Pennod 2 Cool Cymru

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-At the end of the 1990s,

-Cool Cymru was in full swing.

-We felt like we were flying the flag

-in a new way.

-It was a world stage for music.

-These bands are special

-and we'll celebrate them.

-Catatonia, Manic Street Preachers,

-Stereophonics, Super Furry Animals.

-It produced films and actors and

-was home to a new National Assembly.

-We shouted from the rooftops

-that we're Welsh!

-This is the story

-of a special time...

-..when Wales was cool

-at the end of the 20th century.

-In 1996, the Second Severn Crossing

-opened with a flourish.

-It was used by many Welsh bands...

-..who were hurtling back and forth

-to London.

-Manic Street Preachers

-were in limbo...

-..after the disappearance

-of their guitarist, Richey Edwards.

-# Of dignity #

-The song, A Design For Life

-rescued the band.

-It inspired them to reform and

-they came back stronger than ever.

-After Richey's disappearance, they

-became the band they wanted to be.

-# To wear the scars #

-Everything Must Go

-changed everything.

-The singles on the album, Everything

-Must Go were massive hits.

-They had a new sense of confidence.

-They refused to compromise

-to commercialism.

-# We don't talk about love #

-They appreciate art

-and the whole culture of Wales.

-They quote the work of R S Thomas

-in their records.

-The fans and music world

-loved this intelligent element.

-At the BRIT Awards in 1997...

-..the Manics won the awards for

-the best group and the best album.

-By this stage, the group was showing

-great pride in their Welsh roots.

-The Manics have been very supportive

-of the other groups within Wales.

-They took Welsh bands with them

-even when it wasn't necessary.

-When Manics had the hit, Design

-For Life, they toured with Gorky's.

-The young band from Pembrokeshire,

-Gorky's Zygotic Mynci...

-..was growing in success.

-Their album, Bwyd Time, hit number

-one in the independent albums chart.

-They also toured in Japan.

-After releasing three popular albums

-with the label, Ankst...

-..they felt their development

-was being restricted.

-Ankst, as a company, realized

-we couldn't take them further.

-The band needed to reach

-a wider audience.

-We knew of other record companies

-who wanted to sign Gorky's.

-They saw a band that was getting

-a lot of coverage in NME...

-..with the name of Ankst,

-so many thought they were available.

-And that's exactly what happened.

-They signed with the American label

-of Fontana Records.

-By 1996, Welsh bands such as

-Catatonia and Super Furry Animals...

-..had their sights on London and

-signed with some prominent labels.

-As the groups

-basked in the limelight...

-..the London Welsh felt it was

-high time that they spoke out too.

-The former Brookside actor

-and West End star, Stifyn Parri...

-..wanted to unite the Welsh

-and shatter the stereotypes.

-He established SWS.

-Its members included Catherine

-Zeta-Jones, Sian Phillips...

-..Bonnie Tyler and Sian Lloyd.

-You could be a purple lesbian from

-Pluto as far as I'm concerned...

-..just as long as you want

-to be with the Welsh.

-When I was invited

-to various Welsh evenings...

-..I was bored out of my brain!

-# Gwalia

-# Oh, Gwalia #

-I felt that some of the societies

-were living in the past.

-I wanted something

-that looked to the future.

-To offer something different

-to the London Welsh...

-..Stifyn called 40 people and

-invited them to the launch of SWS.

-At the end of the night, I asked

-if people wanted to do it again.

-Everybody screamed "Yes!"

-We were so enthusiastic

-and wanted to do it again.

-It's early success

-in the Groucho Club...

-..meant it was the place to be

-for the glamorous Welsh in the city.

-There's obviously a place for SWS.

-It started with 40 and we've now got

-750 and it's sure to reach 1,000.

-They're super. They're furry.

-Grrr!

-They're animals.

-Get on this!

-When Super Furry Animals released

-their debut album, Fuzzy Logic...

-..it was so exciting.

-# I had a soul transplant operation

-# Coz my bypass didn't function #

-Super Furry Animals, after the

-great EPs with Ankst, would succeed.

-Creation had signed Oasis,

-the biggest band of that time...

-..suited Super Furry Animals

-down to the ground.

-We signed with the label, Creation.

-They had a policy of letting bands

-do whatever they wanted.

-The timing couldn't have been better

-as Oasis had made them a fortune...

-..so money wasn't an issue.

-The Furries used that money

-in a creative way.

-One of their first purchases

-was a tank!

-I remember the discussion with

-the marketing manager of Creation.

-"How much is that page

-in the NME going to cost?"

-"That's gonna cost 5,000."

-"How long will you run it for?"

-"Two weeks."

-"That's 10,000.

-We'll buy a tank instead!"

-The blue tank

-on the Eisteddfod Maes...

-..is one of the best things

-the Furries ever did.

-It was funny, good, situationist

-and challenged the Eisteddfod.

-It was a publicity stunt.

-We sold it to Don Henley

-from The Eagles for 8,000.

-It cost us 2,000 and

-people are still talking about it.

-It was the best two grand

-I ever spent!

-# On the telephone

-# Telephone

-# My ear to the receiver #

-The 1996 Eisteddfod in Llandeilo

-was memorable for another reason.

-The Furries were banned

-from singing in English on the Maes.

-But this wasn't a problem because

-they whistled to the English tracks.

-There was a palaver about us

-not singing in English.

-There is a Welsh-only policy

-on the Maes...

-..but Furries wasn't a Welsh band

-and had always been bilingual.

-Some people were angry...

-..but the Furries were ambassadors

-for the Welsh language.

-The tank was at the Eisteddfod where

-they whistled to English songs.

-It was at the Reading Festival and

-had the slogan of "A Oes Heddwch?"

-It didn't challenge Wales or England

-but everyone.

-It was peaceful but had

-an artistic and musical message.

-In the 1990s,

-titles were very fashionable.

-Britpop was used to describe

-Oasis, Blur and Pulp.

-Cool Britannia described the

-London revival and The Spice Girls.

-As Welsh bands and individuals made

-their mark in England and abroad...

-..the press wanted a title

-for this new wave.

-What did Wales get?

-What can we call and sell something?

-How can we be part of this?

-We'll call it Cool Cymru!

-I preferred Cool Cymru than Britpop,

-at least it had the word, "Cymru!"

-We'd had years of titles

-such as sheep shaggers...

-..Cwm Dancing, Welsh Rarebits...

-..and all the other nonsense

-from the English press.

-I felt that Cool Cymru

-was better than Uncool Cymru!

-The bands under the Cool Cymru title

-didn't want to be pigeonholed.

-What was it? Cool Cymru?

-It's ******* ridiculous!

-Cool Cymru was a label...

-..for something in Wales

-but used by those outside Wales.

-People like labels and it's

-unfortunate that we had Cool Cymru!

-Very few people would walk into

-a pub and say, "Hey, I'm cool!"

-It's a blatant sign

-that you're anything but cool!

-Actors, opera singers...

-..and the artists, Angharad

-Pearce Jones and Elfen Lewis.

-Many were labelled "cool"

-and not everyone hated it.

-I was happy with it

-because I knew I was cool.

-People don't have to try too hard

-when they are cool.

-It was from outside Wales and

-I'm sure we played up to the label.

-Before I started SWS...

-..I knew that I wanted to create

-a very cool Welsh society.

-I was very happy to know

-that SWS was a part...

-..of this new wave.

-Cool Cymru flourished and I think

-SWS was responsible for a lot of it.

-You could say that the myth that

-was Cool Cymru created confidence...

-..on a mediatorial,

-musical and political level.

-This confidence

-would transform Wales forever.

-The world of three Amman Valley lads

-was about to change completely.

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-# I get camping eyes

-in the final hour

-# Last-minute shoppers

-picking cauliflower

-# The fuss they make,

-you'd swear they were buying a car #

-The Coliseum in Aberdare.

-We topped the bill...

-..but were the least popular band

-to play that night.

-There was also

-Tragic Love Company...

-..made up of Kelly,

-Stuart and Richard.

-These proud Valley lads were soon

-to take the name of Stereophonics.

-By 1997, they put all their energy

-into chart success.

-The only thing I can do

-is play drums.

-I got nothing to fall back on.

-I got no qualifications

-and I haven't got a trade.

-It was that or nothing!

-# The stock he bought last week,

-bring back the ladies... #

-There's no money here but if you

-make the most of what you've got...

-..and keep pushing it

-then you'll get noticed.

-# Sits down in the street #

-Yes, they did get noticed

-by a very famous billionaire.

-Richard Branson said that he was

-starting a new label called V2.

-The first band he signed

-was Stereophonics.

-It was very exciting.

-# There's more life, more life,

-more life in a tramp's vest #

-The fans eagerly awaited

-their debut album, Word Gets Around.

-It is a Welsh album.

-Fans could listen to it,

-read the lyrics and see themselves.

-They were funny,

-working-class friends.

-They came from a background

-of classic rock...

-..and wrote music

-that people embraced.

-# There's no mistake,

-I smell that smell

-# It's that time of year again #

-In Word Gets Around, you had songs

-that still sound fantastic now...

-..such as Local Boy

-in the Photograph.

-# Railway track

-# Something blocks the line again #

-Yes, 1997 proved to be an

-incredible year for Stereophonics.

-They took the Amman Valley with them

-to the four corners of the world.

-Some prominent Welsh actors

-had also started their journeys.

-Ioan Gruffudd

-had reached Hollywood...

-..and was in the biggest film of the

-year, if not the century, Titanic.

-His friend, Matthew Rhys,

-starred in House of America.

-The film was based on the dark drama

-by Ed Thomas...

-..about an unusual family

-in the Valleys.

-No!

-I wrote House of America as

-we didn't have a modern mythology.

-There was American mythology...

-..but nothing in Wales

-after the Miners' Strike.

-But there was a lot of passion

-to prove our existence.

-We're happy here.

-We're safe.

-Nobody can hurt us.

-We're the heart of America, baby.

-And we're free!

-If you wanted to say something about

-Wales then you said it yourself.

-We're as good as anybody else.

-The world told their stories and

-had bands so we could do the same.

-The most controversial film in Wales

-in that year was Twin Town.

-It starred two brothers from Ruthin.

-Rhys Ifans and Llyr Evans.

-It was a story about drugs, corrupt

-police, joy riders and gang warfare.

-It's over 20 years since we came

-to Swansea to make Twin Town.

-We worked hard, played hard

-and had a great time.

-It just seemed right to set it here

-in this landscape.

-Swansea was top of the

-Premier League for joy riding!

-It really captured the moment.

-And **** off back to Noddyland!

-The characterisations lit a fuse.

-This glue is for my submarine,

-not for your ****** noses!

-A lot of it was swearing.

-You ****** twat!

-It has over 300 f-words.

-But from the premiere onwards...

-..the language and contents

-were not appreciated.

-The bishop of Llandaff

-was very offended.

-He thought it was an awful

-representation of a Welsh culture!

-It's not a Visit Wales film!

-It's a feature film.

-The movie sold 650,000 DVDs and

-20,000 of which were sold last year.

-That says something about it

-connecting with a culture.

-Kevin proved that it was possible

-to make something like this...

-..in Wales and in six weeks.

-I think he succeeded.

-Dai, I'm going!

-Back in the music world...

-..it wasn't a bed of roses

-for Catatonia.

-Warners had high expectations for

-their new album, Way Beyond Blue.

-Every group

-with a major record label...

-..needs to create success, money...

-..and followers for the tours

-and albums.

-You want to be the next Beatles.

-You just want your songs

-to be played on the radio...

-..to tour with the band

-and make music.

-That's not much, is it?

-Rule the world!

-# Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet

-# Catatonia

-# I should have told you #

-We started the tour

-at Barons in Swansea.

-It was 4 January.

-We did five British tours

-in that year...

-..plus all the festivals...

-..plus touring in Europe...

-..plus every television programme

-under the sun!

-By the end of that year, some 18,000

-copies of Way Beyond Blue had sold.

-# You've got a lot to answer for #

-Yes, 18,000 albums sounds a lot...

-..but when Warner Bros has invested

-so much money into a project...

-..then 18,000 isn't a lot!

-# Baby, I love you #

-We worked out that it would have

-been cheaper to hire a helicopter...

-..and deliver the copies to those

-who'd bought it!

-# If it stays on white,

-will it be alright? #

-At the end of 1996,

-I thought it was all over for us.

-# You've got a lot to answer for #

-Tony Blair enjoyed electoral success

-with the Labour Party in 1997.

-His manifesto stated a Referendum

-for a National Assembly for Wales.

-The man responsible for gaining

-a "yes" vote for devolution...

-..was the new Welsh Secretary,

-Ron Davies.

-He faced quite a challenge!

-We had this commitment to devolution

-and had a legislative timescale.

-We hit the ground running and it was

-wham, bam, thank you ma'am politics!

-Vote "yes" to the Welsh Assembly and

-we have our real voice for Wales.

-The weather presenter, Sian Lloyd,

-brought sunshine to the campaign.

-We launched the campaign

-in Cardiff Castle.

-I was the poster girl

-for the Yes For Wales campaign.

-That election was the pinnacle of

-my life as it meant the world to me.

-People wondered what it meant

-because Wales was a part of Britain.

-Would it be a country

-run by Welsh speakers?

-North Wales worried

-about the influence of Cardiff.

-A lot of people were confused.

-On 18 September 1997, Wales voted

-for the future of the country.

-The Welsh Secretary, Ron Davies,

-was one of the first to vote.

-He did that in a caravan

-in a village near Caerphilly.

-Just over 50% of the population

-cast their vote...

-..and then, we had to wait

-for the crucial result.

-The count itself was here in the

-Welsh College of Music & Drama.

-It was a night of not so much music,

-but lots of drama.

-The first five results

-rejected devolution...

-..and the capital followed suit.

-The "no" campaign

-was sure of a victory.

-The results were coming in and

-I thought, "What have we done?"

-We'd lost the opportunity

-to create a situation...

-..where Wales was more democratic.

-It was clear that it was going to be

-a very close run thing.

-My friends had gone to bed.

-I could see that

-it was still possible.

-We had support in North and West

-Wales so could get the result.

-The tension was too much

-for some to bear.

-It came down to the final result

-from Carmarthen.

-49,000.

-Some 49,000 voted "yes."

-The results were delivered

-from one council after the other...

-..and created a story.

-26,000.

-And 26,000 voted "no."

-Victory for devolution

-and the celebrations began!

-I burst into tears when I heard

-the results from Carmarthen.

-The tears streamed down my cheeks.

-I cried and cried.

-The relief, the emotion,

-the happiness.

-The Welsh had finally made

-a definite decision.

-It showed that were weren't better

-or worse than anyone else...

-..but different!

-# Gwlad

-# Gwlad #

-Late on that incredible night...

-..the Welsh Secretary

-had one final thing to do.

-This is the Bute Theatre in

-the Welsh College of Music & Drama.

-I've only been here

-a couple of times since.

-The hall was full with seating and

-a podium in front of the curtains.

-Whilst behind the curtains...

-..Ron Davies realized

-that he had to address the nation.

-It was early so the sensible thing

-to say was, "good morning!"

-It was like opening the floodgates

-for me.

-And it is a very good morning

-in Wales.

-The dawning of a new day...

-..saw the birth of a new country.

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