£200k in grants to support city music venues
Paradise Garden has received a grant as part of a council fund Photo credit: Jake Rowles via Cardiff Council
Fifteen venues in Cardiff have been awarded a total of nearly £200,000 through a Cardiff Council fund.
The Grassroots Venues Fund awarded grants to music venues including Clwb Ifor Bach, The New Moon and The Canopi.
The fund has helped owners to make improvements and buy essential new equipment.
Paradise Garden, on City Road, received a grant and co-founder Esther Taylor, said: "The support we've had from Cardiff Council has been really good because we can buy equipment instead of renting it and it's saved us a lot of money.
“It's really helped us to expand the amount of live music that we do."
Non-profit social enterprise The Queer Emporium, at 2-4 Royal Arcade, is a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.
It also hosts events - including bigger ones for up to 100 people hosted in the Royal Arcade.
Founder and director, Yan White, said: "By getting the grant from Cardiff Council, it's meant we've managed to massively upgrade our tech equipment for the events, which means if you come now, you'll see that we have a full lit stage with lights that go up through the Arcade.
“It's just sort of upgraded everything that we've managed to do, and we're hoping that will result in more people coming in and using the space."
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The full list of organisations supported is:
Sustainable Studios/The Canopi
Porters
4pi Productions
Talent Shack
Clwb Ifor Bach
Acapela
Tiny Rebel
Brewhouse
The Dock
Chapter Arts Centre
The New Moon
Paradise Garden
The Queer Emporium
The Grange Pub
Silkcrayon Studios
Labour Cllr Jennifer Burke, cabinet member for culture, parks and events, said: “Grassroots venues play a critical role in the city's music scene and these grants provide important financial support at a time when, like venues across the UK, they're dealing with some significant challenges.
"We will continue to look for ways we can support venues, but the reality is we simply don't have the finances or the power to step in every time a venue finds itself struggling.
“The best way to protect venues is to use them and I would encourage everybody to book a ticket to a gig at a local venue - you never know, you might discover your next favourite artist."
The funding forms part of the local authority's Cardiff Music City work to protect and develop the city's music sector.
This has seen a new talent development scheme launched in the city's schools and the first ever Cardiff Music City Festival take place.
The Grassroots Venues Fund was supported by the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund.
