retreat. Rhydoldog House has a long history of private owners, which prevented the public from enjoying its arts and crafts stylings and stunning views – until now. “I feel like I’ve democratised the use of the land for social good.”
From 1961, the building was the second home of designer Laura Ashley, who allegedly took inspiration from the nearby landscape for her floral prints. As campaigns such as Nid Yw Cymru Ar Werth (Wales Is Not For Sale) are pressuring the Welsh Government and local councils to increase taxes on second homes and holiday accommodation, Charlotte ad- mits to knowing some of the perpetrators of building fires in long-gone waves of property protests. But the reception around Rhydoldog House has apparently been warmer. In re- sponse, one of the Pop Dungeon tour dates takes the show to the nearby town of Rhayader: “The local community has been totally lush in welcoming me there, so I wanted to give them a little treat.”
For many inside and outside of Wales, the young Charlotte Church represented a certain ‘Welshness’ (outspoken and great at singing) while the country rode the Cool Cymru wave into the marketing-gold era of Doctor Who, the Senedd and rugby successes. As a teen, her per- formances emphasised Welsh language hymns, harps and choirs, but she insists that “we tend to sell ourselves short and make Welsh culture a bit trinkety – coal mines, male voice choirs, rugby and daffodils – when actually there’s a huge depth of culture here and it’s really an- cient.”
Nowadays, she’s spreading pop culture history around the UK. As supporters of the newly re- named Cymru team at the World Cup surprise international audiences with the ferocity of their voices, I ask her whether Pop Dungeon is spreading a potential Welsh tradition: the prac- tice of singing along loudly to anthemic songs in the pubs, chapels and working men’s clubs. She doesn’t see a clear connection between, on the one hand, her childhood of folk tunes and
religious music, and, on the other hand, her cover band. But she’s enthusiastic about tak- ing people on a communal euphoric journey through music in the same way she imagines Welsh chapels may have done for huge crowds in the past.
While Church is passionate about the preserva- tion of Welsh heritage, she sees most forms of nationalism as ugly. Heritage, instead, is made up of living traditions that exist outside of a museum and must be open to change. Reacting to the news this month that Snowden would be renamed to Yr Wyddfa, she’s keen on the idea of returning place names to their original, obscured Welsh. But she urges decision-mak- ers to consider how these actions serve those living in or around a place, including multiple language groups. “It’s got to make sense for the people who call that place home,” she insists.
She ruminates that Welsh culture is still very much rooted in the land, avoiding some of the dangers of overdevelopment. As a result, “the magic in Wales is closer to the surface, and we’d all do well to tap into that.” The Dream- ing intends to do just this: “I can’t tell you how much I’ve fallen in love with the land. I’ve been on a two-year journey to make it worthy of the land it sits in.”
What’s next for Charlotte Church? She’ll hopefully be making some original music, but she’s also doing her best to be a good mother, wife, daughter and friend, as well as heal. Will the Pop Dungeon ever come back? The idea hasn’t been ruled out, but only for charitable purposes.
This winter, then, might be the last chance to hear Pop Dungeon’s unique transitions be- tween the E.T. theme, King Crimson, Black Sabbath and En Vogue, in a setlist full of sneaky Easter eggs. “There are loooads that make you go ‘ahh my god that riff!’ They exist on the perimeter of our aural perceptions.” I ask for any clues for finding them. She responds with a playful “You’ll have to be there!”
Charlotte Church’s Late Night Pop Dungeon,
The Lost Arc, Rhayader, Sat 10 Dec. Tickets: SOLD OUT. Info:
thelostarc.co.uk
Depot, Cardiff, Wed 21 Dec. Tickets: £25. Info:
depotcardiff.com
The Dreaming,
Rhydoldog House, Cwmdauddwr, Rhayader. For bookings and prices, go to
thedreaming.co.uk; pay-what-you-can options available upon enquiry.
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