Gavin and Stacey actor hopes his band will be ‘the next Stereophonics’
Oscar Hartland, who played Neil the Baby in *Gavin and Stacey*, is pursuing a music career and hopes his band can become “the next Stereophonics”. His performance of The Beatles’ “Blackbird” in the sitcom’s 2024 finale helped introduce him to a huge audience, and he says his band is now working towards a modern sound rooted in Wales.
Hartland, 17, is from Machen in Caerphilly county and has released a new single, “Wild Bull”, about growing up and letting go. The band includes Cayden Hughes on bass, Aiden Williams on drums and Deacon Ball on electric guitar; Hartland toured in 2025 and has recorded at Rockfield Studios. The finale drew 12.3 million viewers on Christmas Day and 19.11 million after seven days of catch-up viewing.
In short
- Neil the Baby actor Oscar Hartland is building a music career.
- His band wants to create a modern Welsh sound.
- New single “Wild Bull” draws on growing up in the valleys.
Explained simply
Gavin and Stacey is a Welsh-set British sitcom about the relationship between Gavin, from Essex, and Stacey, from Barry in South Wales, and the lives of their families and friends. Oscar Hartland played Neil, the couple’s son, known as “Neil the Baby”, and appeared in the show’s 2024 finale.
Hartland is from Machen, near Caerphilly, and is now pursuing music with bandmates Cayden Hughes, Aiden Williams and Deacon Ball. The Stereophonics are a successful Welsh rock band whose career offers a point of comparison for Hartland’s ambitions; his group is developing a sound with Welsh roots.
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