Upbeat

First a glimmer of hope for the arts nationally, and things may finally be looking up locally too. Cardiff's designation as a "Music City" has been a running joke for some time, but at last there may be signs that that's changing.

The inaugural Cardiff City Music Festival kicked off last night with The Orb and Leftfield at the Arena, taking the pre-existing Swn, Llais and the Welsh Music Prize under its umbrella and featuring lots of industry-based events as well as gigs. My tips are to see teenage grunge punks The Meritones at the Moon on 2nd October (superb at the Lansdowne recently, and partial to a cover of Mclusky's 'Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues') and to listen to Huw Stephens and Neil Collins talk about their new books on Welsh music at the same venue on the 12th. 

More importantly in the long term (though no doubt in the short term for some places that are particularly struggling), Cardiff Council has announced funding to help small venues in the city to survive and make improvements. Council Leader Huw Thomas is quoted as saying that "Cardiff's grassroots venues play a vital role in the city's music scene. They provide important opportunities for local artists to develop and build audiences, act as a focal point for communities, and help make Cardiff the vibrant, exciting place that we know and love." It's good to hear that recognition, but even more to know that there will be cash to back it up. Much more can and indeed should be done at a local level as well as nationally, but it's a start.

And there's positive news from down the road in Swansea too, where the Music Venue Trust have continued their sterling work in support of the sector by buying the Bunkhouse. The move will ease the strain of paying inflated rent to a rapacious commercial landlord and also make money available for building repairs and insurance. Given that ownership has been identified as one of grassroots venues' biggest challenges, it's heartening to see this scheme in action, especially close to home.