Wales is a nation of storytellers, tell us your story… 

The Trials of Cato formed in 2016 when three friends from North Wales and Yorkshire were working as English teachers in Beirut, Lebanon. Following the trio’s return to the UK, they released their debut album ‘Hide and Hair’ in 2018 which went on to win ‘Best Album’ at the 2020 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

Now joined by multi-instrumentalist Polly Bolton, the Trials of Cato are preparing to release their hotly anticipated second album entitled ‘Gog Magog’.

 

 

What is your connection to your corner of Wales?

Two of the band members (Robin and Tomos) are from the Wrexham area. Both attended the Welsh language school Ysgol Morgan Llwyd and grew up in the context of the vibrant Wrexham music scene, where attending gigs and forming bands became a lifelong obsession for the pair.

 

 

Wales has stories of legends going back millennia through to the modern today, does your music connect to these, what is their story?

Yes – we are deeply inspired by the mythology and history of the British Isles, and that of the Celtic nations in particular. Much of our songwriting focuses on these aspects of storytelling as we seek to reinvent and reframe old narratives and make them relevant for modern audiences.

 

 

Linguistics and language play a huge part in Welsh culture, what is it that makes it so special?

Wales is a nation which appreciates the cultural importance – and the fragility – of its native language as few others do. Singing in both English and Welsh, we see raising awareness of the continued use of the Welsh language as a musical medium as one of our core goals.

 

 

Wales has often been known to be a land of storytellers, yourselves included through your music. As Wales evolves and new sounds come to the forefront, what kind of Wales do you see the torch being passed onto in the future?

To us, the musical future of Wales looks bright, diverse and exciting. Meeting other contemporary Welsh folk acts at events such as the Lorient Interceltic Festival and the Welsh Folk Awards really opened our eyes to the wide range of fascinating new music being produced by Welsh artists in the present day. We feel privileged to be part of such a vibrant scene.

 

 

What are your Celtic connections?

Two thirds of the band are Welsh and we have a general fascination with the subjects of Celtic history, language and mythology when finding inspiration for our music.

 

 

You’re embarking on new international opportunities, what collaborations or opportunities are you most looking forward to?

We are incredibly excited to be traveling to the USA to record our second album in a studio in New York state next month.