Two of Wales’ leading instrumentalists launch new musical career with award-winning band ‘Dewin’

Published

1 year ago

March 5, 2025

How often are children told that learning an instrument is something that will give them untold pleasure for the rest of their lives? Loads.

But how many children actually believe this?

Two local musicians who have spent their childhood years studying, performing and excelling at their musical platforms are now gaining recognition in the cut-throat world of pop.

Jencyn Corp and Lefi Dafydd both accomplished their grade 8s at very young ages and have both performed on the classical stage winning awards and gaining recognition as two of Wales’ most outstanding young performers.

But earlier this year their band, ‘Dewin’ (Wizard), scooped the best band award in Gwyl Fel ‘na Mai’s prestigious ‘Gwobr Goffa Richard a Wyn’. The award is in memory of iconic Welsh musicians Richard and Wyn Jones who formed the influential band ‘ Ail Symudiad’ before launching the Fflach recording studios which are based in Cardigan. As a result of the award, ‘Dewin’ is now proving a firm choice at some of this year’s main Welsh music festivals including the two-day Tafwyl festival in Bute Park, Cardiff, (June 14), and Gwyl Fel na Mai which takes place in Crymych on May 3.

“Having the chance to play at events such as these as well as having the opportunity to start experimenting with a totally different way of performing to what I’ve been used to is a real gift,” said Lefi during a break from his studies as a first year student at Cambridge University, where he’s studying Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic .

“I started playing the piano when I was around six, and then began learning the clarinet shortly afterwards, but I always played in a very correct and classical way.

“Obviously since moving to Cambridge, it’s been difficult for me to continue playing, so having the opportunity to perform with ‘Dewin’ is fantastic. In many ways, ‘Dewin’ has taken over how I’m now performing as a musician.”

Similarly, Jencyn began learning piano at the tender age of six. His love of music as a child led to him subsequently learning the flute, harp, piano accordion and, more recently, the pipe organ.

“My mother always used to play me baby Mozart CDs when I was a child, so maybe this was why I was so keen to learn an instrument,” he laughs in that charismatic Corp way.

“I joined the junior conservatoire when I was a bit older and this was when I started finding out about jazz and learning how to be a bit more adventurous with improvisation. So I suppose this was where the idea of being in a band came from, where I could create my own sounds and write my own material.”

But then A levels took over (both are former pupils of Ysgol y Preseli) followed by the interview and audition processes to continue their studies at university. Jencyn is currently taking a gap year after being accepted to read Music at Southampton University in September 2025.

Jencyn and Lefi had been performing together for several years with their slightly unconventional repertoire of traditional Welsh folk tunes, Jencyn on piano accordion and Lefi on clarinet. And it was during a recent performance at a children’s twmpath (folk dance), that the duo were heard by Fflach Cymunedol’s Nico Dafydd. As a result, the pair were invited into the studio to talk about ways in which their highly original style could be developed.

“And this was how ‘Dewin’ started,” continues Jencyn.

“Even though Lefi is an incredibly good pianist with his highly technical classical repertoire, and even though I’m pretty good at performing jazz, when you put the two of us together we’re actually more similar than you’d think. Lefi has a very creative brain and I’m always working on song ideas and the way in which different instruments, possibly instruments that you wouldn’t normally associate with a pop band, might work together.”

Last May, long before Dewin saw the light of day, Jencyn sat down one afternoon with his phone to do a spot of composition.

“This was very typical of me at the time,” he laughs. “But I started working harder with this one particular song. And when I played the idea to Nico Dafydd, this was the song that Fflach decided to release as our single.”

The song, entitled ‘Syched Cas’ (Nasty Thirst) is being released under the Fflach Cymunedol label this Friday, March 7.

“It’s definitely more interesting than your conventional pop song, and this is probably the result of Jencyn’s considerable understanding of jazz,” continues Lefi. “It’s got all these fantastic harmonies and chords with their ninths and sevenths, but it’s also got this incredibly catchy chorus.”

The opportunity to work and record with the Fflach team has helped Corp and Dafydd gain an invaluable insight into how recording engineers transform a musical idea into an intricately layered finished piece.

“It’s wonderful that we have a community studio such as Fflach on our doorstep, with the aim of nurturing Welsh talent and giving people an opportunity to use the studio and its recording facilities,” continued Jencyn. “It’s certainly given us the technical advantage of being able to use things like cubase and logic pro, and it’s really opened doors for us.

“In a studio you can sit down and listen and keep adding and adding. And we’ve set quite a high standard for ourselves. But we’ve also got to perform our songs to the public, and try to set the same standards that we did in the recording studio, and this can be quite difficult to achieve on stage.

“But music has always meant so very much to both me and Lefi, so being able to continue our journey, albeit it in a different direction, is fantastic. In many ways, this is why the name ‘Dewin’, or wizard, is so apt. It has that slightly nostalgic sense of playful magic that we had as children. And once again we’re now having the magic of music to explore and perform to a wider audience.

“But whatever lies ahead, Lewi and I are determined to give ‘Dewin’ absolutely everything we’ve got.”

Given the musical talents that both men have consistently displayed since their primary school days, Welsh music lovers have got an awful lot to look forward to, whenever ‘Dewin’ take to the stage.

Crime

Milford Haven drug dealing pub boss who boasted of ‘best coke around’ jailed

Published

6 hours ago

March 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Dealer who claimed £160,000 profits was later calling police for protection as threats escalated over money he owed to his suppliers

A MILFORD HAVEN drug dealer who bragged he had “the best coke out there” and claimed to have made up to £160,000 in just four months has been jailed for six years.

But behind the image of a confident, high-earning operator, the reality was starkly different — a man in debt, under threat, and repeatedly calling police for protection as his world closed in.

***Police at Marble Hall Road, Milford Haven in 2025, protecting Dan Booth from drug dealers who threatened to kill him*** (Pic : Herald)

The 35-year-old defendant admitted multiple offences relating to the supply of cocaine and cannabis when he appeared before Swansea Crown Court.

The court heard he played a significant role in the supply of Class A and Class B drugs, purchasing large quantities — including claims he was buying cocaine by the kilogram — and maintaining contact with upstream suppliers.

In messages shown to the court, he boasted about his profits, claiming to have made £38,000 and suggesting that far larger sums were within reach. He also claimed to have earned £160,000 in just four months and said he had bought two houses.

He told customers he had “the best coke out there” and responded aggressively to complaints, stating: “Out of £30,000 worth, you’re the only one to complain,” before adding: “Bad mouthing me is a bad idea you little slag.”

***The Vibe pub in Milford Haven is now closed following Dan Booth being jailed for six years***

Violence and intimidation

The court was also shown chilling footage of a confrontation at a property on the Mount Estate, where the defendant was heard directing violence over a debt.

In the video, he shouted: “I got boys, yeah, I got boys,” before telling others to “kick his head in” as the attack unfolded inside the victim’s home.

Witnesses described him as having become a “kingpin” in Milford Haven’s drug scene, operating from The Vibe public house, which they claimed was used as both a legitimate business front and a base linked to drug dealing.

Fear behind the façade

Yet the court heard that behind the bravado, the defendant was living in fear.

He had accumulated drug debts estimated at between £18,000 and £26,000 and was being threatened by those higher up the supply chain. His partner reported people turning up at their home, with threats including claims it would be bombed or burned down.

The Herald attended his home address on multiple occasions to report on police activity after he called officers for protection.

In a direct call to this newspaper during the period, he said: “There are threats to my life — people want me dead, dead. I don’t want this in the paper. It’s over money… hundreds of thousands of pounds.”

Documents reveal further pressure

The Herald can also reveal that the defendant was served with a statutory demand in late 2025 over an alleged unpaid debt relating to stock, fixtures and fittings following his takeover of The Vibe public house in March 2024.

Documents seen by this newspaper indicate the financial pressures he was under extended beyond drug debts.

National attention

The case has already drawn national interest, with Channel 4 making a documentary featuring the defendant after interviewing local people in Milford Haven over recent months.

‘Significant role’ in drug trade

Police arrested the defendant on January 5 last year on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs. A search of an address on Priory Road uncovered 18 grams of cannabis, while a separate incident involving a vehicle led to the discovery of 73 grams of cocaine and cannabis.

Prosecutors said he was actively involved in the supply of drugs and purchasing large quantities, describing him as a key player in the local trade.

He has 57 previous convictions, mostly for theft-related offences.

‘Only a custodial sentence’

Defending, Mr Ibrihim described his client’s background as a “tale of woe,” telling the court his father was addicted to heroin and his mother struggled with alcohol. His younger sister died in 2022.

The court heard he had gone “off the rails” in his late teens and that his drug dealing was linked to debts, including those connected to his father. It was also said that many of his claims about wealth were exaggerated and amounted to “bravado”.

Sentencing, the judge said: “The seriousness of this offending means that only an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate.

“You played a significant role in drug dealing. What is clear is that you were dealing with a lot of cocaine.

“I have no doubt that some of what you did was due to pressure, but some of it was for your own gain.”

The judge added that despite the defendant’s claims of wealth, “you haven’t got hardly anything left”.

For the supply of cocaine, he was sentenced to six years in prison, with a concurrent sentence of 30 months for supplying cannabis.

He will serve at least half the sentence in custody before being eligible for release.

A victim surcharge of £228 was also imposed.

Community

Loose horse sparks police response in Pembroke

Published

7 hours ago

March 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Animal seen galloping through residential streets and towards main road

POLICE are reportedly tracking a loose horse which strayed into a residential area of Pembroke.

The animal was first spotted in Gatehouse View before making its way onto a nearby main road.

A post on the Pembroke and Pembroke Dock Citizens’ Forum said the horse had left Gatehouse View and was seen heading towards the road by Pembroke Leisure Centre.

The resident wrote: “Anyone recognise it? Police following it.”

The horse was later reported to be galloping down Buttermilk Lane in the direction of Martha’s.

Stray horses are not uncommon in the area. In January, several animals were reported loose around Pembroke and along the A477, particularly near Buttermilk Close and the Cleddau Bridge.

Those incidents created a hazard for motorists, prompting Pembrokeshire County Council to step in and return the animals. Drivers were advised to take extra care and avoid startling them.

international news

Britain exposed: UK has no real shield against long-range Iranian missile threat

Published

7 hours ago

March 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Reliance on US interceptors leaves gaps as Iran’s reach grows

BRITAIN would struggle to defend itself against a long-range ballistic missile attack and would instead rely heavily on American systems based in Eastern Europe and at sea — with no guarantee of success.

That is the stark reality emerging after Iran’s attempted strike on a UK–US base at Diego Garcia on Saturday (March 21), a move that caught many world leaders off guard and marked a significant escalation in capability.

***Defence analysts say that its possible for Iran to hit targets of up to 4000 miles away***

Concerns are further heightened by Iran’s development of larger space launch vehicles, including the Simorgh, Zuljanah, Ghaem-100 and Qased systems, which on paper demonstrate ranges of between 2,200 km and up to 6,000 km, with payload capacities of up to 1,000 kg. While these rockets are officially designed to place satellites into orbit rather than deliver warheads, they use the same multi-stage technology and propulsion systems found in long-range ballistic missiles. Defence analysts have long warned that such programmes provide a clear pathway to intercontinental strike capability, raising the prospect that parts of Europe — and potentially even the UK — could fall within reach if these technologies are adapted for military use.

No UK shield over Britain

The UK has no dedicated system to shoot down long-range ballistic missiles over its own territory.

While RAF Fylingdales provides early warning and tracking, it cannot intercept incoming threats. Britain’s air defence network — including RAF jets and ground systems — is designed for aircraft, drones and cruise missiles, not high-speed ballistic weapons.

In simple terms, if a missile were heading toward a target such as Milford Haven’s energy facilities, there is no British-operated system that could reliably stop it at the last moment.

America would have to act

Instead, any interception attempt would fall to the United States.

Key assets include:

Aegis Ashore missile defence bases in Romania and Poland
US Navy warships equipped with SM-3 interceptors
Wider NATO tracking and coordination systems

These systems are capable of striking a missile in space during its midcourse phase, long before it reaches the UK.

But there is a crucial limitation: they can only engage if the missile passes within range of those systems.

If the trajectory falls outside that envelope — or if no US ship is positioned correctly — there may be no interception at all.

A probability, not protection

Even when an intercept is attempted, success is far from certain.

Testing data for the SM-3 system suggests success rates of roughly 50 to 80 per cent per engagement, depending on conditions. In practice, multiple interceptors are often fired at a single target to improve the odds.

That still leaves a significant margin for failure.

In a real-world scenario involving countermeasures, technical faults or multiple missiles, the chances of at least one getting through rise sharply.

Gaps in coverage

The NATO missile defence network is not a continuous shield.

It is a patchwork of coverage zones tied to specific systems:

Romania and Poland provide fixed land-based interception capability
US warships offer flexible but limited coverage depending on deployment

There is no permanent protective umbrella over the UK itself.

If a missile does not pass through one of those defended zones, Britain would effectively be relying on luck and geometry.

Deterrence, not defence

Ultimately, the UK’s primary protection is not interception — it is deterrence.

Any successful strike on British soil would almost certainly trigger a major NATO response, making such an attack extraordinarily risky for any adversary.

But deterrence does not equal defence.

A growing concern

Iran’s attempted long-range strike on Diego Garcia has shifted the debate sharply.

The use of a missile capable of travelling thousands of kilometres surprised many Western leaders, who had not expected Tehran to demonstrate that level of reach in the current crisis. Although one missile failed and another was intercepted, the incident has raised fresh questions about how far Iran’s capabilities have advanced.

For years, the idea of a missile threat to Europe — let alone Britain — was largely theoretical. Now, defence analysts are treating it as a credible future risk, even if capability remains limited today.

The bottom line

The UK can detect a missile, track it, and coordinate a response — but when it comes to actually stopping it, the country would be dependent on American systems operating at distance, with no certainty of success.

If a missile ever did get through, there would be little standing between it and its target.

And that is the uncomfortable truth behind the headlines.