Venues 4 - Sophia Gardens

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One of the larger venues in Cardiff was the Sophia Gardens Pavilion, with a seated capacity of 2,500.

Built in 1951 for the Festival of Britain, due to government restrictions on building materials during the post-war period, the framework of the building was adapted from a surplus aircraft hangar from RAF Stormy Down near Bridgend.

The building was host to many concerts, but during January 1982 the roof collapsed due to an estimated 4 ft (1.2 m) of snow,and the building was subsequently demolished. Just one month before the collapse, Cardiff Council had approved an extensive improvement programme, which would have cost approximately £100,000.

The pavilion was used for the boxing and wrestling competitions of the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.

Many notable performers played at the pavilion, including Danny Kaye, Cliff Richard, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Slade.

Venues 3 - Top Rank Cardiff Suite

Our Regular feature on music Venues continues with The Top Rank Cardiff Suite

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A regular venue for up and coming signed bands in the 60s and 70s would have been the Top Rank Suite in Queen Street.

Created under what was the old Gaumont Theatre, Top Rank's opening on November 22, 1963, was overshadowed by the assassination of US president John F Kennedy, but over the next four decades it thrived. With a capacity of 1,500, it was to feature some rock’s greatest bands with The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, The Clash, The Jam, The Police, to name just a handful.

The Top Rank was also one the Capital’s premier ballrooms and held regular evenings as a discotheque whilst also featuring its own in-house band.

It closed as the The Top Rank in 1982 but continued as a night club and live venue under various names like Ritzy Astoria and Panama Joes.

Planning permission for its demolition was granted in late 2004 and by 2005 the old Top Rank was gone for good.

Venues - The Gaumont

The Gaumont

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Next up in the series of famous Cardiff venues is The Gaumont. In the Fifties and Sixties it was the visiting place of the early rockers.

Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran visited whilst UK’s very first rock’n’roller Tommy Steele also made an appearance, whilst jazz legend Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald also performed together on the same bill.
Situated in Queen Street it was first a music hall, known as Levino’s Hall, which opened in 1887.

In 1889, it reopened as the Empire Theatre and later, in 1990, The Empire Palace Theatre.

Rebuilding work in 1915 increased the seating capacity from 1725 to 2820, operating as a major theatre on the Moss Empire Theatre circuit.

Having been taken over by the Gaumont British Theatres Corporation, it was converted to a cinema, though still able to provided live entertainment.

It became the Gaumont in 1954 when programmed by the Rank organisation and played back up to the larger Capitol Theatre.

With attendances dwindling, Rank decided to close the Gaumont on 30th December 1961. Live shows which had been ideally suited to the Gaumont’s large stage and backstage facilities were relocated to the Capitol Cinema where there were some stage facilities but larger seating capacity.

After demolition in 1962, a new building for the now-defunct C&A clothing business was built with a large ballroom in the basement initially bearing the "Top Rank" name. This has now been demolished and replaced by a new building for the clothing chain Primark, which by 2014 had become a Matalan store.

New Feature - Venues - Cardiff

The Capitol

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Over the months our On This Day feature listed many venues that had featured some of the greatest bands and performers in popular music history.

Nearly all the venues from the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies have gone, though the memories very much remain.

Top of the Pops for any music loving fans in the Capital and surrounding area was…The Capitol Theatre, a feature on most bands tour itinerary, it’s hallowed boards were trod on by the biggest and the best including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Elton John.

Opened in December 1921, it was a purpose built entertainment centre not only with the auditorium, but also a ballroom, three restaurants and a bar.

The theatre had a seating capacity of 3,158 in the stalls, circle and balcony, which at the time, was the largest purpose-built cinema in Europe.

It was originally owned by Tilney Kinema Company,but in 1931 it was leased to Paramount Cinemas.
In 1941 the Rank Organisation took over the lease, and in 1964 they purchased the theatre from the Tilney Kinema Company.

The Beatles' last live UK tour concluded with two performances at the theatre on 12 December 1965.
The Rank Organisation closed the theatre in 1978 and it was demolished in 1983.The Capitol Centre now occupies the site.