‘if we don’t save theses venues the city centre will become a corporate hell’

A HOST of bands and musicians from across Wales have penned their love letters to Cardiff’s Womanby Street in support of the Save Womanby Street campaign.

All those who have written tributes have played at venues on Cardiff’s “music street” and it’s evident how much the city’s creative hub means to them when you read their heartfelt words.

Here are a selection of their letters...

Heledd Watkins – HMS Morris Growing up as a young musician in rural Carmarthenshire I could only dream about one day being able to play in Cardiff on the legendary Womanby Street.

A few years later the dream came true and was even better than I could have imagined.

This street has more vibrancy and creativity than any street in any city across the world.

It is integral to Cardiff’s culture and also integral to the Welsh-language music scene which would would be invisible in Cardiff without the endless support of Clwb Ifor Bach.

This street brings people together and shows the world what we’re made of.

Davey Newington – Boy Azooga Without the venues of Wombanby Street there is little opportunity for artists starting out to get a decent gig in Cardiff.

All of your favourite musicians started out as local artists but with no venues to play in there is no space for new talent to blossom.

These venues offer an alternative to your typical night out.

Womanby Street in particular creates a colourful community – you’ve got people into all types of different music crossing paths between venues that are in a stone’s throw of each other. I’m sure it’s great to live in the city centre but what’s the point if there’s no culture surrounding you?

Dion Hamer – Castles Even though Castles are based close to 200 miles away, we’ve played Cardiff almost as many times as we’ve played locally – this summer alone will see us play there three or four times.

Even though somehow the city feels like a home city to us we are outsiders and from our perspective as outsiders Cardiff is a haven for culture, music and all kinds of arts.

We expect it when we visit and delivers in abundance.

That’s why it’s been an important place for us to play as a band – we know how amazing it is to walk down Womanby Street hearing live music coming at you from all directions. We strive to be a part of it.

There’s a long stretch of history linking the band to Womanby: Calvin remembers being only about 16 or 17 years old headlining a packed out Clwb Ifor Bach with Derwyddon Dr Gonzo [while] me and Cynyr have played the street countless times with We Are Animal – our memories are a bit hazy though.

There have been many times when we’ve had to drive the long road back home straight after playing, arrive home at the break of day for a couple of hours sleep and then go out to work still feeling amazing from our time playing Womanby Street – that’s what it means to us. it Cotton Wolf Womanby Street isn’t just a street. It’s the beating heart of the Welsh music scene.

A location of huge cultural significance and to lose it would be absolutely devastating to the creative industries within Wales.

Dan Nichols – Railroad Bill Railroad Bill have played on Womanby Street for 30 years. It is part of us. We are joined to its sticky floors by blood, sweat, beer and music.

Dan’s son Rob has enjoyed his own heyday in Junior Bill and working for The Moon and Clwb on the street and other sons and daughters of band members have started visiting it in the last few years.

To us it has always been the dirty beating heart of the Cardiff music scene, its soul and its pulse.

We cannot afford to lose it for its past but most importantly for its future and the future of the city’s cultural life.

Francesca Dimech Word Salad I started going to Womanby Street in the mid-90s as a 14-year-old. Clwb Ifor Bach gave me a love of the Welsh language in the heart of the city which inspired me to learn Welsh and go on to study it at degree level.

There’s not many places where the Welsh language is pushed so much in this city.

Clwb, alongside The Toucan and CF1, instilled in me a love of live music and today as a musician it is a most

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Francesca’s