At the start of the year, the charity Music Venue Trust reported that every two weeks, an independent music venue closes. News broke earlier this month of the beloved Leeds DIY venue BOOM having to close at the whim of its landlords, who were planning on developing the property. The same fate now looms over Moth Club in Hackney Central, as well as the Marble Factory in Bristol.
It’s no secret that in the UK, venues are being crippled by the rising costs involved with their operation. But while this pandemic of loss was felt across much of the country, it seemed almost impossible that it would sooner or later strike at the heart of one of the Welsh capital’s best venues, The Moon. As part of the statement on their website, The Moon has said:
“Despite our best efforts to keep going during the past few years, the burden of a cost of living crisis and the mounting costs of running a business where survival always runs on a knife edge have proven too difficult for us to continue. Every time we think we’ve overcome a hurdle, another 5 appear and there are so many factors involved, not one particular reason but dozens”.
The Moon was (re)opened in 2017 following the closure of The Full Moon, and since then has gone on to play host to an immense range of diverse and wonderful artists. Its place on Cardiff’s legendary Womanby Street seemingly quintessential to the live music lifeblood of the so-called “Music City“, something that many are beginning to question now that one of its own has fallen victim to the cruel and merciless.
My personal memories of The Moon are synonymous with the Cardiff student story, seeking out smaller gigs, Womanby Street was the place to go, and over my time living in the capital I saw an array of fantastic artists, ranging from the metal duo powerhouse Nova Twins, all the way to the eccentric live drum and bass of VICETRACK. Even since I’ve left Cardiff, a trip to The Moon was common one, with the venue often playing host to some of the best small punk shows around.
Perhaps one of the venue’s greatest assets was its ability to welcome everyone and anyone, regardless of who you were or what you looked like, it united people under their love for live music. As a punter, the loss of the venue is a tragedy, but to those who frequent the stage on venues like The Moon, it’s a catastrophe.
I spoke to two people who have found themselves brushing their heads against the low ceiling of The Moon, Charlie J, a producer, rapper, and songwriter based in Bridgend. And Paul Collier, frontman of Bristol-based hardcore punk band Perp Walk.
JA: What is your favourite memory of The Moon?
CJ: “My favourite memory of The Moon was probably when I performed on a line-up ran by Gigs Cefyn Car, I was the second to last act to perform, and one of my mates had his work’s leaving do and decided to invite everyone down to the show. We pretty much filled the venue out! Everyone was chanting and singing along… it was an all around class night!
Performing in Lederhosen after Oktoberfest last month and my headline shows also have to be up there too!”
PC: “The Moon, particularly when the upstairs was open, was the second place I went for hardcore shows after moving to Cardiff from Bristol for University in 2012. I managed to meet a lot of friends who I am still close with to this day as a result of these shows. I saw local bands such as Judgement, Rancour, Interrogation, and Chains of Hate (I even played in Judgement very briefly for a show), as well as bands such as Harms Way, Brutality Will Prevail, Backtrack, and a whole host of others.
When the upstairs closed its doors to become a **** cocktail bar, I used to go to a lot of the shows put on by DIY Cardiff, and later headlined a sold-out show there with my own band, which having lived in the city for 12 years, was something that was really special to me. All of those moments since my living here are truly special, and all of them are important.”
JA: As an artist, how does the closure of venues like The Moon make you feel?
C: “I feel like The Moon was one of, if not the only affordable and accessible grassroots venue left in the centre of Cardiff for MOBO music. I’m a hip-hop artist and they’ve always welcomed myself and artists of similar genres there!
Now it has closed, there’s seemingly nowhere left for artists such as myself, the venues left are either too expensive or don’t cater to my genre of music, which is a true shame. Many upcoming artists and bands will no longer get the opportunities when starting in the city, and I believe this may drive them away.
PC: “It makes me angry that another venue has shut with no warning whatsoever from another landlord. It, in turn, is another nail in the coffin of the alternative scene in Cardiff, and proof that Cardiff Council’s marketing of Cardiff as a “Music City” is an outright lie.
JA: What do you think needs to happen to stop venues like The Moon from closing down?
CJ: “Financial support more than anything. Ticket levy’s from larger concerts are a good idea, as is giving more venues cultural status, similar to what has been done to The Bunkhouse in Swansea, as well as tax breaks for grassroots venues – which I believe the government have changed fairly recently.”
PC: “Money NEEDS to be funnelled into grassroots music venues from the government. Control needs to be taken from the profits and reliance on Live Nation and Ticketmaster, and in an ideal world we need to move towards a European model for the arts where venues are funded by the state or government. Otherwise, we’ll be talking about another music venue shutting its doors all over again”.
From these two conversations alone, it’s clear to see exactly how important to The Moon was to the city, even across a breadth of genres. From hardcore to hip-hop, pundits, artists, and promotors are going to sorely miss the beloved venue. I also spoke to local promotor Connor Llewellyn who runs Blowout Nights, who highlighted just how difficult it will be going forward without The Moon:
“Cardiff is running out of options in terms of grassroots music venues for bands and promoters to use, and something needs to be done by the council and the government in order to secure the future of the remaining venues. From what I know, there has been little to no infrastructure or funding provided to these venues to help run and maintain themselves as a fixture in live music in Cardiff for years to come“.
With other venue options being considerably more expensive, and others being pickier about the genres they host, then the options for those amongst the grassroots scene in the Welsh capital has now grown even slimmer. The city has seen considerable losses in the past few years, Buffalo and Gwdihw just to name a couple, but with the closure of The Moon, it feels like doomsday looms ever closer.
As a few have mentioned since The Moon’s announcement was made, it raises further questions, especially to Cardiff Council, who so recently bestowed the capital with the title of “Music City”, something queried further here by our own Bill Cummings, as well as the wider, more existential questions about the future and survival of non-corporate live music. No matter what side of the stage you’ve found yourself on in The Moon, the hole that it will leave on Womanby Street, in Cardiff, and in people’s hearts cannot truly be quantified. Love is extended to both booker Liz Hunt, and technical manager/promoter and Ed Townend, who helped to ensure that The Moon cemented itself in the hearts and minds of everyone who graced its stage and floor.
The staff who have been left without jobs following the Moon shutting its doors, offered:
“While it’s a tough time for everyone’s pockets at the moment, especially before the festive season, there is currently a crowd funder open to help support the staff and freelancers affected by the venue’s closure, and if you’re able to, even a small donation would help immensely.” https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-the-moon-cardiffs-staff
