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In 2017, Cardiff’s music scene was collapsing. What’s the secret of its amazing revival?
After protests against redevelopment, the Welsh capital’s council took steps to protect venues and nurture new talent. Artists are heartened – but say more can be done
Cult pop acts Fabiana Palladino and Porridge Radio are on the lineup alongside experimental composer Gwen Siôn – whose piece Llwch a Llechi mixes field recordings, one of Wales’s oldest male voice choir and electronic instruments fashioned from wood and slate – plus Tuareg rock, Butetown jazz and Noongar-language songs from western Australia. In response, local residents joined together in street marches, putting pressure on the council to formally recognise the vitality of this “music quarter” – from Fuel, a dedicated rock and metal club, to the internationally renowned Clwb Ifor Bach. But in the months leading up to the publication of the Cardiff Music Strategy in April 2019, a handful of venues elsewhere in the city closed – among them DIY-minded Gwdihŵ (Welsh for owl) and indie bar Buffalo – due to a sharp increase in business rates and plans to turn each site into commercial units.
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