ABSTRACT
Place' is a vital keyword in the discussion of Welsh popular music. Because this element of Welsh culture was born out of a need to articulate the experiences of contemporary Wales and to enable a political discourse within her youth population, the notion of 'place' is woven into the very fabric of Welsh popular music. The establishment in 1962 of Cymdeithas yr Iaith marks the intersection of popular culture and Welsh national politics, and the beginning of the temporal curve encompassing the development of contemporary Welsh popular music. In Welsh pop, music serves as the anchoring element, encouraging a sense of community, belonging and a shared past. Welsh popular music was therefore built on an amateur aesthetic for a home audience; the place shaped the business. The relationship between Welsh popular music and Anglo-American popular music is important to remember.
