The City, Whats on

UEFA Champions League 2017: an Italian-Spanish-Welsh Cardiff takeover

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So, it’s the big comedown after the main event, the weather gods have finally let us have it after holding off all weekend, all the drains on my street are totally blocked. The city is slowly being returned to normal.

Is anyone else sad it’s over?? Big ups to all the police and emergency services and cleaning crews and volunteers and everyone who helped make it happen. It was a brilliant weekend!

Some of our favourite bits:

 

 

 

 

We also really like this story from Wales Online: To all the Champions League fans, volunteers and staff – Cardiff says DIOLCH!

Fav bits: over 1 million pints pulled in the city over the weekend, 20,000 half’n’half trays … nice!

Peas

WACx

PS if you’re interested in the community aspects of the game, we suggest following our pals at Eat Sleep Footy Repeat – they covered the 1600-strong girls match in Llanrumney last week, and report on all the best parts of the sport around here!

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The City

Cardiff cinemas long gone: Olympia / ABC

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A few weeks ago, I came across some old pics of the Olympia (then the ABC) cinema at Andrews Buildings (today it’s where River Island is on Queen Street). I’ve got fond if sketchy memories of that cinema (most notably seeing The Jungle Book and Jurassic Park in there as a child), and had almost completely forgotten where the building was on Queen Street.

 

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(photo from 1948, photographer unknown)

The original facade is still there, although theΒ auditorium was demolished in 2003.

(compare and contrast – 1954 to today. Photos from Cardiff History Tumblr)

The Andrews Buildings on Queen Street were originally built in 1899 by Solomon Andrews (you’ll probably know him better for being the driving force behind Cardiff’s Indoor Market). The place was aΒ leisure and retail centre that was home toΒ Andrews Hall, a concert hall that was converted into a theatre: first the Olympia, then ABC. The cinema finally closed its doors in 1999.

There’s also this rather charming video shot in the projection room in 1998, a year before the cinema finally closed.

Was anyone else at that screening of Jurassic Park? Ah, good times.

More information:

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The Arts

The Book of Cardiff – launch!

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So I was in my trapeze class yesterday and myΒ lovely teacher Olga said that a photo of me was on Facebook, and it was going to be in a photography book! Intrigued, I reactivated my Facebook account to check it out…

Photo by Craig Kirkwood

In the most Cardiff fashion ever, I was photographed riding my bike through a lovely park, past Bryce Davies’s (aka graffiti artist PeacefulΒ Progress) van. In serendipitousΒ style, BryceΒ had also recently done my tattoo (you can see it poking out of my right sleeve). If that’s not Cardiff, I’m not sure what is – cycling everywhere, parks, graffiti, everyone knowing everyone and a gorgeous photo of the whole thing.

Anyway, it turns out that the wonderful photographer Craig Kirkwood has gone and made a photography book about Cardiff! It features loads of incredible shots of lots of our friends. It looks really amazing, so we had a chat with him to find out more….

The Book of Cardiff is a hardcover bound portrait of the city told through around 300 stunning photographs taken over a 12-month period.

You can see some of the wonderful shots below, or on the book’s Facebook page.

Foreword to the 1st edition

The Welsh capital is fast becoming one of the great post-industrial cities of Britain. Full of optimism, open spaces, and renewed foreshores, it’s taking its place beside so many urban centres which have emerged, finally, from the collapse of industry, manufacturing and mining that so brutally shook the Kingdom in the 1980s and 90s. It’s also a city that’s changing quickly as the industrial spaces disappear to make way for new retail, commercial and residential projects.
Craig says:
“This book covers about a year in the life of the city. As an expatriate Australian, I don’t pretend to understand the history of Cardiff in any detail. Nor do I have the cultural ties that would give me an informed, insider’s perspective. But I do bring the eye of a resident tourist still delighted with just how pleasant it is to live in a city that can be covered largely by foot or bicycle.
At the time of writing, I’ve lived in Cardiff just over a year. It’s not such a long time really but to delay this book any further would be to miss the opportunity of seeing the town as a fresh outsider.
As a photographer, it’s important to grab that β€˜new car feeling’ and breath it in before the sights thatΒ seem fascinating become commonplace.”

About the author

Craig Kirkwood is an Australian-born photographer, publisher and entrepreneur. He moved to Cardiff in 2015 and immediately set about documenting both the landscape and the cultural life of the city, taking over 20,000 photographs of hundreds of festivals, events, concerts and everyday life in the city.
Prior to moving to Wales, Craig was the CEO of high- profile creative media consultancy, Fearless Media, which he founded in 1999. At the time, Fearless was the largest organisation of its kind in Australia with offices and facilities throughout the country. He was also a regional manager of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School and founded the renowned Flickerfest International Film Festival on Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach which continues today in its 27th year.

Where to buy and launch party details

The book will be available from Waterstones and many other book and gift shops around town or can be purchased directly from the publisher’s online store http://colourshop.co. The launch party is on Thursday 1 June at Little Man CoffeeΒ from 7pm, andΒ our faves Maddie Jones and Sparkles Hoop Troupe will be performing.
Everyone is welcome to attend!

We can’t wait to see the finished book – best of luck Craig!!

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The City

Zombies, killer swans and Welsh cwrw on the River Taff

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The second part in my series of essays about the Taff is up on Caught By The River now: Zombies, killer swans and Welsh cwrw on the River Taff

I’ve been doing lots of walking and lots of research for this series, and so there’s a lot of stuff I don’t get to publish on CBTR. Luckily for me, the overspill can go here.

(Photo by Wales Online)

I was listening to Underworld during my walk.

Further reading:

A brew that’s part of the city’s history (Wales Online, 2009)

The Brewing of Brabo 2: The Brains behind the operation (Des De Moor, 2013)

Grangetown Online History: pubs

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Out of Cardiff

Not too shabby, Tintern Abbey!

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Tintern Abbey is just 50 minutes out of Cardiff, but the wooded, mountainous surroundings feel a million miles away from the city. We spent the afternoon testing out a new camera lens, so here’s a little photo blog for you!Β 

The present-day remains are a mixture of building works covering a 400-year period between 1131 and 1536. Very little remains of the first buildings but you will marvel at the vast windows and later decorative details displayed in the walls, doorways and soaring archways….

The City, We Are Cardiff Productions

Little Guide to Cardiff 2017 – update

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So, we thought you’d all be able to access the Little Guide to Cardiff that we stuck up on Scribd, but it seems that they want to make everyone pay to join it now … cheeky!

So we’ve abandoned ship and stuck it up on Issuu instead. Inside you’ll find our guide to our favourite major attractions, shopping, arts and culture, pubs bars and clubs, and family friendly things to do in Cardiff.

Read on!

little guide to cardiff cover

We Are Cardiff presents: The Little Guide To Cardiff 2017

The City

Save Womanby Street – march on City Hall

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Gah. Well I don’t know about you, but it feels like this is a time of chaos and uncertainty – where you’ve got to fight tooth and nail for the things that are important to you.

If you’ve ever been to a gig on / been drunk on / sat around at midnight on / enjoyed a festival on WOMANBY STREET, then you owe it to theΒ alternative cultural scene of the city to JOIN THE CAMPAIGN TO SAVE IT! If you’re not into chain bars, Cardiff’s night time economy is a pretty small slice for you: don’t let them take it away from us.

So what’s going on? In brief,Β a request for planning permission has gone in for residential to be built on Womanby Street.Β The Sprout have a pretty good precis of the situation, so rather than me rewording it, just go over there and read it: Save Womanby Street (The Sprout).

WHAT CAN YOU DO:

The Full Moon will also be re-opening this weekend and will be part of the Save Womanby Street festivities

Millennium Walk graffiti wall is gone. The Full Moon was going … it’s been rebooted … but it’s important we try and support these local independent businesses, and celebrate the Cardiffians behind them.

MAKE SOME NOISE! RESIST!

Good luck to everyone going on the march on Saturday. We’ll see you down the front.

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The City

RIP Cardiff’s Millennium Walk graffiti wall

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I’ve been writing a column for the wonderfulΒ Caught By The River project, and my latest piece for them was about the Millennium Walk graffiti wall, doomed by Cardiff’s impending UEFA Champions League football fest.

Where can you find existential ponderings about mathematical logic, sharing wall space with messages about Mother’s Day, paedo ring cover ups in the BBC, and a sketch of Marge Simpson with a massive spliff in her mouth? In other cities, perhaps this sort of thing is omnipresent, but in Cardiff, there’s only one place: on the banks of the River Taff, at the graffiti wall on Millennium Walk.

Read the full article and see the photos here: Wandering the River Taff: Millennium Walk and the Doomed Graffiti Wall

To be honest, it’s kind of amazing the graffiti wall has lasted as long as it has, given its PRIME LOCATION (and like the song says, dollar bill y’all, dollar dollar bill). It’s just a shame that seemingly every nice public space in the city has to celebrate alternative community has to be sacrificed for profit (see also: the Abacus, butΒ hopefully NOT Womanby Street).

I just read this morning that a new space has been secured for the wall: in Callaghan Square, on the southern outskirts of the city. Oner Signs will still be co-ordinating, so if you’re desperate to paintΒ please contact them rather than just rocking up and tagging!

If you’ve never heard of Callaghan Square, well, that’s because it’s basically just a bit of a strange nomansland of a place – a walkway across the middle of a massive roundabout that hugs the edge of the city between Butetown and the city centre (go to the north endΒ of Bute StreetΒ – it’s there). Ie – a bit of a shit spot.

I know the artists will be happy they’ve been given somewhere by the council – anywhere is better than nowhere, after all. Graffiti is still a bit ‘cutting edge’ I guess for the majority of people who make planning decisions in the city (Cardiff council planning department – step forward and prove me wrong!), so I suppose just any space seems like enough in their eyes.

Callaghan SquareΒ is by no means a like-for-like location. Millennium Walk was a wonderful place, because it brought massive amounts of exposure for the artists and the art form itself to people who probably would never go and seek that out. And yes, the new space is used by skaters, so it’s nice in that sense, but it feels a bit like ghettoising the art form. Get it back in the centre! Make it visible!

How nice it was … to be able to ambleΒ down the river and enjoy (or be confused by – reactions are irrelevant guys, it’s ART) the murals on those walls.

Anyway, there have been a bunch of things published about the wall, so I thought I’d do a bit of a round up here:

If I’ve missed anything, please leave links to more pieces you’ve seen in the comments. And RIP this quirky, wonderful little segmentΒ of the beating heart of our city centre.

Photography by Lorna Cabble

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Out of Cardiff

Out of Cardiff: Mini adventures in Mwnt, west Wales

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Just to mix things up, this is a new addition to our ‘Out of Cardiff’ section. There are so many beautiful places to visit within driving distance of Cardiff, and Mwnt is definitely one of them.

When I mentioned to friends that we were heading toΒ West Wales, so many people told us to go to Mwnt that I knew we had to headΒ there.

It’s a stunning location. It wasn’t aΒ great day in terms of weather when we visited, but the dark skies and whipping wind only added to the drama and romance of the place.

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Mwnt is also an ancient holy site. You can sit and contemplate higherΒ meanings in the beautiful and tinyΒ Church of the Holy Cross (Eglwys y Grog). It was probably built around the 14th century, andΒ served as a medieval sailors’ chapel of ease (where you could pop in and worship when you were away from home). Wikipedia says it was a welcome refuge for medieval pilgrims en route to the patron saint of Wales’ shrine at St Davids, mystical Strata Florida Abbey or Bardsey Island in North Wales (all places on my list to visit!).

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If you’re into your wildlife, Mwnt is located within the Cardigan Bay Special Area of Conservation, protected for the diversity of its the fauna here. Mwnt is an ideal place to spot bottlenose dolphins, basking sharks and porpoises. If these aren’t quite exotic for you, you can even see the sunfish here (aka – mola mola … see below!)

It was pretty cold while we were there, but we had a nice walk up the Wales Coast Path here. There are fields of horses lining the cliffs, while you look out on a seemingly endless sea.

We also made friends with this cheeky little dog in the car park, who smelt us cooking sausages!

mwnt_2016-02

mwnt_2016-13

Wales Coast Path – Ceredigion

Mwnt – facilities information

All photos my own apart from the first, which is fromΒ Discover Ceredigion

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Whats on

Big Love Festival 2017 – bank holiday shenanigans in glorious surroundings

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We’ve got a special message for you, direct from Gladys, aka the Big Love Entertainment Co-ordinator …

Hi-de-Hi Campers!Β 

The smell of summer is in the air and it’s only 2 weeks until we welcome you back to Baskerville Hall.

Now the warmer weather’s here, it looks like we’re going to sell out very soon, so don’t leave it too late to buy tickets if you haven’t got them already….
We’ve listened to everyone’s feedback and managed to reduce the ticket price to Β£75 while still keeping the weekend at 1000 capacity and an amazing, varied line up. And there’s loads of new stuff for 2017 too – the woodland disco carries on into the night, there’s a new stage, and even a micro cinema!

The team have been busy preparing the grounds, polishing the brass, mowing the front lawn ready for a spot of croquet, a G&T and disco yoga. The Head Gardener has been trimming my bush all week and it’s looking rather fine. The swimming pool has been cleaned and everything is looking jolly splendid for your arrival.

As head of entertainment I am thrilled to be bringing you over 100 of the finest musical acts on 7 stages (3 indoor, 6 covered); we’ve hip hop legend KRS-One, those naughty boys Horse Meat Disco, the trippy Flamingods, and a whole host of splendid party people. Just have a look at who’s playing.

My team and I have organised plenty of fun and games across the whole weekend, and if you don’t fancy anything by our cordenbluggggh hotel chef, we have delicious street food, a coffee truck and cocktail lounge on site with plenty of spaces to relax and enjoy the countryside.

I will as usual be walking the site, so please come and say Hi-de-Hi… and give me a Big Hug after all this is β™₯ Big Love β™₯

Ho-de-Ho,

Gladys Pugh

Entertainments Co-ordinator
The Big Love Club House

P.S. a message to the couple we found naked swimming in the pool at 1am: We still have your trunks.

Big Love Festival 2017
Baskerville Hall, Hay-on-Wye, Wales
Early May bank holiday weekend
28.04.17 – 01.05.17
http://biglovefestival.co.uk

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The Arts, The City

Reboot The Full Moon!

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If you were as sad about The Moons closing as we were, then fear not – you can take the future into your own hands and help the Creative Republic of Cardiff take over the bar themselves!

Creative Republic of Cardiff is a new, non-profit organisation that plans to re-open the beloved Full Moon and rejuvenate Cardiff’s live music and creative culture. It has been set up by former staff and friends of The Full Moon.

TheyΒ plan to take on the building’s lease within the next month and re-open as a community-led, non-profit venue and arts space. The Full Moon has always been the people’s venue.

HELP US REOPEN THE SPACE ON FRIDAY 28 APRILΒ 2017: SUPPORT THE INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN!

The Full Moon doorway, Cardiff

Womanby Street and Cardiff’s live music scene is under threat, with the loss ofΒ three venues in four months. The closure of The Full Moon was the last straw.

Creative Republic of Cardiff is made up of former staff and friends of The Full Moon. They believe that the venue and the cultural heartbeat it adds to our city, are worth saving and developing.

TheyΒ plan to take on the lease of The Full Moon and not let it die – it’s viable, it’s vital. But theyΒ need your help and this is just the beginning!

SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN – donate whatever you can!

TheyΒ are in positive talks with the landlord and need to show him the support theyΒ have from the community. There are obviously other offers, but none of them will be able to support and develop the artistic community like this.

You contribution will go towards the lease, licensing, legal fees, and various costs associated with reopening as a fully functioning venue, as soon as possible.

The previous venue was viable, however it became clear that it needs to be a non-profit, community-focused music and arts space, in order to realise its full potential.

Additional funds will allow the groupΒ to improve the venue, carry out maintenance and provide themΒ with basic working capitol.

Creative Republic of Cardiff will use the venue to establish an environment of collaboration, networking and knowledge sharing. It will nurture, develop, organise and showcase talent from Cardiff and beyond.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of the campaign in more detail please email lizhunt1980@gmail.com

Your donationΒ will alsoΒ secure some goodies! Like a badge, t-shirt, giant print, framed gig poster or even booking the place out for a gig of your own!!

We Are Cardiff have donated Β£50. We enjoyed plenty of nights out in The Full Moon – so I guess we’re looking at it as back-payment for all those times we got let in for free and danced our socks off all night.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CREATIVE COMMUNITY!

Reboot The Moon

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The City

Cardiff Music Awards 2017 – photoblog

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In true better late than neverΒ style, welcome to our photoblog about this year’s awards! Congrats to all the winners … and by winners, we mean everyone making, breaking and championing the arts in our fine city. You’re ALL winners to us!

The awards were compered byΒ Thomas Evans (Made In Cardiff TV presenter) and held in Tramshed. Big love to local music hero Ed Townend who brain-birthed the awards, putting them on in conjunction with Cardiff PR firm agency River and Bear.

All photos by Stephen Meredith – read on for the list of winners!

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Cardiff, United Kingdom. 30th March 2017. Johnny Cage and the Voodoo Groove play live during the Cardiff Music Awards hosted at Cardiff’s Tramshed venue Β© Stephen Meredith

WINNERS!

Best Music Video: Novo Amor & Ed Tullett – Alps (Storm & Shelter)

Best Production: MusicBox Studios

Best Music Publication: Roath Rocks

Best Radio Show: Showcase Wales on GTFM

Best EP/Single: Rebecca Hurn – Lifeline

Best Producer: Gethin Pearson

Best Album: Cakehole Presley – In The Used To Be

Best Local Promoter: Lloyd Griffiths (Gwdihw/Cosmogramma/All My Friends/Juxtaposed)

Best Regional Promoter: Llio Angharad (Dydd Miwsig Cymru/Welsh Language Music Day)

Best Venue: Gwdihw

Best Club Night – Twisted By Design

Line Up Of The Year – Hub Festival

Best Breakthrough Act – Chroma

Best Live Act – The Moon Birds

Best Festival – Festival Of Voice

Promoter Of The Year: Lloyd Griffiths (Gwdihw/Cosmogramma/All My Friends/Juxtaposed)

Best DJ: Ransom

Best Solo Act: Jack Ellis

Best Group: Astroid Boys

Person Of The Year: Justin Evans (read Justin’s We Are Cardiff piece)

More:Β Cardiff Music Awards website

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A blog about Cardiff, its people, and the alternative arts and cultural scene!