Swearing in Welsh

I play a lot of Welsh language music because it’s great – and there’s a vibrant Welsh music scene at the moment (Adwaith, Sybs, Ynys etc).

I was vaguely aware of Ffa Coffi Pawb, a Welsh band active on the influential Anskt label between 1986 and 1992. The band included a very young Gruff Rhys and Dafydd Ieuan, who both went on to form Super Furry Animals, and Dewi Emlyn, who would later be part of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci.

To mark the 30th anniversary of the band’s final show, they’ve just released Hei Vidal!, their 3rd album, as a clear 12” vinyl, red 12” vinyl (limited to 1000 copies) and CD, with a new video for Ffarout.

And I love the choice of band name, which translates into English as “everybody’s coffee beans”. A bit of an odd decision you’d think, until you discover that “ffa coffi pawb” and “ffoc off i pawb” sound the same in Welsh, and the latter means “fuck off, everyone”. Like I did today.

The band has an active website at ffacoffipawb.com.

Friday 9 June 2023, 12824 views