Background

Commentators have alluded to Cool Britannia and Cymru as a by-product of the widespread 1970s economic and social malaise seen in the United Kingdom, particularly affecting Wales following the closure of the South Wales Coalfield, and the Winter of Discontent.^[5] The South Wales Valleys had seen economic deprivation following the downturn, leading to high unemployment and social discontent.^[5]

The 1980s however brought initial optimism, with the Big Bang, and this was cemented by the 1997 election of the New Labour class led by Tony Blair. The Labour Party won a landslide election and positioned itself near to political devolution for Wales and Scotland,^[6] and a PR campaign which involved association with the UK arts scene and social engagement with figures in the Britpop movement such as Noel Gallagher.^[7] However some have debated whether Labour were merely positioning themselves to benefit from the popularity of the arts, rather than supporting it, and some have instead referred to how Conservative Party politicians instead were the first to refer to the notion of 'Cool Britannia'.^[8]

Welsh identity

Author Iain Ellis attributes some of the attitude behind Cool Cymru figures to the perception that Wales had, for much of the 1960s and 1970s, been 'perennial underachievers' of the Union, stuck with "old-fashioned crooners"^[9] like Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones while England was represented across the globe by Beatlemania, The Rolling Stones, and The Who.

Ellis describes how "Scotland and Northern Ireland awoke to the call of punk, post-punk, and indie rock",^[9] from international names like Primal Scream, Average White Band, the Bay City Rollers in Scotland; and The Undertones and Van Morrison in Northern Ireland.

He further states that Wales had, compared to the rest of the United Kingdom, "a largely barren rock history".^[9] This perceived inadequacy, Ellis argues, spurred the rebellious and unconventional direction of pioneers like Cerys Matthews and Richey Edwards.^[9]

Wider political developments had taken to the fore in the 1990s, such as S4C taking a widened remit in the Broadcasting Act 1990, commercial sponsorship of the National Eisteddfod of Wales reaching over £1 million for the first time, the construction of the Millennium Stadium, the redevelopment of Cardiff Bay, the establishment of Newport Riverfront Arts Centre, and the wider political and architectural construction which followed the 1997 Welsh devolution referendum. First Minister Rhodri Morgan was also a keen advocate for the Welsh arts.^[10]

Cool Cymru exhibit

Terry Morris book and exhibit was titled Cool Cymru,^[13] launched at the Wales Millennium Centre and opened by Charlotte Church.^[13] The series later became a three-part television documentary by Llanelli-based Tinopolis.^[14]

Conscious and unconscious Welsh-ness

Iain Ellis describes his interpretation of Welsh music developments of the era as forming two "poles":

Self consciously Welsh Acts

To Ellis, Super Furry Animals, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, and Catatonia were "ambitious beyond their borders", yet "asserted national identity by integrating Welsh language songs into their repertoire".^[9]

Neither eschewing nor celebrating Welsh Acts

In contrast stood Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics, and Mclusky, who "saw its identity more through musical genre than geography. Neither eschewing nor overtly celebrating their Welsh roots, these bands implicitly looked beyond their borders, indeed any borders."^[9]

Stereophonics

The Stereophonics' debut album, Word Gets Around, was released in 1997, and the band drew attention when they became the first to sign for Richard Branson's V2 Records.^[5] The album went on to receive acclaim, with its asking of potent questions for 1990s young people in Wales, including the line from Traffic:

"Is anyone going anywhere?

Everyone’s got to be somewhere."

Stereophonics - "Traffic"^[15]

Tackling the topic of youth unemployment was also a focus of the era:

"I don’t live to work,

I work to live,

I live at the weekend."

Stereophonics - "Last of the Big Time Drinkers"^[15]

Writer Griffin Kaye described Stereophonics as "proud, unapologetic Welshmen who serve as the anchormen of the Cool Cymru sound, helping carry the sound from one generation to the next."^[16]

Super Furry Animals

Ellis describes Gruff Rhys' psychedelia driven art as "the heart and soul of the "Cool Cymru" movement",^[9] yet he acknowledges it was the act's resonance with the "London-based Britpop movement and its attendant media" which helped its growth, thanks to their dissonance with the more standardised acts of the era such as Oasis. The group famously reached number 11 in the UK charts in 2001, to much surprise given the presence of a full ten Welsh language songs on the album.^[17]

Welsh Music Foundation

Pooh Sticks lead singer Huw Williams, who helped raise the profiles of 60 ft Dolls and Catatonia,^[18] co-founded the Welsh Music Foundation, a now defunct Government supported organisation which in the Cool Cymru era was praised for raising the profile of Welsh music internationally and at home.^[18] The organisation is credited with individual successes such as the growth of Lostprophets and Mclusky,^[18] as well as bringing BBC Radio 1 on its first visit to Wales for Sound City in Cardiff.^[18]

Cool Cymru revival

Amid the growth of Welsh Language Music Day, Horizons Gorwelion, Sŵn Festival, Tafwyl, and the wider proliferation of contemporary independent Welsh musicians, the BBC has asked whether Cool Cymru is back.^[19] Huw Stephens addressed the idea in his BBC Radio 4 programme, Cymru Rising.^[20]

Colin Jackson

Throughout the 1990s Colin Jackson became one of Great Britain's most successful athletes, but was also notable for waving the Welsh flag after every win for Great Britain. Jackson would later acknowledge that he had become more aware of his identity due to Anti-Welsh sentiment during this period, stating "I felt the discrimination was because I was Welsh more than anything else."^[21]

Jackson's success and open pride in being Welsh saw him idolized in Wales, and he became an early icon of Cool Cymru, with Jackson winning BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year three times and being invited to present the Best British Group Award to fellow Welshmen, The Manic Street Preachers at the 1997 Brit Awards.^[22]

Rugby Union

In his first year, Graham Henry led Wales to a then record ten straight victories. A first ever win for the Welsh against South Africa and a close victory over England at Wembley.

World Cup and Millennium Stadium

The Millennium Stadium was constructed for the 1999 Rugby World Cup hosted by Wales.

With rugby becoming a professional sport in 1995 and Wales winning the bid to host the 1999 World Cup, the Welsh Rugby Union was able to finance redevelopment of the old National Stadium. The project was costed at £121 million and was partially funded by £46 million from the Millennium Commission, as such the new development was named the Millennium Stadium.^[26][27]

The project was completed by June 1999 in time to host the opening ceremony of the World Cup and seven matches including the World Cup Final. The development also foreshadowed more redevelopment in Cardiff and Cardiff Bay. The stadium is seen by many as one of the most tangible legacies of the era of Cool Cymru, and the development was a major part of Cardiff's urban renewal. The stadium has contributed between £100m-£135m to the cities economy every year since its construction.^[28]