Pennod 4 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.

-The world saw Manic Street Preachers

-at the Millennium Centre...

-..as they welcomed the year 2000.

-Then their single, Masses Against

-the Classes, topped the UK charts.

-After all this success, where next

-for the band from Blackwood?

-We'll take a long time off, not do

-any gigs and record the next album.

-We're not splitting up.

-My mum called me to ask "You haven't

-split up, have you, my love?"

-I told her she'd be

-the first to know if we did.

-At that time, the Manics

-didn't quite know what to do next.

-They'd had enormous success...

-..and there definitely was talk

-about whether they could carry on.

-As the band considered its future...

-..James Dean Bradfield started to

-perform without his fellow members.

-He was in the film,

-Beautiful Mistake.

-It was an innovative project...

-..with a former Welsh member

-of The Velvet Underground.

-John Cale came back to Wales

-during this boom of new music...

-..to make the film, Beautiful

-Mistake or Camgymeriad Gwych.

-# The country was full of blood

-when the river claimed the streets #

-He was the coolest man

-to have ever come from Wales.

-That's according to those who

-were fans of The Velvet Underground.

-Super Furry Animals

-were also part of the project.

-They had quite an unexpected

-experience with John Cale.

-We spoke Welsh together,

-which was a bit nuts...

-..with a member

-of The Velvet Underground.

-You couldn't smoke in the room

-because of his history.

-He'd gone 180 degrees

-away from his habits.

-Gorky's Zygotic Mynci

-was another band in the film.

-They were praised by John Cale

-early in their career.

-Like thousands of others,

-he loved their songs.

-# Night after night #

-He sang with Julie Murphy

-of Fernhill, Derrero and Tystion.

-# I hate the deceit

-I feel like chess piece #

-These bands were creating music but

-would never be on Top of the Pops.

-They were really good bands.

-# I feel like a chess piece #

-It was a great film

-and a true portrayal of the age.

-It showed that there was

-more to Wales...

-..than just the bands

-labelled as Cool Cymru.

-Over in the USA, the home of John

-Cale and The Velvet Underground...

-..the confident Welsh planned to

-make their mark on the Big Apple.

-Campari, not cawl,

-Bacardi, not laverbread.

-A party, not a prayer meeting.

-This was Stifyn Parri launching

-a branch of SWS in New York.

-We were going on holiday

-to New York...

-..and I decided to create a SWS

-whilst we were over there.

-A launch party took place

-at Madonna's favourite night club.

-Hundreds wanted

-to get hold of an invitation.

-"Sian,

-how would I sign up for S-W-S?"

-"I want to be a member of S-W-S."

-First there was King Kong, then

-Godzilla, now there's SWS New York!

-So many people turned up, there

-were 500 - it was an amazing night.

-You could feel the buzz,

-the Zeitgeist, everyone was there.

-We have no age limit.

-Stifyn led the way

-and explained the rules of SWS.

-People of all ages and backgrounds

-are welcome!

-We'll enjoy a social evening

-as Welsh people, which is vital.

-SWS just grew and grew and grew.

-Hello, here I am, Emyr Penlan.

-I've travelled all the way

-from Cardigan to Downtown LA.

-Hello, America!

-The Welshness spread to Los Angeles.

-In 2000, all the stars were

-on the red carpet for the Oscars...

-..with a talented bunch from Wales.

-I hope to see Catherine Zeta,

-unless the bump is too big!

-And Sir Anthony

-and shout in Welsh to Rhys Ifans.

-Representing S4C and Wales

-was the film, Solomon a Gaenor.

-I'm in chapel in the morning...

-..and help with the Sunday School

-in the afternoon.

-Set in the South Wales valleys...

-..it's a romance between

-a local girl and a Jewish boy.

-It was nominated

-for Best Foreign Language Film.

-It's great to be here again.

-It's my second time

-and S4C's fourth.

-The stars were Nia Roberts...

-..and Ioan Gruffudd.

-It's high time that we got the

-chance to showcase our talents...

-..on the international stage.

-The film might not

-have won an Oscar...

-..but one Welshman felt

-that he had won the jackpot.

-I have a few hours before I get back

-to work in the morning in Mexico.

-Can I come with you?

-Can I come with you?

-

-Yes!

-Goodbye.

-Goodbye.

-

-Right, I'm off!

-# Want some whisky in your water? #

-He was world-famous and to some,

-the coolest Welshman of all time.

-He hadn't had a hit for a decade

-but things were about to change.

-# Mama told me not to come #

-Tom Jones recorded Reload.

-# Mama told me not to come #

-Everyone loved it.

-# That ain't the way to have fun,

-son #

-Cerys sang with Tom Jones.

-Stereophonics sang

-Mama Told Me Not to Come.

-Reload was a huge album.

-It had come full circle.

-Tom from 1960s Treforest became

-a star but wasn't so cool anymore.

-But then these new bands said...

-.."No, you're still cool,

-you are Tom Jones.

-"You can do what you want, and,

-of course, we'll sing with you."

-# That ain't the way to have fun,

-son - ain't the way to have fun #

-After the successful albums, Fuzzy

-Logic, Radiator and Guerrilla...

-..Super Furry Animals

-had built up quite a following.

-# We had some sunny intervals #

-They had stayed loyal

-to Creation Records...

-..but when it folded,

-the Furries saw an opportunity.

-They created that momentum

-over three albums...

-..but before joining Sony, they

-released one on their own label.

-Instead of an expensive place

-in England...

-..they went to Anglesey, to the Ofn

-Studios, Rhosneigr and Gorwel Owen.

-They were really simple songs...

-..that were done really quickly

-at Gorwel's place.

-It took us ten days

-to record that album.

-You can spend 1M recording an album

-but if you don't have good songs...

-..it's going to sound crap

-no matter how much it costs.

-You can't put a price

-on a good song.

-# The feeling #

-Some of the songs, like Y Teimlad

-and Dacw Hi, were familiar ones.

-There's an ancient feel to it.

-It sounds like a mixture

-of the sixties, seventies...

-..eighties and nineties.

-It reached No.11 in the charts and

-was recorded like a live session.

-Mwng was groundbreaking

-because it was entirely in Welsh.

-They took those Welsh songs

-across the globe.

-Welcome back to the show,

-from Wales, Super Furry Animals.

-# They say we're peripheral

-# Spineless and feeble,

-roughneck and alien

-# It's so cool

-in the eye of the fountain

-# But the periphery

-sustains all the nettles #

-Welsh was part and parcel

-of every day life for the Furries.

-This was such a natural step

-to take.

-We made the record because

-we had a collection of Welsh songs.

-We didn't make a Welsh album...

-..to make up for the fact

-that we'd made three English ones.

-A lot of important Welsh music

-had already been written...

-..but no-one knew about it.

-However, after Mwng,

-people could go back and listen...

-..to the stuff that influenced

-the Super Furries.

-Mwng is amongst people's favourite

-albums, maybe even their favourite.

-That's despite not understanding

-what the Furries are singing about.

-Mwng was a good way

-of silencing their critics.

-The people

-who had called them traitors.

-Mwng was a strong declaration of a

-confidence in the Welsh language...

-..and in the band itself.

-It really shows how important

-this album really was.

-What the Furries did

-is something to be treasured.

-Thank you very much,

-Super Furry Animals.

-Joining the Periphery.

-As one band enjoyed more success...

-..another one's future

-was hanging in the balance.

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-In February 2001, to mark their

-reappearance on the live scene...

-..the Manics went to the land of

-cigars, communism and Castro - Cuba.

-The controversial gig was the first

-of its kind by a major Western band.

-Some of the things that the Manics

-achieved were truly mind-blowing.

-Which other band

-would have played in Cuba?

-Fidel Castro was backstage

-saying their music transcended war.

-They were more likely to shake

-his hand than some world leaders.

-They understand how to create

-those historic events.

-Events that excite

-and make people think.

-We're a band that's taken chances

-with our career.

-People thought it was folly

-to go to Cuba and meet Castro.

-I remember seeing them on TV

-when they were over there.

-It wasn't really glitzy

-but it was a bit showbizzy for them.

-Someone had to do it, so why not

-be the first band to play Cuba.

-It was right to go to Cuba.

-It corresponded with their beliefs

-when they started out.

-Their achievements came about

-through vision and determination.

-# If you tolerate this

-# Then your children will be next #

-Catatonia was another band

-with a strong vision.

-After huge success,

-two No.1 selling albums...

-..and top ten singles

-like Road Rage...

-..in 2000, Catatonia

-were nowhere to be seen.

-# Losing your mind #

-Tours to the USA were cancelled...

-..and there were reports of health

-problems for Cerys Matthews.

-I went a bit mad

-after all the success!

-# On common ground

-we'll build our castle walls #

-By the start of 2001, the group

-had recorded their fourth album.

-Paper Scissors Stone was recorded

-at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth.

-They played a few gigs during that

-summer but things weren't right.

-That's where we went wrong

-- we didn't record it here.

-The vibe had gone.

-We did our best work in this room

-at the Monnow Valley Studios.

-But then we...

-We somehow messed around

-with the formula.

-Yes, there was...

-Something had been lost, that's all

-it was, something had been lost.

-I remember seeing Cerys at the

-launch of Paper Scissors Stone.

-She didn't look like a person

-who was enjoying the life.

-I wasn't happy.

-I wasn't getting the buzz

-I used to get out of it.

-Our time had come to an end.

-That's all it was.

-At the time, we fought against it.

-If we could get the album out,

-then everything would work out.

-I sort of knew

-at the back of my mind...

-..that the game was over.

-The end still came as a bit

-of a shock for the band members.

-In the way these things work,

-I didn't know we had broken up!

-A Western Mail reporter

-called me for my reaction...

-..to Warner Bros' press release

-stating that Catatonia had split.

-I didn't know we'd broken up!

-And that was that!

-Thank you very much for coming

-and God bless you all.

-As Catatonia split up,

-the Cool Cymru hype was also over.

-During these years, it wasn't only

-Wales' image that had changed.

-The technological world

-was also developing quickly.

-I remember that the Internet and

-Information Superhighway existed.

-But it was in no way a part

-of anyone's day-to-day life.

-Twenty years ago,

-there was no Internet.

-We could play in TJ's and

-sell it out and we did to 300 kids.

-Nobody knew further than Cardiff.

-You might know

-if you lived in Cardiff...

-..but you wouldn't know necessarily

-in Swansea or London.

-You couldn't do that today

-because of social media.

-The technology shaped

-a thriving creative industry.

-Film, design and the transformation

-of the way music was produced.

-The days of recording in a studio

-for six months were long gone.

-There was a technological explosion

-at the end of the nineties.

-The way of making records changed

-very quickly and is still changing.

-You can literally

-make a record on your phone.

-People would splice tapes and hope

-it would be in the right place.

-It took ages and now you can

-do it in five seconds - done!

-The music world has changed.

-The way we listen to

-and discover music has also changed.

-Despite the huge changes...

-..some places remain familiar

-and are a reminder of the past.

-This is the new home of Spillers in

-Cardiff. It used to be on the Hayes.

-Back in the nineties,

-they would sell CDs...

-..and they still sell CDs

-by bands from Wales.

-It's the oldest in the world.

-You will recognize the t-shirts,

-mugs and baby grows.

-I saw Robbie Williams here

-at the end of the nineties.

-He'd just left Take That.

-They sold him a copy of Fuzzy Logic

-by Super Furry Animals.

-People took his photo

-as he left the shop.

-Together with Clwb Ifor Bach in

-Cardiff, this is an important place.

-It's one place bands will visit.

-In a world of downloading and live

-streaming, it's still important.

-Like Clwb Ifor Bach and Spillers...

-..bands from the nineties are going

-strong and playing to huge crowds.

-Since arriving

-on the scene in '97...

-..Stereophonics

-has had six No.1 albums.

-In the grand scheme of

-Rock 'n' Roll, we're pretty young.

-The Who and McCartney

-are still going.

-Meeting these people

-gives you an inspired feeling...

-..that you can do this for as long

-as you want.

-It doesn't seem to die

-in people's hearts.

-# Every night

-they're doing just the same #

-Fans keep changing.

-The front row could be 15-year-olds.

-At the back, people from 1996.

-# So Mr and Mrs Smith

-# Come down #

-Coming from Wales, it's 20 years

-we've been travelling the world.

-We've seen lots of different things.

-We always go back

-and still call it home.

-It's a big part of your life when

-you come from a place like that.

-# All lined up for you in the bar,

-paint the town #

-The Manics are still going

-and inspiring a new generation.

-They provided the soundtrack for

-Wales' celebrations at Euro 2016...

-..with the song, Together Stronger.

-# So come on Wales #

-Everything they went through with

-Richey and The Holy Bible period.

-They've had more highs and lows than

-any other Welsh band has ever had.

-Their determination to survive...

-..and their ability

-to sell out arenas and stadiums...

-..is something

-Wales can be proud of.

-# So come on Wales

-# So come on Wales #

-We were never as calculated as

-people thought we were at the start.

-People said we were hype,

-and we weren't.

-We just weren't from London but

-from Wales and grew up in a vacuum.

-We were a bit bonkers at the start.

-# Together Stronger,

-we'll win if we unite #

-# Bing, bong, bing, bong #

-This year's Euros also inspired

-the Furries to release Bing Bong.

-It shows they're still pushing

-the boundaries in their unique way.

-Why are they still together?

-Our problem

-is that we're still friends.

-I can't imagine better people

-to hang out with.

-The Furries, more than anyone...

-..have managed to profess

-their Welshness.

-They've achieved something

-without waving flags.

-# Bing, bong, bing bong #

-It's an adventure.

-We started in our early twenties.

-We're still relatively functional

-as people and as a unit.

-Cool Cymru.

-What was Cool Cymru?

-It was a long-awaited explosion...

-..that brought innovation, success

-and celebration to Wales.

-Wales wouldn't have chosen

-the phrase, Cool Cymru.

-I don't it was a movement.

-It was a few good bands at the same

-time being noticed outside Wales.

-A bunch of groups broke out

-on their own terms.

-The Furries, Gorky's, Catatonia...

-..Manics, 'Phonics and 60 Ft. Dolls

-were all from Wales...

-..but they all had their own sound.

-Everyone talked about them

-and they were on the news.

-You couldn't move for journalists

-championing the new music.

-With money flowing from the music

-industry, anything was possible.

-I'm glad that the money

-from that time...

-..has helped to nurture new careers.

-I'm glad that people saw beyond

-Britain and took music to the world.

-The success of the bands

-made people realize...

-..that the culture and music

-industry within Wales was important.

-It was possible to come from Wales

-and to be successful.

-It's unlike any other period

-in Welsh music.

-It was a great time, as it is today.

-Wales has more music festivals...

-..more events, more gigs and bands.

-It's more exciting now than it

-ever was back in the nineties.

-We need someone to usurp James...

-..and Kelly and Gruff.

-We need someone new to say

-"Get out of the way."

-This is a new way

-of looking at Wales.

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