While there was little in the way of jelly and ice cream, the 2016 Welsh Music Prize did put on a lovely night with Meilyr Jones winning the award, surrounded by a great field that included the brilliant Climbing Trees, Simon Love, Cate Le Bon and Datblygu. Jones’ 2013 is the perfect debut album for the former frontman of Race Horses, taking the prize and all the girls, pear drops and open top buses around Cardiff that go with it.
Highlights from the night include Meilyr’s acceptance speech – “Great, thanks… [holds up forefinger] Oh and…” – Simon Love’s resplendent white suit and a very cool video montage to introduce all of the nominees. Huw Stevens expanded the night by doing his best Patagonian patter, but if we’re being honest the award section of the night is probably a little too fleeting to feel all that momentous, which is a shame considering the acts included in the nominees pen at the front. If we were to change anything, it would be to throw in at least two more categories into the prize – one for Best Welsh language and one for Best newcomer – to give it a little more interest and graviton radiation.
The prize was held at the Depot, in Cardiff (which is in fact just an S away from being Idi Amin) on the 25th November 2016. It’s a huge venue that’s as much outside as it is in, especially with all of the street food bars lining the side, intermingled with the standard and cocktail bars. Huw Stevens compared the night and handed over the lonely piece of glassware and while he wasn’t as cutting as Ricky Gervaise at the Oscars, he was on decent form.
For anyone looking for some musical starting points to check out the best of the nominated music, we’ve thrown in a few single vids below as an initial scissor kick jump into the well of Welsh music from the last year. However, we’d probably say you should at least add 2013 to your album to-do list, along with Simon Love’s It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time, Cat Le Bon’s Crab Day, Climbing Trees’ Borders and maybe Datblygu Porwr Trallod, if you’re feeling shodowic and experimental.
Welsh Music Prize nominees:
- 9Bach – Anian (Real World)
- Alun Gaffey – Alun Gaffey (Sbrigyn Ymborth)
- Cate Le Bon – Crab Day (Turnstile / Drag City)
- Climbing Trees – Borders (Staylittle Music)
- Datblygu – Porwr Trallod (Ankstmusic)
- Meilyr Jones (Winner) – 2013 (Moshi Moshi)
- Plu – Tir A Golau (Sbrigyn Ymborth)
- Right Hand Left Hand – Right Hand Left Hand (Jealous Lovers Club)
- Simon Love – It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time (Fortuna Pop!)
- Skindred – Volume (Napalm Records)
- Swnami – Swnami (Ika Ching)
- The Anchoress – Confessions Of A Romance Novellist (Kscope)
