Clwb Ifor Bach

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clwb Ifor Bach
English: Ivor the Short Club
Clwb, The Welsh Club
Womanby Street Cardiff.JPG
Clwb Ifor Bach on Womanby Street, Cardiff
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Address11 Womanby Street, CF10 1BR
LocationCardiff, Wales
Coordinates51°28′50″N 3°10′53″W / 51.48056°N 3.1814°W / 51.48056; -3.1814Coordinates: 51°28′50″N 3°10′53″W / 51.48056°N 3.1814°W / 51.48056; -3.1814
OwnerClwb Ifor Bach
TypeMusic venue and Nightclub
Genre(s)Pop, rock, reggae, folk, hip-hop, dubstep, drum and bass, house, electro, Welsh
Seating typePrimarily standing, some seating
Capacity380+[1]
Opened1983
Website
clwb.net

Clwb Ifor Bach (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈklʊb ˈivɔr ˈbaːχ], meaning Little Ivor's Club) is a Cardiff nightclub, music venue, Welsh-language club and community centre. It is known to the Cardiff Welsh-speaking community as Clwb (English: Club) and is often known by others on the Cardiff music scene as The Welsh Club.

Clwb Ifor Bach is used as a social centre by Welsh speaking people in Cardiff, as well as by many non-Welsh speakers. Until recent years, the club had a number of regular members only nights. This policy has been discontinued.[2] Clwb Ifor Bach is the focal point for many Welsh-medium organisations and events in the area: social, educational, sporting and otherwise. English and Welsh are spoken equally throughout the club, and most staff are required to be bilingual. No anti-Welsh sentiment is tolerated in the club.

Location[]

Clwb Ifor Bach is located in central Cardiff, halfway down Womanby Street, a lane running from the front of Cardiff Castle, parallel to High Street/St Mary Street).[3] The club faces the rear of a Wetherspoons pub, 'The Gatekeeper'.

History[]

Clwb Ifor Bach has existed since 1983 and was founded by Cymdeithas Clwb Cymraeg Caerdydd, a society formed with the purpose of establishing a Welsh language social club. The new venue was created inside a former British Legion club on Womanby Street.[4] The chair was Welsh politician Owen John Thomas. The club is named for Ifor Bach, a famous rebel leader against English rule in the 12th century.[4]

In 2017 planning permission was granted to create a hotel opposite the club and planning permission was also submitted to build six apartments next door. With worries that complaints about noise would threaten Clwb Ifor Bach's existence, a 'Save Womanby Street' campaign was launched.[5] Following support from Cardiff Council and the local MP, plans for the flats were withdrawn in September.[6] The Welsh Government said it would consider new planning laws to protect music venues.[5]

The building[]

The club is contained within an unassuming three-storey building. There is a bar, stage and dance floor on each level, varying in size from level to level. The top floor is the largest. The physical fabric of the club underwent a fairly major overhaul in the 1990s.

In early 2019 Clwb Ifor Bach announced plans to take over the derelict site next door to create new 500-capacity and 300-capacity venues. Cardiff Council had acquired the next door site and would lease it to the club. Designs are by architects Nissen Richards Studio.[7]

Events[]

There are regular performances of live music on the club's stages. There are also regular themed music nights on a week-to-week basis, during which one of the club's floors may be given over to a particular musical genre for an evening. The range of music played is very wide, and includes reggae, folk, hip-hop, pop, rock, dubstep, drum and bass, house, electro, Welsh and more.

In 2014 the club started holding comedy performances from established stand up and sketch comedians, usually on week nights.

Notable performers[]

Notable acts and bands who have performed at the venue include:[8]

References[]

  1. ^ "Clwb Ifor Bach - West + Wales nightclub". Resident Advisor.
  2. ^ Clwb Ifor Bach website Archived 2008-05-11 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Google Maps via Clwb Ifor Bach website Archived 2008-05-14 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Dic Mortimer (2016), A-Z of Cardiff, Amberley Publishing, p. 35, ISBN 978-1-445656618
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Andy Malt (3 April 2017). "Cardiff's Clwb Ifor Bach under threat from new development". Complete Music Update. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Womanby Street campaign success as flats plan withdrawn". BBC News. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  7. ^ David Owens (4 February 2019). "This is what Clwb Ifor Bach will look like when it takes over the building next door". Wales Online. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Venue Guide: Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff". Ticketweb UK Blog. 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c Owens, David (2019-02-04). "What Clwb Ifor Bach will look like after proposed expansion". walesonline. Retrieved 2020-06-11.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""