Various venues, Womanby St, Cardiff
Fri 25-Sun 27 Aug
What a year it’s been for Womanby Street. Since the last HUB Festival, there have been threatened venue closures, actual venue closures, re-openings, re-brandings and a very successful Save Womanby Street campaign to help keep Cardiff’s musical hub (pun totally intended) alive. In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kind of year, it’s heartening to know that the organisers of HUB have found the time to make this increasingly important festival happen again.
With HUB growing each year since its inception in 2013, the festival now fills 12 different stages with over 200 acts over the course of the August Bank Holiday weekend, so let’s take a quick look at some ones to watch. Your ‘unmissable’ list should read as follows; Junior Bill, Chroma, Rainbow Maniac, Cotton Wolf and The Vega Bodegas – that’s your ska, rock, indie, electronica and punk sorted. You’re welcome. With this many bands and stages there will be inevitable clashes, so you can either toss a coin or just head to one of the many pop up exhibitions and food stalls dotted up and down the street instead. There is never a quiet moment during HUB’s three days and it is fast becoming one of the better of the 1,347 annual festivals held in the city, and at 10 pence a band it’s definitely the best value.
Tickets: £25 weekend/£10 under-18s/free under-12s. Info: 029 2037 3022 (BG)