Britpop legend to play tiny show with Cool Cymru supergroup

Nation.Cymru staff

He’s the songwriter responsible for some of the greatest songs of the ’90s and will be playing an intimate club show in the Welsh capital with a band comprising members of influential Cool Cymru groups.

When the 90s music revolution was in full swing, Mark Roberts was at the eye of the storm with Catatonia.

The guitarist for the Welsh band was the main songwriter and primary creative force behind most of Catatonia’s songs, many in collaborated with lead singer Cerys Matthews.

Their multi-platinum album International Velvet released in 1998 was the band’s breakthrough, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart and spawning two top 10 singles, ‘Mulder and Scully’ and ‘Road Rage’, as well as three other top 40 singles, ‘I Am the Mob’, ‘Game On’ and ‘Strange Glue’.

It became one of the biggest selling albums of 1998 in the United Kingdom and was also nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.

Having cut his teeth singing and playing guitar for Welsh language trailblazers Y Cyrff in the late ’80s, early ’90s, Roberts formed Catatonia scoring a string of memorable ’90s hits.’

The band eventually split after the release of their final album Paper Scissors Stone in 2001.

However, as the new century dawned the songwriter continued to create with a succession of groups – Sherbet Antlers, Y Ffyrc and The Earth.

Now, for the first time he’s releasing his own music with his latest project under the solo guise of MR.

The songwriter and guitarist has so far released several MR albums, which you can discover HERE.

MR are to play in the intimate surrounds of the Earl Haig Club in Cardiff on June 19 when Roberts will be joined by Catatonia/Cyrff bassist Paul Jones, ex-U Thant drummer Steve ‘Frog’ Jenkins, and ex–Big Leaves keyboard maestro Osian Gwynedd.

Their sound is described as ‘a mix of guitar pop/rock with gallows humour and a pinch of psychedelia’.

Tickets are £10 in advance From The Earl Haig Club HERE

This will be a Welsh-language event.