Sŵnami () are a Welsh indie rock group from

Dolgellau Dolgellau () is a town and community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the historic county of Merionethshire ( cy, Meirionnydd, Sir Feirionnydd) un ...

, north-west Wales, who sing predominantly in Welsh. They won the Welsh Language Album of the Year prize at the 2016

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Eur ...

. Their name is a play on the word ' tsunami' and the Welsh word for sound, "Sŵn", to convey the idea of a wave of sound.

Background

Sŵnami was formed around the beginning of 2011. The band's lead singer is

Bangor University , former_names = University College of North Wales (1884–1996) University of Wales, Bangor (1996–2007) , image = File:Arms_of_Bangor_University.svg , image_size = 250px , caption = Arms ...

graduate Ifan Davies, who is from outside

Llanegryn, Gwynedd Llanegryn is a village and a community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It was formerly part of the historic county of Merionethshire ( cy, Meirionnydd, Sir Feirionnydd). It is located within Snowdonia National Park south of the Snowdonia (''Eryri' ...

. The other members of the band are Ifan Ywain ( guitar), Gerwyn Murray (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

), Lewis Williams (drums), Gruff Jones ( synth). They describe their style as "rocky with a bit of synth". The band won the ''Brwydr Y Bandiau'' (Battle of the Bands) at the 2011

National Eisteddfod The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competitors ...

in Wrexham. In 2012 they beat nine other bands to win Wakestock Battle of the Bands and secure a place on the line up of the Welsh festival. In 2015 Sŵnami won awards for Best EP or Single (for their single "Cynnydd" / "Gwenwyn") and Best Video (for "Gwenwyn") at the Welsh ''Y Selar'' music awards. The band's first album, ''Sŵnami'', was nominated for the Welsh Music Prize in 2016 and was the winner of

Welsh-Language Album of the Year The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Eur ...

at the 2016 National Eisteddfod held in

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; cy, Y Fenni , archaically ''Abergafenni'' meaning "mouth of the River Gavenny") is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a ''Gateway to Wales''; it is approximately from the border wi ...

. Ifan Davies (lead singer) also plays guitar for Yws Gwynedd and Yr Eira, and Lewis Williams plays the drums for Candelas.

Discography

Singles

EPs and albums

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sŵnami Welsh-language bands Welsh pop music groups Musical groups established in 2011 Welsh indie rock groups 2011 establishments in Wales People from Dolgellau