Editorial by Mick Tems

Now that the razzmatazz of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards has died down, it’s time to Folkwales Online Magazine to take stock of the whole Awards bunfight. I’m on the panel of judges, and while I often vote for the English, the Scottish or the Irish candidates in terms of the quality of their performance and the music, there have been frequent occasions when I have voted for the Welsh candidates because – how shall I put it? – they boil my kettle big-time. I want to point the finger to the other judges and tell them that this is the one to watch. I suppose that I have got used to the fact that the Welsh artists I support and have a real respect for have disappeared without trace when everybody votes for England again.

The nation of Wales, of course, is a small place compared with England – and everybody wanted Tim Edey and Brendan Power to win. But editor Keith Hudson of Taplas magazine has voiced his concern about the Welsh vote being swamped by the massive English vote, which presumably means a vote for a Welsh artist is a wasted vote, and we can never expect artists from Wales to be nominated, let alone to be the winner.

Now trac director Danny Kilbride has added his weight to the Radio 2 Folk Awards controversy. Writing in On-trac, the trac magazine, he says: “You could be forgiven for feeling that the folk industry in the UK is extremely Anglo – which, considering there are 46 million people in England out of 60 (million), is not surprising… What did surprise me was the general unease amongst most of the English attenders around how white, middle class and English it seems from the outside. Moreover, the question asked of me was the same one that was asked of Angharad at Celtic Connections. Where are the Welsh acts? Who are the Welsh agents and managers any why aren’t they getting their acts included?”

Danny says that there is an idea floating around that trac should become an agency, offer a management service and develop Public Relations and marketing skills for those of the Welsh musicians who have not managed to secure support yet. He says: “It’s one way of responding and very attractive. We would take on this role if we became convinced that no one else is or that we are uniquely placed. I would be even more grateful for some feedback to this idea.”

And here is another idea: let us honour the Welsh artists (or those living in Wales), musicians, folk clubs and organisations by bestowing Welsh awards for musicianship, originality, flair and commitment to Welsh culture and the arts – or by elevating the Welsh community by organising an important event or events. In this way, Robin Huw Bowen, fernhill and Julie Murphy, Mered Evans and Phyllis Kinney, Martin Joseph, Calan, Jamie Smith’s Mabon and even Gŵyl Tegeingl or the Gower Folk Festival could be eligible for the new Welsh Folk Awards. That, as they say, is Food For Thought.