Anhrefn – 1st John Peel Session

Sion Sebon – Guitar/Vocals, Rhys Mwyn – Bass, Dewi Gwyn – Guitar, Hefin Huws – Drums/Backing Vocals

At the time Anhrefn received very little support or coverage through a very conservative Welsh media. This was the Bangor band’s first of three John Peel Sessions broadcast on BBC Radio One, and paved the way for other Welsh language Peel Sessions / airplay. This particular session was aired three times on the show during the latter half of 1986.

During a visit to London to promote the band and their label (of the same name), Anhrefn’s bassist (and acting manager) Rhys Mwyn introduced himself to John Peel;

“I was told that John was in a wine bar around the corner; as I entered the bar and caught Peel’s eye he greeted me with; ‘You’re not a mugger I hope,’ which kind of says a lot about him. I explained about the compilation of new ‘underground’ Welsh-language acts and a couple of days later he played Rhywle Yn Moscow by Anhrefn, which at the time felt like we’d actually made it!”

John Peel, who had Welsh connections himself through being in boarding school in North Wales and his father lived in Rhosneigr, was about to discover the Welsh scene. Rhys Mwyn sent him some demo tapes of his bands, and Peel began to realise that Wales had a music scene all of its own which was very much alive and well.

“Rhys had put together and sent me two worthwhile compilations on his own Anhrefn Records,” he remembers. “They were quite primitively produced in their way, because of the financial constraints the bands faced. However, when I eventually met Rhys, he was such a persuasive and dedicated person – the sort who just couldn’t be ignored – that he started me off on Welsh music. Before that I had zero interest.”

Sion (pic above) introduced each song in Welsh then translated them into English, explaining what they were about for the Radio One listeners

Tracks aired – 1. Action Man / 2. Dawns y Duwiau /3. Defaid /4. Nefoedd Un (also called, Teimladau)
Recorded: 1986-07-22.
Broadcast: 04 August 1986.
Repeated: 20 August 1986 and again, 22 December 1986.