User:Ail Symudiad

Ail Symudiad

Power Pop/Pync/Mod

The story starts in the former busy seaport of Cardigan in West Wales, UK in 1978. The town was a busy port in the 1700s and 1800s and people emigrated from Cardigan to the new world and there was major trading at the port up until the 1930s. It was also the first home of the National Eisteddfod of Wales in 1176 and of Welsh new wave band Ail Symudiad! This town and area has always been an inspiration to the band, and that's why they're still here! Ail Symudiad were formed just after the punk era, and their influences were the Undertones, Buzzcocks, The Clash and the Sex Pistols. They were also fond of ska bands like The Specials, and in Wales, Trwynau Coch. (Red Noses) who were also a pop/new wave band that were a big help to Ail Symudiad at the start and supported them on numerous occasions. Ail Symudiad members then were Wyn Jones, bass, backing vocals; Gareth Lewis, drums and Richard Jones, guitar and vocal.

Ail Symudiad practised during the winter of 1978 and in the first months of 1979, before playing their first gig in Cardigan in May, the same night as Terry Griffiths won the World Snooker Championship! They had by now written around 10-15 original songs, plus sang a couple of covers. The group were lucky to have the use of the Tabernacl Vestry, at the back of the chapel to practise, and a few of the town's teenagers and young people often wandered in to have a look and listen. Also in the summer holidaymakers would pop their heads round the door, as the vestry backed on to one of the town's car parks. Certainly no other rock band had practised in one of the town's chapels before! A.S. are to this day grateful to Tabernacl Methodist Chapel for their kindness and the band also benefited greatly from the help of friend Malcolm Gwyon - who was to start performing himself in the near future under the name Malcolm Neon.

The first time they performed outside their area was at the Nationl Eisteddfod of Wales in Caernarfon (1979) in the Twrw Tanllyd and the Sgrech Sessions at Clwb Tanybont in the town. 'Twrw Tanllyd' was based in a huge marquee near the Eisteddfod's camping site and 'Sgrech' was the Welsh language rock magazine, more of both later. The band had a great reaction to their music and were called back time after time on stage, this was a big confidence booster to the boys and of course more people got to know of Ail Symudiad. After this the band had more invitations to play, including places like the Pier in Aberystwyth with UMCA (Aberystwyth Welsh Students Union).

Later that summer they sent tapes they had recorded to Eurof Williams, the producer of radio programme 'Sosban' and in October they were asked to record a session, which included the songs Whisgi a Soda and Petrol a Paraffin. The session went down well and yet more gigs were to follow, one of which was in Blaendyffryn Hall, Llandysul, a venue that was to become important to A.S. in the years to come. 1980

Robin Davies joined the band in the autumn of 1979 on rhythm guitar, and after playing support to the Trwynau Coch, they had the chance of playing at Trwynau's Christmas Party in Corwen, North Wales - a big night! In the early part of 1980 Ail Symudiad had good news - they had been invited by Sain Records, near Caernarfon to record a single in the series 'Sengl Sain'. A.S. were grateful to Sain for this opportunity to record, at their brand new 24 track studio in Llandwrog. Eurof Williams was the producer and songs were Whisgi a Soda and Ad Drefnu. The band started to do TV appearances, with one video being shot at the Cliff Hotel in Gwbert, near Cardigan for the BBC nightly news programme. They probably didn't associate the punk movement with Cardigan, and thought it would make a good story! The visitors to the Cliff looked quite shocked to see a new wave/punk band playing in the bar and drinking 'whiskey and sodas'! The ironic thing is that the song is not about drinking but about Socialism, workers and their bosses, as in the South Wales coalfield.

As well as the gigs and new songs coming along A.S. were practising at least three times a week, and had breaks through nipping over to the nearby amusement arcade in Lower Mwldan to play Space Invaders/Galaxian Attack on the video screen - 10p a shot in those days! The band were invited to appear on Sêr, HTV where they sang Ad Drefnu and had an interview with Arfon Haines Davies. They were by now playing regularly in town and village halls and clubs throughout Wales organised by, amongst others Cymdeithas yr Iaith. In 1980 the Eisteddfod was in the Gower, Swansea, and the boys played again in Twrw Tanllyd, the 'Twrw' was organised by Cymdeithas Adloniant Cymru (Welsh Entertainments Society), and it was an important week in the Welsh pop calendar. Among the groups playing there were Geraint Jarman, Trwynau Coch, Bando, Jip, Doctor etc. By this time there were other groups forming in the area and Ail Symudiad perhaps had an influence on other bands - Eryr Wen from Carmarthen, and in their own area Rocyn, Diawled and Malcolm Neon, who had started playing and recording.

There were regular interviews with Richard Rees on the popular radio show Sosban - a programme that was very important to the growth of the pop scene - Sosban is back on air by now, 2008. The band also featured in articles and reviews in the pop magazine Sgrech and it reflected very well the vibrant and exciting Welsh rock scene.

Early in 1981 Ail Symudiad decided to start their own label - Fflach, and release the first single, which had been recorded in October 1980, 'Twristiaid' yn y Dre' (Tourists in the Town), which is about Carnaby Street and the 60s, also on the single were the songs Hyfryd Bingo (Wonderful Bingo) and Modur Sanctaidd (Sacred Car). They were recorded in Stiwdio Sain with Eurof Williams producing and Simon Tassano co-producing and engineering.

Forming Fflach was an important step ahead for the band, as it was for other new wave/punk bands that were starting their own labels in the UK and Ireland - Trwynau Coch had already started their own label called Recordiau Coch.

1981 proved to be very busy with many gigs, amongst them Aberystwyth, Clwb Tanybont and Cardiff. They also played in many village halls, as was the fashion in Wales in the 80s for Welsh rock bands. This was the time that Blaendyffryn Hall, near Llandysul started holding more Welsh gigs, and these were organised by Cymdeithas yr Iaith (Welsh Language Society). Ail Symudiad began to play there regularly, with the the Rocyn Sound System and Hubert Mathias as company! There would be a crowd of 300-600 at nearly every gig.

The band were selling copies of Twristiaid yn y Dre in gigs and in shops all over Wales. The first 100 copies were in yellow 'dayglo' and nearly all the 500 singles pressed were sold. A.S. made another appearance on the TV programme Sêr in the HTV Studios in Pontcanna, Cardiff to sing Twristiaid yn y Dre. Unfortunately shortly afterwards Gareth Lewis left the band and Kevin Bearne joined for a period on drums and they played one of the biggest gigs on the Welsh pop calendar, the Inter-College Dance, supporting Edward H. Dafis.

It was decided that year to look for a studio closer to home to record with the interest in Fflach and for more Ail Symudiad records increasing. The boys heard of a studio in Ystradgynlais, not far from Swansea called Stiwdio'r Bwthyn, in the village of Cwmgiedd, and it's owner Richard Morris. With new songs having been written ( a single by another Welsh band Crys called 'Lan yn y Gogledd' had been recorded with Richard and sounded impressive) they decided to get in the 'Sacred Car', head south and pay him a visit! After their visit to the studio and a chat with Richard they decided to record at Stiwdio'r Bwthyn - the songs were 'Geiriau' (Words); 'Annwyl Rhywun' (Dear Someone) and 'Cura Dy Law', with Eurof once again producing and Richard as engineer. Richard Morris, as a gifted musician contributed a great deal to the recording and the band were delighted with his and Eurof's production. This single had an amazing reaction (great review in Welsh pop magazine 'Sgrech') from fans of the band and converted others with this new 'pop' direction. At gigs the crowd would often sing along with the band. The single sold close to a 1000 copies, many of them at gigs, that was quite an achievement.

There was to be a change of personnel on drums shortly afterwards with Robert Newbold joining the band. Robert had moved to the Cardigan area from West Bromwich years previously, and as there were more songs to be learnt, the boys spent a lot of time in the practice room. Robert's humour fitted in perfectly with Ail Symudiad's philosophy of the importance of fun in music, hence songs like 'Bwyta'n Broffesiynol' (Eating Professionally) when one of the band or their roadies spotted a man eating in a cafe in Cardiff with real enthusiasm .......he looks like a real professional eater!.... Robert was the band's drummer for the years to come, and by the National Eisteddfod in Machynlleth he had played many gigs. The Sgrech Session that Ail Symudiad played in that year was very memorable, with people dancing on tables, Rhys Powys of Chwarter i Un filled in on drums in Robert's absence. That summer Ail Symudiad did a tour, playing all over Wales - from Penrhyndeudraeth Hall in the North to the Casablanca Club in Cardiff's dockland, with Chwarter i Un, this was a very successful tour, with good audiences throughout.

On a visit to Cardiff while filming for Sêr they were told of a punk clothes shop that had recently opened, with the catchy name Paradise Garage. After a visit to the shop they wrote a song called Garej Paradwys, a song that was a metaphor for the punk/new wave movement: Come on down to Paradise Garage, We can see the dawn from Paradise Garage., The sun is shining in Paradise Garage, I can see the light from Paradise Garage....Turn back now and say hurray!.And come to this wonderful place etc!!. If it were not for this musical revolution many bands would not have picked up guitars or formed bands, as it was in A.S.'s case. The group went back to the studio to record the two songs Garej Paradwys and 'Ffarwel i'r Fyddin' (Farewell to the Army) in the autumn. Again it was Eurof and Richard at the helm in Stiwdio'r Bwthyn. Ail Symudiad have to thank one of their friends Rhodri Davies (Robin's brother) who also helped during recording and sang backing vocals. Malcolm and Rhodri were a big help to the band along with roadies Graham Bowen, Arfon Griffiths, Clive Phillips, Clive Pater, Mwp, Dave Bendall and Hubert Mathias, Rocyn.

Garej Paradwys was released in December, with the cover design by Malcolm Neon, he also designed the 'Geiriau' cover and gave Ail Symudiad their distinctive logo.

http://www.ailsymudiad.co.uk/s1980.html