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complete once crowds from across
the border belted back the words
with the same vigour. The Guardian
wrote:
‘It’s hard to decide which is the
more improbable – a hall full of
Londoners claiming to be Welsh, or
a Welsh band inspiring such loyalty.’
What is often lost in translation
is its irony. It’s highly unlikely that
Catatonia thanked the Lord they
were Welsh on a daily basis, but
now a band was happy with wearing
its Welshness on its sleeve. As
Cerys Matthews told the Daily
Record:
‘Hopefully, by now people realise
that Wales is brimmed full of
talent and we’re great people with
massive brains.’
Obviously, its chorus can be
easily latched onto and enjoyed
on a superficial level. Yet, it’s so
over the top, how can it be viewed
as anything other than ironic?
Addressing narrow-minded views
of the Welsh, the song’s opening
line depicts stereotypes of a small,
oppressed nation that has little to
offer other than its skill for singing:
‘Deffrwch Cymry cysglyd, Gwlad y
Gan’ (‘Wake up, sleepy Wales, Land
of Song’). It then continues with
more overtly ironic jabs at Welsh
cultural clichés and its history as a
defeated nation.
Therefore, the verses portray the
decades of doubt Wales suffered,
while Cerys’s triumphant howl in
the chorus embodies the rebirth of
a country at last comfortable in its
own skin. When asked by Melody
Maker if the song could become the
new Welsh national anthem, Mark
Roberts replied:
‘Probably not. The melody’s too
difficult to have them singing in the
streets at closing time.’
In ‘Blerwytirhwng?’ The Place of
Welsh Pop Music, Sarah Hill said:
'Catatonia intend to play in the
mainstream culture, but on their
own terms – they do not intend
to conform to the British notion
of what Welshness is, and their
bilingualism is a statement of fact
which needs no justification. That is
‘English’, but not quite.’
If ‘International Velvet’ wasn’t the
national anthem, it was certainly
emblematic of a modernised,
progressive Wales at the end
of the twentieth century, and its
influence resonated in three key
performances in 1999.
At Port Talbot’s Margam Park in
late May, over 30,000 screaming
fans boomed out the chorus as one
with as much gusto as a massed
Welsh choir. Cerys confessed she
Author photo: Catherine Sharples
wept while singing it.
The Margam Park performance
of the song illustrated how much
it had connected with the public.
Days before though, there had
been an overblown rendition
that stripped away its irony and
saw it delve into pantomime. On
Wednesday, 26 May 1999, the
Welsh Assembly was officially
inaugurated with the Voices
of a Nation concert. Top of the
organisers’ list were Catatonia to
sing a certain song to celebrate
the occasion. If only the band
weren’t so busy with preparations
for their Home Internationals gigs in
Llangollen.
Instead, they granted the BBC
permission for a stellar cast to
perform their anthem. Enter stageleft
Tom Jones, Shakin’ Stevens,
Max Boyce, Bonnie Tyler, Charlotte
Church, and Mike Peters et al.
belting it out to a confused live
audience, who couldn’t hear over
fireworks. A song that was penned
as a cheeky jibe had achieved its
aim. As one unimpressed journalist
wrote:
‘The live TV concert to celebrate
the opening of the Welsh Assembly
was an unmitigated disaster…
“International Velvet” should’ve
been a rousing all-star finale,
but instead it was unbelievably
embarrassing for Wales.’
Regardless, ‘International Velvet’
was the perfect song to promote
Wales on the world stage and it was
everywhere from soundtracking
sporting montages to being
referenced by academics as
personifying the transition in postreferendum
optimism.
This buoyant mood was
perpetuated by the Rugby World
Cup, which was hosted in Wales
in 1999. The state-of-the-art
Millennium Stadium was the ideal
new home for Graham Henry’s
exciting squad after a mid-decade
period in the doldrums. Soon to
be labelled ‘The Great Redeemer’,
Henry masterminded a 29–19
victory over South Africa to open
the venue on 26 June 1999.
Three months later, Catatonia were
requested to start the Rugby World
Cup opening ceremony. Forget the
Top 5 singles ‘Mulder and Scully’
and ‘Road Rage’; it was ‘International
Velvet’ – an album track – that the
organisers wanted to be part of a
diverse ceremony celebrating the
nation’s past, present, and future.
With a huge banner declaring
‘Croeso i Gymru’ (‘Welcome to
Wales’), Cerys strutted onstage
and unveiled a Welsh rugby shirt
matched with sequins and sparkly
eyeliner.
Introducing Catatonia, presenter
Alan Wilkins said:
‘This is a momentous day in
sporting history as the magnificent
new Millennium Stadium in Cardiff
hosts the opening ceremony of the
fourth Rugby World Cup.
‘A new spirit in Wales, a new
vibrancy, a new energy, a country
acclaimed as the ‘Land of Song’.
The Welsh love to perform and no
one more so than Catatonia, who
kick us off with their massive hit,
‘International Velvet’. Young, Welsh
talent taking Wales into the new
century.’
With Manic Millennium providing
an epic finale to the decade
a couple of months later, the
fascinating story of Wales in the
’90s is a mind-blowing journey
of growth and confidence that
continues to inspire the country’s
vibrant music scene today.
Wales was a nation finally off its
knees, and standing proudly. If it
was a movie plot, it would all seem
so far-fetched.
Thankfully, it was all true.
International Velvet: How Wales
Conquered the 90s Charts is
published 25th July from Calon,
University of Wales Press.
Featuring fresh analysis and
new interviews, the book charts
how ‘Cool Cymru’ won over the
masses and shows how it inspired
the still-vibrant Welsh music
scene into the 21st century and
beyond.
Born and bred in Whitchurch,
the book's author, Neil Collins
is a writer, former WalesOnline
journalist, and co-host of the
Welsh Music Podcast.
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