Remembering Cardiff's old clubs: Montys, Smileys, Moon, Revolution...

What about radcliffes and the square club...my first foray into cardiff clubs. The mars bar too...oh the memories!

Went to them all at one point or another and have some great memories. And a couple of not so good, like the time I went to the Moon for the first time and it was full of junkies shooting up in the toilets. I remember the discomfort I felt at realising that the crunchy thing I had stood on was a discarded syringe.

Croeso Cristianne
you still in Cardiff?

it is still there! never been in
bloody dangerous corner on my cycle commute that

I'm long since left ddraig, and thanks for the welcome. Gassy Jacks was where I had a first date once, I should have known it was doomed from the fact he chose there of all places!

Only went to the Casablanca once, it shut down soon after I moved to Cardiff, but spent a fair bit of time in the Big Windsor. The Docks is shit in comparison these days.

The Square Club weren't too bad (apart from the bogs and falling downstairs into the sewage seepage from those bogs). Much preferred it when they started playing house and having all nighters to the grim indy nights.

Crikey memory lane, I remember the Moon club I was there the night it caught fire, there was a firemans strike and the army came to put it out in a green goddess. I Used to go to the Casablanca regularly and the Dowlais, then there was Montys, the Terminus which became Sams bar, Paradise garage used to have a punk night and there was a club in one of the arcades called the Soho High Tech club, the square club used to be gothy upstairs and more discoey downstairs, happy days.

Rajah's on Cathedral rd. I presume that place is long gone!

Hippo, amazing Soundsystem. Full of drugged up ravers and sweat rain from the ceiling.

How could I forget the Dowlais.

It may surprise some of you that I went to the New Moon in Cardiff a few times. I was a student there in 1974 doing a post-grad year. Up the narrow stairs at the narrow end of the triangular based building and entering the room on the same wall as the band. Between the entrance and the band was the toilet door which meant that as you emerged from the toilet you were dazzled by the stage lights pointing at you. I don't remember much more about it apart from that it was cheap.

sounds a bit like the Full Moon club that is there now

Top Rank editor? Are you that old?

I was a regular at The Studio, the club that replaced Top Rank (PJs replaced the Studio). Had a lifetime VIP card. Then they went and closed so that card lied, it wasn't for my whole lifetime at all

Had to make do with CoCo Savanas, the Dog and Duck and the Toucan Club.

I'd forgotten about the Square Club. Those stairs were treacherous when wet. Get 4 rounds in before licensing hours ended @ 2am... but carry on partying till 6am as it didn't shut, just stopped serving.

The Dog and Duck served till 4am illegally till they got caught and closed down

nice and dirty upstairs
which you do need in some venues imo

The Stage Door used to get around the licencing by serving everyone a plate of chilli, thus giving them some sort of licence to stay open late.

Same here for both comments. In fact it was that very gig that some pogoing twit accidentely headbutted me in the nose and changed its shape forever (luckily only slightly, and it stayed straight)

Coco's was the first place I ever went clubbing. The pasadenas were performing the same night :/ I think I drank babycham and lager, snogged a medical student and and then puked.

I waited outside to get their autographs--wasn't old enough to go to the gig.

I remember the New Moon, Smileys, Casa B, Dowlais, Bogies, Neros... and what about Granny's, the punk club above the Prince of Wales...

The Top Rank, what a place! Used to go Saturday mornings to the kids dance. They played lots of Motown to my recollection. I particularly remember loving it when they played 'Resurrection Shuffle', that song still evokes vivid memories of dancing in the Top Rank. After the dance was over, me and my friends used to go to the cafeteria in Woolies (where my mum and her friend worked) and her friend would give us free tomato soup and bread. I saw the Ramones at the Top Rank years later and maybe the Stranglers too, tho can't be sure!

One of my faves for a while was the Casa Blanca, tho' I remember being scared shitless of one of the girls of a very well-known local family who I had inadvertently pissed off. It never came to anything, but the fact that I can still recall her steely stare in the mirror in the loos goes to show how much she did frighten me! Lloyds was pretty cool, and the Philharmonic was good for a while.

god is that written for 2 year olds? enjoy the sentiment but reads like a childrens book. I too enjoyed Neros, the Square club, New Ocean Club, Mars Bars etc, it was a good scene

Same place. Just an upstairs downstairs name split.

Upstairs for cheesy pop and downstairs for serious dance music. Some great times switching back and forth between the two and the mezzanine bar in between.

MOBO night downstairs on a Thursday. One of the few places that ran MOBO. I got some looks when I first went down on a Thursday. Not being a hot blond chick into black men (the usual token white person) there was a bit of suspicion at first but they soon mellowed when they realised I wasn't down there to cause trouble but just enjoy the music.

I remember there used to be a great Iranian cafe in the shop next to Gassy Jacks in the early '80s. I think it was called The Oasis. Used to love sampling a few Persian delicacies when Dad brought me to Cardiff to see something at The Sherman.

Anyone else remember "The Wine Press" on St. Mary Street? Pokey little place downstairs (under Porto's). Friend of mine used to DJ there. Bit of a dive, but plenty of fun!