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South Wales Gigging


Mr Fretbuzz
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If you have a look at gig guide in the Thursday edition of the Evening Post, there are lots of open mic nights advertised in there - there's lots going on every week.

Also, lots of smaller pubs have regular open mic nights that aren't advertised that you can go and join in with.

I went to one a few week back (observed) in the Plough in Brynhyfryd that's held on the last Thurs of every month - regular band is The Barrow Boys. The drummer is brilliant, guy called Peter James. There's one on the first Weds of each month in the Bryngwyn just outside Llanelli. That one is bit country and western for me but the band are a great bunch and always try and pleasantly bully me into taking my bass along. Not sure I want to play along to "Grandma's Feather Bed" but they do other stuff as well :lol: . Chris plays bass, he's great.

You feeling ready to take the plunge?

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They used to have a jam night at The Sandringham Hotel called The Jazz Attic (I started it at The Four Bars Inn with friends when I played around that area). Last time I looked it was still going (Mondays) and a quick web-search confirms it is still going (at least 20 years now - we started in in the early 1990s).

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Jazz Attic is at Cafe Jazz on St Mary's St, Cardiff, which is next to/part of the Sandringham Hotel. It's on Wednesdays now and some months there may not be a Jazz Attic, then there may be two. The next one is on Wednesday 29 August. The house band are really friendly and helpful, happy to sit in or step down as requested.. Parking is in the pay and display in Westgate Street. Show the bar staff your parking ticket and they'll refund it. St Mary's Street is pedestrianised but there's a handy bit of wide pavement right outside the venue where you can lug your double bass out of the car and tuck it next to the fruit machine before going off to park.

Another jazz open mic is held at The Gate, (imaginatively called Jazz Cafe) in Keppoch Street, just off City Road, Cardiff. There's street parking at this one and it's held regularly on the last Tuesday of the month. (In term time, so I don't know if there's one in August - I suspect not.) This one's run by Bilbo's top notch mate, who also runs improvisation classes on Monday nights at the same venue.

If you're there, come and say hello!

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I grew up in Porthcawl, was a surprise to see someone eager to go and play there. There hasn't been much consistent over the years, although the Pier used to have jam nights every Thursday night which were great fun and an awesome opportunity for my first band to cut our teeth in front of an audience. They stopped about 7 or 8 years ago for reasons unknown to me, although the same guy is running open mic nights at the Swan more sporadically. Or maybe it's every week, I'm not sure as I'm not back in Wales very often.
When I was a teen, me and a friend put on a few DIY punk gigs in various venues around porthcawl, a Scout's Hut in Nottage, The Pier, the "Stage Door" venue at The Pavillion, The Apollo (which has since changed its name/ interior decor about four times, and apparently is now a steak restaurant (!?))... sorry just reminiscing a bit over here. Those were good days, when everything was new and an adventure. Now putting on or playing gigs are mostly going through the motions, standard venues that are nice enough, and it all probably sounds a lot better, but everyone knows what to expect...
Have fun in Porthcawl.

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