alan holmes

Alan Holmes is a musician, artist and record producer, based in north Wales. Although he began his musical career in the late 1960s in childhood beat group The Insects, he first came to prominence in The Zuggs (in 1979), followed by A Silly Tree, the latter including Gary Stubbs, later of Cut Tunes with whom Holmes also served. Holmes was responsible for the cult psychedelic band The Pinecones and by the mid-1980s he was a key member of Reinheitsgebot, Third Spain and The Lungs.

Holmes' career came into its own though as bass-player with the late-1980s Welsh language punk group Fflaps, who released two LPs for the Liverpool Probe Plus label and a third for the Central Slate label, in addition to touring Europe extensively between 1988 and 1992. After his bass amplifier blew up on stage, he moved to guitar and the group morphed into the more psychedelic/experimental Ectogram in 1993.[1]

Holmes has worked as a session musician on several albums by Welsh artists including the debut album by Melys, and has produced several albums including the early releases of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. He has also been responsible for much of the sleeve art of the Ankst label.

He continues to work with his own groups Parking Non-Stop and Spectralate in addition to making solo recordings as The Groceries.

 

Mae Alan Holmes yn gerddor, artist, dylanwadwr a chynhyrchydd cerddoriaeth sy’n byw a gweithio yng Ngogledd Cymru. Dechreuodd ei yrfa gerddorol yn gynnar, yn niwedd y 60au gyda band ei lencyndod, The Insects. Ond daeth Alan i amlygrwydd gyntaf gyda The Zuggs yn 1979, ac yna A Silly Tree gyda Gary Stubbs - a aeth ymlaen i fod yn rhan o Cut Tunes, (grŵp y bu Alan hefyd yn aelod ohono). Alan fu’n gyfrifol am y band cwlt seicadelig, The Pinecones, ac erbyn canol yr 80au roedd yn aelod allweddol o Reinheitsgebot, Third Spain a The Lungs.

 

Blodeuodd gyrfa Alan fel basydd yn y band pync Cymraeg, Fflaps, ar ddiwedd yr 80au. Fe ryddhaodd Fflaps ddwy LP gyda label Probe Plus o Lerpwl a thrydedd record hir ar label Central Slate, yn ogystal â theithio ledled Ewrop rhwng 1988 ac 1992. Ar ôl i’w amp ffrwydro ar ganol gig rhywbryd yn 1993, fe ddechreuodd chwarae’r gitâr ac fe drawsnewidiodd y grŵp i ddilyn llwybr creadigol mwy seicadelig ac arbrofol gan esgor ar Ectogram.

 

Mae Alan wedi cyfrannu i nifer o recordiau gan artistiaid Cymreig ac mae hefyd yn gynhyrchydd toreithiog – fe gynhyrchodd recordiau cynnar Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci a dylunio cloriau’r recordiau hynny yn ogystal â chloriau eraill i artistiaid a ryddhaodd recordiau ar label Ankst.

 

Mae’n dal i weithio fel cerddor, gyda’r grwpiau Parking Non-Stop a Spectralate, ac yn unigol dan adain The Groceries.