New film celebrates the legacy of Wales’ 1990s indie music revolution

Nation.Cymru staff

A new short film is drawing a line between the Welsh-language indie explosion of the 1990s and a new generation of musicians and filmmakers emerging today.

The 1990s Welsh-language indie scene produced a generation of bands that would go on to achieve international success, including Super Furry Animals and Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci.

Emyr Glyn Williams, known as Emyr Ankst, founded the Ankst Record label in 1988, which helped several young Welsh musicians who would later achieve major label success, including Y Cyrff, who would go on to form Catatonia.

Other cult Welsh music acts such as Datblygu, Ffa Coffi Pawb, Melys and Llwybr Llaethog also released music through the label during its influential decade-long run.

Alongside the music, Emyr Ankst immortalised the movement through low-budget, experimental films that captured a distinctive moment in Welsh youth culture.

His bilingual film Y Lleill, released through the label, dramatised “The last few days of an Welsh language independent band as they clash with the wider Welsh society” and won a Bafta Cymru award in 2005.

The 2008 film, Saunders Lewis vs Andy Warhol has gained a particular following among Welsh filmmakers with Gorky’s, Catatonia and The Super Furry Animals

That influence can be seen in Glasbren, a new short film by filmmakers Yannick Hammer and Gwenno Llwyd Till, which explores a fresh wave of Welsh-language creativity emerging in north Wales and traces its roots in Cool Cymru.

Featuring musicians from the contemporary Sîn Roc Gymraeg, the film captures young artists and bands in places including Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llangefni, drawing clear inspiration from the documentary style that characterised Ankst’s work in the 1990s.

Speaking about the project, Hammer said the aim was to document the scene in the same spirit as Ankst’s films.

The videographer from north Wales explained: “Before 2025 ended, there was whirlwind breeze of different ideas for Em’s legacy, directions scattered but the brain dust settled and a local tip off pointed towards young bands creating music again.

“Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llangefni was the pinpoint for blossoming bands with talent. Without big planning from the VideoHud team, the idea was to capture this moment how Em would of done it, raw, gritty and recorded with available equipment at that moment”

Following a screening at BFI Southbank, Glasbren is now available to stream digitally for the first time on Am.