In what was a fantastic evening of live music, Llanelli Online welcomed the Swansea String Band to Y Lle for a studio session on Monday, (Sep 4).
The band is made up of an enthusiastic group of people of all ages. Their large catalogue of music covers a wide range of genres such as Blues, Rock n’ Roll, Reggae and Jazz.
Speaking to Llanelli Online after the gig band leader Gary Phillips said: ”It started with Swansea ukulele band with around fifty strong. It virtually disintegrated to about five or six people, so we thought, let’s invite all string instruments as a separate entity. We put an article in the paper but most of it was word of mouth.”
The recruiting drive was successful and resulted in the Swansea String Band. Instruments played include bass, electric and acoustic guitar, violins, piano and ukuleles.
The band are always open for new members to join, regardless of ability. They practice every Thursday night at Dunvant Rugby Club. There are other sections in addition to the String Band.
Gary explained: ”There are three sections, which are affiliated. There is the Ukulele Club, the String Band, and Gispy Jazz Club. Some people just play in one, some play in all three.”
The band have received rave reviews, often getting standing ovations from the crowds.
When asked if the band received funding Gary said: ”It’s all self funded. We are self sufficient. We go out and do some gigs and keep getting offered more.”
The band have barely been running for eighteen months, however in that time they have landed prime time slots at gigs and festivals across Wales and will now be featuring on Bay TV. Members of the band come from all over Wales, including Llanelli, the Valleys and Cardiff.
You can watch the band on Bay TV next week and you can listen to some of the recordings on our podcast: http://carmarthenshire.media/podcasts/
Watch our full interview with Gary below:
