The shortlist for this year’s Welsh Music Prize 2013-2014 has been announced by the prize’s organisers, the twelve selected albums were compiled by a committee of Welsh journalists, label owners and musicians. They include seasoned veterans of the Welsh music scene including the Manic Street Preachers, Euros Childs, Future of the Left, and Gruff Rhys, rubbing shoulders with newer talents such as Cate Le Bon, Joanna Gruesome, Slowly Rolling Camera, 9 Bach and Gulp.
The Welsh Music Prize was created in 2011 by BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens and music promoter John Rostron, with whom he founded Cardiff’s Sŵn Festival.
The full shortlisted albums this year are listed below:
9 Bach – Tincian
Cate Le Bon – Mug Museum
Euros Childs – Situation Comedy
Future of the Left – How To Stop Your Brain In An Accident
Gruff Rhys – American Interior
Gulp – Season Sun
Joanna Gruesome – Weird Sister
Manic Street Preachers – Futurology
Samoans – Rescue
Slowly Rolling Camera – Slowly Rolling Camera
The Gentle Good – Y Bardd Anfarwol
The People The Poet – The Narrator
John Rostron said: “It’s really exciting to be announcing this shortlist and to see a few established names up against some newcomers. There’s so much great music being released from Wales and it’s a delight that the Welsh Music Prize helps highlight twelve of these albums. I hope that people will go out and buy the whole bundle for their music loving friends this Christmas and discover some new favourites, as I have through the past year of listening to so many of these records”.
Huw Stephens added: “It’s been another great year for Welsh albums and the WMP shortlist shows that. The online panel came up with this list and there are a lot of great albums that didn’t make it. But the albums here are all brilliant and we encourage people to listen to them. We’re proud of the reaction to the Welsh Music Prize since we started it three years ago; it’s simply about recognising talent and the work that goes in to making these albums. Good luck to all the nominees, and thanks for the great albums you’ve released!”
The Welsh Music Prize this year will also be supported by PPL. Chief Executive Peter Leathem said: “We are extremely proud to be supporting this year’s Welsh Music Prize. Helping to showcase the incredible diversity of the Welsh music scene, whilst bringing this music to wider audiences is something that we are very proud to be a part of. The Prize has built a great reputation, recognising and creating a strong platform for Welsh talent. We look forward to what this year’s Prize will bring”.
The Welsh Music Prize 2013-2014 ceremony will be held on Friday 28th November 2014. The panel who will decide on the winner includes Helen Weatherhead (BBC 6Music); Sian Rowe (XL Recordings); Folu Babatola (Red Bull); Owain Schiavone (Y Selar); Teleri Glyn Jones (Juxtaposed); Laura Snapes (NME); Ben Lovett (Mumford & Sons / Communion); David Wrench (Producer) and James Watts (Xenomania).
Last year’s prize was awarded to singer-songwriter Georgia Ruth for her debut album Week of Pines. The Aberystwyth native’s debut album, which contains both English and Welsh language songs, received critical acclaim in the national press and the title single received extensive airplay on the radio, including BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music. Week of Pines was released in May 2013 on Gwymon Records. Georgia also features on the Manic Street Preachers, Futurology, which is shortlisted this year.
Other previous winners include Future of the Left for The Plot Against Common Sense (2011-2012) and Gruff Rhys for Hotel Shampoo (2010-2011).
