My views on ‘Can i Gymru’ are well known, I must have
written highly critical pieces for my Welsh Language column in Yr Hearld
Gymraeg several times over the years and I have certainly contributed to
debates on BBC Radio Cymru’s Taro Post at least twice on this very subject. The
challenge here is to try and review the programme in a balanced and un-biased
way. I will fail.
First up ar ‘Hud’ formely Creision Hud from Caernarfon. I once organised a gig for
them in Bar Medi in Caernarfon when they were definitely under age and
definitely known as Creision Hud and it was one of those gigs where giving a
local school band the support would ensure an audience. Unfortunately for all
of us, they were promptly thrown out by the manager for fear of losing his
licence, we lost 99% of our audience and we ended up with about two people
listening to whoever it was that was sharing the bill that night.
So they are now going to have two reasons to cross me off
their Christmas card list. As ‘Can i Gymru’ goes, it must be admitted that this
is an improvement, they are young, reasonably well dressed, cool even compared
to the usual Can i Gymru menu of overweight balding teachers who have decided they want to be
Elton and on second hearing “Bywyd Sydun” is certainly a grower.
The performance however is lacklustre, the idea of getting
the kid from Swnami to guest on vocals makes no real impact or difference, nice
gesture and all that, a bit of unity in the scene but for dissapointingly, an “indie”
band, it’s probably Hud that give the weakest performance of the night. It’s
pleasant enough, non-threatening enough but then they had just claimed in their
interview that they wanted to shake things up a bit.
I guess for your standard S4C audience who don’t really
do Pop Music, this is probably very hip and young. I wanted more from this band
……. more energy and better vocal performances. Siomedig as we say, not bad just
a bit siomedig.
The programme is hosted by former winner Elin Fflur, she
is very glam, very good on telly, obviously her career was given a huge boost
by winning the competition back in 2002 I believe. She is the ideal host
because she has absolutely no bias and smiles a lot despite the absurdity of
the competition which is not a view she would share with myself of course. Dafydd
Du on the other hand looks a bit out of place, he has no real involvement with
Pop music beyond presenting the Radio Cymru Breakfast Show, why is he here – I suspect
a question which he must have asked himself. Told you I would fail.
Next up is Catrin Herbert, she’s very young and very
bubbly and has written a song “Ein Tir na nog ein hunnan” about first love or
the first crush. Her enthusiasm shines, she is a proper singer songwriter, in
the traditional sense. She reminds me very much of a young Amy Wadge. This is
by far the best crafted song in the whole competition, if any song could be
produced properly and turned into a “hit” this is the one. It jangles along brilliantly
but needs tightening up, as I watch I want to call one of my many producer
friends and tell them to come and re-record this track.
Herbert looks the part, she’s got her lucky Cowboy Boots
and a floral dress in a Maria Mackee style – I liked this, she’s young enough
for the potential to develop and she obviously realises that tune and catchy
are the songwriters best tools.
Lisa Gwilym, DJ and presenter is on the panel of judges. Gwilym
is a rare thing in the Welsh Language Cultural World, she is effortlessly cool,
she just looks sooo good on telly and she is the only one on the whole
programme who talks with any real authority and knowledge of pop culture. Lisa
is a true pro, an irony not lost given the fact that BBC Radio Cymru actually
cut her programme down to one night a week last year.
Gwilym is our very own Janice Long or Annie Nightingale,
you do believe her, in a better world Lisa would probably have the Breakfast
Show or the Drivetime show on BBC Radio Cymru. I have long given up any hope
that the commissioning editors have any measure of, or idea of what constitutes
real talent, they really should get out more.
Gwilym’s co-judge is a bloke who writes for Y Selar
magazine, I missed his name. He has no authority whatsoever and even less to contribute
to the programme. Who is this guy, why is he here ? Answer Y Selar have
obviously done a deal with S4C as some of their award winners are also featured
on Can i Gymru. Failed again.
Next up are “the geeks” or they should have called
themselves that. They are animation makers form Manchester, how radical for Can
i Gymru. I instantly like the bloke from Prestatyn because again for primtime
S4C this is cutting edge, Prestatyn does not get much more non-Cymraeg and it’s
great that someone from Prestatyn is involved in a Welsh Language act. You know
maybe this will inspire him to make sure his kids learn Welsh when the time
comes ….
The song is performed by Dyfrig Topper, a man of immense
talent, former front person of the legendary Topper but a man also not averse
to prostituting himself in competitions like this. I remain a huge Topper fan. I
remain unconvinced why Dyfrig is here. He has presence for sure. What we really
need from him is a new Topper album.
The whistling bit is really annoying. The song builds up.
This is interesting. They geeks are right – Dyfrig is a good choice to sing. I take
it back (failed again) he is not a prostitute. (remember that song by the Pop
Group after all “We are all prostitutes” on Y Records – check it out).
This one is a grower. It’s not a standard pop song, it’s
more like a soundtrack. It can’t possibly win but good on ‘em. They should
write soundtracks – get a new soundtrack for Pobl y Cwm for God’s sake ? Give
em a job ! Dyfrig looks like a cross between David Beckham and Gary Barlow I conclude.
The other judges are former winner Gai Toms and Yr Ods frontman
Griff Lynch. I like “Cofia fi yn yr ysgol” by Ods – one of the best tunes on
the Welsh Scene of recent years. Griff is intelligent and obvioulsly a good
pundit. He has authority but is also very diplomatic, maybe he is a nice bloke,
but none of these judges are challenging the acts at all so far ……. Things could
be livened up with a loose cannon, if there is one out there.
S4C have decided to broadcast twitter feeds during the
programme just to show they have embraced the Digital Age. Some of the comments
are far more interesting than those of the judges.
I’m still watching. I am truly surprised. The Welsh Language
“trydarati” had been tweeting that Can i Cymru would be better this year. Well
obviously being worse is impossible but I do think that ditching the Elton
clones seem’s to be working.
Alun Tan Lan is our next competitor with “Breuddwydion
Ceffylau Gwyn”. Now Alun is well known as a member of Y Niwl, our very own
Welsh Language instrumentalists, darlings of the press, the trydarati and your
Andy Votel born-again- Welsh types. The guitar jingles, the chorus is catchy
but Tan Lan should have grabbed Dyfrig Topper and asked him to remain on stage
and sing the song. This is why Y Niwl are instrumentalists, Alun is not a
vocalist.
The tune however is really really good, in fact it’s very
Lightning Seeds and Broudie is another great songwriter who can’t sing. This
could be a winner, and along with Herbert’s track it’s easily one of the best
crafted songs in this year’s competition. The only bit I didn’t like was the
Niwl style guitar solo – again given the right production and a decent singer
this is a total total hit. Alun is another competitor with past Can i Gymru
history, again all a bit strange why they want to take part in something like
this. (here we go Failed again).
Next up is certainly the most unusual song and the most
unusual performer in the competition. “Aur
ac Arian” by El Parisa. She has the vocal strengths of someone like Duffy, this is well radical for Can i Gymru, she is
a performer for sure but it’s also obvious that this is raw talent and I would
have probably suggested a year or two of gigging and a lot more writing before
you jump into something like this. You sense that there may well be something here
but this is unfocused and a case of on the telly far too soon.
You can see that S4C have gone for the more interesting
stuff, I would rather watch this act than the Elton piano bashers of yesteryear.
Lisa Gwilym calls this “pop budur”, true. It’s raw, it may be real talent even but this is definitely a case of watch this
space – they will not win. They will have to work hard and stick at it.
Elin Fflur contributes to the debate at this point. Let’s
be honest El Parisa is not that radical compared to Florence or Bats for Lashes
but this is S4C were looking at here, a few years behind the fashion and times.
Interesting for sure. The stuff about mastering in New York or whatever is just
irrelevant – that means nothing at all.
Now there are three types of comedians. Firstly ones that
are funny. Scondly ones that are not. And thirdly the ones that are “taking the
piss”. The next act are in the latter category. Despite this they probably come
up with the best song title of the competition “Mynd i Gorwen gyda Alice” but it’s
a real shame that they genuinely do seem to be taking the piss. This is the weakest
effort, at best a poor man’s blues jam with a piss poor Elvis impressionist. This
is the worst of pub rock. This is time to get out, find another pub, drink up
and get out fast ……
Fuck me – they win the competition ! Told you I would
fail at this game. This programme was actually saved by the other competitors
and at the final hurdle Elvis and the Piss Takers win. God help us - we will
have to suffer this song on BBC Radio Cymru for years to come. The problem with
joke bands is that they may be funny first time (not), they will certainly not
be funny the second time and by the third spin you will want to punch these
guys.
Someone once reviewed an album by my band Anhrefn as “total
and utter shit” in Select magazine – what a great quote to re-use, This is
shit, total shit and utter shit. I was willing to give this a go, I tried hard
to be objective but we did not fight in the punk wars for this that’s for sure !
I would add that Catrin Herbert will probably have a
career , she was the real song writing talent this year and as is always the case
the winners always end up on the dole
before the runners up.
You can watch the programme on CLIC / S4C http://s4ci.com/clic/e_level2.shtml?programme_id=510928094
Coc oen oedde ti Rhys Mwyn a dwi'n gweld fod pethe ddim di newid. Amser mynd i'r OG o'r pafiliwn a "get out fast" pan oedd yr Anrhefn ar y llwyfan......Crys ruled the world and you old boy weren't even second best!!!!!
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