Wales
Welsh pop music extends way beyond the realm of national heroes Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey or even new kid on the block, Charlotte Church. It ranges from the multi-talented John Cale, who co-formed the Velvet Underground, to Los Campesinos!, new seven-piece indie popsters tipped for great success. Cardiff enjoys a thriving music scene thanks to the likes of the Stereophonics and Manic Street Preachers as well as indie rockers Feeder, the Super Furry Animals and The Automatic and heavy rockers Lost Prophets and Funeral for a Friend.
Venues
Clwb Ifor Bach
(www.clwb.net) Also known as ‘the Welsh Club’, this venue has three floors and caters for anything from hip hop to skate-punk to folk. Past guests include The Strokes, Coldplay, Roni Size and Elbow. Womanby Street.
Barfly
The Barfly has a reputation for spotting talent at a young age, which makes this the place where you’re guaranteed to see bands on the rise.
More music in Cardiff
The rest of Wales
Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, Gwent
Queen’s mammoth hit Bohemian Rhapsody was recorded here - as was the Stone Roses’ The Second Coming and Ash’s 1977.
Bron-Yr-Aur, Machynlleth, Snowdonia
Led Zeppelin stayed in this slate cottage near the banks of the River Dovey in 1970, inspiring songs on Led Zeppelin III and Physical Graffiti.
Portmeirion, Snowdonia (www.portmeirion-village.com)
A popular location for magazine adverts and TV shows, most notably The Prisoner, it was also the setting for Supergrass' Alright video.