Clwb Y Bont
The Clwb Y Bont music venue and bar in Pontypridd was opened in September 1983 by Dafydd Iwan, and since then it has developed a great reputation as a venue for diverse cultural events, as well as a friendly and relaxed place to socialise. Although, a common misconception is that the venue is strictly for music events only. However, the venue also functions as a community centre of sorts; they often host events for a mixture of groups from business based organisations to dance groups. Clwb Y Bont is also incredibly popular with Welsh speakers as they are a bilingual venue that is very connected to the language.
Unfortunately, Storm Dennis in February 2020 caused a massive amount of flooding in the town of Pontypridd and caused severe damage to many businesses including the venue. The flooding was so severe that it was impossible to step foot in the venue as the water level was almost to the ceiling of the ground floor. Of course, 2020 was an eventful year for most as a few weeks after the flooding Coronavirus caused a nationwide lockdown across the country. This, in turn, caused a delay in the much-needed repair and clean up work that was taking place at the venue by the committee members, staff and volunteers.
Luckily now, with the funding the venue has received from the government and even from kind strangers online, the venue is in process of being repaired. The venue is also making use of the funding to ensure that it is updated and modernised for when it is able to reopen to the public. They plan to organise many music-based events when social distancing measures are relaxed, and even plan to offer more space for the community to utilise for meetings and other events.
If you would like to stay updated on all the goings-on at the venue and to be one of the first to hear when they reopen, check out their social media and website listed below.
https://clwbybontblog.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/clwbybont
https://www.instagram.com/clwbybont
Hangar 18
The website of the Hangar 18 music venue describes it as a 370 capacity grassroots venue located in the Swansea city centre that hosts original live music, tribute bands and club night events. The venue also offers comedy nights and even all-day festival events. The venue was established in June 2018 and has since had a number of prominent artists and bands perform there, including, Blaze Bayley, Okilly Dokilly and Not The Sex Pistols. Hangar 18 doesn’t only host rock-genre events but also EDM and Chart club nights.
Of course, similarly to other music venues, the year 2020 was incredibly difficult for the venue due to the Coronavirus pandemic. As a result, though, the venue announced their very own radio station called, Station 18. The radio station plays music from a number of local bands, and also music from more established artists. In connection with the radio station, the venue has announced a new festival called the Station 18 Festival which should be taking place between Friday, 29th April 2022 19:00 and Sunday, 1st May 2022. Some big-name acts have already been announced such as Hollowstar, Beth Blade and the Beautiful Disasters and The Dirty Youth.
As always, to stay up to date with the venue, radio station and the new festival that is launching in 2022, check out the corresponding social media and websites that is listed below.
https://hangar18musicvenue.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/Hangar18MV
