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This is Dave's twenty-first book and fourth novel.  A gritty ‘Cymru noir’ thriller set in various locations around south Wales and the UK.  The book is available as a paperback as well as an e-book and can be found on Amazon and in all good book shops…

Synopsis

An authentic British road trip and old-fashioned love story.

A violent but compelling tale of grim landscapes and dark morality.

Paul Thorne is no angel.  A hard man with a troubled past, his mistake was to fall for the wrong girl.  When he said yes to love, he opened the door to death.

A tragic accident finds him running for his life from a vicious London crime boss.  He seeks sanctuary in a sleepy, Welsh seaside town but instead of solace, he finds jealousy and betrayal.

A brutal journey through the underbelly of 80s and 90s Britain.  Violent and sad.  Powerful, beautiful prose lingers like a bruise, haunting the mind, long after the last page is read.

This book can be purchased as a  paperback or as an  e-book  on Amazon kindle.

Following the release of ‘Babanod’, ‘Poetry’ and ‘Myfyrwyr Rhyngwladol’ earlier in the year, HMS Morris are back with the fourth and final single in the series, ‘Partypooper’, will be released on November 6th.

Songwriter Heledd Watkins explains Partypooper’s origins thus:

‘It’s a response to the mental highs and lows of being a musician – or any kind of human person really. A great deal of us struggle with a little internal partypooper, a malignant imp who likes to wait until we’re at our happiest before screwing up her mean little face and blowing mightily on her shit-horn of doubt and regret, leaving our ears ringing and our confidence in tatters as she skips gleefully away. She’s not above putting the boot in when you’re down either; during the downtime in between gigs, or as you’re reading a crap review of a record you spent the last year perfecting, or when you see a hype band flying past at 100 miles an hour to New Music Friday-land or some equally alluring destination. We all have one. We all deal with them in different ways. Here’s hoping that mine has a fear of high-tempo Latin numbers with horns and distorted wailing.’

Partypooper features guest appearances from the superb Owain Gruffudd and Gwyn Owen from Band Pres Llareggub (Owain also arranged the brass). Iestyn Jones is on drums. It was recorded at St Peter’s and Fitzhamon Studio in Cardiff, and Stiwdio Sain in Llandwrog. Partypooper will be available to stream or purchase digitally from all the usual platforms.

Yn dilyn y senglau ‘Babanod’, ‘Poetry’ a ‘Myfyrwyr Rhyngwladol’ yn gynharach elenni, bydd HMS Morris yn ôl gyda’r bedwaredd sengl yn y gyfres, a’r olaf, ar Dachwedd y 6ed. Ei henw yw ‘Partypooper’.

Ebe Heledd:

‘Mae’r gân yn ymateb i’r uchderau ac iselfanau meddyliol sy’n rhan o fywyd cerddor – neu unryw berson a dweud y gwir. Mae nifer fawr ohonom ni’n ymrafael â partypooper bach mewnol, ryw hen ‘sguthan flin sy’n joio torri ar draws dy hwyl gyda’i hutgorn alarus, gan aros nes dy fod di’n hapus dy fyd ac yna’n dy foddi mewn atseiniau o amheuon ac edifeirwch. Ac dyw hi ddim rhy browd i dy gicio di pan wyt ti lawr chwaith; wrth i ti ddarllen adolygiad gâs o record rwyt ti newydd dreulio blwyddyn yn gweithio arni, yn ystod y saib ryfedd yna rhwng gigs, neu pan wyt ti’n gweld y band-heip diweddaraf yn hedfan heibio ar 100 milltir yr awr ar eu ffordd i diroedd gyfriniol New Music Friday neu debyg. Mae un ganddon ni i gyd. Ry’n ni oll yn delio â nhw mewn ffyrdd gwahanol. Dwi’n gobeithio fod fy un i â ffobia o diwns Latin tempo-uchel gyda chyrn a sgrechfeydd’.

Mae Partypooper yn elwa o gyfraniadau gwych Owain Gruffudd a Gwyn Owen o Fand Pres Llaregub (diolch hefyd i Owain am y trefniant brass). Iestyn Jones sydd ar y dryms. Fe’i recordiwyd yn Stiwdio Fitzhamon a St Peter’s yng Nghaerdydd, a Stiwdio Sain yn Llandwrog. Bydd Partypooper ar gael i’w ffrydu a’i phwrcasu yn ddigigol o’r llefydd arferol.

She’s Got Spies releases her new album ‘Isle of Dogs’ on the 6th of November. It’s preceded  by the single ‘Super Sniffer Dogs’ on the 23rd of October. 

She’s Got Spies’  second album  ‘Isle of Dogs’  refers to an area of London, Laura Nunez’s hometown,  as well as the state of turmoil of the island of Britain. The follow up album to her debut Welsh language album  ‘Wedi’, ‘Isle of Dogs’ features songs written over the last decade. She’s Got Spies is the project  of Laura Nunez and her cast of collaborators. She spends her time between Cardiff and London, she’s multilingual and can sing in Welsh, English and Russian.  

‘Isle of Dogs’  is a charming trilingual travelogue album, with most of the songs written on the move  while travelling or whilst Nunez was living in various countries. She spent time in Russia, Vietnam, Italy,  Tierra del Fuego in Argentina, and parts were also written in Cardiff, London and other parts of Wales  and England. Threaded with Laura’s knack for a bittersweet earworm melody and surreal yet personal  lyrics, these charmingly wonky songs are underscored with dark psych tinged sounds and an unsettled  feeling which reflects the turmoil of current times. 

With music hall style pianos, bounding percussion, fizzing guitars and a playful vocal, new single  ‘Super Sniffer Dogs'  is inspired by Laura’s time spent visiting Poplar on the Isle of Dogs, an area of high contrast with the rich, banking area of Canary Wharf and large, destitute council estates. It’s about an  imaginary dystopian festival with lots of restrictions in a high walled destitute area. Despite its serious  themes, which is juxtaposed by a catchy singalong melody, it’s a joyous tuneful romp. 

The delightful first single from the album, ‘ Wedi Blino’, was released in 2019 and features a video filmed by Laura in Antarctica when she won a trip there in 2018. Meanwhile ‘The Fear’ is the newest song, written during lockdown. It reflects uncertainty of whether the record would ever see the light of day due to the pandemic, after the last days of studio time were cancelled as the lockdown started. It ended up replacing another song that was meant to be on the album that had not yet been recorded. 

All songs are written by Laura apart from three co-written with Gruff Meredith ( MC Mabon ), who also co produced with Frank Naughton on them. Recorded in Tŷ Drwg studios in Cardiff (with additional recording in various locations including Moscow, London, Vietnam, etc.) with producer Frank Naughton. The album cover was designed by Laura and features a fox that visited Laura’s garden daily during lockdown that she  caught on a night vision camera, and photographed remotely when he came to her doorstep. 

She’s Got Spies band members include Gareth Middleton (guitar) and Mel Beard (glockenspiel/ keyboard) on some tracks, additionally with Pixy Jones ( El Goodo ) on guitar, Andy Fung ( Derrero ) on drums and producer Frank Naughton on piano, synths, guitar, bass, strings and percussion. She’s Got Spies started as a project by Laura Nunez in 2005 with Matthew Evans ( Keys ). Laura’s originally from London but moved to Cardiff and learnt Welsh inspired by bands such as Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Super Furry Animals, Melys  etc. 

She’s Got Spies have recorded sessions for BBC Radio Cymru as well as having performed and been broadcast on Welsh television channel S4C. The band have performed at festivals such as Indietracks, Focus Wales, National Eisteddfod and Wales Goes Pop, as well as appearances in more far flung  places including Russia, Bulgaria, Italy and even on an Antarctic expedition ship.

‘Isle of Dogs’ album cover ‘Super Sniffer Dogs’ single cover

‘Isle of Dogs’ Tracklist: 

1. Super Sniffer Dogs (2:31) 

2. Mariah Pariah (2:54) 

3. Despair Over Here (3:08) 

4. All Outta Tears (3:38) 

5. Harasho (3:22) 

6. Vladivostok (3:18) 

7. Vietnam (3:23) 

8. Mank Shoreshank (3:08) 

9. Cwympo (3:02) 

10. The Fear (2:41) 

11. Wedi Blino (2:30) 

12. Where Did You Go? (4:04) 

A must read for anyone contemplating a Welsh themed tattoo. This book has everything you will need!

In the foreword we learn that:

"This book aims to help you choose a Welsh tattoo wisely, confidently, and safely. It offers a glossary to help you. Beyond the glossary, this book provides enough of an introduction to the Welsh language to support you in your desire to honour it. You may even be interested in learning how to join the hundreds of thousands of people who speak it."

Authors, Robert and Meagan Davies , deliver generously on their pledge to support your decision making with chapters on 'Features of the Language' , 'Choosing  A Welsh Tattoo' , 'Translation Tips' and more, but it is perhaps the Welsh Tattoo Glossary section which will prove most valuable to readers.  This comprises a 400+ glossary of words and phrases arranged into thematic categories. 

Let's suppose for instance that you wanted a simple tattoo to celebrate your Welsh heritage and origin. You might try the 'Place and Identity' section in which you will find such entries as:- Gwlad fy nghalon yw Cymru  = Wales, land of my heart  or Cymru am byth = Wales forever. In the 'Love and Friendship section we find dedications of a more personal nature e.g. Cariad tragwyddol = Eternal Love or perhaps more prosaically Cymheiriaid = Partners.

The glossary sections (full list below) are sure to provide inspiration for whatever theme you care to adopt.

Place & Identity , Family, Love and Friendship, In Memoriam, Relgion and Spirituality, Courage, Honour and Service, Work Activities and Identities, Emotions, Qualities and Concepts, Personal Mottos and Sayings, Quotes From Popular Culture and Song, Traditional Welsh Sayings and Proverbs

The authors hail fr om Alabama in the United States so the Welsh diaspora is not overlooked. Useful phrases you will find translations for include:

Gwnaed yn America o rannu Cymreig = Made in America of Welsh parts ,   Gwnaed yng Nghanada o rannu Cymreig = Made in Canada of Welsh parts

But what of the image I hear you ask? Chapter three includes an introduction to many of the most popular symbols and emblems and also includes an explanation of their significance in Welsh history and cultrure. In short everything is here to enable you to choose your tattoo design and dedication, as the authors say, 'wisely, confidently and safely.'

Dedicated to John Good ( Americymraeg tutor) and the Welsh Society of Arizona, the book also has several chapters which serve as a basic introduction to the language for those who are unfamiliar with it. Hopefully, the book will inspire readers to learn the Welsh language after selecting their tattoo design and inscription.

In conclusion we cannot recommend this book highly enough. For anyone who is thinking of getting a tattoo to celebrate their Welsh heritage 'The Welsh Tattoo Handbook' will prove invaluable. If it inspires you to go on and master the Welsh language as well, then so much the better.

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The Welsh Tattoo Handbook is available from bradan press. Price: $11.99 US | $14.99 CDN | £7.99 UK | €9.99 EU | $14.99 AUS