Wales - The Southeast

We conclude our journey around Wales with a visit to the most populous part of the country, the southeast.  Welsh folk band Fernhill were formed in Swansea in 1996 and have been described as "highly regarded, innovative cultural ambassadors for Wales and its folk music".  The use of the trumpet gives their tunes a distinct jazzy feel.  This is a song from their 2011 album Canu Rhydd called Glyn Tawe:

Singer/songwriter and harpist Georgia Ruth Williams, or just Georgia Ruth as she prefers to be called, was born in the small coastal village of Llantwit Major near Cardiff, but grew up in Aberystwyth.  She sings both in English and Welsh and her style is described as folk and indie pop.  Here's a live performance of her song Week of Pines from her 2013 album of the same name:

Carreg Lafar is a contemporary traditional folk band formed in 1993 in Cardiff, the capital of Wales.  They use a mix of traditional and original music to convey a contemporary and fresh approach, whilst staying firmly rooted in the language and tradition of Welsh song and dance music.  Carreg Lafar apparently means speaking stone or echo stone.  This lively number is the opening track of their 2016 album Aur called Aderyn bach:

Also based in Cardiff are duo Bragod, consisting of Welsh native Robert Evans and Trinidadian Mary-Anne Roberts.  They perform historically informed medieval Welsh music.  Evans plays the crwth, which is a type of bowed lyre, while Roberts sings and dances,  The result is quite mesmerizing!  This is their story:

They only recorded one album called Kaingk in 2005 and this is a fun live performance of a song off that album called Y March Glass:

And here a more formal performance of a song that does not feature on the album Yr Wylan (The Seagull)

Calan is considered an "M4 Corridor" band, after the motorway connecting the towns of Swansea, Cardiff and Cwmbran, where the 5 members of the band come from.  When they formed in 2006 the band members were only between 13 and 22 years of age.  They perform traditional Welsh folk, singing both in Welsh and English and have already gathered numerous awards.  This is the opening track of their 2017 album Solomon called Kân: 

And for something more traditional from the same album, #DeportationSelfie, which they composed after they were refused entry to the USA for looking dodgy and took a selfie of themselves whilst being driven in a police van directly to their plane.

That was it from Wales, next we'll head back into England and explore the south of the country.  As usual you can follow my virtual ramblings on my tripline map.