Music fans in Wales and beyond will celebrate the annual Welsh Language Music Day – Dydd Miwsig Cymru on Friday 4thFebruary 2022, a day which honours all types of music being made in the Welsh language.
With the live industry feeling the long-term impact of coronavirus closures, 2022’s Dydd Miwsig Cymru will pay tribute to the independent music venues – often found at the heart of Welsh communities – that have been home to decades of Welsh language gigs and ‘miwsig memories’.
Dydd Miwsig Cymru has partnered with Independent Venues Week (31st January – 6th February 2022) to celebrate the rich history of independent venues all over Wales.
The annual event aims to inspire people who don’t speak the language to embrace the vibrant Welsh language music scene, and those that do to discover more of the amazing range of music made in Welsh- from indie, rock, punk, funk, folk, electronica to hip hop and everything in between.
To celebrate Dydd Miwsig Cymru, music fans are being asked by organisers to share their unforgettable memories from Welsh language music gigs at venues new and old: meeting a partner, making a long-lasting friend, or a gig as a language-learning catalyst. Miwsig fans can share their memory on social media using #MiwsigMemories.
It comes as distribution and label service PYST has raised concerns at the decline of Welsh language music community activity, made critical by the pandemic. Along with Mentrau Iaith, the organisations have predicted that the impact of COVID will mean a dramatic decline on Welsh musical activity within the next three years without intervention. The two predict a detrimental impact not only on Welsh music but also on language use and engagement among 14-18 year olds.
To address the issue, PYST has launched a pilot scheme in Carmarthen supported by Dydd Miwsig Cymru for 16-19 year olds to develop promotional skills which will culminate in organising a Welsh language music gig on Dydd Miwsig Cymru.
Elsewhere, Creative Wales has given over £7m in funding to music venues since the start of the pandemic through the Cultural Recovery Fund to ensure their survival, meaning no Welsh venues were lost during the pandemic.
The upcoming Welsh Language Music Day will see a host of gigs put on across Wales and special music releases. In the last year, artists including Papur Wal, Eädyth, Mr Phormula and Melin Melyn have released new music, while festivals such as Tafwyl and Green Man have allowed Welsh language artists to get back to gigging after months away from the stage due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite being in the height of lockdown, celebrations for February 2021’s Dydd Miwsig Cymru saw a schedule of virtual gigs, video and track launches from the likes of HMS Morris and 9Bach, taking place on Welsh cultural website and app, AM. The day culminated in an hour-long conversation between Huw Stephens and Rhys Ifans about their favourite Welsh language musical moments, with miwsig played and discussed everywhere from BBC Radio 4’s Today programme to 6Music.
BBC presenter and Dydd Miwsig Cymru ambassador Huw Stephens said: “Welsh language music gigs happen in every nook and cranny of the country, but artists and promoters need venues to be able to perform. Miwsig gigs are a welcome place for anyone, even for those who don’t speak the language. This Dydd Miwsig Cymru, we’re celebrating everything we love about those gigs, what Welsh language music brings to us individually and the number of up-and-coming Welsh language artists who are doing great things currently.”
Previously businesses including Marks & Spencer, KFC, Co-op and BT have all shown support to Welsh Language Music Day, from hosting gigs in store, to playing only Welsh language music in branches on the day, to sharing Welsh language music playlists to their thousands of followers on social media.
Dydd Miwsig Cymru is part of the long-term vision to see a million people speaking and using Welsh by 2050.
