To commemorate the history of south Wales venues past and present, Buzz asked our brightest musical talents about the venues they started out in, and the sweat, toil and shenanigans that went on in there.

Kelly Jones – Stereophonics

I think Cardiff has changed a lot since I’ve grown up. We used to play Sam’s Bar on the corner and take our own money on the door, so we’d stand by the door all night and then go on stage at 11pm. I used to love those bars. Gassy Jacks was another one we used to play. It would be nice to go back to a few of those pubs and have a pint but they’re not there anymore, or at least Sam’s Bar isn’t.

Info: www.stereophonics.com

Benji Webbe – Skindred / Dub War

TJ’s in Newport was always a special venue that I loved to play at. Being a Newportonian, that stinky sweat box was an important part of my punk/rock/metal upbringing. It was always a riotous night in TJ’s. John [Sicolo], the owner, would welcome the club goers with a punch in the belly, and that was for nothing, so imagine if you did anything! I took Robert Trujillo from Metallica to TJ’s one night and he couldn’t believe the state of the club or how bad it smelt or how his shoes got properly stuck to the sticky beer-drenched floor, but he still had a cracking time. It’s so sad that TJ’s died a death and is no longer there. So many classic venues around the world that are built by these old-school club owners are no longer with us. Rock’n’roll was born in places with character like this and we need to keep that spirit alive.

Info: www.skindred.net. Touring from April.

Cally – hardstyle DJ and half of Cally & Juice

When I first started out, I enjoyed playing at every venue. They all had their own vibe and character and that made me really fascinated – the way an event could feel so different depending on where it was held. If I had to choose one place I would say The Emporium in Cardiff. The atmosphere you would get at every event would be off the scale, no matter who was putting on the night. Even now it’s hard to find another venue that could match how you would feel being there. Every weekend was an adventure and we’ve all said many times one day we need to write a book to put all our stories in. The time MC Shocker [collaborator with Cally & Juice] forced a plane to abort its landing was up there with the best of them…

Info: www.callyofficial.com

Phil Moxham – The Irascibles / Young Marble Giants

I started out in 1975-76. There were two memorable venues that we at that time had weekly residencies at. The Lion’s Den under the Great Western Hotel was a long, vaulted cellar that was always packed and a guaranteed intimate and sweaty Friday night – Cardiff’s version of the Cavern. Club Montmerence, known fondly as Monty’s, was a big tin shed stuck on the back of a grand Victorian townhouse in Charles Street. Up the front steps, pay 50p to Monty himself, who sat in a tiny ticket booth, then down a long, narrow, winding corridor into the club for unbridled cheap booze and everything from punk to disco. Monty lived in the house and I remember an extremely rare visit upstairs to negotiate our fees. Monty wore a velvet smoking jacket, his place was all fleur-de-lys flock wallpaper, chaise longue, aspidistras, lace curtains and suits of armour. Very 1930s Berlin. Grassroots coffee bar was also extremely important at that time as the supporter and incubator of Cardiff’s post-punk indie/DIY scene – a remarkable survivor and long may it be so.

Info: www.facebook.com/theirascibles

High Contrast – drum’n’bass DJ and producer

The first paid DJ residency I had was at Clwb Ifor Bach, which was a dream come true for me as I had been going there as a punter for years. It felt like I had finally made it, at least on a local level. At that time there was almost weekly top name guest drum’n’bass DJs coming in to play and this was a great opportunity for me to learn from them and actually get to meet them. One of my favourite nights was when I did a launch party for my album Tough Guys Don’t Dance back in 2007 at Clwb. To have a sellout night at the same venue I started out at for my album launch, with a queue going all the way down Womanby Street, plus riot vans to keep an eye on things – that was a great personal moment.

In the late 90s/early 2000s it felt like there were a lot of local characters in Cardiff that you would see out and about each weekend, like Ninjah and Jah Scouse; a whole host of faces who I never knew by name but would see at various clubs and afterparties. There was a definite sense of community in the dance music world. Dance music was making it into the pop charts, but it was still very much its own thing, operating outside of the concerns of the top 40, helped by the cottage industry of vinyl distribution. Today, after the collapse of vinyl singles and dance record shops with them, plus the instant availability of everything online, we’ve seen a homogenization of dance music, which is not without benefits but I do think that special sense of a tribal community has been diluted. The closing of small-to-medium-sized clubs only adds to this sense of loss as these venues are such important hubs for people finding unusual music that they become passionate about.

Info: www.highlycontrasting.com

Jack Jones – Trampolene singer and Pete Doherty co-conspirator

I know it’s only just gone but Monkey Bar in Swansea was a really cool place, even though the last time I was there I was tasered in the face by a bouncer… fun Swansea memories, I suppose. It was pretty riotous every time we played back then. Prior to the band, I was just a small kid going to gigs and jumping around. There was a place in Brecon [The Vaults] where they had great punk and ska nights. People would be jumping all over the walls and ceilings.

Info: www.facebook.com/trampoleneofficial

Taylor Jones – Into The Ark

The venue I enjoyed most when we were just starting out was Le Pub in Newport. Back in the day Dane [Lloyd, other half of Into The Ark] played loads of gigs with his old pop-punk band and used to take me on nights out to watch the live bands, play pool and drink some famous Trevor Nelsons! After creating a bit of a buzz with Into The Ark a few years later we managed to sell it out. So that was an honour and felt pretty cool.

Info: www.intothearkofficial.com

Sweet Baboo

I wish I could remember my first gig in Clwb. I think it may have been on the middle floor for some reason, and we fashioned a vocoder. I still like playing there. The Transport Club in Riverside is fun, and I like Undertone too. As for places that are gone, I also loved Howard Gardens which is sadly no longer with us. That place was the best, but there’s loads of others I remember fondly, like The Horse & Groom on Womanby Street: not strictly a venue by my recollection, but brilliant nonetheless.

Info: www.sweetbaboo.co.uk

Phil ‘Traxxx’ Davies – Astroid Boys

Clwb Ifor Bach was great when we were starting out. The venue owners were always open to trying new things and let us young kids put on shows. Otherwise, the Barfly was great – I used to go there loads when I was a kid – and Cardiff Arts Institute was also the best venue Cardiff has ever seen. The early Astroid Boys shows were there and it was always fun.

Info: www.astroid-boys.com

Jay Pepper – Tigertailz

The venue we enjoyed most when starting was the original Bogiez, under the bridge on Penarth Road. It was the beating heart of the rock scene in Cardiff and South Wales. I remember Richie, one of the doormen at Bogiez – a crazy massive guy, but also the salt of the earth. He later became Tigertailz’s personal security. And also Mike – the ‘dungeon master’ – who ran Bogiez. He always looked a thousand years old but has never aged!

One particularly riotous gig was the Tonypandy Naval Club. It was infamous for being hell to play. We played there early on in our career. The audience hated us for our big hair and glam image; they sat around the perimeter throwing anything they could at us. The only time a punter came to the front of the stage was to spit in our singer’s face. We only just got out alive!

Info: www.tigertailz.co.uk

Scott Lee Andrews – Midasuno/Exit_International

I remember being beside myself when Midasuno got to play the Cardiff Barfly for the first time. God knows how many times I played there over its 10-year run. The staff were all great, and always accepted my apologies when I’d turn up again after being a little too merry. It was big deal for Midasuno at the time as it was the first time we got to leave Merthyr to play a show. The Engine Rooms in Cardiff Bay was another favourite.

Back then, every show was a blast. Playing with bands like Jarcrew and The Martini Henry Rifles would always end in carnage. We had our fair share of run-ins back then. We had a tussle with some of the guys from a band called Violent Delight and their crew at The Engine Rooms. Suffice to say, with [Midasuno drummer] Matt Riste in your band, you always had the advantage. Later with Exit_International we did a legendary show in Jen Long’s kitchen where I had a mid-song run-in with her oven. I returned the next day with a bag of Poundland fixtures and glues to sort it out.

Le Pub became E_I’s home, and hearing about the closure was a huge shock. I’m so glad Sam and Matt [Dabb] have a new home. The Globe was the last place in Cardiff I played [with Mutation] and I loved it. I still have a massive dislike for decibel meters and promoters/owners who tell you to turn it down. Did not have any trouble there.

Info: scottleeandrews.bandcamp.com

Carl Bevan – 60 Ft. Dolls

TJ’s was always crazy. John Sicolo being a one man-barrier/security right in front of the stage like a grizzly bear holding back a writhing mass of rioting salmon. Are there any gigs I remember from back then? The entire 90s are a bit of a blur, sorry.

TJ’s was the greatest club in the universe of all time. Anywhere. Will miss the old Le Pub for nostalgic reasons also but it’s amazing to see them doing great in the new bigger venue. It’s the only decent place left in Newport now. Viva Le Pub! In Cardiff I miss Dempseys. Gareth Bale can fuck off with his vanity bar of bland. Stick to the ice hockey Gareth.

Cerys Matthews – BBC 6 Music / ex-Catatonia singer

In the beginning, it wasn’t as much the venue but whether there was anyone turning up to listen. We played so many gigs to empty venues, so when they began to fill up, that was the thrill. As Joe Strummer said, without people you are nothing. It’s funny when you start out and begin to notice familiar faces who’d try to come to every gig. I’d feel guilty, thinking “save your money for something else” and also felt like changing up the set and banter so they wouldn’t be bored. There is a huge joy though in meeting characters who love music as much as you do.

TJ’s is gone in Newport, as is the Coal Exchange in Cardiff. You really can’t underestimate the value of a well-run cultural centre, which is what a venue is: precious not just in terms of entertainment but for a place for the community to meet, exchange ideas, get inspired, and also for upcoming engineers/managers/lighting and sound techs to cut their teeth. It’s heartbreaking when a local venue/theatre/pub closes for the final time.

Mwldan in Cardigan pays great attention to its curation, and it builds a regular audience, putting heart and soul into the four walls. Having said all of this, if that venue also has the benefit of history, and beauty, there’s the added sense of wonder, to walk out on stage feeling all the ghosts of those who have performed before you.

Info: www.cerysmatthews.co.uk

Cian Ciaran – Super Furry Animals

Is there a venue that’s gone that I would like to see come back? The Hippo Club. It’s where we first played The Man Don’t Give A Fuck using a sampler. I think.

Info: www.superfurry.com 

Gwenno

Cardiff has changed so much over the years. I quite like the Toucan Club, which was a venue that moved around loads. I’ve probably played Clwb Ifor Bach more than any other venue, so there’s something about the familiarity of there for me.

We also put Peski Nacht gigs on at Jacob’s Antiques which I really enjoyed because that was an arts space and that was quite an exciting time for us because there was a collection of us and it was outside of normal gigs. It was something we all put together, it was a collective night and we had a lot of fun doing them. It always felt like you were in a European city, I loved that it felt like you were somewhere else.

Today? I don’t go out much now I have a baby! I went to Sully’s Café a few months ago and I fainted so it must have been good! It looked like a good night, it seems like a nice place, and I really like it because in other countries there’s not just a gig venue, there’s always a restaurant or a café or somewhere you can dance. That’s what struck me about Sully’s, you can do lots of different things there instead of just having one purpose to a place and it is completely independent. That’s what’s excited me recently, that it is making do with what it has and it feels very organic.

Info: https://www.gwenno.info/