Do you remember those discos that you used to go to at school, just before school ended for the summer? Or the discos at the end of a stay at Glanllyn or Llangrannog? Discos with your local Aelwyd? What music did they play? Do you still listen to the music? Perhaps this article is making you want to listen to the music again? Or maybe you still attend these discos?
I started thinking about discos when I came across a poster whilst I was exploring Rhys William’s collection of Fanzines. It’s a collection that celebrates Welsh pop music and includes the Fanzine ‘Yn Syth o’r Rhewgell’ (‘Straight from the Freezer’) created by David R. Edwards and Pat Morgan from the band Datblygu. Amongts this collection of fanzines is a poster of a gig and disco. It was held in a hall in Llandysul (Neuad Blaen Dyffryn) on September 20th 1985, and was organised by Gymdeithas yr Iaith and Pontsian’s Young Farmer’s Club.
When I found this poster I started to wonder what it would have been like to attend this event. The poster listed the bands that were playing that night, ‘Derec Brown a’r Racaracwyr’, ‘Maraca’ and ‘Blaenau 'Y',’ and with using the sound collection held here at the National Library of Wales, it is possible to have an idea. Here are a couple of sound recordings we have here at NLW of the groups that played that night:
What about the music they could have played in the discos? When searching through our catalogue, you can use the selections to narrow down the searches, and here are a few items I found from 1980 to 1985:
Perhaps you were are at this event and know for sure what music was played! Or why not explore our catalogue a little and see if you can find music from the gigs and discos you have attended?
Emma Towner
NLW Archives & Manuscripts
Category: Article