root salad f18 Allan Yn Y Fan
Taking Welsh music beyond the borders. Simon Jones hears the latest news.
S
o the social concern was purposeful: after all, Geoff used to be in The Chartists, electric folk band with attitude! Geoff’s quick with his answer: “Like many other songs which you hope may outlive their usefulness, this one threatens dire consequences to mid 19th Century ironmasters in Beaufort, Ebbw Vale and district, and is sadly topical still. We believe that Allan Yn Y Fan is the first to record this song.”
“Catrin introduced us to the song which dates from pamphlets distributed around the industrial valleys during the mid-19th Century and is characteristic of the ethical and humane poetry which was pop- ular at that time,” continues Linda.
But don’t run away with the idea that A
llan Yn Y Fan’s flute player Kate Strudwick responds to my ques- tion about taking Welsh music beyond the border. “It’s exciting
introducing new audiences to Welsh music. Sometimes the perception is that Welsh traditional music is men in blazers singing Myfanwy. It’s good to show that we can offer some rollicking dance tunes too – cer- tainly the match of our Celtic neighbours.”
I’m with Allan Yn Y Fan who’re chipper
right now, and we’re talking change. Change is all around, a new line-up, a new album, maybe even a different approach to working, new avenues in their music. How- ever, before all that, back to the question at hand. “We find that Welsh music travels well and some of our very best experiences as a band have been in Germany, Czech Republic, Luxembourg. We are hoping that, having not toured Wales since 2012, that this autumn will vindicate our decision to do so!” says guitarist Geoff Cripps.
The album is Newid (Steam Pie), Welsh for… you got it, Change! “With the new members bringing new ideas we felt that we wanted to move on from what we’ve done and try a different approach in terms of both recording and playing. Not every- one plays on all the tracks and we took a conscious decision to have one tune with just the accordeon and fiddle,” Linda Sim- monds, mandolin strummer, reflects.
“We didn’t know when we auditioned Alan [Cooper] as our new fiddler that he also had a home studio and had invested in some great kit. It was a no-brainer that we recorded this album at this home studio near Brecon,” Geoff chips in. “It was a completely different approach to record- ing for us all and there were challenges and some lengthy discussions over certain tracks. It did, however, mean that we weren’t restricted to booking studio time and could do things as and when we need- ed to,” Linda adds.
“I think we now recognise that people
have different expectations from a CD than a live performance, where fast and furious is sometimes more in line with the mood of the audience. On an album we have more space and opportunity to chill out a bit and enjoy the ambience,” says Kate, mulling over that I’ve just mentioned that the album seems surer, more grounded
“I hope and I think that Newid reflects an evolution in the sound of Allan Yn Y Fan – not always gentle and sometimes, such as in Gorthrwm Y Gweithiwr, reflecting work- ers’ concerns of over 150 years ago that, sadly, are just as relevant now, see Sports Direct! I hope that the album does deliver what our followers want but, more impor- tantly, reaches out and connects to a new audience too,” Geoff considers further.
Newid is all about making you think and question. There’s plenty to make you smile, escape from what concerns you, dance even! “The tunes that Kate, Alan and Chris [Jones on accordeon] are writing are bril- liant, especially those Chris wrote for our commission by St David’s Hall to create music about the people and places within Cardiff. Then there’s Catrin’s wonderful ren- dition of Dafydd Y Garreg Wen (David Of The White Rock), the telling contributions of our two guest musicians – Dian Esplin on cello and our touring sound engineer Rob Jones on drums,” Geoff enthuses.
Kate is more reflective. “I don’t think
that there’s ever been a time when we’ve been particularly contented – there’s always more to explore, new things to try and it’s more like an ongoing journey but we are definitely enjoying the ride! We are certain- ly comfortable enough in each other’s com- pany to be able to risk doing things in a dif- ferent way.”
I ask if they see themselves progressing as time goes on, they are, after all, one of the best-known Welsh bands working.
“It’s our experience that gives us the context for making progress – and the abili- ty to recognise when we are achieving this! It’s always good to stretch yourself, and it’s easier if you do it on a regular basis.”
“We just like to assert that a band with a wide age range in membership can progress by making distinctive music and for us our progress comes from those moments when somebody comes up to you after a gig and says blush-inducing lovely comments!” adds Geoff.
No one should doubt Allan Yn Y Fan’s ability to be a force to be reckoned with.
www.ayyf.co.uk F
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