大象传媒

Great music is born from a collision of societal and political change. This series explores the origin stories of some of the UK's most vital musical movements.

The UK's turbulent societal and political changes sparked the most electrifying moments in modern music history. These aren't the stories you know. They're the moments that came before. Each episode is a world in and of itself, and it'll get as close to the music as possible.

First up, Newport...

Emerging around the time of Britpop, but far cheekier and less preening, Cool Cymru produced Super Furry Animals, Catatonia and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, but this would never have happened without the DIY scene in Newport.

It started with a photocopied celebration of local noisemakers The Cowboy Killers and The Flemgods, and ended in the mid-1990s with the New York Times' eminent rock critic Neil Strauss declaring the Gwent town to be "the New Seattle". Local MP Paul Flynn picked up on the buzz, tabling an Early Day Motion in Parliament congratulating Newport's fine roster of musicians. Suddenly, every record label was sending scouts to check out the Newport scene. But like all the best musical beginnings, the scene in Newport was happenstance rather than intent, and unlike the 'Cool Cymru' bands who came after, they were merely using the tools they had at their fingertips - a perfect encapsulation of the DIY ethos.

Producer: Victoria McArthur
Narrated by: Patrick Jones
Researcher: Juliet Conway
Sound mix: Lee McPhail

With heartfelt thanks to documentary maker Nathan Jennings, for his invaluable help and advice regarding all things Newport music-related, and for providing the interview with Benji Webbe.