Had a blast chatting about International Velvet & Cool Cymru at Neath Arts Festival. Great to meet Gruff Rhys, Lord Peter Hain, Joe Dunthorne and Neath artist Neale Howells, who provided the artwork for the Manics’ Know Your Enemy album in 2001. Big thanks to the team for curating a fab festival!

Here’s a shout-out to some of our favourite Welsh albums of the last year that weren’t nominated for the Welsh Music Prize. Support these great artists by buying their music and merch, and attending their gigs!👇🏻

The winner of the Welsh Music Prize will be announced tomorrow (Mon 6 Oct)! Join all 15 brilliant nominees from 6.30pm at the Wales Millennium Centre at the 15th anniversary celebration of the awards. 🎟️🎟️🎟️ £10 bit.ly/48IZ6Sn Check out the previous winners!👇🏻🎧

In 2 weeks, I’ll be chatting at the Neath Arts Festival about Cool Cymru on Saturday 18 October at 4.15pm in Neath Town Hall. The fab 5-day festival (Weds 15-Sun 19 Oct) includes Gruff Rhys, The Eggmen Whoooooo, Dame Siân Phillips, Ray Milland, Lord Peter Hain, Joe Dunthorne and more bit.ly/4mLdeOA

Not long till the Welsh Music Prize! Who will win? Find out at the Wales Millennium Centre from 6.30pm this Monday (6 Oct!) Well done to all 15 brilliant nominees. The evening features live from Gwenno, Panic Shack, Sage Todz and Melin Melyn. 🎟️🎟️🎟️ £10 bit.ly/48IZ6Sn

What will today’s big news be with Super Furry Animals? Live dates? An anniversary album? A full reformation with new music?🙏🏻 I’ll be chatting on BBC Radio Wales at 8.50am ahead of the announcement!

#podcast Jim Auton & I relive our teenage years and discuss the best & worst of music from #1995 including Mcalmont & Butler @radiohead.wastehq.social #bjork #oasis #MassiveAttack #Sleeper #WhippingBoy and more. #boybands #britpop #triphop #90s www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2025/09/05/p...

AUDIO: Author @neilcollins1986.bsky.social @billcummings80.bsky.social & @librarygordon.bsky.social Anderson(Cardiff Library) discuss ‘International Velvet: How Wales Conquered the ’90s Charts’ - @cdflibraries.bsky.social www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2025/07/31/a...

Happy 1st Birthday to International Velvet!🥳 linktr.ee/neilcollins123 Huge thanks to @calonbooks.bsky.social, @uniwalespress.bsky.social and everyone who has a bought a copy or attended the live events. Please spread the word. Any reviews on Amazon or Goodreads would be much appreciated! Diolch.

Thank you to author @neilcollins1986.bsky.social (pictured right) and special guest @billcummings80.bsky.social for chatting about the pop culture breakthroughs from Wales in the 1990s! Neil’s book ‘International Velvet’ is available now. cardiff.spydus.co.uk/cgi-bin/spyd...

I have been asked by @cdflibraries.bsky.social to be on a panel with @neilcollins1986.bsky.social on 17th July to discuss his new book International Velvet: How Wales Conquered the '90s Charts, and share our stories alongside @librarygordon.bsky.social Tickets are free! 🔗 tinyurl.com/yrcxyc5e

The Welsh Music Podcast is back soon and we’re looking for a new theme tune! Please message us with your tune or email [email protected] We’re also looking for song submissions to showcase artists, so please get in touch with your new music. Pob lwc!

Libraries gave us power… I’ll be chatting all things Wales in the 90s on Thurs 17 July at Cardiff Central Library at 5.45pm with @godisinthetvzine.bsky.social editor @billcummings80.bsky.social and Gordon Anderson. 🎟️🎟️🎟️ FREE! tinyurl.com/yrcxyc5e @cdflibraries.bsky.social @calonbooks.bsky.social

Catatonia. Manic Street Preachers. Super Furry Animals.... Author @neilcollins1986.bsky.social joins us on 17th July to discuss International Velvet: How Wales Conquered the '90s Charts, alongside special guest, music writer Bill Cummings. Tickets are free! 🔗 tinyurl.com/yrcxyc5e

Needing a 90s pop fix? Listen up, the Back to Now podcast revisits the memories, tunes and everything else in between from this iconic decade. Join @annadoble.bsky.social @neilcollins1986.bsky.social and more rock and roll star guests, here! linktr.ee/poprambler

Buzzing to see Oasis in Cardiff tonight - their first gig since 2009 and the first of the world tour! I spoke to BBC Wales about their links with Wales from Rockfield to being managed by Marcus Russell of Ebbw Vale & produced by Caernarfon’s Owen Morris bit.ly/4l6LvYB #oasis

I ddilynwyr cerddoriaeth Gymreig, bydd y 90au bob amser yn gyfnod arbennig, wrth i fandiau fel Catatonia ffrwydro i'r brif ffrwd. Mae INTERNATIONAL VELVET gan @neilcollins1986.bsky.social yn adrodd hanes sut y digwyddodd hynny, ac mae Neil yn ymuno â ni ar 17 Gorffennaf.... (1/2)

For Welsh music fans, the 90s will always be a special time, as bands like Catatonia exploded into the mainstream. INTERNATIONAL VELVET by @neilcollins1986.bsky.social tells the story of how it happened, and Neil joins us on 17/07 at @cardiff-hub.bsky.social. Tickets are free: tinyurl.com/yrcxyc5e

On Wednesday 11 June at 7pm, I’ll be presenting Cool Cymru Revisited - an online lecture for Cardiff University. Journey back to an unforgettable era when Wales came of age in music and culture. This is a great opportunity if you missed the tour, and it’s FREE! bit.ly/3Zmj14l

In May 2000, Mwng became the biggest-selling Welsh-language album ever. Raised in the House of Commons as a “new wave of confidence in the Welsh nation”, Mwng is a masterpiece 25 years on. Here’s an extract from International Velvet celebrating its genius bit.ly/3SOIPlN

Pete Ham - 50 years gone, but never forgotten. With Badfinger, he wrote classics like Baby Blue, No Matter What, Day After Day and the Ivor Novello Award-winning Without You. A heritage blue plaque was unveiled in his hometown of Swansea in April 2013 honouring his legacy.

RIP Mike Peters, who has died at the age of 66 after a courageous three-decade battle with cancer. As the iconic frontman of The Alarm, he delivered an outstanding contribution to Welsh music and amassed a huge army of fans on both sides of the Atlantic. Love, hope and strength.

Announcing 168 Songs of Hatred and Failure: A History of Manic Street Preachers by @keithcameron2.bsky.social. Through forensic analysis and extensive interviews with both Nicky Wire and James Dean Bradfield, it tells the story of 168 Manics songs across 40+ years. geni.us/168Songs

Rhod Gilbert, Elis James, Datblygu, Adwaith and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci are some of the celebrated names from the town who feature on the eye-catching artwork

Llongyfarchiadau!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Great to appear on the Stupid & Contagious Podcast (and chat with another Neil Collins!) We took a trip down memory lane to the 90s and discussed Cool Cymru. International Velvet is available to order here t.co/zADLWNfoVp

Welsh rock band Those Damn Crows are leading the race to top this week’s UK album chart

Hi, finally on Bluesky! Check out my new book International Velvet: How Wales Conquered the ‘90s Charts here: linktr.ee/neilcollins123 Any shares or Amazon/Goodreads reviews very gratefully received. Drop me a message to arrange any in-store book events, festival appearances and podcasts. Diolch!