio Band

2010-12-06T11:06:22+00:00

The beauty of the BBC Radio 1 show, since the start, has been its natural support of brand new music. It might not be famous, it might not be on a major label, but even at its rawest, if it sounds good, and there's a gem of a song there, then we'd play it - which is exactly what happened with Texas Radio Band.

Texas Radio Band in 2002

I was a fan of their self-recorded demo long before hosting BBC Radio 1, so when we started the show, they were first on the list for a session. To find out what they thought of their sessions for Radio 1, I spoke to Rhodri 'Tony' Davies from Texas Radio Band.

Beth: What do you remember about the Radio 1 Wales sessions you recorded?

Rhodri: Radio 1 Wales picked us up just after we'd started recording - we'd been doing some bedroom recordings at a friend's house and then you sent us to Rockfield studios.

We were blown away by the history and had a great time trying to make the best of the facilities. It was quite incredible for us at the time. I remember driving round Monmouth looking for the place and being really chuffed when we found the studio.

Everything there was new to us - the size of the mixing desk, the live room, the living quarters - it was unbelievable. We tried to make the most of the set-up, but luckily our inexperience was well managed by producer George. I think we put four tracks down - Hess, The Father And The Son, Rollin' Mollin' and Maybe Baby.

A while later, we were invited to do another session - this time in Lostprophets' studio in an industrial estate near Caerphilly with Richard Jackson. The facilities were more modest, but they probably suited us a bit better. We recorded one of my favourite TRB songs there - a tongue in cheek riff orientated rock song called Dementia, as well as Lemon Entry and Already Knew.

Beth: What did that support mean to the band?

Rhodri: At the time it was great that someone was showing an interest in the band. We'd met you and Huw a few times and for them to have the confidence in us to put us on a platform like that in turn gave us confidence which helped us pen together the first album Baccta' Crackin'. And of course it probably helped us get our first national airplay by the big man John Peel, RIP.

Beth: What's your fondest memory of the Texas Radio Band days?

Rhodri: My fondest memory of TRB days was being a group of wide-eyed youngsters traveling around Wales visiting studios and venues for the first time and learning the trade of being in a band. Not that we're seasoned professionals now, but there was a certain excitement about doing it all for the first time when everything was fresh.

Another highlight for me was playing to a rammed Clwb Ifor Bach with a prime time slot at the first Sŵn festival - again thanks to Huw! I like to think of that set as a cornerstone for Sŵn festival and the Cardiff music scene.

Beth: Can people still get hold of your music?

Rhodri: All of our back catalogue is available in mp3 format on www.kimberleyrecords.co.uk - like the music, the website is a bit old but still works. There's also some CD copies of the second album Gavin for sale on there and maybe some bright orange t-shirts. We never got proper online distribution, so I don't think we're on iTunes and Spotify (although maybe it's worth checking every now and then) - it's kind of in the band's character that we're backward in going forward.

Beth: What does the future hold for Texas Radio Band?

Rhodri: The future is jumbled for TRB - we have recorded a finished album - it's called Bluescreen but so far it's totally unreleased; not even on Kimberley Records. It was recorded at Ariel studios in Brechfa and we are all really chuffed with the songs and the sounds but we're indecisive as to how to get it out there; there's always next year. At the moment, if you want to hear it, the best bet is to get in touch with the band on Myspace and we'll burn and post you a CD-R. Currently it's geographically difficult to get us all in one place for any length of time so rehearsal is difficult - but we all still write and record stuff amongst ourselves.

Listen to Texas Radio Band performing Hess, recorded at Rockfield studios in March 2000, after we'd heard their very first demo.

The band (Matthew Williams, Rhydian 'Squids' Jones, Alex Dingley, Rhodri Davies, Gruff Ifan and Brychan Englandwere) all went to school in Llansteffan near Carmarthen. They released Baccta Crackin in 2004 and Gavin in 2008.

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Adam Walton playlist and show info: Sunday 4 April 2010

2010-04-07T15:01:26+00:00

It was seeing 9bach at Hendre Hall back in October of last year that inspired me to organise our event there, such was the perfect marriage between the candlelit, mediaeval venue and 9bach's music - and so it proved. I'm a man who never misses a chance to douse you in hyperbole but this is one of the most incredible sets of music it has ever been my pleasure to broadcast. Honest injun.
http://www.myspace.com/9bach

In equally melodramatic tones, I'd like to state that The School's debut album Loveless Unbeliever is my favourite Welsh pop album of all time. Liz Hunt - the band's catalyst and creative core - comes in in a mackintosh to protect herself from my dribble. Drivel. Both.
http://www.myspace.com/theschoolband

Huw Pooh blows the dust off an ancient long player from Blonde On Blonde (Welsh band, not the Bob Dylan album), in his ongoing search for all things old, Welsh and inspirational.

Lara Catrin translates the rather wordy but brilliant Dallt Y Dalltins by Tystion.

Bethan Elfyn interviews Wrexham's Polly Mackey & the Pleasure Principle for us at South By Southwest in Texas a couple of weeks ago.

And we have excellent new Welsh music for you.

Please send more Welsh music hot with creative fire to: themysterytour@gmail.com with a short biography and a contact number.

Or, post to:
Adam Walton, BBC Radio Wales, Library & Arts Centre, Rhosddu Rd., WREXHAM LL11 1AU (please note the change to the postcode).

Many thanks / diolch yn fawr iawn,

Adam

Listen to Kids In Glass Houses performing Marina And The Diamonds

2010-03-25T13:41:20+00:00

Listen again:

Wales Music Day - session videos

2010-03-02T09:13:23+00:00

KIGH were the 'house band' for Good Evening Wales and performed three songs; look out for their cover of Stereophonics' Mr Writer coming soon!

Watch the video for Matters At All
Watch the video for Young Blood

Georgia joined Roy Noble and Stuart Cable for a chat and she also performed three songs. Here we've got her two original tracks:

Watch the video for Ocean
Watch the video for Hwylio

Andy Fairweather Low: 'pop music's face of 1969'

2009-12-04T11:14:36+00:00

Sixties pop icon Andy Fairweather-Low of Amen Corner chatted to Mal Pope this week on Radio Wales' Evening Show.

Listen to the interview.

Lostprophets: It's Not The End Of The World

2009-10-19T12:11:15+00:00

The first single from Lostrophets' fourth album, It's Not The End Of The World (But I Can See It From Here) has entered the charts at number 16. You can listen to an excerpt of the track and don't forget to leave your comments about what you think of the single - are you looking forward to the album?

September bargains

2009-09-21T13:25:11+00:00

It's to mark World Peace Day.

You can learn more about World Peace Day and Heal the Last Stand by visiting the links below:

http://www.peaceoneday.org
http://myspace.com/healthelaststand

Heal the Last Stand are a lighthouse of optimism and brotherly love (sisterly, too) who distil West Coast harmonies, sunrise melodies and unallayed belief in music's power to do good. It's easy for cynics to scoff at such 'hippy' ideals, especially in the dystopian, apocalyptic wastelands of 2009. But, you know, they will win you over, eventually: and you'll end up smiling and exuding hope along with them.

Maybe not all of you.
Give it a go.

They'll be joined by the not inconsiderable talents of Brynford's Andy Hickie. I might even go along to bang a tambourine myself.

Elsewhere, we cheapskate freeloaders can today download rap dynamo Mr Phormula's new EP.

Ed's a supernova of beat-iful creativity. When he belches, perfectly-balanced rhymes drop out.

He's become North Wales' ambassador for hip hop in his roles MCing for Genod Droog, Diwygiad, Pen-Ta-Gram and as a one man beatbox.

The new EP is called Panad. For a man who can be guilty of letting his boundless enthusiasm propel him onto a new track / project before the current one is finished and polished to the best of his ability, this is a remarkably consistent and enjoyable EP.

The lead track, Graft At This, might be the finest example of his rhyming and production skills, yet. It's about working hard at what you do to become the best you can.

The irony that he's having to give this away for FREE because we don't seem to value this kind of creativity any more (or, perhaps, more accurately we've grown to expect much of our music for free) and the fact that I'm here celebrating its FREE-ness, isn't lost on me.

But that's probably a subject for a different day.

You can download the EP from the link below:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/kg5p5s
http://myspace.com/mrphormula

Please note that the EP features some mild swearing. Still, it's not all that cuss-encrusted. If it were to bump into 2LiveCrew or an average episode of The Wire, it'd sound like a playschool conversation in comparison, but your discretion - if you are offended by such things - is recommended.

Enjoy the gig and the EP. If you know of any other bargain gigs or releases, treat me like the low-rent, albino David Dickinson that I am and let me know about them, below.

Adam