Pretty Vicious at Blackwood Miners 'Stute
- It's bloody appnin mun! Yer....in this town!
- Seen it all b'fore. 'member Man, with Micky Jones?
- Nah!
- Exac'ly my point! Where's the friggin statue to im? Boxers maybe....but oo gives a shit 'bout rock stars ? Theyer come an gone!
- No...yew don' understand! We got loadsa bands. Merthyr's the new Madchester....like with the Appy Mondays, Stone Roses , Smiths an 'a.
- Jest coz yew wan' it t appen, don't mean it will. Wales as bin done, son...Cool Cymru an all tha crap....Catatonia, Manics, Super Furries, Stereophonics an them. Int gunna appen agen, not in my lifetime!
- Well, yew wait an see. Mewsic's the on'y way!
In all the 35 and more years I've been living in Merthyr - renowned for its boxing, when it should've been more historians and literature - I've never known such an exciting music scene.
Of course, I'm aware of being dubbed a hypocrite.
Only weeks ago I blogged that women in rock were making the most interesting contributions without getting due recognition.
Yet here we have an exclusively male and mostly young rock scene.
But, because it's centred on one place and that place has often been portrayed negatively in the media, I do find this 'Mewsic Uprising' all the more fascinating.
I'm sure I'm missing important bands, but the ones I've listened to have been very impressive, namely Chapel Row, Pretty Vicious, Local Enemy, The Dole Age, Plastercene and The Moon Birds.
Sometimes catching them on You-Tube can be misleading though, as the recording quality can be poor. Soundcloud and their own Facebook pages are more satisfying.
The first three are younger and certainly represent more of a Merthyr sound. It has been called 'punk n roll' and that's not a bad description.
I was proud to witness Pretty Vicious (who have signed a deal with Virgin EMI....quite some breakthrough for a teenage group) supporting the Manics recently at Cardiff Castle.
They were very tight, energetic and passionate and if their songs were a bit samey, you could still marvel at their raw emotions.
The other bands are going to depend heavily on a single to make a similar impact as Pretty Vicious' excellent 'Cave Song'.
The Dole Age have certainly got one in their witty tale of marital trials using boxing terms, 'Seconds Out'. Even more outstanding is 'Weekend Rockstar' from Local Enemy, which I hope gets the air-play it deserves.
Like The Moon Birds with their jazzy tinge, Plastercene don't fit into the aggressive soundscapes. They remind me of the early Stereophonics with their tales of Valleys' life such as 'Intoxicated' and 'Existing Statistics', such a rare thing in rock today.
But why Merthyr and why now?
The music scene hasn't just emerged, and bands like the recently defunct Epaulettes and Oratorios paved the way (in fact, the latter's frontman is also the singer of The Dole Age).
Out of adversity comes a desire to express and , for many young people, rock is the medium .
Digital opportunities now abound, of course, but this could apply anywhere, not just here.
The annual festival Merthyr Rock has no doubt been an inspiration and, above all, the chance to play at regular venues in town like the Redhouse and the Crown.
The Merthyr Rising Festival has undoubtedly focused attention on the town's creativity, which ranges from singer-songwriters like Jamie Bevan, Kizzy Crawford and Delyth McLean to brilliant artists such as Gus Payne and a plethora of writers.
The Rising Festival has prompted a renewed interest in our history which the education system has tended to ignore : our rebellion against capitalism ( the ironmasters) and the forces of the British state ( the Army who savagely put the Rising down).
There are economic reasons as well, and rock is the way to success and an escape from constant struggle, in much the same way as boxing once was.
Will anything come of this 'Merthyr Mewsic', or will it focus on Pretty Vicious and ignore the rest?
A forthcoming compilation album of the bands who played in the Rising Festival could prove a turning-point.
Merthyr is rapidly changing, yet staying the same.
Retail parks, new road systems, a brandnew college.....yet still one of the poorest parts of the whole of Europe, with a giant opencast mine glooming over us.
Maybe this very tension has helped produce an upsurge in creativity. Even the 'Western Mail' is paying attention!
Anyway.....wha'ever......it's definitlee appnin yer!
Spot the name checks...........
BAG FULL OF WRITINGS
The local enemy Number One,
a poet on the street
with his bag full of writings
his only possessions.
No Del-Boy this, he's sold
his CD collection just to eat
and drink, he wobbles
to the Nye Bevan Clinic.
They tell him his liver
is so pickled it'd make
pub onions taste sweet
as Crawford's shortbread.
He's been living in the dole age
since they invented it ;
his plasticene face moulded
by worry and rage.
Night-time and the moon birds
are circling in his head ;
drunk, he returns to Chapel Row
where his family lived lifetimes ago.
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