9bach

9bach is a Welsh alternative folk group formed in Bethesda, Wales, in 2005 and active to the present day. The group is built around singer-songwriter and pianist Lisa Jên and guitarist Martin Hoyland, who also plays in the history of 1990s alt-rock band Pusherman. Their current line-up also includes Ali Byworth on drums and percussion, Dan Swain on bass guitar, Esyllt Glyn Jones on harp and vocals, and Mirain Roberts on vocals.

The group’s name is a play on Welsh language words: it references nain, meaning grandmother in north Wales, while bach means small. 9bach begins as a side project and hobby for Jên and Hoyland, before Ali Byworth encourages them to turn it into a proper band after a festival he attends the year before. They then recruit Byworth on drums, harpist Esyllt Glyn Jones, and her brother Dan Swain on bass.

The band’s first demo recordings lead to their first gig at Green Man 2005 at Baskerville Hall. That performance attracts attention from a number of listeners, including Will Oldham, who asks to buy a CD from them, although they do not yet have one.