R.I.P. Cardiff Barfly
It's the middle of the night so I haven't got hold of the manager for an official statement, but a number of sources — including Barfly staff and scheduled performers — have informed us that the iconic local venue has closed its doors for the last time.
The gig posters outside have been taken down and Facebook and Twitter are awash with sad and shocked comments on its closure.
"Bye bye Barfly, I'll miss your sticky floors" wrote one Facebooker.
"I'm lucky enough to have played [there] twice, once sold out, on stage with a good attendance cause it was such a small venue. It was a brilliant gig because of the buzz you get from the crowd. All the small clubs are going and that's not doing any unsigned bands around here any favours."
Others were less sympathetic, pointing out the numerous flaws of the venue: "Well it wasn't exactly an award winning venue, was it? It was like the McDonald's of gig venues."
As someone who has grown up with Barfly gigs being a major part of their life (I doubt there are any successful Welsh bands who haven't played on the stage at Barfly at some point) I'll be sad to see it go, and curious to see what appears in its place. Barfly was far from the greatest venue: it was tiny, dark, and you felt blessed if you managed to find a toilet cubicle with a lock on it. But that was what made it great. Every gig was intimate, and there was no 'backstage' for the artists to lurk in before and after their set — the audience and the performers were on equal ground, and the crowd supported you even if you were a complete unknown.
It was the starting point in the careers of countless bands, and the unsigned Welsh music scene will suffer as a result of its closure.
More on this story as it develops.
