WE GREW UP IN THE GRAVEYARD…

began it’s formation when I was a teenager, living in Swansea thinking about my future, and terrified. I felt surrounded by talent, and yet also surrounded by people forced to make their dreams smaller, closing businesses, and career adjustments. If we were all clever and talented and hard working here, how much cleverer and more talented and more hard working must those other places be? Unless it wasn’t hard work that made other places ‘successful,’ it was receiving support places like Swansea don’t get.

I imagined an infinite chasm above me, that I could try as hard as I could and still not have enough to succeed. The financial crash had hit Swansea hard, I also knew going straight into a job was harder here than London, which looked like the only place success was possible.

I heard of a Dylan Thomas quote, ‘Swansea is the graveyard of ambition,’ and I felt certain it was true. It wasn’t that no-one was talented or ambitious. But Swansea felt like a trap. Looking back I think lots of places in the U.K. must feel the same way.

GRAVEYARD is a love song to Swansea, I loved growing up in the graveyard, the bright loud competition. Yet I was still scared to go back home, still see myself as a little flame trapped in the choice of get out or go out.