Ankst records are making quite a name for themselves of late. Championed by John Peel and with airplay on a few of Radio 1’s evening shows, I thought it was high time White Lemonade found out more.
Formed in 1988 by two ex-fanzine scribblers, non-studying at UCW Aberystwyth but willing to forsake some of their grants to enable releases by ex-Swansea City hooligan/singer-songwriter, Neil Rosser and funksters, Arfer Anfad to see the light of day.
And see the light of day they did, just about. As with all indie ventures business was initially on a hand-to-mouth basis, ensuring enough money from one release to finance the next. Releases in this period included Tynal Tywyll’s previously unreleased early material and Brighton & London-based Traddodiad Ofnus.
Ankst went full time in the summer of 1990, moving to Cardiff with their latest acquisition in the bag, y Cyrff. A single, ‘Hwyl fawr Heulwen / Pethau Achlysurol’ was released to coincide with the National Eisteddfod in the Rhymni Valley (nearly every release in Welsh is timed either for the eisteddfod or Christmas!).
Releases since then have numbered more than thirty, including bands such as Ty Gwydr – the phoenix that rose from the ashes of Traddodiad Ofnus, Ffa Coffi Pawb – music ranging from ‘the mercurial to the Mancunian’ (South Wales Echo), seasoned Peel favourites Datblygu and new white hopes, Beganifs.
Everything Ankst have released has been in Welsh with the workforce now increased to a phenomenal four, they may be edging towards the point where they can silence the cynics and the critics who said it was impossible to survive releasing Welsh only material.
The only thing that binds such musically diverse bands is that they sing in Welsh and show a high degree of commitment towards their music. They need not be card-carrying members of any political organisation but Ankst align themselves closely with the wider campaign of saving the Welsh language by dragging its culture into the twentieth century.
I’ll let Gruffydd, one of the label’s founders, have the last word, “If you’re a Welsh person with the Welsh language haven’t meant sod all to you please don’t let The Man blinker your views on things. Just because you don’t speak Welsh it doesn’t mean you can’t share in its culture and entertainment; and I don’t mean that in any hippytastic kind of utopia. Buy, steal or tape one of our bands’ releases to savour the sounds of young Wales!”
Interview by Darren Jones