In a city that has allowed one of its most beloved venues to be reduced to a forlorn facade and then demolished without permission by developers who clearly feel that they can act with impunity, the news that another music hub has announced expansion plans bucks a depressing trend for tales of hardship and closure. Clwb is something of a cultural institution in Cardiff, and has become practically a second home for me, so it's great to see these proposals taking firmer form.
Interestingly, Clwb's chief exec Guto Brychan explicitly paid tribute to Cardiff Council for their support. I've said it before and I'll say it again: they need to do much more for venues of all shapes and sizes around the city if the label "Music City" is to mean anything.
Of course, bricks-and-mortar spaces are only a part of the live music ecosystem. The recent news that Cardiff-based promoter Orchard Live has ceased trading and entered voluntary liquidation is yet another damaging blow. How they and others managed to survive lockdown is a mystery - but it's a sign of how tough times are that their resilience has finally been broken. A more voluminous Clwb is an exciting prospect - but venues are reliant on promoters to help to fill them.
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