‘I’ll do everything I can to shout about that place,’ says Cardiff musician
CATHAYS Community Centre may be home to after school clubs and coffee mornings, but for the past 30 years it has also played a part in the city’s music scene.
Not every new band has a garage, or a parent willing to put up with noise, which is why three rehearsal rooms tucked inside the centre have been so important for local musicians.
Cardiff emo band Los Campesinos! got their start as a band using these rehearsal rooms and, according to the band’s lead singer Gareth David, they played an important role in their development as a band.
“When our band first formed in 2006, we graduated from rehearsing in our drummer’s bedroom to a practice room in Cathays Community Centre. It provided such a vital space for us, right in the heart of the city’s student population,” he said.
Not only did they rehearse there, the band also used the centre’s small studio space to record their first demo, which eventually led to international success.
“These were the recordings that landed us a record deal and set us on the path that we’ve been taking for these past nearly two decades. I don’t think it’s exaggeration to say that if we didn’t have the convenience and affordability of Cathays, we may well just not have bothered to make a demo,” said Gareth.
Customer manager Joel Beswick, who is responsible for centre bookings, believes that “it is by far best place for bands to start out in Cardiff”.
Charging between £5 and £8 an hour to use has made the rooms accessible, no matter the band’s experience.
“Because it’s low cost, it’s less pressure. It’s the kind of place you can come and you don’t have to take it seriously,” said Joel.
The rooms also came equipped with all the gear a band needs, saving them from having to carry a whole drum kit across the city.
“All the mics are here, all the amps are here,” said guitarist Taylor Hinchley, whose band Fat Lemon regularly practises at the centre.
Having used the rooms to practice for the last seven years, Taylor is just one of many musicians who found the centre as a student musician looking for somewhere to rehearse.
“When people have asked me, this is the place I’ve recommended. Everybody goes here. This is the place to go,” said Alex Stephens, president of Cardiff University’s live music society, whose bands Gilynion Dyn and Fourteen Locks practice at the centre.
Joel said that some people booking the rooms are surprised to realise they’re in a community centre but believes this only adds to their charm.
“As a musician I’ve been to other studios and sometimes it’s just in an industrial estate in the middle of nowhere. It’s nice to come to somewhere that is vibrant and lively and in a busy area,” he said.
Musician Adam Holborn first practised at the centre as a 13-year-old, and believes the room’s low prices were vital in helping him get started.
“As kids, you don’t have your own money, but you can convince your parents to lend you £3.”
Still playing in bands now, he thinks he wouldn’t be doing it now as an adult if it weren’t for these earlier experiences and can’t thank the centre enough.
“I’ll do everything I can to shout about that place. I’m glad it’s still there.”
Playing next door to Fat Lemon, the band Cryptids also choose the rooms for their weekly practice, and not just because one of its members also works at the centre.
While they might not to agree on whether they’re a math rock or post-rock band, one thing they do recognise is that they won’t find anywhere cheaper to play.
“It’s good here, and it’s really cheap for what you get,” said Miles Gilbert, who plays guitar in the band.
Every band faces the question of where to practice, and for those in Cathays and the rest of Cardiff, the community centre’s rehearsal rooms play an important part in supporting its music scene.
For Gareth of Los Campesinos!,without the opportunities the centre provided, the band may “never have been more than seven students hanging out and writing songs”.
- More information on the rehearsal rooms and how to book them can be accessed here.
