One reason why I love Llanelli is that the people here are very creative whether it is music, drama, painting and so on. We have the Furnace Theatre which has a Studio Theatre on the side where local people can show off their acting and singing. It is an extraordinary place because the people of Llanelli love to perform. Our villages like Pontyberem also have theatres. In fact Pontyberem’s theatre has such fantastic acoustics that the only other theatre in the UK which has the same acoustics is the Royal Festival Hall.
There are so many artists which can be seen by the art galleries around Llanelli.
We have the most fantastic choirs and wonderful individual voices as well as the musical organisation called Loud Applause Rising Stars (LARS) run by Cerith Owen. We have great orchestras and it is amazing the amount of talent we have here.
I remember I was on the last train to Llanelli from Swansea and a whole load of rugby supporters were returning home. They were noisy but not offensive in any way, indeed there was lots of laughter and humour. Suddenly the carriage went completely silent and this beautiful voice sang Nessun Dorma. When he had finished, the whole carriage burst into a huge amount of applause. I used to say only in Wales but I would narrow it down now, only in Llanelli.
Welsh speaking is a very important part of Llanelli. There is no English alternative to the name of the town. Between the years of 1895 and 2014, Llanelli hosted the National Eisteddford six times. In the mid-20th century, Llanelli was the world’s largest town in which more than half the inhabitants spoke a Celtic language. After many years of campaigning, in the 1960s in Llanelli Welsh was given equal status with English.
This is important because we are talking about the music and the arts in Llanelli and this is being developed by Welsh-speaking people, not just those who have spoken Welsh from birth but also the people who have moved here and have learnt Welsh and love the idea of singing and performing in Welsh. I remember being an usher at the Cross Hands Cinema and watching the Saron school perform the Wizard of Oz in Welsh. It was stunning. I absolutely loved it.
Many new learners of Welsh who are also performers are using Welsh in their work, some of whom are people of colour as they perform reggae. To hear reggae in Welsh must be very exciting. Aleighcia Scott is one of these. She started learning Welsh three years ago. She feels very proud to be singing in Welsh and she has been invited to be a coach on the Welsh version of The Voice (Y Llais). However she has faced racism here.
“People told me that I was too black to be Welsh”
“I wasn’t allowed to be Welsh”
Dionne Bennett is a Welsh soul singer. She started learning on something like Zoom which is where most lessons take place now since the pandemic. I have enjoyed being on Zoom when I was learning Welsh. It’s pleasant because you are still at home and can just relax in front of the screen. She enjoyed learning the language.
“Welsh is a beautiful language and the cadence and rhythm of it reminds me of Jamaica, putting my mouth into different shapes and bringing out a different texture in my voice. As a black Welsh woman, I wasn’t sure how I’d be accepted but I’ve been embraced.”
She sings the theme song for Y Lais.
New young Welsh artists like the band Adwaith and another band Mellt , the rapper Dom James are rising up in fame.
One Welsh Course I did — and I have done several — I had a very sympathetic teacher called Amanda. In our breaks she would always put on some Welsh songs and always at the end. So I heard some Welsh pop music as well as old songs and nursery rhymes. In the film, How green was my valley, John Ford, the film director , had a Welsh choir sing all the old favourites throughout the story. I have got the DVD of this film and often watch it just to hear the choir. John Ford won one of his 4 Oscars for it as best director.
It was made into a series on television years ago by the BBC starring Sian Phillips and Stanley Baker but there was no choir. Those singers in the John Ford film were fantastic and really added to the atmosphere. Then of course you have the film Zulu about a Welsh regiment and the wonderful Ivor Emmanuel who lead the soldiers to sing Men of Harlech. Fantastic.
Finally in modern times, we have the streaming platforms where millions of listeners hear Welsh singing both old and new for free.
Although I love the language and the wonderful singing, I am still rubbish at it but I won’t give up. I will continue my Welsh classes until they carry me out in my coffin.
Of course, Wales is known for its singing and choirs, I have to say it is Llanelli that is particularly important to me as I hear this wonderful singing and the talented shows that are put on by local people. We should be very proud of what Llanelli folk have achieved over the years with their enormous talent, a great place to live.
