Trwbador
| Company type | Independent music duo |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founder | Owain Gwilym, Angharad Van Rijswijk |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Headquarters | Carmarthenshire , Wales, United Kingdom |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
| Website | soundcloud |
Trwbador was a Welsh musical pair known for merging folk and electronic sounds. Originally from Newport, Wales, they eventually settled in Carmarthenshire. The duo came together during their university years and rapidly gained recognition as pioneers within the Welsh music community.
2010–2012
Collaboration between Owain Gwilym and Angharad Van Rijswijk commenced in 2010. After completing their studies at Newport University, they moved to West Wales and independently released two EPs recorded at home under their own label, Owlet Music. Songs from these EPs attracted attention on UK radio; notably, Off-Beat was selected as one of BBC Radio Wales DJ Adam Walton’s top tracks of the year, while Sun in the Winter was highlighted as BBC 6 Music’s MPFree and received airplay on BBC Radio 1 courtesy of Huw Stephens.
Following this radio recognition, Trwbador performed at the London 2012 Olympic Games. In December 2012, Angharad appeared on Cornershop’s Christmas single titled Every Year So Different.
Debut album (2013)
In April 2013, Trwbador unveiled their first full-length album, self-titled. The track Sun in the Winter, re-recorded for this release, featured Cornershop contributing sitar and tanpura parts. The album was distributed on CD through Owlet Music and issued as white 12" vinyl by The Great Pop Supplement, showcasing artwork created by Cardiff-based artist Nic Finch. It garnered favorable critiques from various music publications, including a four-star review in Q Magazine that praised it as "A magic debut."
To support the album launch, Trwbador appeared at prominent festivals throughout summer 2013 such as Glastonbury Festival, Green Man Festival, SWN Festival, and Laugharne Weekend. The song Red Handkerchiefs was used in Visit Wales’ 2013 television advertisement as well as in a 2014 commercial for Lindeman's wine. Later that year, James Dean Bradfield acknowledged Trwbador’s influence on the Manic Street Preachers’ track Builder of Routines from their album Rewind the Film. By the end of 2013, their debut album had been shortlisted for the Welsh Music Prize.
Several Wolves (2014)
June 2014 saw the release of Trwbador’s hip-hop single Breakthrough, featuring London rapper Esaa (Yungun), available on seven-inch vinyl and digital formats via Owlet Music. This track received airplay support from DJs including Rob Da Bank and Lauren Laverne, who selected it as her MPFree on BBC 6 Music; it also marked the duo’s inaugural broadcast on XFM. Subsequently, their second studio album Several Wolves was launched in August 2014 on Owlet Music. The album title alludes to Deleuze and Guattari’s essay "One or Several Wolves" from A Thousand Plateaus. Guest artists included Esaa on Breakthrough and Welsh musician Richard James on Blue Minds.
Several Wolves achieved widespread critical praise, earning an 8/10 rating from Mixmag, four stars from Q Magazine, 7/10 from Uncut Magazine, along with distinctions such as ArtRocker’s album of the week and BBC 6 Music’s album of the day. It was also featured in coverage by The Quietus. Building on this success, Trwbador concluded 2014 with a live session recorded at BBC Maida Vale Studios for Huw Stephens’ show on BBC Radio 1.
In 2015
In May 2015, Channel 4's drama series Raised by Wolves incorporated the track "Love & Folly" by Trwbador in its third episode, titled "Mehmesis." By September of the same year, the duo publicly declared their split through an announcement on their official website. Soon after this, their sophomore album, Several Wolves, received a nomination for the Welsh Music Prize covering the 2014–2015 period.
Discography
- It Snowed A Lot This Year EP (2010)
- Sun in the Winter EP (2011)
- Safe single (2013)
- Mountain / Once I Had a Love single (2013)
- Trwbador album (2013)
- Breakthrough single (featuring Essa) (2014)
- Several Wolves album (2014)