Tuesday, December 03, 2024

Access denied

South Walian fans of crushingly dull music rejoice: Kings Of Leon are coming to Cardiff next summer. But what's got me and many others more vexed is not so much the band as the venue: a site on Blackweir Fields next to the River Taff.

It's baffling that a new temporary greenfield site is going to be used when the organisers - DEPOT Live and promoters Cuffe and Taylor - have been successfully putting on major shows at Cardiff Castle, and the Principality Stadium is also an option for the largest shows. Taking up an area of the park over the course of several weekends for a series of expensively ticketed events (Kings Of Leon will be only one of several visitors) is an unacceptable infringement on the right and ability of the public to enjoy the space, and will presumably have an impact on amateur cricket fixtures in particular.

If this comes across as sour, then so be it. I make no apologies for that, just over a week since the closure of the Moon. For those of us who are sore at its loss, these much-trumpeted mega-gigs - which Cardiff Council seem only too willing to bend over backwards to accommodate - are just another slap in the face.

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