Melys (English translation:"Sweet") are a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

rock band from

Betws-y-Coed Betws-y-coed (; '' en, prayer house in the wood'') is a village and community in the Conwy valley in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located in the historic county of Caernarfonshire, right on the boundary with Denbighshire, in the Gwydir Forest. ...

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 on ...

, Wales, formed in 1996. They sing in both

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and

. They have recorded eleven sessions for

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

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 current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...

, 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 ...

the group was signed to

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

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 who continues as bassist with them to this day.

, 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), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

) introduced the group to

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

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), 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 language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it h ...

, 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 in Brighton and at the Stowed Out festival in Stow near Edinburgh. They toured with the Wedding present in December 2016 and released a Peel Sessions album and new EP in 2017 to celebrate their 20th anniversary.

Discography (albums and EPs)

*''Fragile'' EP (1996) *''Cuckoo'' EP (1997) *''Rumours and Curses'' (1998) *''Diwifr'' EP (1998) *''Lemming'' EP (1998) *''Ambulance Chaser'' EP (1998) *''Baby Tornado'' EP (1999) *''Slagging Off Tourists'' EP (1999) *''Kamikaze'' (2000) *''Un Darllenwr Lwcus'' EP (2000) *''I Don't Believe in You'' 7" EP (2001) *''Chinese Whispers'' EP (2001) *''Suikerspin'' compilation (2001) *''So Good'' EP (2002) *''Casting Pearls'' (2003) *''Eyeliner'' EP (2004) *''Life's Too Short'' (2005)

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