Big Leaves were a Welsh

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 band formed in 1988, originally named Beganifs. They disbanded in 2003, with two members subsequently forming Sibrydion

Sibrydion

Sibrydion are a band based in Cardiff, originally from Waunfawr in north Wales, formed by the brothers Osian and Meilir Gwynedd , earlier from the band Big Leaves.-History:...

.

History

The band was formed in 1988 as Beganifs by then 11 and 12-year old school pupils Rhodri Sion (vocals), Meilir Gwynedd (guitar), Kevin Tame (bass guitar, trumpet), and Osian Gwynedd (drums, keyboards). They initially recorded and sold home-recorded tapes, and released two seven-inch EP

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

s as Beganifs, the first on their own label, the second on Ankst Records. They changed the band name to Big Leaves after they were mistakenly billed as this by a concert promoter in the Netherlands who misheard their name. They were signed by Crai Records, releasing two EPs in 1998 and 1999, and contributed to the second album by Catatonia

Catatonia (band)

Catatonia were an alternative rock band from Wales who gained a national following in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 1990s. The band consisted of Cerys Matthews on vocals, Mark Roberts on guitar, Paul Jones on bass , Owen Powell on...

, with whom they later toured. They also toured with Super Furry Animals

Super Furry Animals

Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band that lean towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. Since their formation in Cardiff, Wales in 1993, the band has consisted of Gruff Rhys , Huw Bunford , Guto Pryce , Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band...

, a band with which they have been compared. "Sly Alibi", released in 1999, was the band's first English-language release. Their 1999 single "Racing Birds" was so highly regarded by BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...

 DJ Mark Radcliffe

Mark Radcliffe

Mark Radcliffe is an English broadcaster who has worked in various roles for the BBC since the 1980s and remains one of Britain's most recognised DJs. He is currently a presenter on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week alongside Stuart Maconie, called...

 that he played it twice in a row on his show. The band's debut album, Pwy Sy'n Galw? (Who's Calling?) was released in 2000, after which they were joined by drummer Matt Hobbs. The band performed at the South by Southwest

South by Southwest

South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...

 festival in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

 in 2002, and were featured in a documentary on S4C

S4C

S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...

.

They released a second album in 2003, after which the band split up. Meilir and Osian Gwynedd later formed Sibrydion.

Singles, EPs

• Llygaid Gwyder EP (1997), self-released - as Beganifs
• Ffraeth EP (1997), Ankst - as Beganifs
• Trwngswsg EP (1998), Crai
• Belinda EP (1999), Crai
• "Sly Alibi" (1999), Whipcord
• "Racing Birds" (1999), Whipcord
• Fine EP (2000), Metropolis
• Animal Instinct EP (2001), Dell'Orso
• "Electro-Magnetic Pollution" (2001), Boobytrap (part of the label's Singles Club)
• "Speakeasy" (2002), Dell'Orso
• Siglo EP (2002), Crai

External links

• "Take it from me... Big Leaves", BBC
  BBC
  The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
  
  , retrieved 2010-09-18