BUS DRIVER GETS THE MUSIC MOVING

AWELSH bus driver is driving to the rescue of Cardiff’s under-fire music scene by opening a venue to live bands for the very first time. The Cardiff Bus Transport Club on Tudor Street, near the city centre, is to stage a number of gigs offering a new venue in the Welsh capital.

The city’s live music hub Womanby Street has faced a number of challenges in recent months after the closure of two venues Dempseys and The Moon Club, a noise nuisance complaint made against Fuel Rock Bar and plans for a Wetherspoon’s hotel, as well as a proposed residential development next to Clwb Ifor Bach.

Now Cardiff bus driver Richard Gurney is aiming to give the music scene a new lease of life and provide some welcome good news by offering bands the opportunity to play at the transport club.

“My main motivation was that we had this space that was wholly underutilised at the club and having always loved music I wanted to share the space with the community,” he said.

“We have entertainment on a Sunday night which is mainly cabaret singers and the occasional awards nights for our various sports teams, but I see this more as a long-term endeavour to establish the club as somewhere that has great music and is open to all.”

The idea came about after Richard, 42, met musician Joshua Caole in a Cardiff bar one night.

They got talking about the city’s live music scene and the idea sprung from there.

“Obviously it is a coincidence that I’ve been working towards this just as there has become great concern across Cardiff for our music venues but I’m excited that the club can offer a solution that Cardiff seems to be looking for right now and I hope promoters will look to the club as a viable venue for smaller shows.”

Richard, who has a been a bus driver for 10 years and sits on the transport club committee, said his fellow committee members unanimously backed the move to use the 120 capacity venue for live music.

Two shows will be staged this month – Cardiff bands Pink Grapefruit and Young Black Americans are on the bill with Bristol outfit Two Day Coma on Thursday, April 13, and Cardiff bands Boy Azooga, Buzzard and Dtub play on Saturday, April 22.

“We’ve got a very good foundation, but we want to take it slowly, try and build momentum, and bring in different promoters to build the club’s reputation as a live venue,” said Richard.