No1 top of the stops
DIVA
Shirley Bassey
TUNE IN
Famous Spillers Records
Rock bands based in and around Cardiff exploded on to the music scene in the 1990s, coining the name Cool Cymru. Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics, Super Furry Animals and Feeder were among the sublime sounds from across the Severn Bridges.
Catatonia were formed, so the legend goes, early in the decade, when guitarist Mark Roberts saw Cerys Matthews busking on Cardiff’s Queen Street.
South Wales sons and daughters Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Shakin’ Stevens and Bonnie Tyler paved the way for the bands that rocked Britpop. Charlotte Church took the classical reins. Womanby Street is the heart of Cardiff’s live music scene, with Welsh language venue Clwb Ifor Bach, The Moon and Fuel.
Famous concert halls the Motorpoint Arena and St David’s Hall host the big shows. And Spillers Records, established in 1894, is the world’s oldest record shop located in Morgan Arcade.
visitcardiff.com
Manic Street Preachers
Cavern Club in Mathew
Street
Cerys Matthews and Tom Jones
Its musicians have produced more No1 hits in the UK than any other city, leading Liverpool to be crowned world capital of pop by the Guinness Book of Records. It has also been a Unesco City of Music since 2015.
Merseyside’s most celebrated sons are of course The Beatles, but the city also gave birth to seminal artists Billy Fury as well as Liverpool FC anthem singer, the late Gerry Marsden and The Pacemakers, through to OMD, Frankie Goes to Hollywood,
The Lightning Seeds and Rebecca Ferguson.
The Cavern Club, in Mathew Street, where The Beatles honed their talent, has been attracting big names for decades. A life-sized bronze statue of local girl Cilla Black, who worked as a cloakroom attendant there before finding fame as a singer, was erected here in 2017.
The Beatles Story museum (beatlesstory.com) is the largest exhibition devoted to the band, and The British
Music Experience (britishmusicexperience.com) tells the story of home-grown music through costumes and memorabilia.
Liverpool International Music Festival (limfestival.com) in Sefton Park is Europe’s biggest free music event. The city also stages the largest celebration of live African music in Britain, Africa Oye (africaoye.com). visitliverpool.com
Liverpool’s waterfront, Gerry plays The Cavern
Renowned for reggae and heavy metal, Birmingham has always been a hotbed for music. Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, UB40, Steel Pulse, Electric Light Orchestra, Musical Youth, Duran Duran, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Ocean Colour Scene, The Streets and Laura Mvula are among the much-loved acts hailing from here.
Like every big city, Birmingham is constantly evolving, meaning some of its famous venues have disappeared or been repurposed. Mothers Rock Club in Erdington, where Pink Floyd recorded half of Ummagumma and Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, The Who and Led Zeppelin played, still exists, but as the local branch of the PDSA.
Barbarella’s nightclub, which played host to the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, The Jam and Judas Priest, was flattened by the Brindleyplace development; a salvaged
WILD BOYS
Duran Duran
Music festivals and The Beatles
PIONEERS
Heavy metal superstars
Black Sabbath
Home to dozens of festivals and independent venues,
Bristol boasts a truly eclectic music scene.
Acker Bilk, The Wurzels, The Cortinas and Rita Lynch are just a handful of varied acts from in and around the harbourside city, along with Portishead, Kosheen, Loadstar and DJ and producer Roni Size.
However, trip hop is the sound synonymous with the city – thanks to Bristol creatives Massive Attack, the genre-busting, global phenomenon.
Cool live venues include The Louisiana, Exchange, The Fleece and Thekla. For big shows there’s Bristol Beacon, formerly Colston Hall, O2 Academy and SWX. visitbristol.co.uk street sign, roughly where Cumberland Street used to be, remains. Duran Duran’s HQ Rum Runner on
Broad Street is now somewhere beneath the Hyatt Hotel.
Metal fans can pay homage at a bench on the renamed Black Sabbath Bridge over the canal on Broad Street. Ozzy disciples also leave notes at his former home on Lodge Road, Aston, the owner of which rented out Ozzy’s old room on Airbnb to fans for £400 a night.
Today’s best venues include the Sunflower Lounge and Mama Roux’s. visitbirmingham.co.uk
Hop to Coventry, half an hour away, to soak up the sounds of 2-Tone, where bands such as The Specials started. At the 2-Tone Village, check out the Coventry Music Museum (covmm.co.uk) and Knights live venue. visitcoventry.co.uk