Yr Anhrefn | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Bangor,Wales |
| Genres | Punk rock |
| Years active | 1982–1995, 2007 |
| Labels | Anhrefn, Workers Playtime, Crai |
| Past members | Rhys Mwyn Sion Sebon Hefin Huws Dewi Gwyn Dafydd Ieuan Dylan Hughes Sion Jones Ryan Kift Gwyn Jones |
Yr Anhrefn, also known simply asAnhrefn, were an influentialWelshpunk rock group of the 1980s and 1990s.
Anhrefn (Welsh for "Disorder") were an influential punk rock band from Bangor, North Wales and formed in 1982,[1] and initially sang only in Welsh.[2] The band were not supported byRadio Cymru or Welsh-language TV channelS4C, beyond an occasional interview, and bassist Rhys Mwyn became known as an outspoken critic of the Welsh pop industry.[1]
Mwyn (born Gwynedd Rhys Thomas) set up his ownRecordiau Anhrefn label in 1983, helping to promote like-minded Welsh bands as well as their own music.[2] The band were championed byJohn Peel and recorded three sessions for hisBBC Radio 1 show; Peel even travelled to Wales to see the band perform.[1][3] The band played up to 300 gigs a year at their peak,[2] touring Europe several times, including Czechoslovakia,[4] Germany and the Basque Region of Spain.
They were featured onChannel 4 TV showThe Tube in 1987, although they were largely ignored by the British music weeklies, and played withJoe Strummer on the Rock Against Rich UK tour in 1988.
Original members Hefin Huws and Dewi Gwyn left the band in the late 1980s and were replaced by Dylan Hughes (formerly ofY Cyrff) and Sion Jones (formerly of Maffia Mr Huws).
The band made their firstEnglish language recording in 1994, on a single with actressMargi Clarke (they released a cover ofCole Porter's "Anything Goes" as a single), and had earlier collaborated withPauline Murray (of the punk bandPenetration) in 1990, who co-wroteLlygad wrth Lygad, which is on the B-side of the cassette version ofRhedeg i Paris.
In 1995, brothers Rhys and Sion changed musical direction to a more techno sound. They changed their name and released a self-titled albumHen Wlad fy Mamau – Land of My Mothers, It also featured producer Ronnie Stone who aided the duo in creating a world beat collection of re-mixed Welsh folk music, samples and electronic sounds featuring Welsh singersSiân James, Lowri Ann Richards, June Campbell Davies and Elinor Bennett, Punjabi rapper Harvinder Sangha and African dub collectiveZion Train.[5]
The band soon split after that release, but brothers Rhys Mwyn and Sion Sebon formed a new band, Mangre, in 2000. Mwyn went on to manage the Crai label and work as an agent. He managedCatatonia and more recentlyJeb Loy Nichols, which prompted a resurrection of Recordiau Anhrefn.[6]
In 2007 Anhrefn reformed briefly without Mwyn, with Ryan Kift on vocals.[7]
Super Furry Animals drummer Dafydd Ieuan was also in Yr Anhrefn for a time, playing on their 1993 Peel session,[3][8] and SFA had started out as atechno band, supporting Yr Anhrefn on a tour ofFrance in 1993.[9]
Rhys Mwyn gave up his regular show onLlangefni based community radioMôn FM in 2016, to start broadcasting a regular Monday night show onBBC Radio Cymru.[10]
In 2016, Rhys Mwyn and Sion Jones teamed up with Neil Crud and Alan Matthews (both previous members of North Wales punk bands 4Q andSons Of Selina) to play Anhrefn's debut albumDefaid, Skateboards a Wellies live under the banner Welsh Rebel Outpost.[11] Rhys Mwyn also played bass with Welsh post-punk band White Ether (2016-2020).[12]
In 2020 Rhys Mwyn played bass on Helen Love's single "1234 Dee Dee Ramone".
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