New 10-piece heavy metal outfit to provide wow factor at Llangollen festival

The 10 sheet-metal gorillas, standing 6ft tall and weighing nearly 16 stone, will go on show for the first time on July 7 at the music festival.

The gorillas have been created at the British Ironwork Centre near Oswestry.

Their creator is Clive Knowles, 53, chairman of the British Ironwork Centre, which is supporting the eisteddfod.

Last year a single giant gorilla sculpture made from 20,000 spoons caused a sensation on the Llangollen Eisteddfod field, and Clive is expecting an even bigger reaction this time. He said: "The original spoon gorilla was designed and created as a result of a challenge I was set by Uri Geller. We were making some Victorian lampposts for his driveway and he was visiting the site when he challenged me to use spoons to make a giant gorilla.

"Well, we managed it, and used 20,000 metal spoons in the process. Uri Geller came to Oswestry to unveil the sculpture along with Prince Michael of Kent.

"That sculpture was such a massive hit and was on TV reports around the world from Argentina to Zimbabwe.

"It's now on a tour of hospitals and hospices all around the UK. So I decided to make a whole troop of gorillas, but out of colourful metals, and adopt the gorilla as our signature sculpture. I designed them, my history is in art, design and metal work. Each one takes six weeks to complete, we have four metal workers on the task, and we started making the troop in June of last year."

Eilir Owen Griffith, the eisteddfod's musical director, said: "This year visitors will be given an even more spectacular welcome thanks to the troop of giant multi-coloured gorillas. They are going to give us even more wow factor."

Other big draws during eisteddfod week include music legend Burt Bacharach, Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright and tenor Alfie Boe.

There will also be the world premiere of a work to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Welsh colony in Patagonia in a concert starring harpist Catrin Finch.

Meanwhile, eight of the metal apes will make an appearance at Bishop's Castle Carnival on Sunday, July 5.