Traddodiad Ofnus - Welsh Tourist Bored+ CD

"Lladdwch eich arwyr ac peidiwch da chi ail fyw’r gorffenol"

We examine the world and find some pride in being anomalies.

"Mae gan y gynulleidfa’r gallu i newid cwrs sbectacl y perfformiad."

One must have tradition in oneself, to hate it properly.

"Dim digwyddiad heb symudiad, dim symudiad heb ddigwyddiad."

Traddodiad Ofnus Manifesto 1985 (excerpts)

In partnership with original band members Gareth Potter and Mark Lugg, Ankstmusik are proud to announce the remastered re-release of "Welsh Tourist Bored", the classic debut album from Traddodiad Ofnus (Scared Tradition) on the 35th anniversary of its original release on German record label Constrictor Records back in the dark Thatcherite days of 1987.

This new package includes all their singles and a bonus disk of demos, live and session tracks covering the band’s career from 1984-1989; a new essay re-examining the group and their legacy that addresses the issues raised by introducing such an important cultural work from 1987 back into the current cultural landscape; an interview with band members Gareth and Mark and a wealth of exclusive photographs and materials sourced from the band’s archives.

The band were based outside Wales, in London and Brighton, and were totally committed to being an open enterprise, looking forward, knowingly impure and intent on breaking down barriers and turning their back on the narrow, insular and conservative traditions they had experienced growing up in Wales. They set out to create their own modern version of Welsh language culture right NOW right HERE wherever they found themselves!

Spurred on by the post-punk energy spreading across the UK, renewed political activism among the younger generation all over Wales and the activities of the seminal underground label Anhrefn Records, debut albums started to appear from a bewildering array of brand new exciting Welsh groups – Datblygu (Wyau), Y Cyrff (Y Testament Newydd), Llwybr Llaethog (Da!), Fflaps (Amhersain), Ffa Coffi Pawb (Dalec Peilon), Anhrefn (Defaid,Skateboards a Wellies), U Thant (Bugeilio) and one of the first to appear was the extraordinary collection - "Welsh Tourist Bored".

It hardly bears repeating but the band, in tandem with a majority of artist in this period, had a revulsion for the ideology of Thatcherism, whose malign influence paradoxically spurred them and the other bands in the Welsh Underground to new creative heights that contributed to modernising, energising and kickstarting the previously moribund Welsh language culture they had left behind.

The album they created is at times ferocious in its rejection of the new entrepreneurial culture surrounding them in the capital city. They identified a new world that valued consuming over caring, and believing that acquiring wealth was more important than any ideas of social or cultural responsibility and they described and decried these new values in their songs with the battle-cry – Dweud na (Say no) ringing through the grooves.

Their idealism, anger and desire to break away from the dead ways of the ‘old’ country and the poisonous ‘new’ Britain is captured on this unique album in a fusion of post punk energy and a wholly original romantic sensibility described at the time as being a ‘mist guerrilla skank’ and an ‘inner city howl’ that’s best exemplified by Gareth’s wonderfully powerful, direct and stirring vocals and Mark’s propulsive and scratchy scrapyard metallic beats.

As well as taking aim at the new order under the Conservatives the band didn’t hold back in their desire to reject Wales’s obsession with the past either. The album describes Wales as – ‘a cancer hospital’ that promised only the hope of ‘a deaf, dumb and blind future’.

Traddodiad Ofnus had different plans for their future and their vision is captured forever on this album. The future is there for the taking – that is what they say on this record – No movement without action - was their slogan and it still makes a lot of sense when heard again in 2022.

Amongst the songs about casual sex, murderous impulses, corrupt city traders and paranoid governments we also hear a youthful desire for more personal freedom, more direct action, more systematic change, and more love and understanding.
This album has long been out of print and it is with great pride we offer it up once again, freshly scrubbed and ready for action at this most troubling crossroads in our recent history.

The album’s release will be preceded by a digital only single pairing a remastered version of the confrontational album title track – Welsh Tourist Bored and the haunting stand-alone single Hunangofiant on February 18th through the Welsh digital platform PYST.

The bonus disk will only be available on the limited physical edition distributed through by Shellshock Dist through the UK.

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Mae’n fraint gan Ankstmusik cyhoeddi fod y label, mewn partneriaeth ag aelodau gwreiddiol y band, Gareth Potter a Mark Lugg, am ail rhyddhau Welsh Tourist Bored, albym cyntaf y grŵp chwedlonol Traddodiad Ofnus. Mi fydd hi ar gael unwaith eto 35 mlynedd ers iddi gael ei rhyddhau yn wreiddiol ar label recordiau Constrictor, o’r Almaen, nol yn nyddiau du Prydain Thatcher yn 1987.

Mae’r casgliad swmpus yma yn cynnwys eu holl senglau a disg bonws o demos, traciau byw a sesiynau sy’n cwmpasu gyrfa’r band o 1984-1989; traethawd newydd sy’n ail-edrych ar y grŵp a’u dylanwad cyn mynd i’r afael â’r cwestiynau sy’n codi drwy gyflwyno gwaith diwylliannol mor bwysig o 1987 yn ôl i’r dirwedd ddiwylliannol bresennol; cyfweliad gydag aelodau’r band Gareth a Mark a chyfoeth o ffotograffau a deunyddiau unigryw o archifau’r band.

Roedd y band wedi’i leoli y tu allan i Gymru, yn Llundain a Brighton, ac yn gwbl ymroddedig i fod yn fenter agored, wastad yn edrych ymlaen, yn fwriadol amhur ac yn benderfynol o chwalu rhwystrau a throi cefn ar y traddodiadau cul, ynysig a cheidwadol yr oeddent wedi’u profi wrth dyfu i fyny yng Nghymru. Aethant ati i greu eu fersiwn modern eu hunain o ddiwylliant yr iaith Gymraeg - ar unwaith lle bynnag y cawsant eu hunain yn trigo! NAWR!YMA!

Yn ôl yn 1987 roedd diwylliant roc tanddaearol Cymraeg yng nghanol cyfnod rhyfeddol.

Wedi’u sbarduno gan egni post punk a oedd yn lledu ar draws y DU, tyfiant ymgyrchu gwleidyddol o’r newydd ymhlith y genhedlaeth iau ledled Cymru a gweithgareddau’r label tanddaearol arloesol Recordiau Anhrefn, dechreuodd albymau cyntaf ymddangos o blith amrywiaeth o grwpiau Cymreig cyffrous newydd sbon – Datblygu (Wyau), Y Cyrff (Y Testament Newydd), Llwybr Llaethog (Da!), Fflaps (Amhersain), Ffa Coffi Pawb (Dalec Peilon), Anhrefn (Defaid, Skateboards a Wellies), U Thant (Bugeilio) ac un o’r casgliadau cyntaf i ymddangos oedd y clasur hynod - Welsh Tourist Bored.

Go brin fod angen dweud hyn ond roedd gan y band, ochr yn ochr â mwyafrif yr artistiaid yn y cyfnod hwn, atgasedd pur o ideoleg Thatcheriaeth, er yn yn baradocsaidd, yr egni yma i frwydro yn eu herbyn a’u hysbrydoli hwy a’r bandiau eraill yn y Sin Tanddaearol i uchelfannau creadigol newydd a gyfrannodd at foderneiddio a bywiogi a rhoi hwb i'r hen ddiwylliant Cymraeg yr oeddent wedi'i adael ar ôl.

Mae’r albwm a grewyd ganddynt ar brydiau’n ffyrnig yn ei wrthwynebiad i’r diwylliant entrepreneuraidd newydd o’u cwmpas yn y brifddinas. Fe wnaethon nhw adnabod a disgrifio byd newydd oedd yn troi pobl yn gwsmeriaid yn neud dim ond prynu yn hytrach na gofalu. Cymdeithas newydd a chredai fod cael cyfoeth yn bwysicach nag unrhyw syniad o gyfrifoldeb cymdeithasol neu ddiwylliannol. Mae caneuon y band yn disgrifio y newidiadau cymdeithasol a gwleidyddol yma tra hefyd yn annog y gwrandawyr i Ddweud Na! (Dywedwch Na!). Gwrthwynebu yw ‘groove’ pwysicaf yr albym yma.

Mae eu delfrydiaeth, eu dicter a’u hawydd i dorri i ffwrdd o orffennol a’r ffyrdd marwol yr ‘hen’ wlad a’r dyfodol ‘newydd’ wenwynig Prydeinig yn cael ei ddal ar yr albwm unigryw hwn mewn cyfuniad o egni post-punk a arddull rhamantaidd cwbl wreiddiol i’r grŵp a ddisgrifiwyd ar y pryd fel rhyw fath o ‘guerrilla skank’ a ‘inner city howl’ sy’n cael ei grisialu orau gan lais hynod bwerus, uniongyrchol a chyffrous Gareth Potter a churiadau a chrafu metel y scrapyard gan Mark Lugg.

Yn ogystal ag ymosod ar y drefn newydd o dan y Ceidwadwyr ni wnaeth y band ddal yn ôl yn eu cenhadaeth i wrthod cymryd rhan yn obsesiwn Cymru â’r gorffennol ychwaith. Mae’r albwm yn disgrifio Cymru fel – ‘ysbyty cancr’ a oedd yn addo dim ond ‘dyfodol byddar, dall a mud’
.
Roedd gan Traddodiad Ofnus gynlluniau gwahanol ar gyfer eu dyfodol ac mae eu gweledigaeth yn cael ei dal am byth ar yr albwm hwn. Mae’r dyfodol yno i’r cymryd – dyna maen nhw’n ei ddweud ar y record hon – Dim symudiad heb weithredu – oedd eu slogan ac mae’n dal i wneud llawer o synnwyr o’i glywed eto yn 2022.

Ymhlith y caneuon am ryw, yr ysfa i lofruddio, city traders anfoesol a llywodraeth hanner call clywn hefyd yn y miwsig awydd ieuenctid am fwy o ryddid personol, yr angen am weithredu mwy uniongyrchol, newid mwy systematig yn ein cymdeithas , a’r cais didwyll am fwy o gariad a dealltwriaeth.

Mae’r albwm hwn wedi bod allan o brint ers tro a gyda balchder mawr rydym yn ei gynnig unwaith eto, wedi’i sgwrio’n ffres ac yn barod i’r clustiau newydd mewn cyfnod tyngedfennol pan rydym unwaith eto ar groesffordd hanesyddol.

Cyn rhyddhau’r albwm bydd sengl ddigidol o drac teitl yr albwm – "Welsh Tourist Bored" a’r sengl ddirdynnol Hunangofiant ar Chwefror 18fed trwy lwyfan digidol Cymraeg PYST.