This relatively new live music venue opened in October 2009 in Millennium Plaza, and has a capacity…read moreof 810 standing / 400 seated. It not only hosts gigs, but also has a string of big club nights coming up. They have a pretty active Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/musichallcardiff which is really good for being amongst the first to hear about new shows scheduled there (as you don't have to keep remembering to check their website regularly). The stage is quite substantial - nearly 10 metres wide and nearly 5 metres deep. For bands, there are two dressing rooms and a shower, and there's on site catering available (or a kitchen). It's well equipped from a technical spec point of view, with all the details about microphones, monitors, FOH system, lighting and so on included on their website.

Millenium Music Hall is one of the two venues at Millenium Plaza, and is responsible for some…read morepretty epic entertainment. (I'm going to see the Go! Team in Februaray, and can't wait... (not least because by then the winter will be nearly over!) They are also threating to bring some major club nights to Cardiff, so things look to be n the up for Cardiff nightlife! Dates for your diary... 19 Nov 2009 Gary Numan (live on stage) 21 Nov 2009 Silent Disco Cardiff 21 Nov 2009 Bogiez 3 Dec 2009 Reverend and the Makers 5 Dec 2009 Bogiez 9 Dec 2009 Saw Doctors (live on stage) 10 Dec 2009 C-Y-N-T xmas party 16 dec 2009 Goldie Looking Chain 19 Dec 2009 Bogiez 26 Dec 2009 Back in the days 27 Dec 2009 Hippo Club reunion 31 Dec 2009 Bogiez NYE BALL 31 Dec 2009 Silent Disco Cardiff NYE BALL Useful Info: Office: cardiff@retroclubs.co.uk - 02920 340737 Lost Property cardiff@retroclubs.co.uk - 02920 340737 Bookings / Events: Steve Lewis: musichallcardiff@live.co.uk Tickets: www.millenniummusichall.co.uk Jobs: cardiff@retroclubs.co.uk

Cafe Jazz is unique bar-restaurant which offers something that few other Cardiff bars offer: jazz…read moregigs in a fairly unpretentious setting, plus good food and decent wine. You could easily walk past without spotting this place, but look out for the Sandringham Hotel and it's just next to it, with a red sign. The evening gigs include a weekly jam session, and regular jazz gigs organised by the Cardiff Jazz Society and the Preservation Jazz Society. The line up is pretty varied, from ragtime bands and blues bands to acoustic trios and Latin jazz - featuring some incredibly talented musicians - and not all of them 'old blokes' as one reviewer says (I've seen plenty of groups including people in their 20s upwards, so it's a real mix). There's even a small dance floor where some people get up to shake their booty during some of the livelier gigs. Beyond the bar and slightly separated from it is the small restaurant area where you can still hear the band without it being as loud - so you can still enjoy a bit of conversation over supper. The food is very reasonable, too - both in quality and price, and when I last had ate there they had traditional bread pudding with ice cream on their dessert menu!

I have a soft spot for this cafe. It is, admittedly, not the most luxuriously decorated of places…read morein Cardiff centre, but it's quite a fun and comfortable little dive. There's usually something a bit different going on here, and you can find live music and other performances on many night of the week. They have a full bar (and are in fact more of a bar that a cafe - deceptive naming, I know!), and do serve food. The food isn't really the best, considering there are so many fantastic food places nearby, but the atmosphere can more than make up for this on a good night. The staff here are very friendly and there can, on popular nights, be a great air of community spirit in the air. I once applied for a job here, and although I didn't get it, they sent me a very nice letter to say so, rather than just sucking my CV down into a pit of oblivion. Polite and different.

The Norwegian church is an art centre, performance space, and cafe, located on the waterfront of…read moreCardiff Bay. The church was originally built as a place of Lutheran worship, and was consecrated in 1868. It was built to serve the large number of Norwegian sailors coming into Cardiff's port at the time. The Norwegian Seamens' Mission was located here, and provided, as well as a place of worship, a place to find support and community for sailors away from home. In time, it also became the centre of a permanent expatriate Norwegian community. Perhaps its most famous member was Roald Dahl was baptised here, and worshipped with his family as a child. Sadly, the church's fortunes reflected those of the port as trade decreased in the post-war period, and it was closed and deconsecrated in 1974. The church was rescued and restored when the former port area was redeveloped in the 1980s. A preservation trust was established, and the church was dismantled and relocated in 1987 (the original site is now occupied by the Wales Millenium Centre). It was re-erected on the current site in 1992 and now hosts art exhibitions, concerts, acts as a venue for weddings, and there is a small cafe. The cafe serves a limited selection of snacks, sandwiches, toasted sandwiches and a range of cakes - coffee and cake seems to be its forte. We went for lunch there before a walk around the Bay - there are lovely views from the window tables across the Bay. We found the menu a bit limited: the toasted paninis come with cheese, or cheese and chutney, or cheese and ham, or... well, you get the picture. None comes with salad or vegetables (not even cheese and tomato). So we opted for the 3 choices above, accompanied by an olive, houmous and toasted bread platter, and a bowl of skin-on fries. It was good value, but let down by having standard sliced white bread with the platter (great olives, but sourdough would have been so much nicer!), and the toasties could have benefited from some side salad. A white bread toastie with just cheese feels a bit underwhelming in 2022. Service was similarly a bit underwhelming: pleasant and efficient enough - but only once we had gone to the counter and asked for a menu so we could make a selection. (No menus on the tables or menu boards.) You get the feeling they would be better concentrating on cakes and patisserie, with coffee: if they going to serve savoury food, a bit more attention to the menu would make a big difference. So, 5/5 for the historic building and location, 3/5 for the cafe (or stick to coffee and cake).

Great place from Hop on bus for a cold Welsh Cider, and a pastry-Rocky Road,Orchard Gold.read more

What I like most about Bogiez is that it feels very inclusive for all. Everyone is accepted there…read morenot matter of age, race, creed or taste in music. Anyone can go. The music is primarily metal, with a good helping of old school rock to boot. It doesn't have quite the same atmosphere because it's no longer in a church! - but the crowd help to make up for that. Let's hope it can move to the Coal Exchange when it re-opens. Drink prices are okay, they seem a little higher now that they have moved from The Point to The Venue. But the central location does mean that you can head there after going to other places in town first. And chippy lane is just around the corner

longstanding established rock and metal club based in the heart of Cardiff. The venues have changed…read moreover the years but the friendliness and love of music is still going strong. The club has its own website and a lot of the regulars meet up socially outside of the club. The Dj's cater for eclectic tastes and the drinks are cheap. I love the fancy dress nights and the New Years parties are infamous!

I've been to St David's hall a couple of times now, mainly for comedians like Ross Noble and Sean…read moreLock. As a venue, it plays hosts to a huge variety of acts and entertainment. In the coming week alone you can see acts as varied as Stan Stennett (?), Brian Conley, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Roy Chubby Brown. It's not the most aesthetically interesting or pleasing venue in Cardiff, being beaten hands down by the Millenium Centre in the Bay, but it nevertheless remains the favoured venue for most acts, probably due to it's slightly larger seating capacity of 2000 (as opposed to 1897 in the Millenium Centre). It still hosts the annual Welsh Proms aswell. My own experiences have all gone pretty smooth, with very little queuing and helpful, professional staff. I suppose it's good that there's nothing of note I can really say here, as the things that would tend to stick in your mind about something as general as a concert hall would in all likelihood have been bad experiences anyway. It's a top venue though and it's important to Cardiff as a city to have somewhere encouraging the arts and being constantly active in doing so.

I have always found St David's Hall to be a little bit of a strange venue. That's not to say it's…read morenot good. Just odd. I think that's because it was, when built, quite a modern design, and that design was not universal enough to quite stand the test of time. What remains is an odd mixture of wood, green carpets and wide areas which make sense when they're full of people, but which are just tired when not. That being said, the selection of music, comedy, ballet and theatre in this venue is great. The theatre itself is vast, but seems much more intimate because of their carefully tiered seating. Seats encompass the stage, and there is a massive organ on display. Unfortunately, I've always found this venue to a little dampening to sound. Or the speakers aren't loud enough, or something. A good venue though.

Cardiff is sorely missing more mid size venues like the Globe. As a treasure in the centre of the…read morestudent area, the Globe has been a life saver for up and coming groups, alternative nights and those who appreciate live music. Inside is a quirky interior - apparently used to be a Chinese cinema - and the proscenium arch frames the new stage perfectly. With a projector for some modern VJ type backdrops, incense burning, lush fabrics and, psychedelic murals this place is bohemian without being pretentious. The bands are generally good quality and a good mix, although there are a few too many tribute bands, and mixes local bands with big name acts. The door prices fluctuate, but the bar is reasonable and the staff are friendly. It is unfortunate that the shape of the building means feedback can be a problem, and when busy it is really, really hot - big coat to walk there and then just a vest underneath! - but it is well worth keeping an eye on the listings. You never know, your favourite band might be on this month!

The Globe is up and running again after having its previous license removed after getting sound…read morecomplaints. It has plenty of new soundproofing so hopefully that'll keep neighbors happy. Anyway its good news for the Cardiff music scene, the more places the better I say. They haven't wasted time either, there's plenty of events filling up their calender. Its a great venue, with a great atmosphere. Haven't been seen it reopened but its set it what must be an old theatre so it has an upstairs area to view from if you don't fancy the pit and its just a really cool place.

I want to write poems about this place…read more Live Lounge is the last chance saloon for the rest of Cardiff. Open until 4am, it is the stopping off place for the most hardcore patrons of every other bar in Cardiff, so chances are by about half 3, you're going to know at least three different groups of people in there. The cocktails are delicious, and made with consummate skill. One bartender in particular knows the ins-and-outs of his bar, and it shows. Every member of the barstaff in fact are cheerful, energetic and entertaining. Drinks are preposterously cheap, which is always a nice bonus (£5 for a bottle of wine quickly sends any female friends down the slippery slope of happy alcoholism). With live music performed by a selection of the top local Cardiff bands every lunchtime and evening, the club certainly earns its name. And, whilst it is always packed, and can sometimes get a little hairy in there, it is always fun and rarely an annoyance to end up there at the end of the night.

Right, here is the break down of the rating I've given Live Lounge:…read more 1* - It is open until 5 in the morning every day of the week. Now, I feel like this is how late most clubs should stay open but most of the places here shut at 2 or 3. As a result, there is always a surge towards Live Lounge when the clubs let out. 2* - And, to be honest, 3*s as well, for the prices of the drinks which are quite ridiculously cheap. They are also really good and the cocktails are delicious. The bar can get pretty busy so I wouldn't recommend having the cocktails at night but at lunchtime or in the evening, they're a must. 4* - The music caters to a lot of tastes. A standard night will see people dancing to 90s cheese, club classics, a little bit of indie and some RnB. If you're looking for more specialised music they also have a lot of live bands playing. 5* - The building in general. The dance floor is big, it's located near a cash point (and near fastfood for those who've had too much). It's near the main clubs. It's near the union. It's near the taxi rank.

If you're a floppy quiffed, tight jeaned dour arty trendy wannbe - and i don't mean this is a…read morenegative way although as I write this I fail to see how this could be a compliment - then you will love Cardiff Arts Institute. Its air attempts to reek of pretension and the odour of the in crowd - the wall of marigold gloves is a testament to that. Having said that i was welcomed by a smiling bar maid who was more than happy to serve me. Which I found odd, I almost expected her to look me up and down disdainfully before walking away in disgust. I only spent a couple of hours there with a few mates and it was a quiet night so I can't say I experienced it at its best but I wouldn't say this is ever going to be my local or a regular haunt of mine - why? I loathe what its trying to be it doesn't feel natural - maybe I'm being a bit harsh - I just have a natural anathema to all things pretentious - it's only a personal view you may love it there. There are some nice design touches about the place and part of me can imagine it being a nice place to hang out but that part of me is very small indeed.

Don't be put off by thinking you need to be an Art student to get in here. You don't, though arty…read moretypes will defiantly appreciate the decor more than most. Its pretty much just a really good bar and music venue. The interior really must be seen, its far more unique and off the wall than any other bar in Cardiff. There is some amazing stuff going on here from poetry reading to amazing DJ's and artists. There's something for everything so check out their website now!

So glad found this place as met Mark. Although he 55 we 20 nothing wrong with 55 year old man being…read morewith younger girls ..im sure lots of grown men do it? drinks good too..obviously mixing from diffrent households while threw covid risky but we careful where else would you find staff like this

This place is great. The atmosphere and the ambiance is very nice. Paul the manager is polite and…read morevery knowledgeable on drinks. They have a bartender named Author, who is Cardiff Bartender of the year. The guy can make some serious drinks and is a great conversationalist.

'What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the…read moremusic play. Life is a Cabaret, old chum, Come to the Cabaret. 'Put down the knitting, The book and the broom. Time for a holiday. Life is Cabaret, old chum, Come to the Cabaret. 'Come taste the wine, Come hear the band. Come blow your horn, Start celebrating;' Ready? This local drama club meets on a Monday evening at around 7.30pm at Rumney Memorial Hall. They put on two theatrical productions a year - a pantomime at Christmas and a play in the summer. Members can take part in the performances as an actor or actress or, if they preferred, they could help out back stage with wardrobe, set production, lighting and sound or just generally help out with ticket sales, programmes etc. please contact Mark Williams via rumneydramaclub@hotmail.com for more information.