Sat 16 Aug 2014 – Wales and an Independent Scotland

The Dragons Have Been Bled

Wales and an Independent Scotland

ABTB-1608

With Peter Arnott, Julia Taudevin, Neil Murray, Buddug James Jones, Sarah Jane Leigh, Catrin Dafydd, A New International.

I was looking forward to this show as I have a bit of a thing for Wales. So much of the music and poetry I like is Welsh and yet I feel I know so little about it. It was pure luck that the show ‘Hiraeth’ was on the fringe and both Byddug and Sarah Jane were available to come on but I think their contribution centres the show. The idea of Hiraeth, despite my multiple attempts at pronunciation, runs through the show; from Neil Murray’s memories of his parents’ home to Buddug’s memories of the farm she grew up on. It’s an idea that seems to capture something terribly important about all of our relationships to place. Whatever ‘Hiraeth’ is, I was feeling something like it when I listened to A New International sing their spine-tingling songs. This was a very special Bowie’s for me. Warm and sad.

David Greig


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