The pandemic, in conjunction with the alarming disappearance of a number of grassroots gig venues in Cardiff in recent years (Buffalo, Gwdihw, the Transport Club), had me fearing the worst for the Moon in particular. The fact that they changed their name of their Twitter to Is The Moon Back Open Yet? didn't help - the longer the answer has been "No", the more painful it's been.
So their Christmas email brought genuine festive cheer: news of renovations (flooring, toilets), improvements to the facilities (stage, lighting, projector and screen, air conditioning, seating) and even the transformation of a storeroom into a kitchen (complete with "a proper coffee machine") that will be serving vegan food by day and what they're calling "Music Community Suppers" by night. There are certainly worse sources of inspiration for a venture like this than the Night & Day Cafe in Manchester's Northern Quarter.
It's all been made possible thanks to a very timely injection of funding that has also helped them to look after staff and freelancers during the shutdown. Decent folk that they are, they also made a point of acknowledging their good fortune and directing readers to other less lucky venues in need of financial support.
All in all, a very welcome update offering light at the end of a long, dark tunnel and the prospect of one of my favourite little gig spaces in the UK not only surviving but thriving.
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