A band from Botwnnog will feature on S4C this weekend.

Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog’s performance from August’s Eisteddfod AmGen will be broadcast on T? Gwerin o Bell (T? Gwerin from a Distance) on Saturday at 8pm.

The programme brings highlights from performances by three of Waless most popular folk bands; Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog, Tant and Vrï.

Sioned Edwards, the Eisteddfod’s deputy artistic director, said: "Like other festivals and events around the world, the 2020 Ceredigion National Eisteddfod had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We were still determined to put on a festival, albeit in a very different format. And in May, the Eisteddfod AmGen was launched.

“The pinnacle was the ’Eisteddfod week’ at the beginning of August, when over 450 sessions were held, showcasing all our sub-pavilions.

"One of the highlights was the broadcast of the T? Gwerin o Bell from Pontio in Bangor, featuring artists that would have played on the T? Gwerin folk stage.

“With Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog celebrating the 10th anniversary of the release of their ionic album Dyddiau Du, Dyddiau Gwyn this year, they had been lined-up to close the Eisteddfod by performing a special set on the Maes stage in Tregaron.

"They were therefore an obvious choice for this special concert. The performance proves why Dyddiau Du, Dyddiau Gwyn is one of the best albums ever released in Welsh."

Looking back on the experience, Iwan Hughes from Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog said: “It was a relief to play and be able to do something noisy.

"It’s a very difficult time for creatives, but I’m trying to keep that fire alive because this period will come to an end, and there will be a time when people can appreciate live music once again.”

Siwan Iorwerth from the band Tant also feels lost without the gigs and the Eisteddfod: “As a bunch of young girls, we were all gutted that we couldn’t go to Eisteddfod and see the young people of Wales coming together.

"It was so nice to see the girls again when we performed, as we had gone through months of lockdown without seeing each other, and we knew we were all going to University in different places in September as well."

Whilst we all miss being able to see our favourite bands perform live, this is certainly the next best thing. T? Gwerin o Bell gives a great opportunity to enjoy soothing live sounds while staying warm and cozy in our homes.

Aneurin Jones from Vrï said, “It’s been a very fragile time for everyone in the arts sector, and for us as a band. We’ve lost so much work and all of a sudden, all the exciting gigs on the horizon were gone. It was so exciting to play a gig again at Pontio, and ironically at T? Gwerin where we played our first gig.”

The performances were streamed live over the web in August, but this is the first time they will have been shown on television.