Pontardawe Festival 1982-4 'urhuntus'?

Subject: Pontardawe Festival 1982-4 'urhuntus'?
From: Straford
Date: 21 Feb 02 - 12:21 AM

I am trying to find music from a band that played at Pontardawe Festival in 1984/83 timeframe. The name sounds like "urhuntus". They had fiddle player Mike Leece. Anyone remeber the band and know how to spell it and how to get some of their music? Thanks

Straford

Subject: RE: Pontardawe Festival 1982-4 'urhuntus'?
From: mouldy
Date: 21 Feb 02 - 02:22 AM

They were called "yr hwntws" and were from South Wales. I have one of their albums on vinyl: it is merely called "yr hwntws" and is on Loco #1001. It was released in 1982. The contact is Mike Lease from Coed Eva, Cwmbran. It gives his address on the sleeve as 194 Oaksford, Coed Eva. (After all this time he has probably moved on).

I think I heard of them due to a local radio folk programme! They were great!

Andrea

Subject: RE: Pontardawe Festival 1982-4 'urhuntus'?
From: The_one_and_only_Dai
Date: 21 Feb 02 - 05:54 AM

A search of Sain Records' website shows "Bachgen bach o dincer" by Yr Hwntws, on a compilation, but nothing else... but at least somebody at Sain would probably be able to inform you of the whereabouts of the band if they're still extant...

Subject: RE: Pontardawe Festival 1982-4 'urhuntus'?
From: Nerd
Date: 21 Feb 02 - 12:41 PM

Yr Hwntws aren't around as a band anymore, and their only album is the ultimate collector's item in Welsh folk music. They did have a track on a recent compilation, which came from that same 1982 album.

Subject: RE: Pontardawe Festival 1982-4 'urhuntus'?
From: Straford
Date: 21 Feb 02 - 10:27 PM

Thanks, Andrea: hold on to that Album. I found it for sale at 125 pounds (excellent condition!). So it is indeed a collector's item. Thanks for the info. I'll do some more hunting.

Straford

Subject: RE: Pontardawe Festival 1982-4 'urhuntus'?
From: mouldy
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 02:40 AM

Wow! Mine got well played, so it probably won't class as "excellent". Last time I saw it on sale was over 10 years ago at Whitby, in the days when you could still buy vinyl. I think it was £13 then. (I bought it in 1982, so it was a good investment). It really is a cracking album, and the best bit is that there's an English translation as well as the words in Welsh in the accompanying notes.

Are any of the band still around in other groups, or solo?

Andrea

Subject: RE: Pontardawe Festival 1982-4 'urhuntus'?
From: death by whisky
Date: 22 Feb 02 - 04:12 PM

I won the worst song in the world,Ponty 84.Other bands at the time were Mabsant,and Ar Log.Mike played at our wedding in 92.I played with a group called FFYLLUM a few months later,and that went on for quite a few years.

Subject: RE: Pontardawe Festival 1982-4 'urhuntus'?
From: Skipper Jack
Date: 23 Feb 02 - 04:00 AM

The Rise and Fall of Pontardawe Festival.

The festival was launched in the 70's as a purely Celtic event. Welsh bands such as Yr Hwntws; Ar Log; Aberjaber were joined by a wealth of Celtic artistes including Silly Wizard from Scotland, The popular Irish group Quilty, Brittany was well represented with groups such as Bleizi Ruz, Sonnerien Du. (I hope that I have spelt these names correctly?) They even had an exciting act from Galicia and who can remember that fantastic group from the Basque country? All the Celtic nations were featured at one time or another. Then Pontardawe grew and became a truly international event.It certainly put Pontardawe on the map. But was this a mistake one might ask? Because many other festivals in the UK had international artistes - giving the punter more choice as to which festival to attend to support their favourite world artistes. Pontardawe maybe lost it's individuality? It moved away from being a community event and costs rocketed. Then the Pontardawe International Festival fell victim to the Foot & Mouth Crisis. But the community were determined not to lose it all together and they have organised the event which has brought it back into the village. It is of course a much smaller festival but the spirit has been rekindled.

Who knows, what the future will be for this once magnificent international festival?

Subject: RE: Pontardawe Festival 1982-4 'urhuntus'?
From: mouldy
Date: 23 Feb 02 - 05:18 AM

I've just been playing the Yr Hwntws album for the first time in about 10 years, and it's so good! I have just heard the track that was played on local radio in Notts in 1982. It blew me away then, and it still does: Dawns Forys Gymreig/Cynghansail Cymry (Welsh Morris dance/Welsh Ground). (Ironically my non-folkie son is now living in Trefforest, right in the area a lot of the tunes come from).

As an aside, if Skipper Jack is going to festivals in the area: are the Brynmawr Welsh Folk Dancers still active? I have had the pleasure of meeting them at a couple of weekends of dance several years ago, and a right good crowd they are! I remember one Saturday night in High Peak College common room (about 20 foot square) when their band got stuck into playing some dance tunes when we got back from the main ceilidh, and we carried on until about 3am. That was the night the young Irish dancers came down in their pjs and did a spot cos they couldn't sleep for the noise!

Subject: RE: Pontardawe Festival 1982-4 'urhuntus'?
From: GUEST,mike lease fiddler original yr hwntys line=
Date: 05 Sep 08 - 04:21 PM

i have no e-mail no. as yet. tel.[phone] glad to hear somebody still valued the music in 2002.my address; 194 oaksford,coed eva,cwmbran,gwent,np446uq