Big Leaves were a Welsh

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band formed in 1988, originally named Beganifs. They disbanded in 2003, with two members subsequently forming Sibrydion.

History

The band was formed in 1988 as Beganifs by then 11- and 12-year-old school pupils Rhodri Sion (vocals), Meilir Gwynedd (guitar), Kevin Tame (bass guitar, trumpet), and Osian Gwynedd (drums, keyboards).Thomas, Bryan " Big Leaves Biography,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, retrieved 2010-09-18Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 624 They initially recorded and sold home-recorded tapes, and released two seven-inch EPs as Beganifs, the first on their own label, the second on

Ankst Records Ankst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams. After a handful of low key cassette releases, the label relocated to Cardiff and became a mo ...

. They changed the band name to Big Leaves after they were mistakenly billed as this by a concert promoter in the Netherlands who misheard their name.Big Leaves biography
,

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, 30 January 2009, retrieved 2010-09-18 They were signed by Crai Records, releasing two EPs in 1998 and 1999, and contributed to the second album by

Catatonia Catatonia is a complex syndrome most commonly seen in people with underlying mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder, or psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia. People with catatonia exhibit abnormal movement and behaviors, wh ...

, with whom they later toured. They also toured with

Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band formed in Cardiff in 1993. For the duration of their professional career, the band consisted of Gruff Rhys (lead vocals, guitar), Huw Bunford (lead guitar, vocals), Guto Pryce (bass guitar), Cian C ...

, a band with which they have been compared. "Sly Alibi", released in 1999 on

Adam Walton Adam Walton (born 17 April 1999) is an Australian professional tennis player. Walton has a career high ATP singles ranking of world No. 85 achieved on 31 March 2025. He also has a career high doubles ranking of No. 136 achieved on 4 March 2024 ...

's Whipcord label, was the band's first English-language release. Their 1999 single "Racing Birds" was so highly regarded by

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

DJ Mark Radcliffe that he played it twice in a row on his show.Lester, Paul (2009)
New band of the Day: No 480: Sibrydion
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 6 February 2009, retrieved 2010-09-18 The band's debut album, ''Pwy Sy'n Galw?'' (''Who's Calling?'') was released in 2000, after which they were joined by drummer Matt Hobbs. The band performed at the

South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

festival in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

in 2002, and were featured in a documentary on

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speakin ...

. They released a second album in 2003, after which the band split up. Meilir and Osian Gwynedd later formed Sibrydion.

Discography

Albums

*''Pwy Sy'n Galw?'' (2000), Sain *''Alien & Familiar'' (2003), Dell'Orso

Singles, EPs

*''Llygaid Gwyder'' EP (1997), self-released – as Beganifs *''Ffraeth'' EP (1997), Ankst – as Beganifs *''Trwmgwsg'' EP (1998), Crai *''Belinda'' EP (1999), Crai *"Sly Alibi" (1999), Whipcord *"Racing Birds" (1999), Whipcord *''Fine'' EP (2000), Metropolis *''Animal Instinct'' EP (2001), Dell'Orso *"Electro-Magnetic Pollution" (2001), Boobytrap (part of the label's Singles Club) *"Speakeasy" (2002), Dell'Orso *''Siglo'' EP (2002), Crai

References

External links

Take it from me... Big Leaves
,

, retrieved 2010-09-18 {{Authority control Welsh indie pop groups Welsh rock music groups Welsh-language bands Welsh indie rock groups