Bar News

Looks like an old Cardiff institution is gone for good. It was the first gay club I ever went to, and I think many straight Cardiffidians would have gone there as a post-2AM place to carry on partying after other venues closed for the night. Yes, Club X, which shut down a couple of years ago, is going to be converted... to flats!

http://planning.cardiff.gov.uk/online-a ... APR_108806

It's a shame in my view. The old gay venues on Charles Street - X and Exit, are much better laid out than the upstarts at Pulse and Wow. They actually have more than 1 dancefloor for a start, meaning the possibility of playing two kinds of music.

I'd hoped someone would come in and give Wow and Pulse a kick up the backside by reopening one of the old stalwarts and making it cool again. But alas it seems the choice is now between screaming twinks at Pulse and screaming drag queens at Wow forever more.

I think someone on this forum has said it before but these bars are dying out across the country, apart from say Soho and Manchester.

There was a time when I thought the Council or a local business group could have tried A LOT harder to make Charles Street 'a thing' but it didn't happen. Since Pulse, Wow and the new Kings Cross have opened on Churchill Way, there's no way that Charles Street will ever be rejuvinated as part of the gay scene.

If you walk down there day or night its dead and now quite depressing with quite a lot of empty units. It could have become quite a nice cafe quartrt type area but its really in the wrong location now.

So, for it to become an office/residential street I think is the only real way forward.

Back to bar news in general, any update on Brewdog? I noticed a new one being fitted out in London the othe day and hoped for the same in Cardiff?

And Cote?

ikon is still on charles street, but granted, its a shame about club x as it is quite a cardiff institution. the last time I was in there was for the back room about 18 months ago. Wow seems alright, it has a decent (albeit small ) room downstairs playing cool house for those who don't want the tackier TOWIE meets Queer as folk music upstairs.

Brewdog signage is up and fitting out work is well underway. That corner of town is shaping up to be pretty special for beer fans. City Arms, Urban Tap House, Queen's Vaults, Zero Degrees and Brewdog.

hopefully Brewdog does OK down there, I think it will and will probably act as a destination place to go out/go to before going out.

Be nice if the buildings opposite could now be sold and converted into bars/restaurants at ground floor, although I suspect this would more likely become apartments.

Brewdog opening next Friday according to their Twitter account

Looks like an old Cardiff institution is gone for good. It was the first gay club I ever went to, and I think many straight Cardiffidians would have gone there as a post-2AM place to carry on partying after other venues closed for the night. Yes, Club X, which shut down a couple of years ago, is going to be converted... to flats!

http://planning.cardiff.gov.uk/online-a ... APR_108806

It's a shame in my view. The old gay venues on Charles Street - X and Exit, are much better laid out than the upstarts at Pulse and Wow. They actually have more than 1 dancefloor for a start, meaning the possibility of playing two kinds of music.

I'd hoped someone would come in and give Wow and Pulse a kick up the backside by reopening one of the old stalwarts and making it cool again. But alas it seems the choice is now between screaming twinks at Pulse and screaming drag queens at Wow forever more.

This has been on the cards for some time. I don't think it's too much of a shame either based on recent history. Club X survived on its old reputation for a very, very long time and in the last few years became an awful, even dangerous club to go to. As for the layout, not sure if you went in its latter years but there was only one dance floor, the back room as the front room was partitioned off to form Eagle Bar.

Having been to Pulse on a Saturday night recently I was pleasantly surprised to see a more mixed crowd than expected. They have taken to playing party tunes upstairs and chart/dance downstairs which reminded me quite a lot of Exit, and in fact I saw lots of faces from the old Exit days.

I wouldn't call Pulse an 'upstart' though. It's been open about 8 years now, continuously too which is more than can be said for Club X. Ironically the hey-day of Club X was managed/owned by Gordon who now manages Pulse.

As has been said, I don't think the gay scene can sustain venues the size of Club X or Exit anymore. Pulse and Wow are fairly compact and seem to be busy. Also, the quiet upstairs bar and terrace in The Kings on Churchill Way is a bit of a hidden gem. I didn't even know there was an upstairs until recently.

In fact I was having this very conversation with a friend in his early 30s the other day who was bemoaning that the gay scene had died. In fact, what is probably happening is that HIS gay scene has died, and there seems to be a new generation that is enjoying a new gay scene (along with a couple of us oldies from time to time).

In other news, it is pretty much common knowledge now that Ladybird & Kapu on Mill Lane are closing on 27th July to make way for Côte Brasserie.

kind of covering bars and restauants...

So...opening soon:

Brewdog;
Wahaca;
Cote City Centre;
The Smoke Haus;
AppleJacksCDF;
Mojo Lounge;

Recently opened:
Pieminister;
Grazing shed;
Got Beef Co.
Feather and Bone;
The Gravity Station.

Only a few but we're starting to see quite a few 'cool' places to go in town... a little progress towards having an offering like Manchester About a year ago there was no decent burger joint in town - that is specialising

I'm very much looking forward to Wahaca!

I'm surprised you didn't list it, but Miller & Carter is looking really nice in the old Habitat building. Also, the other day I went to the new Bailey Carvery which has popped up in the old La Fosse unit on the Hayes. It was very nice but we were the only ones in there!

A new bar/club is opening this weekend in the former A:M venue on St Mary Street, called Karma.