"Tremendous phenomenon": Dafydd Iwan shows love to Kneecap ahead of his last gig with the band

Dafydd Iwan, the singer, songwriter, and activist best known for his solo work in the Welsh language and for leading Plaid Cymru in the 2000s, will be performing his last gig on Saturday night. The concert takes place on the eve of his 82nd birthday at the Llanuwchllyn Festival in Gwynedd. As per BBC, Iwan praised the Irish hip hop band, Kneecap, saying:

''Kneecap is a tremendous phenomenon.''

With a career spanning over six decades, Iwan is best known for his songs, including Yma o Hyd, which became a Welsh album, symbolising the survival of Welsh identity and language.

More on Dafydd Iwan's musical journey

Iwan is best known as a singer whose music is centered around folk music in the Welsh language. At the beginning of his career, he sang Welsh translations of music by famous American protest singers like Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie. Later, he started working on his own ballads and political songs. One of the most popular ones was Carlo, a satirical song on Prince Charles.

From the 1960s onwards, Dafydd's music often carried strong political and cultural messages, and he became one of the most recognizable voices of the Welsh protest song movement. He used his songs and campaigned for Welsh language rights, and his songs often supported Welsh identity, heritage, and independence.

Speaking about how songs currently are, as per the BBC, he said:

''Songs today are not so openly campaigning but they have messages. They always will have. The rap tradition is very much a political thing and rappers find it easier to express their political feelings.''

He then added, saying that he thinks that it is healthy for young musicians today to create songs that express their thoughts on Wales and the future. Speaking about the Northern Ireland band, Kneecap. He said:

''They say that they have had inspiration from what has happened in Wales [regarding the language] and they have united a lot of people in Northern Ireland and throughout Ireland from all persuasions, even unionists, to support the Irish language.''

He continued:

''They do things in the Irish language without thinking it's anything out of the ordinary and they enjoy it, and use it with a political message.''

Speaking of his last performance on Saturday, he says:

''I'm getting on in years and this singing business is a strange thing. You can carry on until it's too late. I've had a feeling for some time that I had to manage the exit. Saturday night will see the last performance with a band.''

He concludes by saying that he will miss the joy one gets after a good gig. Some of Dafydd's most notable albums include Mae’n Braf Cael Bywyd (It’s Nice to Have Life), Rhwng Hwyl a Thaith, and Dal i Gredu (Still Believing).

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