Melys (English translation: "Sweet") are a Welsh

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

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 from

Betws-y-Coed Betws-y-Coed () is a village and community (Wales), community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. The village is located near the confluence of the River Conwy and the River Llugwy and is on the eastern edge of Snowdonia. The population of the co ...

Conwy Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy ...

, formed in 1996. They sing in both

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

. They have recorded eleven sessions for

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

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 ...

, came first in his

Festive Fifty The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's 50 (though the exact figure varied above and below this number) best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. It was usually do ...

in 2001 and won Best Welsh-language Act at the Welsh Music Awards in 2002.

History and line-up

The group was formed by Andrea Parker (vocals) and Paul Adams (guitar and keyboards) when the two met in Betws-y-Coed in 1996. The two became both musical and personal partners and recruited Adams' brother Gary Husband on drums and their friend Carys Jones on keyboards. After releasing two EP's with local label

Ankstmusik 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 m ...

the group was signed to

Pinnacle Records Pinnacle Entertainment was an entertainment group based in the United Kingdom spanning many divisions and primarily known as one of the UK's leading independent record labels and distributors. History In 1996, Windsong/Pinnacle was purchased by ...

releasing their first album ''Rumours and Curses'' in 1998. Unfortunately their relations with Pinnacle, always strained, fell apart completely when that label went bankrupt at the end of the year. The group subsequently founded their own label, Sylem Records, on which their second album ''Kamikaze'' was released. Jones left the band at around this time to be replaced by Richard Eardley on bass.

, a long-time fan of the group (and for whom they recorded 11

Peel Sessions John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

) introduced the group to

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

band Seedling in late 2000 and they released a split single in collaboration with them (the song on Seedling's side was called "Cool Baby My Hips Go Woo") in early 2001. ''Suikerspin'' (

for

candy floss Cotton candy, also known as candy floss (candyfloss) and fairy floss, is a spun sugar confection that resembles cotton. It is made by heating and liquefying sugar, and spinning it centrifugally through minute holes, causing it to rapidly cool ...

), Melys' third album, was released in 2001. They scored some considerable success when a single from this album called "Chinese Whispers" was voted number one in Peel's

at the end of the year. After this success Melys apparently shied away from the public eye, returning in 2003 with their fourth album ''Casting Pearls''. Their latest release was ''Life's Too Short'' (a title (and album) dedicated to Peel) in 2005. At least one song on every album is in the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh c ...

, for which the group do not provide an English translation, either in the printed lyrics or on their website. The band had a four-year break from releasing records and playing gigs after a March 2005 gig in Llandudno; Parker and Adams opened a restaurant called Bistro Betws-y-Coed in their hometown, specialising in Welsh food. In September 2009 the band played a gig for "John Peel Day" at Hendre Hall in Bangor in memory of the DJ. In the summer of 2016, Melys performed at 'By the edge of the Sea' festival with

The Wedding Present The Wedding Present are an English indie rock group formed in 1985 in Leeds, England, by members of The Lost Pandas. The band has been led by vocalist and guitarist David Gedge, the band's only constant member. Closely linked to the C86 scene ...

in Brighton and at the Stowed Out festival in Stow near Edinburgh. They toured with The Wedding Present in December 2016 and released an EP in 2017 to celebrate their 20th anniversary. 2024 saw the release of Volume 1 of a BBC sessions album featuring tracks from Peel sessions, and sessions for both Adam Walton and Huw Stephens (BBC radio DJs). The band toured multiple times in 2024 and early 2025 and released a single 'Sgleinio' ahead of their 5th studio album, 'Second Wind', which came out on

Record Store Day Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...

, April 12th 2025. The band announced more tour dates for May 2025, including four supporting

Huey Morgan Hugh Thomas Diaz Morgan (born 7 August 1968) is an American musician best known as the former frontman of rock/hip hop band Fun Lovin' Criminals. Morgan performs both vocals and guitar and combines rock, hip hop, jazz, reggae, and funk influences ...

(Fun Lovin' Criminals).

Discography (albums and EPs)

*''Cysur'' (track included on ''S4C Makes Me Want to Smoke Crack Vol 2'' Various Artists' EP (Ankst 070, 1996) *''Fragile'' 12" EP (Ankst 072, 1996) *''Cuckoo'' EP (Ankst 075, 1997) *''Rumours and Curses'' (Arctic/Pinnacle, 1998) *''Diwifr'' EP (Arctic/Pinnacle FROST 104S, 1998) *''Lemming'' EP (Arctic/Pinnacle FROST 106S, 1998) *''Ambulance Chaser'' EP (Arctic/Pinnacle, 1998) *''Baby Tornado'' EP (Sylem CD1, 1999) *''Slagging Off Tourists'' EP (Sylem CD2, 1999) *''Kamikaze'' (Sylem CD4, 2000) *''Un Darllenwr Lwcus'' EP (Sylem CD007, 2000) *''I Don't Believe in You'' 7-inch EP (Sylem 008, 2001, split single with Seedling) *''Chinese Whispers'' EP (Sylem 009 / Dream 17, 2001) *''Suikerspin'' compilation (Dream 20, 2001) *''So Good'' EP (Sylem CD011, 2002) *''Casting Pearls'' (Sylem CD012, 2003) *''Eyeliner'' EP (Sylem CD013, 2004) *''Life's Too Short'' (Sylem CD014, 2005) *''Borderlands Live'' (2020) *''Second Wind'' (Sylem, 2025)

References

External links

Melys biography from BBC Wales
{{Authority control Welsh-language bands Welsh indie rock groups British indie pop groups Musical groups established in 1996