User:Ivor Jeffery Beynon/sandbox

Ivor Beynon Lord of Steel, The Blaenau Gwent rocker releasing a new album to cheer people up in lockdown

"I just had this passion for going out there and expressing myself regardless of what people thought, but for every person who didn't understand it, there was one who thought it was great" In the valleys of Blaenau Gwent there is a man that almost everybody knows. An eccentric rocker whose performances on talent shows such as the X-Factor, as well as at local pubs have become the stuff of local legend over the years. This is Ivor Beynon, otherwise known as 'The Lord of Steel' who says after twelve months on the sidelines due to Covid restrictions he is now making a comeback. The 53-year-old entertainer, who lives with his wife and six children at his home in Abertillery, will release an album in the coming weeks titled 'Those Who Offend Beware' written, he says, to lift people's spirits during lockdown.

He also believes that by sharing his unique story he can inspire other locals to success during these unprecedented times. Beynon shot to fame after years of performing his unique style of entertainment in local pubs and clubs, when he appeared on the X-Factor in 2006, with his 'Lord Of Steel' persona, a heavy metal rocker with a love for all things Welsh.

It is a character that he says looking back, is as much rooted in the pride he has for his local area, as it is for his love of performing and entertaining. He said: "I've always been a performer ever since I was a young boy, taking part in school plays and things like that, and I suppose I just never stopped from there. "I was an average kid, but always felt like the attitude around here was if you wanted to make something of yourself then you had to move away from Blaenau Gwent, though I never agreed with that and just kept on doing my own thing.

"I spent most of my childhood growing up in Ebbw Vale and am very proud of the area, so it was always my goal to represent that heritage in some way, and that's how it all began I suppose. “ I was a part of a number of bands in the 1990's before I went solo and started putting the costumes on, which is when things got really interesting. "I just had this passion for going out there and expressing myself regardless of what people thought, and for every person who didn't understand it, there was always one who thought it was great, which is something I want to get across as well.

"What do my family think? To be honest my wife Joanne and the kids think I'm absolutely mad sometimes, but they are also very supportive of me as they know it's what I love to do." Ivor, known across Wales as one of the biggest characters in the valleys, he also works as a community support worker in Blaenau Gwent these days, and laughs as he reminisces about the time he went from working in a chicken factory, to growling at Simon Cowell and Sharon Osborne on national television. He said: "I'd been recommended to go on and audition by some of the production staff who'd helped me with my album and had said they were interested in me. While I don't think the judges fully got it at the time, I was happy with the experience overall as it got me to a much bigger audience.

"I think Simon secretly wanted me to go through to be honest, and I actually spent more than thirty minutes with them and the producers in the end. "Obviously a lot has happened to me since then, from becoming a credited tour guide for the area, to releasing a film about my life on my fiftieth birthday.

"But people still recognise me from my appearances on shows like that and The Biz, and I think I've seen every sort of reaction people could have in my time. "I've always grabbed the public's attention, that's for sure, but the response I get from the locals around here is great and that's what it's all about for me. "There have been some crazy moments in my career and it is nice to look back on them, but I also want to look forward and spread a bit of positivity if I can, which is why I'm releasing this album now." Ivor, a proud Blaenau Gwent resident, says coronavirus has been particularly hard on many living here over the last year, and hopes that his return will coincide with an easing of the global pandemic.

"It has been very hard around here on a lot of people during the pandemic with all the different lockdowns and isolation, but I think things are starting to look up now and we can see there's an end in sight," he said.

"To be honest I've had a lot to get off my chest, from covid to all that's happened with Brexit, and I can't wait for people to hear what I've got to say. "My message to people is still the same though, and that is wherever you come from, be positive, be proud, and follow your dreams.

"I've been trying to spread that message for a while now with the music and all the other things I do, and trust me I have no plans of stopping any time soon."