Swansea Sound (band)

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Swansea Sound
Background information
OriginSwansea, Kent
Genres
Years active2020–present
LabelsSkep Wax Records
MembersAmelia Fletcher

Hue Williams
Rob Pursey
Ian Button

Bob Collins
Websitehttp://swanseasound.bandcamp.com

Swansea Sound are an indie pop band from Kent and Swansea, formed in 2020. The group reunites Amelia Fletcher and Hue Williams, who previously sang together in 1990s indie band The Pooh Sticks. The songs are written by Rob Pursey, Fletchers's husband and long-term musical partner in Heavenly, Marine Research and Tender Trap. Ian Button, formerly of Death in Vegas and Thrashing Doves plays drums. Bob Collins, of The Dentists, plays guitar.

History[edit]

The band adopted the name of Welsh local radio station, Swansea Sound, on 1 September 2020, the day it was renamed Greatest Hits Radio South Wales.[1][failed verification]

Formed in 2020, during the Covid pandemic, the band only intended to release a few singles. The first four were Corporate Indie Band, I Sold My Soul on eBay, Rock n Roll Void and Indies Of The World, the latter of which entered the UK Physical Singles Top 10.[2]

Their first album 'Live At The Rum Puncheon', released in November 2021. Reflecting on the indie pedigree of the band members, Shindig! referred to them as "indie-pop royalty,"[3] while AllMusic considered that it "felt like an indie pop dream come to life."[4] The album was not live, nor was it recorded at the Rum Puncheon, a notorious Swansea pub which closed down in the 1980s.[5] Instead, due to the pandemic, it was recorded by the band members themselves in their respective homes, without ever meeting each other. The album was widely reviewed positively including in Uncut[6] and Record Collector, the latter referring to it as "packed full of hook-filled two-and-a-half-minute pop songs, offset by the underlying acerbic commentary on contemporary corporatisation and digital branding."[7]

Around the time of the debut album's release, the relaxation of Covid rules allowed the band to meet and play live, across the UK and in Paris. Second album 'Twentieth Century', released in September 2023, was more of a band effort. It again received widespread critical acclaim, including from Mojo,[8] Record Collector,[9] and Louder Than War.[10] The band recorded a live session for the Riley&Coe show on BBC Radio 6 Music.

In December 2022, the band released a single, Music Lover, using a format they had invented: a CD single inside a Christmas card. They used same format the following December for Santa Bail Me Out.

Swansea Sound's sleeve artwork is by Welsh visual artist Catrin Saran James, who also provides Welsh language vocals on a number of tracks.

Discography[edit]

Albums[edit]

  • Live At The Rum Puncheon (Skep Wax 005, 2021)
  • Twentieth Century (Skep Wax 015, 2023)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "'Tragedy' as Wales' oldest commercial radio station folded into UK-wide network". Nation Cymru. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 30 Jan 2024.
  2. ^ "UK Official Physical Singles Chart". Official Charts. 25 Mar 2021. Retrieved 30 Jan 2024.
  3. ^ Patterson, Thomas (8 Jan 2022). "A Rum Affair". Shindig!: 30.
  4. ^ Sendra, Tim. "Twentieth Century Review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 30 Jan 2024.
  5. ^ Williams, Nino (27 Aug 2018). "Ten of the most notorious Swansea pubs that ever existed". WalesOnline. Retrieved 30 Jan 2024.
  6. ^ Wallace, Wyndham (11 Nov 2021). "Live at the Rum Puncheon review". Uncut: 31.
  7. ^ Johnstone, Johnnie (4 Nov 2021). "Live at the Rum Puncheon review". Record Collector: 115.
  8. ^ Wirth, Jim (19 Sep 2023). "Twentieth Century review". Mojo: 86.
  9. ^ Johnstone, Johnnie (5 Oct 2023). "Twentieth Century review". Record Collector: 99.
  10. ^ Babey, Ged (8 Sep 2023). "Swansea Sound: Twentieth Century Review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 30 Jan 2024.
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