Newport was, rather bizarrely, christened "The Welsh Seattle" by the media on both sides of the Atlantic in the 90s. A bit silly really, but then journalists do have a tendency to label certain things in order to make their lives easier. Mind you, The 'Port did have more than its fair share of decent alt-rock bands at the time. One of them, Novocaine, could well have gone on to be as big as, well, the Stereophonics? Or the Manics? Sadly it didn't quite happen for them.
The band released a clutch of singles, a mini-album and a full-length LP in the space of four short years gaining more and more plaudits and media exposure as they went. As it turned out though, Million Miles was their final single. It may sound a bit dated now - very '90s - but 'tis still a good track. Members reformed shortly afterwards as the short-lived Vel-Tone.
So here's a blast of Cool Cymru from the New Seattle circa 1998!
I remember a mention of this band in the NME, because of another certain well known Welsh band they always labelled any other as a "wannabe Manics". They did a few times but especially with this lot. It's no wonder that the NME became irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fascinating and educational series. Ever thought of pulling it altogether and having it published? Has there been a book about the extent and variety of Welsh bands?
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