Alys Ffion releases ‘2018 Demos’
Back in 2017, I went to see Wesley Dean play at Hibernian House in Sydney. We had recently done a songwriting session over Skype but this would be our first time meeting in person. As with most shows, Wes had a support act. Support acts can be a little hit-and-miss, but this night was definitely a hit. For this night, the support act was Alys Ffion.
Armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar, her voice and a collection of songs so beautiful they’d make the coldest son of a bitch in the room feel something, Alys connected with the audience (or at least me) like only a truly gifted songwriter could. In the breaks between songs, she taught people how to say her confusing but wonderful name (it’s apparently pronounced Alice Fion, but I still say it Fi-fion in my head. Sorry Alys) and how she was supposed to leave for the Sunshine Coast that morning before being asked by Wes to open for him. I ended up hanging out with Alys and Wes for a little bit after the show, but in classic Jessey fashion, I was extremely awkward and I barely added anything to the conversation.
There were two songs I became obsessed with after seeing Alys play. The first was ‘Shannon’ which in my opinion is one of the most beautifully written songs of all time, no lies, check it out below.
The other was a track called James Dean. Up until very recently, you could only hear James Dean on YouTube. But now, thanks to her new EP ‘2018 Demos’, I can finally add it to my Spotify playlists. And that’s something worth celebrating.
As the name suggests, ‘2018 Demos’ is a collection of demos recorded by Alys in 2018. That year was quite an interesting one for Alys. She clearly had all these beautiful songs written and just about ready to go, but it also marked the start of what would be an almost three-year gap in her career. It’s always quite sad when a musician stops doing music, but it’s also quite exciting when they make their return. That’s exactly what Alys did in early 2021, posting a new song called ‘Alys’ on her Instagram.
Well and truly back in the game now, ‘2018 Demos’ features nine quite stripped-back songs (as you may expect from a bunch of demos). The bare-bones nature of the tracks does a fantastic job at showcasing Alys’s skills as a singer and songwriting. I don’t even know if I’d want to hear the songs more produced up.
Scrolling through her Instagram, I discovered one track off the EP, ‘Get It Back’, was written by Alys with Chris Sebastian the day before her gig at Hibernian House and first performed live at that very gig. It all feels quite full circle to me.
Having heard these older songs, I’m eager to hear some newer songs by Alys from the perspective of someone who’s lived a little more life (and has had a bloody baby). But until then, I will continue to listen to ‘2018 Demos’.