Aled Richards
Drummer, Catatonia
Aled Richards is a Welsh drummer best known as a member of Catatonia, one of the defining bands of the 1990s Cool Cymru scene. Born in Wales in 1969, he joined the group in 1996 as they were on the verge of signing to Warner Brothers, stepping in at a pivotal moment just before the band's breakthrough.
With Richards behind the kit, Catatonia rose to major success with their second album International Velvet, which included hits such as 'Mulder and Scully' and 'Road Rage' and turned frontwoman Cerys Matthews into an international star. He continued with the band through the follow-up Equally Cursed and Blessed and the 2001 album Paper Scissors Stone, playing everywhere from Glastonbury to Wembley and appearing on Later... with Jools Holland and Top of the Pops.
When Catatonia split in September 2001, Richards stepped back from full-time music to spend time with his young family. He later returned to performing with bands including Killing For Company, and went into teaching, working as a music technology lecturer at Coleg Sir Gar in Llanelli - the town he has long been closely associated with. He remains a working freelance musician today.