Cian Ciarán (born 16 June 1976)[1] is a Welsh musician best known as the keyboard player in the band Super Furry Animals.[1] In addition to keyboards, he plays guitar and drums and sings, and is a songwriter, composer and producer.
Cian Ciarán | |
|---|---|
 Cian Ciarán performing with Super Furry Animals at the Summer Sonic Festival, Tokyo, Japan on 10 August 2008. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 16 June 1976 Bangor, Wales |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, producer |
| Instrument(s) | Keyboards guitar backing vocals drums |
Career
editCian was born in Bangor, Wales. Prior to the formation of Super Furry Animals, he played in the electronica groups Wwzz[1] and Aros Mae. He has been a member of techno collective Acid Casuals[1] and is currently producing under the names Paps, Kirkland and as himself. He has guested with, produced and mixed several artists, including Kaiser Chiefs,[2] Mogwai,[3] and Manic Street Preachers.[4]
His first solo single "Martina Franca", was released in June 2012, with the full album, Outside In, released in July 2012 on Strangetown Records. Ciarán's second solo album, They Are Nothing Without Us,[5] was released in 2013.
In 2013 and 2014 Ciarán took part in several anti-nuclear and pro-clean energy protests,[6] including a solo performance at the top of a wind turbine in Norfolk in September 2013.[7][8] In 2013, he travelled to Fukushima, Japan to witness the devastation from the nuclear power plant meltdown in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.[9] He appeared as a guest on the Channel 5 programme The Wright Stuff in 2013 to discuss his views.[10]
Ciarán is also label manager for SomBom and Strangetown Records.[11] As part of Strange Village,[12] a television production company, Cian and his brother Dafydd Ieuan were presented with a BAFTA Cymru Award for the soundtrack to Pen Talar,[13] and were nominated for awards in 2012 for Alys and 2013 for Gerallt.[14][15]
Personal life
editCian's brother is musician Dafydd Ieuan and he also has two sisters.[1] His father, Dr. Carl Iwan Clowes, OBE, was an anti-nuclear campaigner, health consultant and official consulate in Wales for African country Lesotho. His mother's name is Dorothi.[6][16][17] Cian's partner is musician Estelle Ios. The two lead the band Zefur Wolves, while Ios is also a member of the group Baby Queens, which Cian manages as part of Strangetown Records.
Campaigner
editIn September 2018, Ciaran launched a legal challenge against the decision by EDF to dredge mud from the seabed near the Hinkley Point C building site in Somerset, and dump it in the Bristol Channel near Cardiff Bay. On behalf of the Campaign Against Hinkley Mud Dumping, he submitted an application for an interim injunction against the dumping.[18]
Discography
editSolo albums
edit- Outside In (2012) Dell'Orso Records
- They Are Nothing Without Us (2013) Strangetown Records
- Rhys a Meinir (2016) Strangetown Records
- 20 Millisieverts Per Year (2018) Strangetown Records
Acid Casuals
edit- "Omni" (2006) Placid Casual Recordings
Ciaran & Wilding
edit- "Missing Her" / "Stuck in the Middle" (singles, 2014) Strangetown Records
Filmography
edit2000 Beautiful Mistake (Camgymeriad Gwych) (with Super Furry Animals) (himself)
2004 9 Songs (with Super Furry Animals) (himself)
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Cian Ciaran biography". BBC. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
- ^ "Medieval marketing: a winner for Kaiser Chiefs' return". Music Week. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ Stratton, edited by Andy Bennett, Jon (2010). Britpop and the English music tradition. Farnham, Surrey, England: Ashgate. ISBN 9780754668053.
{{cite book}}:|first=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Manic Street Preachers stream new song 'Europa Geht Durch Mich' – listen". NME. IPC Media. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ Super Furry Animals' Cian Ciaran announces release of second solo album, NME
- ^ a b "Rock star Cian Ciaran speaks of his fears over the building of a nuclear energy plant in Wales". WalesOnline. 15 December 2013.
- ^ Adam Vaughan (25 September 2013). "Super Furry Animals' keyboardist to perform atop wind turbine". The Guardian.
- ^ "Super Furry Animals' Cian Ciaran plays wind turbine protest gig". BBC News. 26 September 2013.
- ^ "Rock star Cian Ciaran speaks of his fears over the building of a nuclear energy plant in Wales". Wales Online. 15 December 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ Fletcher, Alex (26 September 2013). "Digital Spy". Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ Owens, David (15 June 2012). "What the Super Furry Animals did next". Wales Online. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ "Interview: Cian Ciaran - part two - Rocksucker". 14 May 2014. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- ^ "Pen Telar". S4C. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ "BAFTA Cymru". Bafta.org. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- ^ Waldram, Hannah (27 August 2010). "Super Furry Animals break to pursue solo projects". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
- ^ "House where two Super Furry Animals grew up goes on the market". Walesonline.co.uk. 6 May 2012.
- ^ 2012 New Year Honours#Officer of the Order of the British Empire .28OBE.29
- ^ "Legal challenge to Hinkley nuclear mud dumping off Cardiff". BBC News. 10 September 2018.
External links
edit- Acid Casuals at SomBom website
- Cian Ciaran at IMDb