The music of Cardiff has been dominated mainly by

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

since the early 1990s with later trends developing towards more extreme styles of the genre such as heavy metal and

metalcore Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...

music. It, along with the nearby music scene in Newport, has brought a number of musicians to perform or begin their careers in

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

. Famous

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

bands include the

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

band Young Marble Giants, bands from the Cool Cymru era including Super Furry Animals and Catatonia, as well as the

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...

bands

Funeral for a Friend Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band from Bridgend, Wales, Bridgend, formed in 2001. The band's members are Kris Roberts (guitar, backing vocals), Gavin Burrough (guitar, vocals), Darran Smith (guitar), Richard Boucher (bass), an ...

and McLusky. The Loves, Los Campesinos!, The School and We're No Heroes are bands who dominate Cardiff's music scene today. Cardiff is home to the world's oldest record shop, Spillers Records, which was established in 1894, and was situated in The Hayes area of the city centre before relocating to the nearby Morgan Arcade in 2010. A study by the Performing Rights Society revealed that Cardiff is the second most musical city in the UK based upon the number of bands having their origins in each UK city.

History

1960s-1980s

1960s Cardiff produced Amen Corner, one of the top pop acts of the era and the first Welsh group to have a number one hit. Also from the 1960s was Love Sculpture who had a minor hit with Sabre Dance. Love Sculpture featured Dave Edmunds who also had chart hits in the 1960s and 1970s in his own right. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Cardiff music scene was dominated by hard rock and blues bands, and included heavy metal pioneers Budgie. Budgie released a string of hit albums in the 1970s including the gold-certified '' Bandolier''. Budgie's influence reached bands such as Iron Maiden,

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

, and

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...

, all of which have covered Budgie's songs at one point or another.

Post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

influences spawned the three-piece Cardiff band Young Marble Giants, who influenced a number of musicians. Young Marble Giants contributed two tracks to ''Is The War Over?'', a compilation featuring unsigned bands from the Cardiff scene.

1990s

Cerys Matthews - Cambridge Festival 2006

In the 1990s, the Welsh capital was the centre of a vibrant music scene led by

Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Wales, Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, in 1986. The band consists of Nicky Wire (bass guitar, lyrics) and cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, le ...

, Super Furry Animals and Catatonia and many acts had connections nearby Newport during this time which also had an emerging alt rock and indie venue community fuelled by the likes of TJ's. The scene was populated by a series of smaller often short-lived outfits which made a small but notable local impact. These bands included Ectogram, Crac, Monk Dave, The Pier and The Awkward Moments.

21st century

In 2006

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

described the Cardiff music scene as "more vibrant and alive than ever", with more promoters, venues, and bands than ever before. In 2017 Cardiff Council announced they would promote Cardiff as 'Music City'.

Rock music

Since the 1990s there has been a more steely edge to the sound of the valleys, dominated by

. Most prominent are Bullet For My Valentine,

Funeral For A Friend Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band from Bridgend, Wales, Bridgend, formed in 2001. The band's members are Kris Roberts (guitar, backing vocals), Gavin Burrough (guitar, vocals), Darran Smith (guitar), Richard Boucher (bass), an ...

and Lostprophets, who had a number one hit in 2006 with their 3rd album '' Liberation Transmission'' on indie rock imprint

Visible Noise Visible Noise is a defunct British independent record label that focuses exclusively on British bands. They are best known for the rock bands Lostprophets, Bullet for My Valentine, Bullet For My Valentine, and Bring Me the Horizon. History Vis ...

. Pop rockers, The Automatic, grew out of this scene, playing underage gigs in Cardiff and associating themselves with punk group Jarcrew. Ragga metallers Skindred are also a prominent band on the Cardiff rock scene, known for mixing

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

and

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

influences with a more contemporary

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

and

sound. Following the success of punk and

music in Cardiff in from the late 1970s until the 1990s, its decline was noticeable in the 2000s with the demise of bands Mclusky and Jarcrew. However, former members of the two bands united to form new Cardiff

band Future of the Left.

Pop-rock music

Musical alumni of

Cardiff University Cardiff University () is a public research university in Cardiff, Wales. It was established in 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire and became a founding college of the University of Wales in 1893. It was renamed Unive ...

include pop-rock group Los Campesinos! and ''Drone'', alter ego of Cassidy Phillips, who is part of the area's electronica scene. Acts have been supported by the Welsh Music Foundation (WMF), an organisation set up to support the country's creative industry. Its prime mover is Huw Williams, once a member of 1980s band The Pooh Sticks and former manager of Newport's 60 Ft. Dolls. Local talent is also supported by the likes of Ankst Records, which specialises in Welsh language recordings.

Electronic music

Another local label is Machine Records that has an electronic preference. When the label started in 2001, there was no scene to connect with, though gradually it has built up a roster of around 25 artists that have come out of the studio and performed live at regular Cardiff showcases and in Newport, Swansea, and London. Between 2003 and 2006 the label also used its monthly Terminal club night to bring UK acts on Warp Records and Planet Mu to Cardiff. Machine Records won 'Best Label' at the Welsh Music Awards in March 2005, and its 2008 compilation 'Machine Music! The New Dance Sound of Cardiff' was selected by DJ Adam Walton as one of the ten best Welsh albums of the decade. More recently a number of Cardiff acts have found favour on the Dubstep and Electronic Beat scene. Mary Anne Hobbs whilst on BBC Radio 1 included artists such as STAGGA (who died in 2020), Zwolf and Darkhouse Family within her show, whilst other Radio 1 DJs such as Rob Da Bank and Huw Stephens have also included Monky, Curtamos and Ital Lion. Many of these have also been played on influential stations such as Rinse FM and in 2010 BBC 1Xtra invited Chrome Kids to record a mix of Welsh Electronic Music for their 'In New 1Xtra DJs We Trust' show.

Rap music

Much of the Welsh hip hop activity centres on Cardiff. It has spawned names who have broken out from Wales, touring and gaining steady press attention. Such acts are Barry-based producer Metabeats, rap group Astroid Boys, Beatbox Fozzy, Chrome Kids, Squid Ninjaz, Mudmowth, Y-DUB, Ruffstylz, Blue City and Ralph Rip Shit. Also from the city, in 2009 trio Dead Residents produced ''Triple Crown'', described as "one of the most enjoyable Welsh hip-hop albums in recent memory" by Cardiff-based hip hop journalist Adam Anonymous.

Welsh language music

Cardiff is home to a number of bands and musicians for whom Welsh is often their language of choice. Currently Fade files is an active electronic Welsh language band based in Cardiff on the dnldr label and is often featured on Rhys Mwyn's show on Radio Cymru. Others include Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, who have now disbanded, though their former members continue to work in and around Cardiff. In 2006 Euros Childs released solo album ''Chops'', while former sidekick Richard James embarked on a more folk 'n' country-influenced direction with ''The Seven Sleepers Den''. They now live in the Pontcanna area of the city along with most of Super Furry Animals. The album was put out on Cardiff's ''Boobytrap Records'', originally set up as a monthly singles club by Booby Baz and Huw Stephens. The latter now promotes Welsh music as a Radio One presenter joined by Dean Proctor.

Music acts

;Acts associated with the Cardiff music scene: * The Alarm * The Automatic * Bullet for My Valentine * Catatonia * Cerys Matthews * Charlotte Church *

* Super Furry Animals *

Stereophonics Stereophonics are a Welsh pop and rock music, Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley. The band consists of Kelly Jones (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Richard Jones (Stereophonics), Richard Jones (n ...

* Lostprophets * Skindred * Gorky's Zygotic Mynci * Los Campesinos! * Kids in Glass Houses * The Blackout * The Hot Puppies * Feeder * McLusky * The Loves * Budgie * The Darling Buds * Vandal * Jarcrew * STAGGA * Future of the Left * We're No Heroes * Spencer McGarry Season * Winter & Williams Band * Digvijay Bhonsale (performed locally from 2010 until 2012) * High Contrast * Iwan Rheon * Noel Sullivan * Shakin' Stevens *

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the James Bond music, theme songs to three James Bond films - the only artist to officially perform more than o ...

* Sion Russell Jones * The Oppressed *

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

* Holding Absence Image:Manic Street Preachers in London2005-2.jpg,

Image:Digvijay_Bhonsale_performing_Live_at_No_Sweat,_Cardiff_Arts_Institute,_in_2011.jpg, Digvijay Bhonsale Image:kidsinglasshouses300.jpg, Kids in Glass Houses Image:Los Campesinos!.jpg, Los Campesinos!

Festivals

Cardiff Big Weekend

The Cardiff Big Weekend has taken place annually since 1995 as part of the Cardiff Festival organised by Cardiff Council. Billed as the UK's biggest free outdoor music festival, it offers three days of quality live music and entertainment. Alongside the live music stage runs the UK's largest travelling funfair around Cardiff's Civic Centre. Each night comes to a close with a firework finale. There is always a line of up and coming artists, world music and established artists, and traditionally the Friday night has always had a strong presence of Welsh bands.

Welsh Language Music Day

Welsh Language Music Day is an annual showcase of music performed in the language of Welsh which takes place across venues throughout Wales. Cardiff is a particular centre for events, with performances taking place at venues on Womanby Street throughout the day. Local businesses often participate in the city including John Lewis, The Co-operative, EE, Cardiff Airport, Brains, Lush, Waitrose and Principality Building Society.

Other events

The Welsh Hip Hop Festival, also known as Roxe Jam, brought together all elements of hip hop culture as a two-day free event in one of Cardiff's largest city parks, in Grangetown, with support from The Arts Council of Wales, Cardiff Council and Communities First Trust Fund and with the help of Welsh hip hop artists. The Cardiff Multicultural Mela also known as the Cardiff Mela is an annual large-scale outdoor multicultural festival, held in the city's Roald Dahl Plass, in

Cardiff Bay Cardiff Bay (; colloquially "The Bay") is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it is the river mouth of the River Taff and River Ely, Ely. The body of water was converted into a lake as part ...

. It celebrates many cultural aspects of Asian life, particularly music and dance. The 2009 festival featured bhangra, Bollywood and rnb singers including H Dhami, Mumzy Stranger and Navin Kundra amongst others. The 2010 event attracted over 30,000 visitors and featured a performance from Bombay Rockers. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Party in the Park was held annually in the city organised by the city's Red Dragon FM. Cardiff hosts the Welsh Singers Competition every two years at St. David's Hall. The Under Construction Youth Music Festival started in 2007 and is the result of work from a group of teenagers from the Cathays Youth and Community Centre. The festival hopes to fill a gap in music provision for teens while promoting local talent. The 2010 one-day festival will take place at the

Maindy Centre Maindy Centre (, formerly known as Maindy Stadium, now also known as Maindy Pool and Cycle Track) is a velodrome and indoor swimming pool facility in the Maindy area of Cardiff, Wales. The velodrome was used in the 1958 British Empire and Common ...

on 14 August, and the main stage will host bands playing music from metal to punk while a newly added acoustic stage will showcase emerging talent from young singer/songwriters. There will also be workshops and activities including a skate ramp, bmx biking, free running and an inflatable football pitch. In 2011 the inaugura
Cardiff Music Festival
was launched by Only Men Aloud! member and Cardiff local David Mahoney, with concerts and recitals including an opera gala with Dennis O'Neill, Wynne Evans and Only Men Aloud! director Tim Rhys-Evans. In 2018 Gwdihw hosted Pwer Fest, a small indy and pop-punk festival. Pwer Fest was started up by Stereobrain Records and has hosted a multitude of different bands from Dream state to False Advertising. Pwer fest was scheduled to be held at Gwdihw again in 2019 but due to the shutting down of the bar it was moved to Club Ifor bach. With two very successful years we should Hopefully see Pwer fest back on the scene in 2021.

Venues

Cardiff International Arena

The Cardiff International Arena (CIA) is one of the largest concert venues in Cardiff and Wales and, has recently played host to Travis, Busted,

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...

, Paramore and Blondie. The venue has a capacity 7,500 and is more than often one of the venues visited by the most popular touring acts. The arena is also used for exhibitions, sport and other live events.

St David's Hall

St David's Hall has over 450 performances a year, including classical music, rock, pop, jazz, children's events, dance and comedy. Past performers include Lemar,

Chris Rea Christopher Anton Rea ( ; born 4 March 1951) is a British Rock music, rock and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist from Middlesbrough. Known for his distinctive voice and his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty-five studio albums, ...

and Suzanne Vega. It is situated in The Hayes. St David's Hall is the National Concert Hall and Conference Centre of Wales, and hosts the annual Welsh Proms, an Orchestral Series attracting renowned conductors and performers, and the biennial Cardiff Singer of the World competition.

Wales Millennium Centre

The Wales Millennium Centre is a performing arts centre in

, opened in 2004. The centre usually hosts West End musicals,

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

, and contemporary dance. Eclapton cardiff

Millennium Stadium

With a capacity of 74,500, the Millennium Stadium, national stadium of Wales, hosts only the largest of concerts by the most famous of performers, such as U2,

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentTake That, Kasabian,

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

and

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

. The stadium has also hosted international music concerts such as Tsunami Relief Cardiff in 2005.

Cardiff City Stadium

Opened in 2009, the Cardiff City Stadium is a 30,000 capacity stadium owned by and home of Cardiff City Football Club and is rented out to Cardiff Blues RFC. The

will be the first group to play at the stadium in June 2010.

Cardiff University

The Cardiff University Students' Union contains a number of large and small venues, and its main stage in The Great Hall has previously hosted acts including

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

, The Jam,

The Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...

INXS INXS (a phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian rock band, formed as the Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney. The founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss, drummer Jon Farriss, gu ...

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

, The Killers,

The Coral The Coral are an English rock band, formed in 1996 in Hoylake on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside. The band emerged during the early 2000s. Their 2002 debut album ''The Coral (album), The Coral'', from which came the single "Dreaming of You (T ...

, The Polyphonic Spree, Turin Brakes, The Doves, The Darkness, The Thrills, Athlete, Star Sailor, Ben Howard, Foals, Twin Atlantic, and

Electric Six Electric Six is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Detroit in 1996. They are known for combining elements of Rock music, rock, disco, garage rock, Heavy metal music, metal, New wave music, new wave, and punk rock. Since achieving wide ...

in the past. The venue is located on Park Place/Senghenydd Road in Cathays, north of the city centre.

The Coal Exchange

Formerly the stock exchange for coal in Wales during the 19th century, the Coal Exchange is

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...

’s favourite venue and previous concerts include the Eels, Jools Holland and PJ Harvey. It is located in

. Image:Cardiff Bay WMC.jpg, Wales Millennium Centre Image:Coal Exchange, Cardiff.jpg, Coal Exchange Image:Ninian Stand Cardiff City Stadium.jpg, Cardiff City Stadium

Smaller venues

Clwb Ifor Bach is a principally Welsh-language venue on three levels and caters for anything from hip hop to skate-punk to folk. Past guests include

The Strokes The Strokes are an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1998. The band is composed of lead singer and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond, Jr., Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikola ...

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

, Roni Size and

Elbow The elbow is the region between the upper arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and t ...

. The club often hosts new bands on the Cardiff music scene, and gigs of the Sŵn festival. The two venues are located near Cardiff Castle. Metro's is an underground club, popular with students. Goth, metal, grunge and rock are the main genres played here. It is situated near St. Mary's Street. The Engine Rooms in

equally focuses on rock and metal music. The city's principal mainstream clubs include Evolution (in the Red Dragon Centre), Oceana, Liquid, The Philharmonic, Exit Club, Bar X, and Walkabout (in the

city centre A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...

). Moloko's music styles vary throughout the week, from drum n’ bass, to funk and r’n’b. It is situated in The Hayes. Journey's is an independent establishment in the Roath area of Cardiff and frequented by local bands and DJs performing live, from electronica to country music. The Gate Arts Centre is a live venue which often hosts parts of the Sŵn festival, and has hosted bands such as Los Campesinos! The Cardiff Arts Institute is a new venue, hosting arts events most nights, but is described by WalesOnline as "pretentious". The Norwegian Church hosts live music, mainly focusing on world, folk and acoustic artists. Buffalo Bar is an independent venue with live music every night from unsigned and local showcases to larger touring bands. In the past the venue has hosted Shonen Knife, James Blake, Times New Viking, Jets to zurich, Marnie Stern, Kissy Sell Out, Ugly Duckling, Simone Felice and Jeffrey Lewis. Sister venue 10 Feet Tall holds intimate folk, acoustic, Americana shows as well as funk, jazz and hip hop, fashion shows, film & literary events. Its recently relaunched basement venue Undertone stages small live events from local bills to touring bands, reggae, ska, rock, indie and drum'n'bass clubnights. The Full Moon, Gassy Jacks, Vulcan Lounge, O'Neils, Pen n Wig, Gwdihw, The North Star are some of the small places that promote and host acoustic nights.

Record labels

Amongst the notable

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

s based in Cardiff are: * Placid Casual * Plastic Raygun

References

External links

*www.facebook.com/cardiffmusichistory
What's on in CardiffAlt.Cardiff - Music news in CardiffCardiff Music Festival website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Music Of Cardiff Cool Cymru