Catatonia members are to judge part of a centuries-old Welsh language and culture festival to be held in Llanelli this summer.
Drummer Aled Richards and guitarist Owen Powell will pop up at the annual Eisteddfod, a festival and competition that sees over 6,000 people taking part and over 170,000 guests attending during the week-long series of events (August 5-12). The pageant can trace its origins back to 1176, and embraces all elements of Welsh culture through the ages.
It is unclear at present which particular element of the contest Richards and Powell are set to adjudicate.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the band has scotched rumours of a split that had arisen when Richard‘s suspected appendicitis led to the cancellation of an American promotional tour last month (April).
“They’re altogether back down in a room in south Wales,” she said, “I wouldn’t call it a rehearsal room as such, because they’re not rehearsing just yet, but they are barking through new ideas for the new album.”
The album, she claimed, should appear sometime in late autumn. No producer has been chosen yet.