Biography
Forming during the mid-2000s, the Welsh experimental folk-rock outfit 9Bach started out by interpreting traditional Welsh folk material before carving out an unmistakably personal aesthetic that folded in strands of world music, indie rock, jazz, and experimental pop. At the heart of the project stand vocalist and pianist Lisa Jên Brown, who records as Lisa Jên, and guitarist Martin Hoyland; the group’s name functions as a linguistic pun on the Welsh phrase “nain bach,” or “granny dear.” After signing with Real World Records, the ensemble achieved widespread critical acclaim with their second album, Tincian, which received the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Best Album. Their layered arrangements and collaborative ethos were further highlighted on the third record, Anian, released in 2016 and featuring a guest appearance by label founder Peter Gabriel.
A fluent Welsh speaker raised in the compact town of Bethesda amid the mountains of northwest Wales—where the language and ancestral customs remain most deeply rooted—Jên absorbed traditional music throughout her upbringing yet first pursued acting instead of singing. As a teenager she joined the cast of the youth-oriented Welsh-language soap opera Rownd a Rownd and remained with the series for several years. After relocating to London she found no acting roles and instead worked in a lingerie boutique. One evening in a pub she encountered Martin Hoyland, previously a member of the 1990s indie-rock band Pusherman, when he accidentally spilled her drink; the mishap did not prevent an immediate rapport, and the pair began dating. When Hoyland first heard her sing he was so captivated that he retrieved his guitar after a two-year break to play along, prompting them to launch a band.
They brought in Ali Byworth on drums and percussion, Dan Swain on bass guitar, and Esyllt Glyn Jones on harp and vocals to record the debut album 9Bach in 2009 on the Welsh independent label Sain, with Mirain Roberts later joining on vocals and percussion. Although the record consisted solely of traditional Welsh folk songs, the band discarded fiddles and brisk tempos, preserving only the melodies and the dark, soulful lyrics while draping them in rock instrumentation and trip-hop beats. Traditionalists reacted with hostility, yet the album attracted a younger audience drawn from rock and electronic circles and caught the ear of Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records, which subsequently signed the group and issued their next two albums. Jên and Hoyland later married and returned to Bethesda, where she had become close with Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys, another native of the town, and contributed vocals to his 2007 album Candylion.
On the following releases—Tincian (Tinkling) in 2014 and Anian (Nature) in 2016—the band wrote nearly all original material, retaining Welsh traditional influences while growing bolder with choices such as hammered dulcimer and double bass and admitting disparate elements including Greek rembetika, jazz, and experimental pop. To mark the tenth anniversary of its original appearance, Real World reissued the self-titled debut album in 2019 with new artwork and two bonus tracks.
A fluent Welsh speaker raised in the compact town of Bethesda amid the mountains of northwest Wales—where the language and ancestral customs remain most deeply rooted—Jên absorbed traditional music throughout her upbringing yet first pursued acting instead of singing. As a teenager she joined the cast of the youth-oriented Welsh-language soap opera Rownd a Rownd and remained with the series for several years. After relocating to London she found no acting roles and instead worked in a lingerie boutique. One evening in a pub she encountered Martin Hoyland, previously a member of the 1990s indie-rock band Pusherman, when he accidentally spilled her drink; the mishap did not prevent an immediate rapport, and the pair began dating. When Hoyland first heard her sing he was so captivated that he retrieved his guitar after a two-year break to play along, prompting them to launch a band.
They brought in Ali Byworth on drums and percussion, Dan Swain on bass guitar, and Esyllt Glyn Jones on harp and vocals to record the debut album 9Bach in 2009 on the Welsh independent label Sain, with Mirain Roberts later joining on vocals and percussion. Although the record consisted solely of traditional Welsh folk songs, the band discarded fiddles and brisk tempos, preserving only the melodies and the dark, soulful lyrics while draping them in rock instrumentation and trip-hop beats. Traditionalists reacted with hostility, yet the album attracted a younger audience drawn from rock and electronic circles and caught the ear of Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records, which subsequently signed the group and issued their next two albums. Jên and Hoyland later married and returned to Bethesda, where she had become close with Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys, another native of the town, and contributed vocals to his 2007 album Candylion.
On the following releases—Tincian (Tinkling) in 2014 and Anian (Nature) in 2016—the band wrote nearly all original material, retaining Welsh traditional influences while growing bolder with choices such as hammered dulcimer and double bass and admitting disparate elements including Greek rembetika, jazz, and experimental pop. To mark the tenth anniversary of its original appearance, Real World reissued the self-titled debut album in 2019 with new artwork and two bonus tracks.
Albums
Singles
Live
