Quote Originally Posted by goats View Post
I have lived in both Cardiff and Bristol and I think Bristol does just about edge it, but I didn’t rate the carling academy to be honest which had a lot of bands that never made it to Cardiff, the fleece is ok but small and out the way. Quite liked gigs at the theckla though, not sure if it’s still going. Places like the point and coal ex were a big loss in Cardiff, we could do with a venue like the Concorde in Brighton. Strangely, when I lived in bristol for 5 yrs I found myself heading back to Cardiff more for gigs circa 2002/3 or off to London.
I go to plenty of gigs - 34 so far this year. I guess it depends on the type of bands you're interested in, but I seem to go to gigs in Bristol more often than Cardiff and to a wider variety of venues there too.

Taking the last couple of years as an example, I've been to 14 different venues in Bristol - the Thekla (still going strong), the Louisiana, the Exchange, the Thunderbolt, the Crofters Rights, the Fleece, the O2 Academy (hate that place), the Anson Rooms, the Trinity Centre, SWX, the Bierkeller (finally shut last year), Zed Alley, the Mother's Ruin and Rough Trade.

During the same period, I've been to just 8 different venues in my home town of Cardiff - Clwb Ifor Bach, the Moon Club, Fuel, the Globe, Gwdihw (now shut), the Tramshed (which I can't stand), the Uni and the Motorpoint.

In my experience, Cardiff has never been able to support many music venues. Sadly, they usually end up shutting after a few years, the Point and the Coal Exchange being prime examples. That's not a new development either - it's been the same since the Eighties when I began going to gigs.