Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
Encyclopedia
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci were a Welsh
alternative rock
band
, formed in Carmarthen
, west Wales in 1991. They sang songs in both Welsh
and English
. They split up in May 2006.
(vocals and keyboards), John Lawrence
(guitar) and Richard James
(bass) whilst still at Bro Myrddin Welsh Comprehensive School in Carmarthen. With Sion Lane (keyboards) and Steffan Cravos
(violin) they recorded the self-released cassette "Allumette" (1991). Sion and Steffan left, the latter going on to form Welsh language rap group Tystion
and drummer Osian Evans was recruited for second cassette "Peiriant Pleser" (1992), after which Euros Childs' sister Megan Childs (violin) joined the group and the band signed to the Welsh Ankst
record label.
The band's first release on Ankst was Patio
(1992), a 10" collection of various live, home and studio recordings (this was later expanded for the 1995 CD version) which John Cale
once proclaimed to be his 'favourite album ever'. In 1994 their first full studio album, Tatay appeared. In 1995, Euros Rowlands replaced Osian Evans on drums in time for second album Bwyd Time. Both albums were produced by Alan Holmes
who also provided their colourful artwork. These early releases show a huge range of influences and styles: "Thema o Cartref", the opening track of Tatay, for example, is a relatively gentle harmonium
-backed song, while "When You Hear the Captain Sing" appears to be a tribute of sorts to Captain Beefheart
and "Amsermaemaiyndod/cinema" presents one song in the right channel and a completely different one in the left.
The band were often championed by BBC Radio 1
DJ John Peel
; other than that it was extremely rare to hear Welsh language
music on such a station.
Gorky's also released a number of singles and EPs on Ankst. Running through all the Ankst records is a kind of psychedelia
and playfulness evidently inspired by the Canterbury scene
of the 1960s and 1970s (Kevin Ayers
' album Shooting at the Moon is cited in the notes to Tatay as "the best LP of all time", and the record also includes a version of Robert Wyatt
's "O, Caroline"). Bwyd Time in particular also features a wide range of instruments, with parts for the celesta
and sitar
credited on "Iechyd Da", for instance. The 1996 compilation Introducing Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, their first release in America, was a compilation of this material from the Ankst years.
For their next album, Barafundle
(1997), produced by Gorwel Owen
(who had also worked with the Super Furry Animals
) they moved to the larger Fontana label. The wide-ranging instrumentation remained ("Diamond Dew" has a prominent part for the jaw harp) and there were still psychedelic touches, but the album as a whole is more laid back than their earlier work, tending more towards folk music
.
This gentler direction was largely maintained and refined in their later records, though the occasional poppier and rockier number, such as "Poodle Rockin'" from Spanish Dance Troupe or "Mow the Lawn" from Sleep/Holiday, continued to crop up.
In 2000, Gorky's appeared with John Cale
in a movie called Beautiful Mistake, in which they performed 1994 album track "O Caroline II".
Original member John Lawrence had already left the band in 1999, and Sleep/Holiday would prove to be their last album, with Euros Childs and Richard James working on separate projects for a time, until in May 2006, the band announced that they had split.
Gorky's came from the word "gawky"; Lawrence says that "gork" was school slang for a dimwit.
Zygotic was "hijacked from GCSE biology"; it was derived from the word zygote
, something pertaining to a fertilized egg cell.
Mynci is a misspelling of the word "monkey" using Welsh spelling rules, rather than a direct Welsh translation, and is pronounced like "monkey".
and BK
have had 7 Top 75 singles without making the Top 40.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, formed in Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
, west Wales in 1991. They sang songs in both Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. They split up in May 2006.
Biography
The group was formed by Euros ChildsEuros Childs
Euros Childs is a Welsh musician and songwriter, best known as the frontman for the band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. His sister is the violinist Megan Childs...
(vocals and keyboards), John Lawrence
John Lawrence (musician)
John Lawrence is a Welsh musician. He was a founding member of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, but left the band in 1999, prior to the release of the band's sixth album Spanish Dance Troupe...
(guitar) and Richard James
Richard James (musician)
Richard James is a guitarist, bassist and singer-songwriter from Pembrokeshire, Wales. He was a founder member of the band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, who split up in 2006.His first solo album, The Seven Sleepers Den, was released in 2006....
(bass) whilst still at Bro Myrddin Welsh Comprehensive School in Carmarthen. With Sion Lane (keyboards) and Steffan Cravos
Steffan Cravos
Steffan Cravos is a Welsh rap and hip hop artist, as well as a Welsh-language activist.Cravos, editor of was also chairman of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the Welsh Language Society for two years....
(violin) they recorded the self-released cassette "Allumette" (1991). Sion and Steffan left, the latter going on to form Welsh language rap group Tystion
Tystion
Tystion was a Welsh language hip hop band from Wales.- Background :In 1996, MC Sleifar and G Man got together and released a few cassettes themselves...
and drummer Osian Evans was recruited for second cassette "Peiriant Pleser" (1992), after which Euros Childs' sister Megan Childs (violin) joined the group and the band signed to the Welsh Ankst
Ankst
Ankst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
record label.
The band's first release on Ankst was Patio
Patio (album)
Patio is the debut album by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, it was originally released on 10" vinyl only in June 1992 on the Ankst label. It was re-issued on CD in June 1995 with nine extra tracks. It is made up of a mixture of live, studio and home recordings....
(1992), a 10" collection of various live, home and studio recordings (this was later expanded for the 1995 CD version) which John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
once proclaimed to be his 'favourite album ever'. In 1994 their first full studio album, Tatay appeared. In 1995, Euros Rowlands replaced Osian Evans on drums in time for second album Bwyd Time. Both albums were produced by Alan Holmes
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 , followed by A Silly Tree, the latter including Gary Stubbs, later of Cut Tunes with whom...
who also provided their colourful artwork. These early releases show a huge range of influences and styles: "Thema o Cartref", the opening track of Tatay, for example, is a relatively gentle harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
-backed song, while "When You Hear the Captain Sing" appears to be a tribute of sorts to Captain Beefheart
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
and "Amsermaemaiyndod/cinema" presents one song in the right channel and a completely different one in the left.
The band were often championed by BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
DJ John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
; other than that it was extremely rare to hear Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
music on such a station.
Gorky's also released a number of singles and EPs on Ankst. Running through all the Ankst records is a kind of psychedelia
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
and playfulness evidently inspired by the Canterbury scene
Canterbury Scene
The Canterbury scene is a term used to loosely describe the group of progressive rock, avant-garde and jazz musicians, many of whom were based around the city of Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s...
of the 1960s and 1970s (Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
' album Shooting at the Moon is cited in the notes to Tatay as "the best LP of all time", and the record also includes a version of Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
's "O, Caroline"). Bwyd Time in particular also features a wide range of instruments, with parts for the celesta
Celesta
The celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
and sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
credited on "Iechyd Da", for instance. The 1996 compilation Introducing Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, their first release in America, was a compilation of this material from the Ankst years.
For their next album, Barafundle
Barafundle
Barafundle is the title of a 1997 album by Welsh band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, and is highly regarded by such websites as allmusic as their best album. Songs are often sung in both Welsh and English, and the album's influences range from twee-pop to traditional folk music. The album's title comes...
(1997), produced by Gorwel Owen
Gorwel Owen
Gorwel Owen is a Welsh producer and musician. He has worked with Datblygu, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Super Furry Animals and Hwyl Nofio. He is also a member of Pondman with his wife, the poet Fiona Owen.-Discography:...
(who had also worked with the Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band that lean towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. Since their formation in Cardiff, Wales in 1993, the band has consisted of Gruff Rhys , Huw Bunford , Guto Pryce , Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band...
) they moved to the larger Fontana label. The wide-ranging instrumentation remained ("Diamond Dew" has a prominent part for the jaw harp) and there were still psychedelic touches, but the album as a whole is more laid back than their earlier work, tending more towards folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
.
This gentler direction was largely maintained and refined in their later records, though the occasional poppier and rockier number, such as "Poodle Rockin'" from Spanish Dance Troupe or "Mow the Lawn" from Sleep/Holiday, continued to crop up.
In 2000, Gorky's appeared with John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
in a movie called Beautiful Mistake, in which they performed 1994 album track "O Caroline II".
Original member John Lawrence had already left the band in 1999, and Sleep/Holiday would prove to be their last album, with Euros Childs and Richard James working on separate projects for a time, until in May 2006, the band announced that they had split.
Name origin
While in the band, Childs said that one of the most frequent questions he was asked was about the origin of the band's name. After struggling to come up with one, they decided "we might as well stick with the most ridiculous crap name we could think of."Gorky's came from the word "gawky"; Lawrence says that "gork" was school slang for a dimwit.
Zygotic was "hijacked from GCSE biology"; it was derived from the word zygote
Zygote
A zygote , or zygocyte, is the initial cell formed when two gamete cells are joined by means of sexual reproduction. In multicellular organisms, it is the earliest developmental stage of the embryo...
, something pertaining to a fertilized egg cell.
Mynci is a misspelling of the word "monkey" using Welsh spelling rules, rather than a direct Welsh translation, and is pronounced like "monkey".
Albums
- PatioPatio (album)Patio is the debut album by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, it was originally released on 10" vinyl only in June 1992 on the Ankst label. It was re-issued on CD in June 1995 with nine extra tracks. It is made up of a mixture of live, studio and home recordings....
(AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
, 1992 as 10", expanded CD version in 1995) - TatayTatayTatay is the second release and first full album by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. It was released in 1994.-Track listing:#"Thema o Cartref"#"Beth Sy'n Digwydd i'r Fuwch"#"Tatay"#"Y Ffordd Oren"#"Gwres Prynhawn"#"Amsermaemaiyndod/cinema"#"O, Caroline"...
(AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
, 1994) - Bwyd TimeBwyd TimeBwyd Time is an album by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. It was released in 1995 and was the band's last album for Ankst. It features, amongst others, Anthony Saffery from Cornershop, who plays sitar on several tracks.-Track listing:#"Bwyd Time"#"Miss Trudy"...
(AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
, 1995) - BarafundleBarafundleBarafundle is the title of a 1997 album by Welsh band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, and is highly regarded by such websites as allmusic as their best album. Songs are often sung in both Welsh and English, and the album's influences range from twee-pop to traditional folk music. The album's title comes...
(FontanaFontana RecordsFontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
, 1997, UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#46) - Gorky 5Gorky 5Gorky 5 is the fifth album by Welsh band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, released on 27 August 1998. It was their last album for Mercury Records and features the singles "Let's Get Together " and "Sweet Johnny".-Track listing:...
(Mercury RecordsMercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
, 1998, UK #67) - Spanish Dance TroupeSpanish Dance TroupeSpanish Dance Troupe is the sixth album by Welsh psychedelic folk band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, released on 4 October 1999. The album was recorded at Stiwdio Ofn in Llanfaelog, Anglesey and mastered by Chris Blair at Abbey Road Studios...
(MantraMantra RecordsMantra Recordings was a subsidiary of Beggars Banquet Records.-Artists:*China Drum*The Delgados*Dot Allison*Gorky's Zygotic Mynci*King of Woolworths*Muki*Natacha Atlas*Parva*Saint Etienne*Six by Seven...
, 1999) - The Blue TreesThe Blue TreesThe Blue Trees is the seventh album by Welsh band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, released on 30 October 2000.-Track listing:#"The Blue Trees"#"This Summer's Been Good from the Start'"#"Lady Fair"#"Foot and Mouth '68"#"Wrong Turnings"...
(MantraMantra RecordsMantra Recordings was a subsidiary of Beggars Banquet Records.-Artists:*China Drum*The Delgados*Dot Allison*Gorky's Zygotic Mynci*King of Woolworths*Muki*Natacha Atlas*Parva*Saint Etienne*Six by Seven...
, 2000) - How I Long to Feel That Summer in My HeartHow I Long to Feel That Summer in My HeartHow I Long to Feel That Summer in My Heart is the seventh full length studio album by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. It was released on 18 September 2001 in the USA, and on 24 September 2001 in the UK...
(MantraMantra RecordsMantra Recordings was a subsidiary of Beggars Banquet Records.-Artists:*China Drum*The Delgados*Dot Allison*Gorky's Zygotic Mynci*King of Woolworths*Muki*Natacha Atlas*Parva*Saint Etienne*Six by Seven...
, 2001) - Sleep/HolidaySleep/Holiday-Track listing:#"Waking for Winter" – 3:26#"Happiness" – 3:21#"Mow the Lawn" – 3:06#"Single to Fairwater" – 4:59#"Shore Light" – 3:32#"Country" – 1:46#"Eyes of Green, Green, Green" – 3:24#"The South of France" – 2:51#"Leave My Dreaming" – 4:08...
(SanctuarySanctuary RecordsSanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
, 2003) - 20: Singles & EP's '94-'96 (2003)
Singles
Gorky's have the ignominious distinction of being the only group with 8 UK Top 75 singles without ever making the Top 40. They have, however, had singles peaking at 41, 42 and 43. That Petrol EmotionThat Petrol Emotion
That Petrol Emotion are a Northern Irish, London-based band with an American vocalist, Steve Mack.-Career:The band originally formed in 1984 from the ashes of the Derry Hitmakers, Bam Bam and the Calling and The Undertones. It was formed by guitarist John O'Neill and second guitarist Raymond Gorman...
and BK
BK (musician)
BK is the working name of the English hard house producer Ben Keen .His "Revolution" single became one of the few hard house records to receive regular airplay on daytime BBC Radio 1, and between 1995 and 2005, he produced over one hundred 12” singles. He was the last artist to reach the UK Singles...
have had 7 Top 75 singles without making the Top 40.
- "Merched Yn Neud Gwallt Eu Gilydd" (AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
, 1994) - "The Game Of Eyes" (AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
, 1994) - "Llanfwrog" EP (AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
, 1994) - "Gewn Ni Gorffen" (AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
, 1994) - "If Fingers Were Xylophones" (AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
, 1995) - "Amber Gambler (EP)" (AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
, 1995) - "Patio Song" (FontanaFontana RecordsFontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
, 1996, UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#41) - "Diamond Dew" (FontanaFontana RecordsFontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
, 1997, UK #42) - "Young Girls & Happy Endings/Dark Nights" (FontanaFontana RecordsFontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
, 1997, UK #49) - "Sweet Johnny" (FontanaFontana RecordsFontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
, 1998, UK #60) - "Let's Get Together (In Our Minds)" (FontanaFontana RecordsFontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
, 1998, UK #43) - "Spanish Dance Troupe" (MantraMantra RecordsMantra Recordings was a subsidiary of Beggars Banquet Records.-Artists:*China Drum*The Delgados*Dot Allison*Gorky's Zygotic Mynci*King of Woolworths*Muki*Natacha Atlas*Parva*Saint Etienne*Six by Seven...
, 1999, UK #47) - "Poodle Rockin'" (MantraMantra RecordsMantra Recordings was a subsidiary of Beggars Banquet Records.-Artists:*China Drum*The Delgados*Dot Allison*Gorky's Zygotic Mynci*King of Woolworths*Muki*Natacha Atlas*Parva*Saint Etienne*Six by Seven...
, 2000, UK #52) - "Stood On Gold" (MantraMantra RecordsMantra Recordings was a subsidiary of Beggars Banquet Records.-Artists:*China Drum*The Delgados*Dot Allison*Gorky's Zygotic Mynci*King of Woolworths*Muki*Natacha Atlas*Parva*Saint Etienne*Six by Seven...
, 2001, UK #65) - "Mow The Lawn" (SanctuarySanctuary RecordsSanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
, 2003)
Final Lineup
- Euros ChildsEuros ChildsEuros Childs is a Welsh musician and songwriter, best known as the frontman for the band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. His sister is the violinist Megan Childs...
- vocals, keyboards (1991–2006) - Megan Childs - violin, vocals (1992–2006)
- Richard JamesRichard James (musician)Richard James is a guitarist, bassist and singer-songwriter from Pembrokeshire, Wales. He was a founder member of the band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, who split up in 2006.His first solo album, The Seven Sleepers Den, was released in 2006....
- guitar, vocals (bassist until 1999)(1991–2006) - Rhodri Puw - bass (1999–2006)
- Peter Richardson - drums (2000–2006)
Previous members
- John LawrenceJohn Lawrence (musician)John Lawrence is a Welsh musician. He was a founding member of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, but left the band in 1999, prior to the release of the band's sixth album Spanish Dance Troupe...
- vocals, guitar (1991–1999) - Euros Rowlands - drums (1995–2001)
- Osian Evans - drums (1991–1995)
- Sion Lane - keyboards (1991)
- Cenwyn Brain - guitar (1991)
- Sammy Davies - keyboards (1991–1992)
- Steffan CravosSteffan CravosSteffan Cravos is a Welsh rap and hip hop artist, as well as a Welsh-language activist.Cravos, editor of was also chairman of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the Welsh Language Society for two years....
- violin (1991–1992)