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It was not long ago that fast rising Carmarthen based female trio Adwaith released their new double A-sided single ‘Femme/Lipstick Coch’ through Libertino Records. ‘Lipstick Coch (Red Lipstick)’ is a fully charged post punk anthem in the vain of The Slits at their most immediate. This is an anthem celebrating youth, androgyny and love. The flipside ‘Femme’ concerns themes of feminity and sexism and sounds like it could have quite easily have been a long lost single on Postcard Records or Cherry Red Records from the mid-80s.

With its jangly C86 indie pop sound as a canvas to the witty, heartfelt lyrics Adwaith discuss femininity and the sexism experienced by them as young women. This is an inspirational song from an inspirational band willing to stand up for their beliefs. These songs are brave, creative moves both musically and lyrically for the band, yet they retain the distinctive melodic gift that is so recognizable in all Adwaith’s songs. A gift that has gained the band fast critical acclaim and extensive radio plays, most noticeably on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio 6, BBC Radio Cymru and Amazing Radio. The release of the singles come hot on the heels of Adwaith’s Maida Vale recording session for Huw Stephens in these legendary BBC studios. Their summer is full of activity including a live set on the BBC Introducing Stage at FOCUS Wales festival broadcast live on Adam Walton’s BBC Radio Wales show. Adwaith were introduced on the BBC Introducing stage at Latitude festival as the most exciting band from Wales in decades and will finish the summer on the Gorwelion /Horizons stage at Festival No 6. In the middle of all this activity, Adwaith have managed to record their debut album, and their label Libertino believe it’s creatively ground breaking and will stand as one of the important albums from Wales alongside the works of Gorky Zygotic Mynci, Super Furry Animals and Gwenno.’

So who are these awesome women, you ask? Adwaith is Hollie Singer, Gwenllian Anthony and Heledd Owen. Given that they are one of Wales’ best new bands, we decided to chat them up to get to know them better.

What inspired your band name and what is your band’s back story?

We’re called Adwaith because one of our mothers asked us what reaction was in Welsh and we thought it would be a decent band name!! Hahaha. We consist of Hollie Singer (guitar, vocals) Gwenllian Anthony (bass, keys) and Heledd Owen (drums). We came together about 2 years ago when we met Heledd, drunk, in a gig at the parrot in Carmarthen where she asked us if we needed a drummer.

What does it feel like being an artist from Wales, where there seems to be a big Welsh cultural renaissance?

It’s amazing!!! The Welsh music scene is thriving at the minute and we’re so glad to be a part of it. It’s really encouraging us to be writing music and releasing stuff as much as possible. People want to listen and it’s great

Do you play live much? What do you love most about this experience?

We play live as often as we can! I think our favourite part of playing live is watching people’s reactions. People don’t really know what to expect when they see three girls on stage.

Who are your musical inspirations and do you gather inspiration from anything else?

Our main musical inspirations are The Slits, Happy Mondays, Sunflower Bean, Sticky Fingers and Mac Demarco.

Can you tell me about your music creation process? Who writes your lyrics?

It’s a combined effort between all of us. To start a song off one of us will come to rehearsal with something (a riff, a cool drum beat, a few lyrics etc) and we’ll build it together from there.

Can you recommend me some other good Welsh artists to listen to?

There’s so many amazing Welsh artists out there at the minute!! We love ARGRPH, Los Blancos, Names, Omaloma, CHROMA and Ysgol Sul.

Shauna McLarnon