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for good four years ago, and it still doesn’t feel right that it’s gone.
Playing at The Coach House was a rite of passage for all bands in Swansea.
It had sweat on the walls, pools of water on the floor, and a cramped ‘dungeon’ for the bands. The site is now Pitcher and Piano.
Situated on Guildford Crescent in Cardiff, Gwdihw was a grassroots club that had hundreds of fans.
It closed last year, after a social media appeal calling on anyone to come and help themselves to its contents. It is currently looking for a new home.
Known by many in its legendary incarnation as The Stepney Hotel, Llanelli’s Sol Bar was great for the live music scene, as well as bringing touring rock bands – such as The Wildhearts and Reef – to west Wales.
Originally opened to serve Cardiff’s bus drivers, the club moved to its location in Tudor Street in Riverside
in 1999 and developed into a live music venue. Sadly, though, it struggled as a business and finally called time at the turn of the year.
THE COACH HOUSE
It didn’t last for long, but it certainly made its presence felt.
Situated in the former Adam & Eve pub in Swansea’s High Street, it hosted DJ sets by Gruff Rhys and Huw Stephens, while Radio 1 DJ Greg James visited during The Biggest Weekend concerts in 2018.
The upstairs area known as Four
Bars is known for being one of Cardiff’s best live music centres; The Vaccines and Alt-J have played there, and it is also a hot pub for the Swn Festival.
And while it’s still open, owners Brains announced it is to close in February, ahead of a ‘substantial redevelopment’.
Best known as the clubber’s paradise which spawned the still-successful Escape in the Park in Swansea’s Singleton Park, where the likes of Judge Jules and happy hardcore supremo DJ Hixxy regularly hit the decks.
But it also put on rock gigs; Hundred Reasons and Orange Goblin were among those kicking out the jams.
GWDIHW
SOL BAR
THE TRANSPORT CLUB
THE LAST RESORT
DEMPSEYS
ESCAPE
THE ZONE
A real mecca next door to the Grand Hotel for any self-respecting rock, metal and punk fans in Swansea.
Its club nights were a must for those who like it loud, and it was a rite of passage for local bands to hone their skills there.