“A bit of theatre never hurts does it?”
– Gruff, lead singer of Melin Melyn
Keep your eyes and ears wide open for psychedelic country pop sextet, Melin Melyn, from Cardiff, Wales. We met the band at the Great Escape Festival 2023 in Brighton and had a chat with Gruff about their vintage-country-surf-twang tunes, their visions and the look of the six curious characters which forms Melin Melyn.
Be prepared for a good pinch of humour as well as for some groovy sounds!
Hey guys, thanks for taking the time to have a chat with us, here at The Great Escape Festival in sunny Brighton!
Who are Melin Melyn and where does the name come from?
Hey, no problem! Sunny Brighton indeed, a seagull just stole my ice cream. Melin Melyn consist of Gruff (me), Cai, Dylan, Garmon, Rhodri and Will. The name means Yellow Mill, but it’s a play on words really, as both words are more or less homophones – they are spelt differently but sound almost exactly the same. Genius.
Where are you from and where have you met?
Most of us are from Wales and many of us are Welsh speakers. We met through various scenarios, theatre productions, working in cafes, the music scene in Cardiff and bumping into each other on the street.
What do you love the most about Wales and what differentiates Wales to the rest of the UK?
We have our own language and it never, ever rains.
You are experiences sold out venues and happy crowds wherever you play at the moment. What is Melin Melyn’s „secret ingredient“?
You’ll have to ask the crowds! We love playing live, it’s what I enjoy the most about being in MM. We certainly like to have a good time and try to put on a show. As a music fan I almost always want to see a performance of some sort by a band or act that I go and see. A bit of theatre never hurts does it?
What’s your favourite song to play live (at the moment) and why?
We always close our set with “Rebecca”, an anarchic country hoedown tune about people dressed in flamboyant clothing smashing up the gates of greedy landlords.
What can we expect to hear from you guys in the near future?
After the summer we will release “I Paint Dogs”, our smash hit single which is destined to go to number one in every single country in the world.
Have you ever wanted to become musicians when you were younger?
That’s the plan!
Which festival would you love to headline?
Glastonbury. We were offered it last year but wanted to give it Paul from The Beatles instead.
What would your dream collaboration look like?
Perhaps AI could slip us into the Peter Jackson Beatles documentary and we could collaborate with Paul and co.
What was the funniest thing that happened to you on tour?
Don’t ask me how, but Will managed to eat a whole chair in Birmingham.
What’s essential on your Rider?
Baps for Rhodri.
The last vinyl you bought?
Ffa Coffi Pawb – Hey Vidal!
We noticed your stage outfits are quite unique, what’s the idea behind the ‚Jolly Baskets‘?
As musicians we struggle to pay the bills by just playing and creating music, so we have to find second jobs. We are all lucky enough to be employed by the Jolly Baskets Supermarket Store whilst on tour. So we are in our work clothes.
What means fashion to you?
Representation.
How would you describe your style?
Clinical.
What influences you in the way you dress?
Whoever employs us, or costumes designed for us. Colour is always important.
Indispensable piece of clothing for you?
My Jolly Baskets baseball hat. I’d be fired if I didn’t wear it.
How important is the way you dress (especially for your shows)?
Very important as we are representing the Jolly Basket Supermarket Store.
What did you pack in your suitcase – do you have any travel essentials?
I don’t know if you’ve seen Mary Poppins, but we’re actually able to pack everything, including the drum kit into one suit case. We’d be screwed without it.
Music is …
Sound.
Thanks for taking the time to have a chat with us, Gruff. We hope you’ll get a new ice cream and don’t let the seagull steal this one, too.
For tour dates, (Jolly Baskets) merch and more follow Melin Melyn on their socials (link below).
Stay tuned!
xx smoke and echoes
FOLLOW MELIN MELYN:
smokeandechoes.com 