The Arch
11 Commercial Street, Neath. 07791 923214 / [email protected]
Sat 1 The Techno Asylum 7pm-3am, £15 adv/£12 early bird. Techno from Spanish duo The Yellowheads, Alter:Ego (change your name), Ryan Ross, Tom Murray, Matthew Hart and CJM. Mon 31 Dec 90s Old Skool 8pm-4am, £9 adv. Headlined by tape pack rave stalwart Easygroove and also featuring locals Lee Grey, Phill Williams, Mark Muller, Jordan Smith, Owen Prydie, Michael Connolly, Justin Williams and Brett Williams. Plus dancers, confetti etc.
The Attic
5-6 Castle Bailey St, Swansea. facebook.com/theatticswansea
Mondays Concrete Junglists: The Community Works 10pm-3am, £3. Cardiff drum’n’bass/jungle brand branch into Swansea for a weekly session highlighting fresh local DJs etc. Sat 8 Dec Con7rol x The Zoo Project Ibiza 9pm-3am, £10 adv. House and techno from GW Harrison, Lee Pennington, Lloyd Haines, Taz Mea, Jamie Morgan, Scott Phillips, Vedra, Alexander Eley, Natasha Denby and more TBC. Sat 15 Dec Kevin & Perry Go Large 11pm-3am, £6/£5 adv. How are Kevin & Perry, their names being the pretext for a 90s house/trance night, a touchstone among students in 2018? Wed 26 Dec Boxing Day Classics 9pm-3am, £8 adv. Retro house jams with Greg P and CN Williams. Mon 31 Dec Hit Me With Those Laser Beams 9pm-3am. Acid house, trance and techno.
Bar Cocoa
Broad Street, Barry. facebook.com/cocoabarry
Fridays + Saturdays 10pm-3.30am, £3. With DJ James Bourne and special guest appearances/live sets. Sat 3 has one from Lucas J Rowe with Starvz.
The Big Top / 10 Feet Tall
11a + 12 Church Street, Cardiff. 029 2022 8883 / [email protected]
Mondays (until Mon 18 in Dec) Junction :: Liquid Mondays 9pm-1am, free. New weekly night of liquid drum’n’bass, the genre with a strange idea of how colons work. Mon 31 Dec Des Was A Bowie Fan 9pm-4am, £6-£12. Indie/postpunk/soul club night, London-based albeit here increasingly regularly, does NYE. Thursdays Rock hits from DJ Andy Rhys Lewis. Fridays + Saturdays Resident DJs playing soul and funk. Fri 21 Dec Killing Moon 10pm-3am. Long(ish)-running 80s alternative rock/new wave type night. Saturdays Under A Groove 9pm-3am, £3 after 10. Funk and neo-soul.
Blind Tiger
49 Cambrian Road, Newport. 01633 243500.
Mon 31 Dec Mista Ifsta’s NYE 2018 Block Party 10pm-8am, £10 adv/£5 early bird. Taking place here, Courtyard, La Bamba and Warehouse 54. Wednesdays Wild Wednesdays Cocktails, drink deals and tunes as part of a cross-city midweek session. Fridays Beekay & Friends 11pm, £3-£5. House, techno and bass music with guest DJs, breaking producers and residents from Wales’ freshest nights. Saturdays Re:work 11pm, £5. Underground and cutting edge club music promised. Sat 15 Dec Hardcore Classix 10pm-5am, £5. Featuring Dougal, Adam Harris, Dowster, Pikey, Denzo, Barno, Boyle, Pete Rampage and MCs Wotsee, Fugitive and Adam Lee.
BLISTERS
63-65 Hanbury Road, Bargoed. 01443 821500 / twitter.com/blistersbargoed
Fri 14 Dec Clubland Classix 10pm-4am, £14.50-£18.50. Pop rave, happy hardcore and hardstyle from Flip & Fill, N-Trance, Cally and Martin Dibble plus hosts MC Keyes & MC Shocker. Sun 23 Dec Joel Corry 10pm-4am, £13 adv/£10 early bird. “Musically, his pumping house sound encompasses upfront bass house, a touch of tech and the occasional sprinkle of hands in the air deep house favourites.”
Buffalo
11 Windsor Place, Cardiff. Open Mon-Thurs 11am-3am, Fri + Sat 11am-4am, Sun until 4am. 029 2031 0312 / www.buffalocardiff.com
Mondays Bump & Grind 10pm-3am, from £2. R’n’b/hip-hop night. On every Monday here including New Year’s Eve! Wed 5 Dec + Fri 4 Jan + Fri 18 Jan Stickylemons 9pm-3.30am. In total there are five Stickylemons (drum’n’bass promoters) nights on in here over December and January. The two that I have some info on are listed separately and the remaining three have their dates listed here. Wed 26 Dec Stickylemons 9pm-3.30am. Drum’n’bass promoters over both floors of Buffalo; d’n’b upstairs, mixed genres (hip-hop, bassline, reggae, garage etc) on the ground floor. Fri 7 Dec Super Sandal Selects 10.30pm-4am, £3-£7. Disco and house from Harry Wolfman, Tom Carne b2b George Collins and Fergus Laity b2b Will Terry. All proceeds for this night are going to MIND as well. See Clubs. Fri 14 Dec Stickylemons 9.30pm-3.30am, £8-£15. Drum’n’bass and grime from headliner Devilman and a slew of acts TBC. Fri 25 Jan Pump Up The Jam 10pm-3am, from £3. Club night dedicated to the dance hits of the 90s, much like the 70s disco nights that were petering out when I was a fresher 20 years ago. Saturdays Hideaway 10pm-4am, £3. Disco, house, and hip-hop from residents over two floors. December also has guest DJs each week: Sat 1 Andy Warphole (Blue Honey); Sat 8 Haws DJs; Sat 15 Rotary Club DJs; Sat 22 Teak DJs.
Buffs
6 Station Road, Brynmawr. 01495 315334.
Fri 21 Infinity Black Friday 7pm-3am, £5. Hard dance from Stu Grady, Tekno Tom, J Tek, Dan Newman, PH & Lam, Wells & Spctrm, Jiggy & Lewis T and Tom Staley & Joel Jones.
Cardiff University Students Union
Park Place, Cardiff. All listings apply to term time only. 029 2078 1458 / www.cardiffstudents.com
Wednesdays YOLO 9pm-2am, £4/£3 adv/free before 11. Midweek club night promising both your favourite tunes and great offers. Good name, really on trend. Saturdays Juice 10pm-3am, £5/£4 NUS. Chart, dance and pop.
Chapter arts centre
Market Road, Canton, Cardiff. 029 2030 4400 / www.chapter.org
Mon 31 Dec The Shakedown 7pm-2am, £25 adv/£20 early bird. Featuring quality soul, funk etc selections from DJs James Parker, John Rea, Lee Sigerson and Andy Powell. Plus a HUSH Silent Disco and live music from the Madassa Soul Band.
Club Ice
Broadway, Pontypridd. 07771 920726 / www.clubiceponty.com
Wed 26 Dec Cellar Door 8pm-2am, £10 adv. House and techno from the Undercover DJs. Fridays Flashback 10pm-3am. Retro hits from the 80s, 90s and 00s. Saturdays Gravity 10.30pm-3am, £7/£5 before 11. House, techno and dance every week on the club’s Void soundsystem. Sat 19 Jan Focus 9pm-4am, from £5 adv. This is billed as being one of the biggest nights in this club’s existence to date, but the lineup is TBC at the moment and I also can’t tell what kind of music it is.
Club Oxygen
1 Northampton Lane, Swansea. 0844 8849171 / www.globaloxygen.co.uk
Fridays Dance Anthems 11pm-6am, free. House and commercial music all night from Big Al, Nicky G, 3 Bird, Jordan Steins, LJ Isaac and Tom Chizzy. Saturdays 11.30pm-5am, £5/free before 1. Upstairs: deep house, commercial house and tech-house. Downstairs: urban, chart, classics, r’n’b, hip-hop and UK garage.
Clwb Ifor Bach
Womanby St, Cardiff. 029 2023 2199 / www.clwb.net
Mon 31 Dec NYE 2018 10pm-4am, £11 adv. One floor each handled by DJs Dirty Pop, Mr Potter and Andrew Rhys Lewis (ie like a Saturday night here). There’s also a ‘cowboys v robots’ theme and you have to be in by 11.30pm. Tue 4 Dec Dazed 11pm-3am, £6-£12. Two-floor special with grime/bass music upstairs (Sir Spyro, Spectrum and Submerge residents, plus more TBC) and drum’n’bass downstairs (Kanine, Clique b2b Dox, Codify b2b Stunny, Spin Doctors residents and more TBC, plus MC XL). Wed 5 Dec Brooklyn Zoo 11pm-3am, £4-£8. Hip-hop/rap/r’n’b night which they’re calling Lit-mass. Wed 12 Dec Jackson 5 Disco Wonderland 11pm-3am, £7/£5. Another of these cookiecutter touring clubnights which seem to sell like hotcakes, or indeed cut cookies. Tue 11 Dec SoulJam 11pm-3am, £7/£5. Funk, soul and disco with a seasonal twist this month. Thurs 6 Dec So Fetch 11pm. Club night dedicated to music from the decade before the one we are currently in. Fridays (bottom) Yum! 11pm-3am, £3-£5. Indie and pop. New, or at least refocused, night. Fri 7 Dec Get Funky 11pm-4am, £9. House from Adryiano, Eden Rees and Lewis Miles. Fri 14 Dec Ross From Friends 7.30pm, £12.50 adv. Ninja Tune-signed producer’s live set, whichi is sold out. Saturdays Dirty Pop 10pm-4am, £5. Three floors of fun: Grltlk and Andrew Rhys Lewis’ top floor resident indie shindig; Dirty Pop; and Mr Potter’s proper disco. Sat 29 Dec Canopy x Dazed Free Rave 10pm-4am, free before 12. Drum’n’bass from Clique, Dox and more DJs TBC, plus MCs XL and Pablow. I think you have to register on the event page to get the advertised free entry.
Coffee barker
Castle Arcade, Cardiff. 029 2022 4575 / facebook.com/coffeebarker
Fri 7 Dec + Fri 4 Jan The Shakedown 8.30pm-12.30am, free. Funk, jazz, R&B, boogaloo etc from DJs Lee, Matt and Andy, newly in this venue on the first Friday of every month.
Courtyard
48 Cambrian Road, Newport. 01633 213161.
Mon 31 Dec Mista Ifsta’s NYE 2018 Block Party 10pm-8am, £10 adv/£5 early bird. Taking place here, Blind Tiger, La Bamba and Warehouse 54. Wednesdays Wild Wednesdays Upfront dance anthems and “Urban Vibes”. Fridays Spotlight Sessions / The Kickstart 5pm, £3/free before 9. Urban and club anthems and drinks deals. Part of the NPCLUBHOP price deal which also includes entry to Blind Tiger, Meze Lounge and Lambaba. Saturdays Mischief Beat-driven anthems is the ambiguous description for tonight’s music policy. Sundays Good Time Social Club 8pm, free. DJs til late and the weekend’s sports highlights.
CREATURE SOUND
Ken Bu Kan, 1 Bethesda Street, Swansea. 01792 301178 / www.creaturesound.com
Sat 8 Dec Beats Not Bombs 7pm-4am, £2.50. Bands, DJs and rappers, acts TBc but raising money for the homeless. Mon 31 Dec Heft NYE Free Rave 9pm-4am, free. Various dancey sounds over three rooms. Put your name on the event page wall to register your place.
THE DUKE
Old Market Street, Neath. 01639 643892.
Sat 15 Dec Hedone 7pm-2am, £10. House and techno night headlined by Shaf Huse. Mon 31 Dec Hedone NYE 7pm-2am. More house and techno, details TBC.
THE ENGINE HOUSE
High Street, Merthyr Tydfil. 01685 388183.
Sat 22 Dec SOS Warehouse Party 7-11pm, £16-£20 adv. There are DJs and that here but the main event seems to be a meet’n’greet with Scotty T off of Geordie Shore. Mon 31 Dec Cellar Door 7pm-1.30am, £20 adv. House and techno guys’ third and final night in December, in a big warehouse building in Merthyr. Looks pretty neat (despite the basketball court markings on the floor), hope you’ve got a contingency plan for when it’s over and you’re mashed with no way of getting home.
Fiction & Vinyl
The City Gates, Little Wind Street, Swansea. 01792 828777 / www.fictionclub.co.uk/swansea
Mon 31 Dec 10pm-5am, £6-£12. Featuring EDM duo M-22, who are also at Pryzm in Cardiff tonight, and Jammer of Boy Better Know fame. I love Jammer! Would be a bit weird seeing him do an NYE PA in Swansea though. Mondays Quids In 10.45pm-2.30am, £3.50/£2 before 11. Chart, cheese, r’n’b, dance and house. Mon 3 Dec is a promotion for watermelon flavour VK, which like all the most inspirational events of recent history was chosen by public vote. Wednesdays Underground 11pm-3.30am, £3.50/£2 before 1. House, chart, r’n’b and cheese across two rooms. Fridays 11pm-3am, £5/£3 adv. Drinks offers and, uh, music I guess. Saturdays Agenda 10.30pm-3am, £3.50/£2 before 1. Fiction: house, r’n’b, EDM. Vinyl: pop and party.
FLuIDITY FREERUN ACADEMY
Unit G, Pengam Road, Cardiff. 07747 888931 / www.fluidityfreerunacademy.co.uk
Sat 8 Dec Got Bass 10pm-4am, £12.50-£17.50. Bassline specialists in a new venue for them (called the Frontal Lobe Warehouse here, not sure if that’s its new name or what) with Royal T and Bassboy plus more TBC.
Fuel
5 Womanby Street, Cardiff. 07970 063107 / facebook.com/fuelcardiff
Thursdays FUBAR 10pm-2am. Rock, metal and alternative clubnight. Fridays + Saturdays Rock and metal anthems each weekend, plus special guests when such types are in town.
G6 CLUB
60 Station Road, Port Talbot. 01639 697564 / facebook.com/g6club
Sat 22 Dec Glitch 8pm-3am. House, disco and techno from headliner Alisha, keeping Peterborough on the map for house music apparently, plus Tom Murray, Luke Aromstrong, Prydie, Rhys Jenkins, Alex Eley and Calum Gillings.
The Globe
125 Albany Road, Cardiff. 07590 471888 / www.globecardiffmusic.com
Fri 21 Dec Christmas Ultimate Power 9pm-2am, £5 adv. Power ballad DJ night. Mon 31 Dec Club Tropicana 9pm-2am, £12 adv/£10 early bird. Eighties night.
GOLDEN LION HOTEL
101 Lammas Street, Carmarthen. 01267 243909 / www.goldenlioncarmarthen.co.uk
Fri 14 Dec DVC Early Xmass Bash 8pm-2am, £5 before 12. Drum’n’bass from DJ MOD, Gem1n1tw1nz, Enimatix, Mr Pickles, Audio Autopsy, Dj Babz and hosts Bilshot & Hypnosis.
The GRIFFIN
Market Square, Brynmawr. 07771 920726.
Sat 1 Dec Cellar Door 9pm-2.30am, £10. House and techno from the Undercover DJs and friends. Sat 22 Dec Distorted 9pm-2am, £8-£15. Second headline set of the month on these pages (see Platform 11, and also the Clubs preview page) for tech-house geezer Shadow Child. Liam Tucker, Dan Newman and Lewis John also feature here.
Gwdihw
Guildford Crescent, Cardiff. 029 2039 7933 / www.gwdihw.co.uk
Sat 1 Dec The Mixtape 9pm-3am, £6/£5. Headlined by Il Bosco from Manchester. Lots of cratediggy disco type stuff by the looks, could be good. Thurs 6 Dec + Sat 26 Jan Buena Disco Social Club 8pm, £3. Disco, funk and world music from Jeff Rainbow and Buena residents plus art from Luana Tanir. Fri 7 Dec Rave In Aid 9pm-2am, donations from £3. House and techno from Neil Fucking Young, Kofi Tarris, Dai Murder and more TBC. A benefit for homeless centre The Huggard, so a larger donation is welcome, plus there’ll be a box at the door to donate clothes etc. Sat 8 Dec Cosmogramma 9pm, £4/£3. See Clubs for more on this night, featuring a live set by Ishmael Ensemble plus DJ sets from Alfie Swan and Cosmogramma residents. Wed 12 Dec Cardiff Electronic Producers 7pm. Live electronica and monthly networking. Fri 14 Dec Beat Cartel 9pm, £3. Sat 15 Dec Sure Shot 9pm. General funky dancefloor stuff, lineup TBC. Thurs 20 Dec Red Room 9pm, £3. Not sure what sort of music this is but it seems to be aimed at students and the DJs are called Red, Uder, Chrs b2b Luke, Tetra and Eggy. Sat 22 Dec Slipped Disco 9pm. Fri 28 Dec + Fri 25 Jan Pleasuredome 9pm, £4/£3 before 11. Eighties dance goodness, last Friday of most months in here. Wed 30 Jan The Shutdown Show 9pm. Hip-hop, grime and r’n’b.
HANGAR 18
50 Plymouth Street, Swansea. 07984 664008 / facebook.com/hangar18mv
Wed 26 Delusion Annual Boxing Day Classics 9.30pm-3.30am, £6-£10. Trance etc from Big al, Rob Davies, Rhys Thomas & Jonny Griffiths, Callan Christie, Dan McShane, Andrew Butty Davies and Ben Saunders. Mon 31 Dirtbox NYE 6pm-6am. Hard dance faves command this venue for the big calendar change, lineup and ticket info TBC.
HAVERHub
12 Quay Street, Haverfordwest. haverhub.org.uk
Fri 21 Dec Dub Soundsystem Sessions 9pm-5am, £8-£12. A Bristol v Pembrokeshire soundclash would you believe. From the former, the Firmly Rooted soundsystem featuring Hold Tight, Indra MC, Supplya and Selkie. From the locale, Papa Jam, Lady Fyah, Greg White and Powersteppers. Sat 29 Dec Westival Warehouse Party 9pm-4am, £4-£9. House, techno and disco from Pembrokeshire party specialists; sets from Autrachy Soundsystem, Jaky Legs and Hot Taties (live).
INTRIM
Queen Victoria Street, Tredegar. 01495 725510.
Sat 22 Dec Alternate Christmas Rave 7pm-3am. House and techno from Alter:Ego (change your name), Tekno Tom, Undercover DJs, Orangepeel, Jack Coles, Brad Dunk b2b Mason James, Joel Jones b2b Davey and Shaun Livener. Sat 29 Dec Silent Disco 8.30pm-2am, £10 plus £5 deposit for headphones. Hosted by Rossy D and featuring three channels of music in the headphones.
Jacob’s Market
West Canal Wharf, Cardiff. 029 2039 0939.
Fri 7 Dec Teak 10pm-5am, £14 adv. Headlined by Ivan Smagghe, who you might know better as part of Black Strobe, and also featuring Seka. Will probably sell out so check social media for tickets etc.
JUBILEE Club
98 Herbert Street, Pontardawe. 01792 863142
Sat 1 Dec Jubilee Soul 7pm-12.30am, free. North soul and the like, hosted by Swansea Scooter Society in aid of Cancer Research UK.
KUKU CLUB
Park Plaza Hotel, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff. 029 2011 1123 / www.kukucardiff.com.
Mon 31 Dec Sugar & Spice Present… Gatsby’s House 10pm-3am, £20 adv. “Join us on a trip to the champagne-fuelled roaring twenties,” one appropriately soundtracked by r’n’b, hip-hop, grime, Afrobeats, UK garage and old skool.
The LAST RESORT
207 High Street, Swansea. www.lastresortswansea.com
Wednesdays Mission 9pm-2am, £3. New night promising hip-hop, grime, drum’n’bass, jungle, techno, house, bassline, psytrance, dub and 140. Sat 1 Dec + Sat 5 Jan Dead Of Night 10pm-3am, £3. Goth/alternative club night, on the first Saturday of every month.
Level 2 @ Kongs
114-116 St Mary Street, Cardiff. [email protected] / www.kongsbars.com
Fri 28 Dec Riddim 10pm-3am, £8-£12 adv. Drum’n’bass from LSB, Ransom, Mascot, Lubi J, Dbrief and MC XL. *Mon 31 Dec NYE 2018 – RC x BH x GT 9pm-4am, £8-£15. That’s Rotary Club, Blue Honey and Groove Theory. And New Year’s Eve, which you probably knew. Three good local clubnights teaming up anyway.
Mary’s
89 St Mary Street, Cardiff. Mon-Thurs 4pm-2am, Fri 4pm-3am, Sat 12pm-3am, Sun 12pm-1am. 029 2066 8647 / www.maryscardiff.co.uk
Mon 31 Dec 7pm-4am, £4 adv. Resident DJs, guest DJs, drag acts, guest drag acts, cabaret etc. Wednesdays Wednesday Club 8pm-2am. Dance and chart toppers with DJ Chris. Thursdays Mixxet 8pm-2am. Fun, games, and cabaret with Amber Dextrous and Alphaa Heart. Fridays Non Stop Party 8pm-2am. DJ Lee plays tunes from the 90s onwards. Saturdays 8pm-2am. Dance, pop and chart with DJ Billy Joe. Sundays Service 5pm-2am, free. Bingo with Aunty Ade and Aunty Betty from 5pm, with cash prizes; DJ Mary Golds until 9pm; guest cabaret at 9pm and DJ Billy Joe on the tapes (this is an odd turn of phrase but I like it) until 1am.
METRO’S
Baker’s Row, Cardiff. 029 2039 9942 / www.metroscardiff.com
Wednesdays Meltdown 10.30pm-4am, free before 11. Punk and rock anthems. New night starting in December. Fridays Havoc 10.30pm-4am, free before 11. Mismatched alternative tunes from Hywel. Saturdays Lose Yourself 10.30pm-4am, free before 11. Stereo Brain playing indie, beats, treats and pop-punk.
Minskys Show Bar
Cathedral Walk, St David’s Centre, Cardiff. 029 2023 3128 / www.minskys-showbar.com
Fridays & Saturdays 8pm-1am. Dancing and cabaret with regular drag acts including Tina Sparkle, Miss Babs and Jolene Dover.
Missoula
84-86 St Mary Street, Cardiff. 029 2037 1315 / www.missoulabars.co.uk/missoulacardiff
Mondays Mojito Mondays 5pm-12am. Motown classics and mojitos 2-4-1 all night. Thursdays Rock The Night 5pm-12am. Indie classics. Fridays #Friday 5pm-2am. Funky house and half price drinks from 5-10pm.
Mocka Lounge
Mill Lane, Cardiff. Mon-Sat 11am-late. 029 2022 1295 / www.mockalounge.com
Thursdays Iqos Social Club / Intuition 7-9pm: Iqos Social Club; 9pm-late: Intuition with DJs Monique B and Dan Willow. Thurs 6 Dec features special guest DJ Spoony, plus MC Onyx Stone Fridays Feeling Soul, funk, disco, rare groove and r’n’b with resident DJs and happy hour from 5-8pm. Saturdays House Of Play House and r’n’b from resident DJs. Sundays Secret Resident DJs play 90s music.
The Moon
Womanby Street, Cardiff. 029 2037 3022 / [email protected]
Mon 31 The Moon’s New Year’s Eve Party £5 adv. No details as yet, apart from that thery’re having one, but there are normally party-friendly bands and DJs on offer. Wed 19 + Wed 30 Jan Womanby’s Clubbing 5.30-8pm. Monthly clubbing events for adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and mental health conditions. Run in partnership with Student Volunteering. Thursdays One More Time 10.30pm-3am, free. Music from the 90s and 00s. Fridays Gigantic Until 4am, free. Funk, punk, rock’n’roll, hip-hop, indie, reggae and soul after bands finish playing. Saturdays Five Dollar Shake Until 4am, free. Bebop, funk, soul, Motown, hip-hop, reggae, ska and everything in between, after bands finish playing.
MUSIQUE BAR & LOUNGE (FORMERLY Neon Lounge)
Market Street, Newport. 01633 533666 / theneon.co.uk/neon-bar-lounge
Fridays + Saturdays 9pm-2am, free.Soul, funk, old skool hip-hop, reggae, house, UK garage, lovers rock etc. Fri 21 Dec Soul Train 9pm-2am. Funk, soul, sisco and Motown classics, on the third Friday of every month. Sat 1 Dec Switch 9pm-3am, free. House and techno from Paul Blandford, Madame Twisted, Danny Mulcahy, Shai, Vittorio Vito Gabbiadini, Ryan Goodman and James Evans. Sat 22 Dec UK Garage Special 8pm-3am, free. Nostalgic night with DJs Shai and Djilla B. Sat 29 Dec I’ll House You 9pm-2am. Upstairs bar and lounge: soulful, uplifting house. classics and anthems. Downstairs clubroom/basement: house, tech, bass and more.
The Neon
Clarence Place, Newport. 01633 533666 / www.theneon.co.uk
Sat 1 Dec Under 18s UV Christmas Ball 7-11.30pm, £10/£8 adv. R’n’b, house and urban anthems plus something called a Winterwonderland UV Snowstorm. Sun 9 Dec Inspire 7.30pm. Urban night for ages 14-18 headlined by Stardom, a road rap fella from Birmingham. Thurs 20 Dec AJ x Deno 7.30pm, £10 adv. London rap duo, big with the kids by the sound and presented here by Newport Events, Fernquest and Djlee are also on the bill. Mon 31 Dec Craig Charles Funk & Soul NYE 8pm-3am, £20 adv. Radio DJ spends his NYE in Newport (although I bet he’s booked at least one other set tonight), with live music from Oh My God! It’s The Church also featuring.
NO.3
The Old Warehouse, Bridge Street, Haverfordwest. no.3entertainment@
outlook.com / facebook.com/no.3nightclubhaverfordwest
Fri 14 Dec Unfound Chapter 1 10pm-6am, £7 adv. House and techno from Regan Rowe, Charlie Hitchcock b2b Sam Jenkins, Callum Till, Origial Sauce and Steffan Davies Fri 21 Dec Groove 6-11pm, £6 adv. Black Friday early special from Cardiff house promoters on tour; headlined by Will Taylor. Sat 22 Dec Back To Bassix 10pm-5am. Drum’n’bass/jungle night headlined by Serial Killaz.
The PARROT
32 King Street, Carmarthen. 01267 231012 / facebook.com/theparrotmusicbar
*Mon 31 Dec NYE Party 8pm-4am, £5 before 12. Not only is this the end of 2018, it’s also the end of this venue, although the record shop upstairs is carrying on. So seeing both out in style are bands (Red & The Hogweeds and more TBC) and DJs (Matt from Tangled Parrot and Sion Harris) from 8pm-2am; then, from 2-4am, drum’n’bass from Selectrix b2b Sub:Conscious.
Penarth Ex-Serivcemen’s Club
69 Windsor Road, Penarth. 029 2070 7530 / www.penarthexservicemensclub.co.uk
Fri 7 Dec Penarth Soul Club 7.30pm-12am, £3 adv. In aid of Marie Curie Hospice Cardiff & Vale in Penarth and featuring DJs from Penarth Soul Club, Rudie Can’t Fail and Bristol’s Dirty Casino.
THE PeRCH
66 Wind Street, Swansea. 01792 462002 / www.theperchswansea.co.uk
Wed 26 Dec Groove 6pm-3am, £5/£4. This is headlined by Jimmy Switch, one of these DJs who has long rambling bios that don’t really say what kind of music he plays. These days I tend to assume it’s mersh tech-house.
THE PHILHARMOINC
76-77 St Mary Street, Cardiff. 029 2132 0740 / www.thephilharmoniccardiff.co.uk
Wed 26 Dec HDUK Classix 9pm-4am, £10 adv. It’s the final date of the final tour for Welsh hardstyle bois Cally & Juice, who I’m pretty sure have had more ‘final’ tours than Black Sabbath by now. Mark EG, MKN, McBunn, Tekno Tom, D-Grove & Rob Davies, Dan Newman, Patchy & Vandellio and host Shocker also feature. Mon 31 Dec Evolution The Reunion 9pm-5am, £10 adv. Continuing the early-00s nostalgia in this venue, expect trance and hard house bangers from Lisa Pin Up, Kris Hill, Big Al, Stu Grady, Dean Angel, Rui J and Kiki V and Valley Houser.
PITCHER & PIANO
Wind Street, Swansea. 01792 461312 / www.pitcherandpiano.com/
Wed 12 Dec Swansea Xmas Jumper Rave 9pm-3am. House and techno here on the last Friday of each month. Cellan Eynon plays outside until 12am; Tom Westerholm inside from 11pm.
PLATFORM 11
High Street, Pontypridd. Fri-Sun 7.30pm-2am. www.platform11.co.uk
Sat 8 Dec 021 7pm-4am, £12/£10. Headlined by Shadow Child, one of the more interesting bookings in this numbered series for some time IMO. Fri 14 Dec Nuff Vibes 7pm-3am, £10 adv. House from Andy Manson, Danny Clockwork, Dave Jones, Gary Pugh, Matthew Burns, Gareth Hopkins and more TBC.
Popworld
96 St Mary Street, Cardiff. Mon, Tue + Thurs 9pm-3am; Wed 8pm-3am; Fri 5pm-3am; Sat 1pm-3am. 029 2023 5825.
Mondays Pop Rocks 9pm. A night of what they call alternative pop but their examples (Green Day, Blink, Linkin Park) seem to suggest will be pop-punk and nu-metal. Ah, it’s all just names at the end of the day. Thursdays Top Of The Pops 10pm-3am. Discounted drinks, free entry and a chance to party the night away, all advertised using the logo from defunct TV show Top Of The Pops which, as a national brand of venues, I assume Popworld are using with the full permission of the BBC. Fridays Reflex 7pm-3am. Drinks deals until 11pm. Saturdays Popworld Party 1pm-3am. Drinks deals from 3-6pm.
Popworld
2-5 Wind Street, Swansea. Mon-Fri + Sun 8pm-3am; Sat 3pm-3am. 01792 470676.
Mondays Pop Is A DDrag 9pm-3am. With Drag host Opal Fruits and DJ Chris Toole. Wednesdays Quids In 8pm-3am. Student night where drinks are £1. Thursdays Neon Disco 9pm-3am. Dance r’n’b, pop, chart and punk. Fridays #WTF 9pm-3am, £2-£4. Tunes, games etc. Saturdays Pop Party 8pm-3am, £2-£4.
Pryzm
Greyfriars Road, Cardiff. 029 2023 3854 / www.pryzm.co.uk/cardiff
Mondays Quids In 10pm-3am, £1 adv/£6 VIP. Student night featuring various special guests. Mon 31 Dec 9pm-4am, £13-£50. Featuring Max Denham and M-22. Top prices are VIP ones which get you queue jump and three drinks. Wed 5 Dec Arena 10pm-2am, £6 adv/£10 VIP. The last of six nights here with special guests aiding the promised “festival atmosphere”. It’s Cascada, who I can’t really imagine watching at a festival. Fridays Smack. 9pm-3am, £4 adv. Weekly student event described by one enthusiast as “lit Friday nights with chilled fam bams and regular bants”. Saturdays Agenda 10pm-3am, £5. Three music arenas, VIP booths, other stuff.
Pulse
3 Churchill Way, Cardiff. 029 2064 1010 / www.pulsecardiff.com. Gay venue.
Mon 31 Dec 9pm-6am. The DJs are Jake Jelly Street, Laurence and Tom, and Pulse reckon it’s the biggest party in town. Given that there aren’t really any big NYE parties now I feel they are as entitled to claim that as anyone. Wednesdays Kapow! 10pm-4am. Student night with Jolene Dover and DJ Warren. Fridays Full On 10pm-5am, £4/£3. DJ Craig downstairs, Opal upstairs. Saturdays The Sound Of Saturday 10pm-5am, £5/£4 b4 11. The very best chart remixes and classic hits all night long.
The Rainbow Rooms
12 High Street, Gorseinon, Swansea. 07763 000382 / www.the-rainbowrooms.com
Mon 31 NYE Ball No info for this aside from there being resident DJs, and, well, it being open. Wed 26 Dec Slipmatt 6pm-6am, £10/£5 before 10. It’s a case of big fish little fish cardboard Boxing Day, or will be if you rock up to Slipmatt’s old skool hardcore set, and dance in that style. Fridays 10pm-4am. With resident DJs Trixta, Jay P and Dip E every week. Saturdays 9pm-4am. With residents plus guest DJs each week: Sat 1 Dec has Rob Rees, Sat 8 has Jay P, Sat 15 is a We Are One charity event, Sat 22 is below and sat 29 has John Hughes. Sat 22 Dec Wild Life 10pm-4am, £7/£5. Featuring vocal dance diva Marcella Woods plus DJs Big Al, Martin Dibble, John Hughes and Rob Rees.
Revolution
Castle Street, Cardiff. Open from 11am. 029 2023 6689 / www.revolution-bars.co.uk
Tuesdays Mode 9pm-3am, £4 adv. Popular student night. Fridays + Saturdays 9pm-3am. DJs, drinks offers, free area hire.
The ROATH PARK
170 City Road, Cardiff. 029 2047 1961.
Sat 15 Dec Christmas DnB Carnage 5-11pm, £12 adv/£10 early bird. The idea of this old geezer pub having six hours of drum’n’bass in its side room is tickling me greatly, but maybe DJs Robbie Dee, OCDJ, Sterling Sounds, MOD, Dubzta and Taffy D will approach it with more gravity.
Sin City
Dilwyn Street, Swansea. 01792 468892 / www.sincityclub.co.uk
Sat 1 Dec Dazed 10pm-4am, £15/£12. Drum’n’bass from Kings Of The Rollers with Inja, Clique, Buckfast Benefits Club (Buckfast Boys Club b2b Friends On Benefits) and Ebbens. Tuesdays Hustle 10pm-3am, £3/£2 before 12. Motown, r’n’b and hip-hop. Thursdays Sin Savers 10pm-3am, £3. Student night. Fridays Monsters Of Rock 10pm-3.30am, £4/£2 before 12.30. Indie in room 1, metal in room 2. Fri 21 Dec Delusion Black Friday 10pm-4am. Local trance promoters with their annual (I think) pre-Christmas night. It features Ben Nicky, Dan McShane, Rhys Thomas and Callan Christie and is sold out. Saturdays Sink 10pm-3am. Hip-hop, drum’n’bass, dubstep etc, with special guests plus resident DJs Dubman, Swiss Elf and South.
Soda
St Mary Street, Cardiff. 029 2037 3363 / www.sodacardiff.com
Mon 31 Dec Mayfair Sessioons NYE 9pm-2am, £8/£20 VIP. Hosted by DJ Russke and also featuring Jordan Valleys, Team Litty, DJT, Veejay, Giggsy and Jay Vivet. These guys were previously in Glam which has deleted all its social media so no idea if it’s open or what. Wednesdays Replay 9pm-4am, £4. Chart, cheese and r’n’b for students. Fridays Fade 10pm-3am, £4/£6 VIP. R’n’b, hip-hop, house and UK garage from Vijay, Jigga, Monique B and Dan Willow. Sat 1 Dec Mayfair Sessioons Winter Shutdown 10pm-4am, £8/£12 VIP. Featuring Shaq V, Joe Lobel, Jordan Valleys, Team Litty, DJT Mista Bibs and Veejay. Saturdays Soiree 9pm-4am. Three rooms including the Attic which is “the social playground for the high flyers and social elite, the only place to be seen.” Imagine catching your reflection in the mirror just after writing that. Sundays Soda Sundays 9pm-3am, £4/£8 VIP. Three floors of music for students and industry workers.
Tiger Tiger
Friary House, Greyfriars Rd, Cardiff. Open Mon-Fri 12pm-2am, Sat 12pm-3am, Sun 12pm-12.30am. 029 2039 1944 / www.tigertiger-cardiff.co.uk
Every Day Lucky Voice Karaoke From £2.50 per session. The UK’s leading private karaoke experience each day of the week. Mon 31 Dec 5pm-4am, £5-£25. This is billed as a Ciroc & Champagne Party, you probably have to buy those things yourself though. Top price includes dinner. Mondays Dolla Dolla 10pm-3am, £5/£2. Student night with special guests. Wednesdays Shotgun Rules 10pm-3am, £5/£3.50. Exclusive midweek student party. You don’t need NUS to get in though. Fridays Tic Toc 10pm-3am, £4. “Forget the DJs who play the stuff you’ve never heard of, ours will be playing your favourite tracks all night long.” Saturdays Kanaloa Polynesian style area with cocktails, VIP booths, dancers etc.
Tramshed
Clare Road, Grangetown, Cardiff. 029 2023 5555 / www.tramshedcardiff.com
Sat 1 Dec Sara Cox Just Can’t Get Enough 80s 7pm-12am, £15-£20 adv. Sold out. Sun 23 Dec The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club 7pm-1am, £18 adv. This isn’t sold out at the time of writing but invariably ends up being so. Mon 31 Dec Disco Motel New Year’s Eve 8pm-3am, £12-£31. Disco, Motown, funk, soul and boogie including a Abba v Bee Gees karaoke singalong session and loads of other nonsense. Sat 5 Jan Martin Kemp – The Ultimate Back To The 80s DJ Set 8pm-12am, £18.50 adv. Decade-specific clubnight hosted by Spandau Ballet singer turned actor who I have no doubt is doing this for artistic reasons, and doesn’t even need the money especially. Fri 25 Jan Brutus Gold’s Love Train 8pm-1am, £15-£26 adv. Dismal-looking touring clubnight based on a concept of disco music that would have seemed trite and dated 25 years ago. Sat 26 Jan Shangri-La 10pm-3am, £21 adv. Headlined by bro-house duo Solardo and will be sold out by the time you read this. Fri 1 Feb Gilles Peterson 8pm-12am, £18/£16. Now here’s a radio DJ with too much self-respect to just play obvious Friday night fodder for easy money. Right Gilles?
Undertone (basement of 10 Feet Tall)
11a + 12 Church Street, Cardiff. 029 2022 8883 / www.undertonecardiff.com
*Sat 1 Dec Haws 10pm-4am, £7/£5. Bristolian techno/post-dubstep fella Peverelist headlines. He must have been to Cardiff before but I can’t picture it, good booking either way. Tue 4 Dec Wile Out 10pm, £5/£3 adv. Bassline and drum’n’bass. Thurs 6 Dec Pull Up 10pm, £5/£3 adv. Bassline and drum’n’bass. Fri 7 Dec Groove Theory 10.30pm-4am. Fifth birthday night for local house/funk/disco specialists. Headliner this time is Athens Of The North, an Edinburgh DJ who runs a label of the same name. Groove Theory also have a night booked in here on Fri 4 Jan, lineup TBC. Sat 8 Dec Paranoize 10pm-4am, £7/£5 before 11. Drum’n’bass, dub and bassline from Ohms, Housemates (Goldylox b2b Rewire with Shaqsoul), Mal B & MC Vizable, Aktik, Odd Sox (Onslaught & Lucas J Rowe), Sarki b2b Spektrun and host MC Ryder. Paranoizealso have a night booked in here on Sat 12 Jan, lineup TBC. Tue 11 Dec + Tue 8 Jan Luna 10pm, £2 adv. House, techno and acid. Fri 14 Dec XL Invites 10pm-3am. Drum’n’bass hosted by MC XL with a lineup TBC. Sat 15 Dec Beat Cartel 10pm, £5/£3 adv. Funk, disco and hip-hop. Tue 18 Dec + Tue 15 Jan Skank Ground 11pm. Drum’n’bass. Thurs 20 Dec + Thurs 31 Jan Pressure 10pm. Drum’n’bass. Fri 21 Dec + Fri 18 Jan Selecta 10pm. UK garage, grime etc. Sat 22 Dec Disco Rekah 10pm. Drum’n’bass/jungle. Fri 28 Dec + Fri 25 Jan Switch Up 10pm. Garage, grime, bassline and drum’n’bass. Sat 29 Dec Rotary Club 10pm, £5/£3 before 12. House, disco and techno with residents and locals. It this promotional entity’s sixth birthday and also the birthday (presumably not his sixth) of Edd, an RC resident DJ. Mon 31 Dec 9pm. Only given details on Undertone’s NYE night is that it’ll be drum’n’bass, and in fairness anything else would be a travesty. Sat 5 Jan Flatline 10pm-4am. Drum’n’bass. Sat 19 Jan Junction 11pm. Drum’n’bass. Thurs 24 Jan Westeval x Cardiff 9pm-3am, £4-£7. Dance festival in Pembrokeshire takes a road trip for a night headlined by Jake Jewitt and overall promising “90s house groovers, old disco belters, melodic techno, Turkish reworks, and 90s African kwaito”. Sounds good! Sat 26 Jan Elements 10pm-4am, £5 adv. Deep, tribal and progressive house.
THE VAULTS / PORTLAND HOUSE
The Old Natwest Bank, 113-116 Bute Street, Cardiff Bay. www.vaultspresents.com
Sat 1 Dec Vaults Presents 10pm-5am, £15.50 adv. House from Steve Lawler, Jimmy Switch and more TBC. Fri 21 Dec Delete 10pm-5am, £15 adv. Minimal techno tackle from Voigtmann, Marc Parsons, Matt Owen and Lee Graves. Wed 26 Dec Vaults Presents 10pm-5am, £13.50 adv. Showcase for drum’n’bass stable 1985 Music: Alix Perez, Jubei and SP:MC, plus Lubi J, Ransom, Walbeoff and Benji. Room 2 is handled by the Submerge Soundsystem. Fri 25 Jan Vaults Presents 10pm-5am, £21.50 adv. Techno from Belgian headliner Amelie Lens plus Midge, Julez Wyl, Murder, Blap and Luke Winds. Sat 26 Jan Wax Format & Journey 2-11pm, £21.50/£18.50. All-day rave whose premise – at least that of Wax Format, who are joining with Cardiff trance promoters Journey – is to play all-vinyl sets. These will come from Scot Project, Signum, Will Rees, Marc West & Andy Bagguley, Sam Mitcham and more.
Warehouse 54
54 Cambrian Road, Newport. 01633 213161.
Mon 31 Dec Mista Ifsta’s NYE 2018 Block Party 10pm-8am, £10 adv/£5 early bird. Taking place here, Blind Tiger, the Courtyard and La Bamba. Wednesdays Krazy Wednesdays Cocktails, drink deals and tunes as part of a cross-city midweek session. Fridays Party Like It’s 1999 7pm-5am, £4/£1.99 before 12. Part of the NPclubhop multi-venue deal. Saturdays The Indie Rock Disco 12am. (Former) Meze Lounge DJs playing indie and rock classics. Also an NPclubhop night.
Wow Bar
4 Churchill Way, Cardiff. Gay venue. Free all day Sun-Thurs; before 11pm Fri + Sat. 029 2066 6247 / www.wowbarcardiff.com
Thursdays Throwback Free. DJ Lee soundtrack non-stop fun and games, hosted by Gina Grigio. Fridays Kitty’s Ditties Free before 11. With WOW Showgirl Miss Kitty, plus special guests every week. Saturdays Devilishly Divine Free before 10. Pop and party upstairs, chart and dance downstairs. Sundays Fundays 12pm-1.30am, free. DJ Krys and Chris Army play the tunes until late.
