Introducing: Adwaith

Welsh trio Adwaith have spent the festival season in the UK promoting their sophomore Bato Mato album. Out now via Libertino, it features recent single Wedi Blino. Its glamourous take on post-punk got us wanting to find out more about the band. Read on to find out more.

First up, could you tell us a bit about Adwaith?

We are Gwen, Hollie and Heledd. We formed in 2015 after a lovely weekend at a Welsh festival. We were inspired to write Welsh language music, so we went ahead and did it! We’re all from Carmarthenshire in West Wales and are all based here at the moment.

What inspires the band to write music?

Our songs are quite personal. We get inspired by experiences, travelling and the people we meet on the way. I wouldn’t say there are any artists that inspire us directly. Our music is a bit of a melting pot of different influences and genres.

Bato Mato by Adwaith

Who or what would you say has had the most influence on your music?

This is a tough question! I think our parents have definitely influenced the music we listen to. Especially in the early days of writing Melyn. We wrote a lot of the album when we were 16/17. Our parents have exquisite music taste to be fair. I think they put us on the right track to listening to good music.

What has been your most enjoyable or memorable musical experience up to now?

I think it has to be playing Motorpoint arena with IDLES. It was just an all-round crazy experience. It’s very rare to see Welsh language acts play Motorpoint so we were so honoured to be there. We’re still processing it now.

Is singing in Welsh an important part of the band identity or sound?

100%!!! It’s who we are. It’s our culture. It’s our upbringing. We decided to start writing music because of going to Welsh language gigs so it was just a natural thing for us to do. It would feel unauthentic of us to release an English album now. Never say never though!

What was the last album or song you listened to?

I (Gwen) have been listening to a lot of Tinariwen recently. I am obsessed!! I seriously can’t get enough of it. I need to see them love asap!

Bato Mato by Adwaith

If you could support anyone, who would it be?

It would have to be Damon Albarn. I love how he can write any kind of song. He has definitely got a melting pot of influences too. Hit us up Damon!!

What song do you always find yourselves singing along to?

Kula Shaker – Govinda. This is a staple in the car for us. Such a good tune!

Was there a specific inspiration or incident behind Wedi Blino?

It’s about feeling you are the reason for someone’s pain and feeling unwanted in a relationship, but also realising that life is too short to be feeling that way. It’s all centred around a toxic relationship.

What’s up next for Adwaith after the release of Wedi Blino in terms of music, gigs, videos…?

We’ve played Glastonbury (can’t believe it!!), Nozstock & Greenman. We’ll also be touring the new album in the summer. We’ve also started working on Album number 3 which is very exciting!

You can stream and download Bato Mato on Bandcamp. For news on the band, including new music and upcoming gigs, follow them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. They play The Grace in London this November – click here for more details.