Bethan Elfyn
Blog posts in total 156
Posts
Help llaw i gerddorion Cymru
Rydym newydd lansio ail rownd y Gronfa Lansio, lle y gall cerddorion ac artistiaid yng Nghymru elwa o grantiau hyd at £ 2,000 tuag at eu cerddoriaeth. Mae'n rhan bwysig o'r prosiect Gorwelion, gan fod cymorth ariannol yn chwistrelliad ymarferol iawn o weithgarwch i mewn i'r sin gerddoriaeth Gymr...
Musicians wishes granted......
We’ve just launched the second round of the Launchpad Fund, where musicians and artists in Wales can benefit from grants of up to £2,000 towards their music. It’s an important part of the Horizons project, as financial help is a very practical injection of activity into the Welsh music scene.
The Joy Formidable: Back to their roots
Bethan Elfyn on how The Joy Formidable have gone back to their Welsh roots with their latest project.
Music at the heart of the BBC
As Tony Hall, the Director-General of the BBC, launched and set out his vision for BBC Music, which includes so many new ideas and a wonderful celebration of live music, here at BBC Wales we're at the heart of new music initiatives too with the brand new launch of our 'Summer of Music' campaign.
Dylan Thomas: The Rock 'n' Roll Poet
So the year of the poet is well underway, and I recently had the pleasure of hosting a radio show from Laugharne Castle for Laugharne Live, the first part of the BBC's special celebration of Dylan Thomas.
Horizons: The story so far
I've always loved Retro. I'm at Hay Festival in a custom built American Airstream, converted into a radio studio. You can hear the choruses of 'wow' from people walking past. We're here at Hay, causing serious congestion on the walkways with a small music stage, and live radio platform as part o...
UV rays, darkness and entanglement with Charlotte Church
“Unit 31” I sceptically told our taxi driver as we hurtle towards an evening with a difference. It’s always exhilarating to be out of my gigging comfort zone in Cardiff, so walking into the TV studios in an industrial estate in Cardiff and being told to “go crazy” with some face paint was just ...
Backing new Welsh music: Horizons
BBC Cymru Wales launches the new Horizons scheme which aims to find 12 new artists who perform in either Welsh or English and help them develop and play.
Mongolian band Hanggai visit Bangor
Didn’t they have a lovely time… when Mongolian band Hanggai arrived in Bangor! A few years ago I presented a series on World Music for BBC Radio Cymru, called 'Beth yn y Byd!' (a play on words meaning What in the World!). During this amazing sonic journey I made friends with a wonderful con...
Can we save Welsh music venues?
Have you seen the queues around your local record shop during the annual Record Store Day? The simple concept has been a sweeping success for struggling record shops in the last few years, an unexpected Christmas morning of cash sales, supported by bands and labels with limited edition vinyl onl...
Forty years in 40 tracks
So, I’ve been on this planet for a very long time it seems - I’ve hit that dreaded landmark birthday, the big 40! It was a quiet weekend of celebrating, a nice meal with friends, a nostalgic drink and a sack full of cards – gone are the wild parties too, it seems!
Richard Harrington’s personal playlist
Hinterland has landed on BBC Wales this month and gaining a world of new fans each week; I loved the first airing in Welsh of Y Gwyll, so I knew I wanted to invite the moody elusive DCI Tom Mathias aka actor Richard Harrington into the studio to pick his musical memories.
October in Cardiff, part one: Sŵn review
What a wonderful month it’s been here in Wales for music. After trotting up mountain and down dale for the summer festivals, it was Cardiff’s turn to shine. The Sŵn festival has become nearly a week-long affair with the Welsh Music Prize gig and award ceremony now tagged on to it.
Womex comes to Wales
I must admit, Womex is a new festival to me, but I became aware of it two years ago when it was announced that it would be coming to Wales. I've been learning more about it ever since.
BBC Introducing summer round-up - part two
Huw Stephens has been at a whole pile of festivals this summer and shared some of his highlights with us.
BBC Introducing summer round-up - part one
It's been a busy summer for Welsh bands and the BBC Introducing stage has once again seen us send representatives from Wales to the biggest events.
Pre-Cool Cymru: the pioneering bands
Dave Owens joined me to run through some of the bands that came before Cerys, Manics, Stereophonics and the Super Furries changed the face of Welsh music.
Music al fresco: Primavera Sound 2013
Primavera was pretty essential booking again this year with a nostalgic line-up of all my early musical discoveries.
BBC Introducing bands of the month: May
The merry month of May might have been a rather cold one, but it was full of heart warming musical activity.
Gruff Rhys discusses new Neon Neon album Praxis Makes Perfect
Neon Neon, Gruff Rhys and LA producer pal Boom Bip, are about to embark on an ambitious live outing with National Theatre Wales, and will release a new album on Monday 29 April.
