Buzz Magazine - Dec 2014/Jan 2015 - Film & Festive Issue

JAN 2015

T’S ON GUIDE. DEC/ SOUTH WALES WHA

POETIC, SURREAL & EROTIC: Rhys Ifans is Captain Cat in S4C's Welsh adaptation of Under Milk Wood WELSH FILM

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE WELSH FILM INDUSTRY

GARETH THOMAS

TALKS HOW BIGGINS GOT HIM INTO PANTO

TIS THE SEASON:

CHRISTMAS EVENTS ROUND UP PLUS CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE | PUPPINI SISTERS | CELYN JONES | ONES TO WATCH

dec/jan2015

buzz... publisher EMMA CLARK editor HEATHER ARNOLD listings/music editor NOEL GARDNER advertising EMMA JARRETT film technician (buzz tv) JAYDON MARTIN administration TERESA CLARK designer www.scissorspaperstonedesign.co.uk contributors RYAN HEEGER (CLUBS), KEIRON SELF (FILM), JENNIFER ALLAN, JEFF BAXTER, LLOYD BEST, MATTHEW BRIGDEN, LAURA-MAE CUNNINGHAM, ROY CLARK, DEE CUSACK, HARRI DAVIES, ELLEN DAVIES, BEN GALLIVAN, DAVID GRIFFITHS, GARETH GRIFFITHS, GARETH MOULE, ELOUISE HOBBS, RHIANON HOLLEY, MAB JONES, ANTONIA LEVAY, KATHRYN LEWIS, LYNDA NASH, DAVID NOBAKHT, ABBY OFFORD, DAMI OKHIRIA, CHARLIE PIERCEY, RHONDA LEE REALI, LAURA RILEY, IAN ROGERS, CHRIS SEAL, GETHIN THOMAS, MARK TIMLIN phone number 029 2022 6767 general enquiries info@buzzmag.co.uk editorial editorial@buzzmag.co.uk listings listings@buzzmag.co.uk advertising marketing@buzzmag.co.uk accounts accounts@buzzmag.co.uk BUZZ MAGAZINE 220C Cowbridge Road East, Canton, Cardiff CF5 1GY published EAC PUBLISHING contents SET FIRE TO THE STARS cover DAN Y WENALLT by RICHARD BREWIS

04roundup “We’re swingers!”

10upfront

In the final month of Dylan Thomas’ gruelling centenary year, those involved have found a final burst of energy, with S4C’s Under Milk Wood and Celyn Jones’ Set Fire To The Stars profiled ahead of their release. Plus a bumper film special, ones to watch for 2015 and a chat with one-time rugby icon, now-time panto line-forgetter Gareth Thomas

34film

Featuring the 8,000th of Peter Jackson’s Tolkein adaptions; the second film directed by Angelina Jolie, who is now a director rather than an actress apparently; and two films (one in the bar across the bottom of the page) which Keiron Self describes as “a curate’s egg”, albeit not in the spirit of the Punch cartoon which coined the phrase

48reviews

This month’s albums rundown features reissues of The Czars, Gravenhurst and Micah P. Hinson. ‘Tis not so much the season to be jolly as to pretend it’s 2004 and you’re mainlining wall-to-wall sad-indiefolk to try and impress a girl who has an interesting Myspace layout

54sport

Featuring the pastime of walking and the hearty and charitable pursuit of the Tenby Boxing Day Swim. Participants can dress up as either pirates or princesses, but either way expect to have nipples as stiff as dead men’s thumbs

56gift guide

Because it’s Christmas, and we don’t trust you to use your own skill and judgement to pick presents out yourself. We also don’t trust you to smash the gender binary, so we’ve split it into ‘his’ and ‘hers’ pages

36food&drink

58listings

40previews

86competitions

All the news fit to print about the restaurants fit to open, plus obligatory Christmassy stuff and a report back from a day combining yoga and breadmaking.

Lower that raised eyebrow – Buzz’s Jayden reckons it’s one of the least pretentious retreats he’s ever been on

Featuring myriad nights, gigs, shows and productions which have little if anything to do with the Christian faith – plus Jesus Christ Superstar, which gives the story of Jesus a contemporary sheen, “so that it may never be forgotten”. Praise be to Lord Lloyd-Webber!

Big fanfare for barroom pianist Aubrey Parsons, whose lunchtime slot down in Laugharne is the only event we have listed for Christmas Day. You’ve gotta treat the present-day gig circuit like a Dickensian workhouse if you want to make it, see

Q. What did a keg traditionally transport? A: The sexual magnetism of American college students

www.buzzmag.co.uk • www.twitter.com/buzz_magazine • www.facebook.com/buzzsouthwales

roundup

BRIEFLY

WHAT’S ON OUR RADAR THIS MONTH.

THIS TIME OF YEAR, THOSE OF US with a small Christmas decorations budget will start turning our homes into winter wonderlands with paper snowflakes – but you can one up the beautiful patterns and sparkly qualities of a snowflake with notso-easily-meltable glass. Swansea’s National Waterfront Museum will be jam packed with hand crafted glass works from Fri 12 to Sun 14 Dec with its Festive Craft Fair.

Admission: free.

Info: www.museumwales.ac.uk

EVENT

RIVER OF LIGHT PARADE This family favourite returns to Caerphilly town centre with hopes of being the biggest parade to date. The public are invited to watch hundreds of handmade lanterns illuminate the dark night and listen to samba drummers whilst gazing at awe at dancers, performers and giant moving sculptures. The River Of Light Lantern Parade begins at Caerphilly Train Station and moves through town, culminating in the finale – a fireworks display at the atmospheric Caerphilly Castle. Best of all, the event is free.

You can do more than just watch the parade as, from Sat 6 to Sun 14 Dec, the council are running lantern-making workshops where you can create your own illuminating creation.

River Of Light Lantern Parade, Caerphilly, Thurs 18 Dec. Info: 029 2088 0011 / www. caerphilly.gov.uk

COMEDY

A COMEDY STAND-OFF Joke Thieves, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival hit of 2013 that marked the start of a new cult of comedy, is coming to Port Talbot this January. This unique show is the only occasion where comedians can steal one another’s jokes in a playful attempt to mimic each other.

Top class comedians will be paired together and will firstly perform their own routines, followed by each other's. Not knowing who they will be paired with or having heard anyone’s material beforehand, who knows what will happen on the night.

The comics will be under pressure to improvise and the fun lies in how well they can mimic each other’s jokes, or even take them in an entirely new direction. Joke Thieves is the stand-up show with something different, where the chaos and hilarity is left to unfold on stage for everyone to enjoy.

Joke Thieves, Princess Royal Theatre, Port Talbot, Thurs 15 Jan. Tickets: £10. Info: 01639 763214 / www.nptartsandents.co.uk BUZZ 04

• IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR Christmas cards that send goodwill not only in the message but in the way they are made and where the profits go, then head down to St John’s City Parish Church in Cardiff, where they are selling cards for good causes every day. These beautifully designed cards are handmade and ethically sourced and will fill you and your friends with Christmas cheer while helping out great charities at the same time. Admission: free.

Info: www.stjohnscityparishcardiff

• BOOK PUBLISHERS SEREN will once again be popping up their pop-up bookshop. Finding a temporary home in Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, from Sat 6 Dec, the shop will be selling all sorts of books – of note among their wares will be titles from renowned local authors and the Costa Poetry Prizeshortlisted My Family And Other Superheroes by Jonathan Edwards.

Info: www.serenbooks.com

THE TRIAL OF THE AIR TRAIL Cardiff International White Water (CIWW) has just launched their allnew Air Trail. The new steel and timber construction, situated above the white water course, promises both a challenge and a great day out. Air Trail is not considered to be exclusively aimed at families, in fact quite the opposite. It’s designed for everyone – stag and hen party groups, birthday celebrators and even corporate events – so it’s something to consider if you fancy doing something different for your anniversary this year (nothing proves the strength of your relationship more than making your through a rickety feeling course above rushing rapids). CIWW is not only trying to tempt you with the wackly named obstacles (the Monkey Swing, Barrel Crawl and Burma Bridge are all part of the course) but also with an alluring special grand opening price of £10, in effect until Tue 31 Mar. Cardiff International White Water, Cardiff. Tickets: £10. Info: 029 2082 9970 / www.ciww.com

EVENT

EVENT

CARDIFF INDOOR FLEA MARKET There is something unexplainably satisfying about scouring through a load of interesting old stuff, and hunting for a little piece of treasure to make your own. No surprise then, that the recent opening of the Cardiff Indoor Flea Market has caught the Christmas-gift-buying imaginations of many. The previously disused warehouse space has been transformed into an accessible and versatile space with a great atmosphere, and loads of attractions. The flea market and stalls offer everything from furniture, antiques, and toys to trinkets, collectables, and clothing - so you are sure to find something that tickles your pickle. You can relax with refreshments at the on-site Nostalgia Cafe, or opt to get hands on with WhichKraft’s extensive array of crafty workshops. Make sure you’re ready to barter if you’re looking to take something home.

Cardiff Indoor Flea Market, Cardiff, open every Wed, Sat + Sun, 9am-5pm. Info: 029 2132 1083 / www. cardiffindoorfleamarket.com

BRINGING OUT THE BEATBOX The Full Moon Club is set to hold Wales’ first ever Beatbox Championships in January. The event is part of the Free For All Festival which will be taking place over the whole month in both The Moon Club and The Full Moon on Womanby Street. The day will consist of several rhythmic heats and will lead to a grand music finale where the two top beatboxers will battle it out for the winning spot. Highlights of the day include special guest appearances from the 2014 Irish Champion Scorch, Beatbox 'Mr Fresh' Fozzy and Sid FX. From 7pm there will also be an open mic session, so if anyone has been inspired by the day’s events they will have the opportunity to try it out for themselves.

Afterwards the best underground artists will take to the stage and will continue on into the early hours.

The First Welsh Beatbox Championships 2015, The Full Moon, Cardiff, Sat 17 Jan. Admission: free. Info: www.facebook.com/ welshbeatboxchamps

MUSIC BUZZ 05

roundup

WHAT’S ON OUR RADAR THIS MONTH.

Q&A

THE PUPPINI SISTERS As they bring their joy filled three-part harmonies to Cardiff, Heather Arnold talks to the vintage swing stars Marcella Puppini and Kate Mullins.

What people can expect from the show?

MP: We have a plethora of Christmas delights for you, we’ve got lots of Christmas standards that we’ve been doing that we did from our Christmas album. Our aim is to have everybody, every person leave with a big smile on their faces, and feeling happy and full of joy. So we won’t feel happy until everybody is smiling, and singing and dancing.

Why did you decide to do a Christmas album in the first place?

KM: I think considering the period of music that we specialise in, the Christmas songs of that era are just the best. We also add a kind of retro touch to more modern song as well. We’ve done Mariah Carey, George Michael, Elton John! I think that even if people don’t really listen to this type of music, at Christmas time everybody rocks out to those sort of records and we’ll hopefully end up with everybody having a smile on their faces and warmth in their hearts.

What do you think that people enjoy about your music?

MP: It’s the fact that swing is so infectious and it really makes people smile, and we swing quite a lot. We’re swingers! We don’t take ourselves too seriously, we take it very seriously, but not ourselves. It’s about everybody having a good time together, and I feel that that’s what people appreciate, and they get to kind of dressed up. There’s a sense of occasion that is always encouraged, which I think is kind of largely lost on audiences these days. You can go to the proms and people don’t even bother dressing up, they’re in jeans and trainers. So I do really like trying to give people an excuse to add a sense of occasion to their evening out.

You’ve collaborated with big names like Michael Buble, what is your dream collaboration?

MP: I would like to work with Pharrell Williams, I’m in love with him.

KM: I think a little bit of Bette Midler would be good.

MP: And then of course there’s Nick Cave... there’s Marilyn Manson to! I think it could work really well!

Christmas With The Puppini Sisters, Glee Club, Cardiff Bay, Tues 16 Dec. Tickets: £25. Info: 0871 472 0400 / www.glee.co.uk BUZZ 06

BOOK NOW FAULTY TOWERS: THE DINING EXPERIENCE Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay Mon 2-Wed 11 Feb Tickets: £45-£55 Info: 029 2063 6464 www.wmc.org.uk

“We swing quite a lot. We’re swingers!”

RUSSELL KANE Glee Club, Cardiff Bay Sun 8 Feb Tickets: £13.50 / £10 conc Info: 0871 472 0400 www.glee.co.uk JOSIE LONG Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff Tues10 Feb Tickets: £12 Info: 029 2023 2199 www.littlewander.co.uk ENTER SHIKARI Cardiff University Students Union Tues17 Feb Tickets: £19.50 Info: 029 2078 1400 www.cardiffstudents.com WELSH OPEN SNOOKER Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff Mon 16-Sun 22 Feb Tickets: £17.50 / £11.66 conc Info: 029 2022 4488 www.livenation.co.uk TWELVE ANGRY MEN New Theatre, Cardiff Tue 17-Sat 21 Feb Tickets: £9.50-£30.50 / £6-£27 conc Info: 029 2087 8889 www.newtheatrecardiff HENNING WEHN The Riverfront, Newport Sat 21 Feb Tickets: £15 Info: 01633 656679 www.newport.gov.uk/Riverfront THE WOMAN IN BLACK Swansea Grand Theatre Mon 23-Sat 28 Feb Tickets: £13-£23 Info: 01792 475715 www.swansea.gov.uk

roundup

WHAT’S ON OUR RADAR THIS MONTH.

pic: © NATIONAL MUSEUM WALES

ART

HISTORIC

PHOTOGRAPHY

UNCOVERED

pic: GORDON PLANT

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SOUTH WALES SECRETS #50: Pontcanna

We’ve asked founder of the Iris Prize, the world’s largest LGBT short film prize and Cardiff’s very own film festival, Berwyn Rowlands to share his South Wales Secret.

Cardiff’s annual Iris Prize film festival has been going from strength since its start in 2007. Each year the festival is better attended, and the prize itself gets more and more entries from film-makers across the globe. The prizes creation, however, only came about after its founder was made redundant.

“Being made redundant as I reached my 40th birthday focuses the mind,” explains Berwyn, “What do I do next? Would I give myself a job? How can I make a difference before I’m too old? I was lucky! I brought together my love of film, my experience for organising events and my lifelong determination to support LGBT people here in Wales and beyond.

You could say that Iris found me!”

The Iris Prize prides itself in not only showcasing talent from around the world, but giving support and advice to aspiring film makers. The networking events, such as the Producer’s Forum, and Q+A sessions are an important part of the festival’s programme but if Berwyn were to give one piece

of advice, what would it be?

“Have something to say! I get to meet so many aspiring film makers who appear to be more excited about being involved in the industry. I’m not talking about changing the world, but at least have a story which is original or have an original take on an old story!”

Hoping to find something original ourselves, we ask Berwyn for his South Wales Secret: “My South Wales secret is Pontcanna. I know it doesn’t exist, this is why it’s a South Wales secret! Clever, see? The main attractions are the restaurants. We spend way too much time in the Cinnamon Tree, Zios (technically in Canton) and Bully’s. Reviewing my Facebook profile recently, my mother sent us directions to our kitchen because there were so many pictures of us eating out!”

Photography has a special place in history. Not only has it documented news, society and people for nearly 200 years but the technology itself speaks volumes of science and art. Utilising images from its own collection the National Museum‘s exhibition Historic Photography Uncovered hopes to celebrate this.

In the mid-19th century the Dillwyn Llewelyn family, from Swansea, combined informal family portraits with landscapes, still life and architectural studies, to create a breathtaking array of photographs – all of which will be on show. An interest in photography isn’t essential but, of course, it helps.

Historic Photography Uncovered not only explores the dynamics of the photographic process and its chemistry but will also showcase the social change of south Wales. In context with the Museum’s own collections this series adds a greater understanding to how photography has impacted the visual history of Wales.

National Museum, Cardiff, Sat 24 Jan-Sun 19 Apr. Admission: free. Info: 029 2039 7951 / www. museumwales.ac.uk

Info: www.irisprize.org

MARI LLWYD For anyone wanting to avoid welcoming the New Year in with a state of champagne induced fuzziness once again, there’s the Mari Llwyd New Year walk in. The traditional Welsh celebration sees the people of Powys leading a procession of burning torches, along with the ‘Mari’ (a decorated horse skull), around the town before celebrations in the town square when the clock strikes twelve.

Mari Llwyd New Year Walk In, Wed 31 Dec, Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys. Tickets: £3. Info: www.green-events.co.uk BUZZ 08

Buzz is the leading free monthly entertainment and culture guide for Wales for the last 23 years. Now we’re moving online with the brand new Buzz TV. Our online videos include new features, interviews and previews.

A Wonderful Christmas Time - An Improvised Film

Buzz at Scrum V Live

Buzz Acoustics with Maddie Jones

Interview with Kate Humble

Matthew Bourne’s Lord of the Flies Documentary

On the set of Craig Roberts’ new film

The Perfect Curry with Anand George

30 Second Film Reviews with Keiron Self

BMX tricks with Matti Hemmings

For enquiries please contact Heather Arnold: editorial@buzzmag.co.uk / 029 2022 6767 For advertising please contact Emma Clark: emma@buzzmag.co.uk / 029 2022 6767

www.youtube.co.uk/buzzmagtv

upfront upfront DAN Y WENALLT / UNDER MILK WOOD Heather Arnold looks at the big screen adaption of Dylan Thomas' groundbreaking ‘play for voices’, with Rhys Ifans and Charlotte Church taking on the poet's most famous characters. images: RICHARD BREWIS

A

s the year that was 2014 draws to a close, so does the centenary of the birth of Swansea-born poet Dylan Thomas. Some will be breathing a sigh of relief, having seen hundreds of shows/parties/art exhibitions jump on the Thomas-themed wagon and now feeling they’ve heard enough renditions of Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night to last a lifetime. Others, however, will be saddened that the year is over.

Thomas is, after all, Wales’ most famous poet and he created some true classics. This year has included a theatrical recreation of Thomas’ favourite New York drinking hole, the White Horse Tavern, a 36-hour poetry reading and a themed photo marathon. It is a year that has roped in the likes of Michael Sheen, Jo

BUZZ 10

Brand and Sir Ian McKellen.

The big names don’t stop there, however, as actor Rhys Ifans and singer Charlotte Church will be staring in Dan Y Wenallt – a film based on Thomas’ most famous work, Under Milk Wood.

Set in the sleepy fictional village of Llareggub, Under Milk Wood looks at the lives of the fascinating oddball characters who live there: the widower who still nags both her late husbands, the bigamist baker and the schoolmaster who contemplates poisoning his wife.

Ifans will be taking on the role of the iconic Captain Cat – a blind, elderly sea captain who dreams of old, dead friends and his long-lost lover – while Church plays young mother Polly Garter, who sings of heartache and dreams of her babies.

The surreal and erotic tale of Under Milk Wood takes place over 24 hours, beginning at the beginning, in the dead of night. We have a peak into the dreams of the residents of Llareggub, residents who dream of love, loss and life. As morning breaks we get to see

a day in the life of each of the weird and wonderful characters, from the Reverend’s morning sermon to the last few drunks stumbling home from the pub at the end of the night.

Dan Y Wenallt will be reuniting Ifans with director Kevin Allen, who he worked with on the set of Swansea-based cult comedy Twin Town 15 years previous.

Although the Welsh language version of the film will premiere in cinemas across Wales, and will be broadcast on S4C (with English subtitles available) this month, the film will be pulling a Y Gwyll / Hinterland. An English version was shot at the same time, and will grace UK cinemas in the spring.

Dan Y Wenallt premieres in cinemas across Wales on Thurs 11 Dec and is broadcast on S4C on Sat 27 Dec at 9pm (English subtitles available). English language version Under Milk Wood will be released in UK cinemas in spring 2015.

Info: www.s4c.co.uk

Y Gwyll/Hinterland returns on New Year’s Day

“To begin at the beginning” – opening line of Under Milk Wood,

by Dylan Thomas

The Welsh detective series Y Gwyll Hinterland returns to the screen with a brand-new one-off special episode on S4C on New Year’s Day. The first series of Y Gwyll/Hinterland, which followed DCI Tom Mathias (Richard Harrington) and his team as they investigate dark crimes in the haunting seaside town of Aberystwyth, proved extremely popular with viewers on S4C, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Four.

Following the success of the first series, the detective drama will return to S4C in a two-hour special at 9pm on New Year’s Day. Series One’s finale saw DCI Tom Mathias – a brilliant yet troubled former London Met detective – pushed to the edge.

Struggling to differentiate between his professional duties and personal feelings, Mathias found himself caught up in a murder investigation. With his lover dead and blood on his hands, the series came to a dramatic climax with Mathias’ future hanging in the balance.

Producers have confirmed that Richard Harrington will return as Mathias in the new episode, but where has he been and have things changed since he’s been away?

Expect tension in the ranks and a new mystery which will chill you to the bone.

The special New Year’s Day episode will be shown first on S4C, with English subtitles available for non-Welsh speakers.

The first series premiered on S4C last year and has subsequently been shown by broadcasters throughout Europe.

Created by Ed Talfan and Ed Thomas, and produced by Cardiff-based Fiction Factory, Y Gwyll/Hinterland was recently snapped up by video-on-demand giants Netflix, and will be available through their services in the USA, Canada and Scandinavia.

Y Gwyll/Hinterland is produced by Fiction Factory for broadcasters S4C and BBC Cymru Wales. The series is produced in association with Tinopolis and All3Media International.

Y Gwyll / Hinterland, S4C (English subtitles available), Thurs 1 Jan, 9pm.

Info: www.s4c.co.uk

upfront

Elouise Hobbs talks to Celyn Jones as he grabs a bowtie and – alongside Elijah Wood – takes on the enigma that is Dylan Thomas in the stunning Set Fire To The Stars.

C

elyn Jones has had a successful career staring in many projects, including BBC history drama Da Vinci’s Demons and the copper-filled Above Suspicion. His new film, however, sees him capture the life of one of Wales' most famous poets. This year marks the Dylan Thomas Centenary which has seen people rediscover the renowned writer’s great work and, though Thomas’ drunken and outrageous reputation is well known, many know little of the emotional details of his personal life. The new film Set Fire to the Stars recounts Dylan’s time in New York and his relationship with the not-so-outrageous academic and Thomas fan, John M Brinnin – played by Elijah Wood.

“My first memory of his work would be extracts from Under Milk Wood – which has been quite an

BUZZ 12

inspiration in the film," Jones recounts. "There are characters in our film that have a little nod to the characters in Milk Wood. Richard Bren’s character is almost like an Organ Morgan or a Mr Pugh; the waitress feels like a Polly Garter. There is a lot of inspiration from Dylan’s work.

“My interest in his work fomented when I was 18 at the Welsh Drama School, with this book that my mother brought me. It was a Dylan Thomas omnibus, with his short stories, poems, and scripts and the famous picture with his feet up against the wall in the tub. That was my entrance to not only the words but the guy. There was something quite iconic about the way he was in that image. He looked like somebody I would like to know, and he had an air about him that was like a movie star or a rock star.

“I wanted to play him for so long, but it is daunting.

He's a complex character that demands quite a broad range which will push me to the edge of my ability, like playing one of the big Shakespeare roles. Then there’s the idea of playing a character that you’ve always admired, and the pressure of what it means to everybody else. The only way you can give yourself a fighting chance is if you put it all to the side and do the work.”

Not only did Jones take on the unimaginable role of Thomas, he also co-wrote the film with Andy Goddard.

“I found writing it a big task, but I’ve been thinking

about it for 20 years and a lot of ideas had built up inside me, so it was quite freeing getting them out.

The biggest struggle I suppose was treating it, fixing it focusing it to our story into five days. We wanted to make this chamber piece. The idea of ‘what would it be like to be locked in a wood cabin with Dylan Thomas?’ set fire to our imagination. How would you entertain him? How would fulfil his expectations?

How would you squash your own expectations or wrestle with them?”

Embarking on this project, Celyn always had Hollywood star Elijah Wood in mind for the admiring academic, John M Brinnin.

“We wrote it for Elijah but we didn’t know him. He is a champion of independent cinema and his choices are really great. We knew he could convey the qualities of John because you don’t know a lot about him. He is the guiding character and, in some ways, so controlling and Elijah is a great actor.

“The film is John’s journey. It’s about this buttonedup academic, a character who thinks that he knows something at the beginning of the film and really knows something at the end. The film ends with him in New York and you see a very different man at the end of the process.

“They say ‘never meet your heroes’. John realised that Dylan couldn’t be the poet he wanted him to be, because he wanted to protect himself and be

DEBORAH PERKIN

CELYN JONES

private. Dylan doesn’t change throughout the film.

He is a myriad of emotions, he leaks life, creativity and heartbreak and then goes on, carries on burning bright until he passes away a few years later.

“The film is shot entirely in black and white – this choice was authentic to the memory of Dylan. We think Dylan exists in black and white; the only colour shots we have of him have been colourised. There is no moving image of Dylan, there is no recording of his voice that is not him performing, so there is very little of his dialogue – of him chatting. I also love the idea that we made a black and white American indie film in Swansea!

“You think black and white film about a poet and it sort of feels like it is boxed in, a sort of biographical period piece. We actually wanted to make this film accessible to people who knew nothing about Dylan.

We wanted to make a piece of cinema so successful that people would watch it on the big screen. They laugh, they gasp, they feel for John and they are on that whirlwind of Dylan Thomas and then come out and say ‘I would have never have gone out and seen that movie but I’m so glad that I did’.”

The title of the film is a quote from the poem Love In The Asylum and was chosen by Jones for its personal significance.

“I love that poem and I love a good title. I feel that if the film had a tagline, it would be ‘love makes you

“What would it be like to be locked in a wood cabin with Dylan Thomas?” mad’ and it sort of resonated with us. Dylan is going to America the first time and he is spinning like a top.

When America hits him, it's oxygen to him, but at the same time he has a wife he loved and a family back home.

"His wife Caitlin is such a big part of his makeup.

She is represented in letters in our film, which he refuses to open. He knows that written in the letter is the reality of life, the reality that actually he has to provide for his wife and children and that he is away from home.

"These pressures you feel as a parent, I can relate to.

I have to provide for my wife and children and keep a roof over heads by being an artist so I can relate to that aspect and that pressure. That poem just felt so fitting that we couldn’t not choose it.”

Info: www.madasbirdsfilms.com / www.facebook.com/setfiretothestars

Director Deborah Perkin made the brave decision to leave her job at the BBC and head to Morocco to make Bastards – an eye-opening documentary about the difficulties faced by supposedly ‘illegitimate’ children and their families.

When was the issue of illegitimate children brought to your attention?

I went on holiday to Morocco and found out they’d reformed their Family Law to give women more rights. I checked with a legal expert, who said Morocco is actually a leading Muslim country in terms of woman’s rights. I thought, ‘blimey, that’s really a story we don’t know in Britain,’ and set out to find this story which would show the law in action. It didn’t really take too long to find the charity in Casa Blanca and they agreed to let me start filming stories.

They were a charity for single mothers.

You’ve got to have either been married or be able to prove you’re engaged, even if it’s just a few photographs and a tape or something, to legitimise your children. Then I meet Rabha El Haimer, who is such a fantastic and inspiring character.

What were you most surprised by when making the documentary?

It surprised me when I ran my Kickstarter campaign that I got so much support – many, many backers from across 16 countries. I had complete strangers around the world befriend me on Twitter and one of them sent me £150. When I wrote to him and said, ‘gosh, why did you do this?’ he replied, ‘well, I’m one of those bastards.’

It turned out he was an illegitimate child from Morocco who’d managed to get an education, with bribery and compassionate grandparents, and he is now a successful internet entrepreneur living in Canada.

What happened when the film was aired in Morocco?

It was shown there in May and it got a third of the viewing audience that night, 2.76 million viewers. So there’s obviously a huge appetite for this. Sex outside of marriage is illegal, and very taboo, but in Morocco there is definitely tolerance towards these women and I think things are changing pretty fast.

Why did you call it Bastards?

It was a bit of a lightbulb moment, actually. I had so many titles of things like Casablanca Girls, which sounds like prostitutes, or The House Of Single Mothers. My daughter was saying, 'oh mother, they’re all bastards, aren’t they?' and I said ‘oh yeah, bastards!’

upfront A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TIME Indie film director Jamie Adams gets into the Christmas spirit with his new, improvised rom-com A Wonderful Christmas Time. Heather Arnold finds out just how wonderful it really is.

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t’s the most wonderful time of the year... apparently. December is supposed to be a month filled with wonder, family and the elusive feeling known as ‘Christmas spirit’ but – more often than not – it becomes a nightmare of travel logistics, burnt turkey and badly bought gifts. It can also be a stark reminder of all the things you failed to achieve in the year, as that long list of New Year resolutions remains unticked. In the worst case scenario, you find yourself worse off this year than the last.

Noel has found himself in this situation. It’s only two weeks before Christmas and he’s left home alone in Porthcawl, having just been dumped by his girlfriend – who traded him in for a taller, more rugged model.

In an attempt to bring meaning back into his life Noel, following the advice of a self-taught therapist, tries screaming and retreats into his Christmas past by reminiscing with an old school friend. On his journey of self-discovery he meets Cherie, a disillusioned actress who is also looking to change her life.

The pair seem like a perfect match but holidays never goes that easily, and a combination of festive drinking, miscommunication and personal hang-ups threaten to ruin Christmas.

This is the plot of director Jamie Adams' new Christmas offering. The appropriately named

A Wonderful Christmas Time follows up his indie rom-com Benny & Jolene, which came out last summer, and works around the same concept of being an improvised movie, filmed in just five days.

The film has a strong cast lined up, with Pramface’s Dylan Edwards and Laura Haddock, from Da Vinci’s Demons and Guardians Of The Galaxy, taking the lead roles.

“There was no audition, no script, just a little bit about the film and then we shot it in five days,” explains Laura. “It was really intense.”

Her co-star, Dylan, agrees. “There wasn’t even any rehearsal, so the first time I even met Laura I was stood on the cliff, screaming. Our first meeting was on camera!”

Improvisation in sitcoms and comedy films are becoming bigger and bigger, with shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Office championing the art, but improvising a whole film in less than a week is a whole different kettle of fish.

“It's very hard to have any perspective,” says Dylan; “a lot of the time you are just in it, and it’s hard to know at what point of the journey you are at. especially when there’s no script.”

Though improvised scenes can be tricky to navigate, they can bring out the best moments as the actors

react like their characters in the moment.

“There were times when I had loads of fun when we were allowed to sit in a scene together,” says Laura.

“We could really develop it and find where we were going, and 'cut' wasn’t called too quickly. You’ve got to have the time to settle into it when you’re improvising.”

In one scene, Adams didn’t call 'cut' for 50 minutes; instead of ending the scene where most directors would, he followed the characters around a house with the camera and captured plenty of ‘spur of the moment’ lines and developments in doing so.

Decisions like these have added up to create a very different, more natural, feel than other heavily scripted seasonal films.

If you’ve started lining up your Christmas watchlist this year, but don’t really fancy seeing The Santa Clause, Love Actually and Elf again, then A Wonderful Christmas Time could be a welcome change of pace. It’s also a good excuse to get your Christmas movie goodness without lining the pockets of an overpaid Hollywood exec.

A Wonderful Christmas Time is available on digital download now and in cinemas from Fri 12 Dec. Info: www.jolenefilms.com

CHRIS CROW The director behind Panic Button and Devil’s Bridge is currently creating The Lighthouse – another claustrophobic horror film, this time based on a harrowing true story of two stranded lighthouse keepers.

What can people expect from The Lighthouse?

A stylish, emotional and highly atmospheric thriller that will convey a very human breakdown. I wanted to make a very character-driven film. The Lighthouse is very much a psychological thriller that deals with madness, death and isolation.

Why did you decide to make a film out of the Smalls Island incident of 1801?

Mike Jibson and I then talked about BUZZ 14

it for years, we discussed different approaches. At one point I transferred the story to a space station with two astronauts stranded and one dying, then I heard about this upcoming film called Gravity and shelved that direction! Personally I don't think you can go wrong with a period film set on a rock outcrop 25 miles from land that deals with death and madness!

Was there any particular film that made you want to become a filmmaker?

Yes, The Empire Strikes Back. I saw it when I was tiny and it literally changed my life. It was the darkest film that I'd seen at such a young age and the ending was such a downer. It wasn't the tone so much as how affected I was by the experience, it seriously turned my head inside out. I think that was the first time I realised how powerful film could be, and of course it introduced Bobba Fett, who became almost mythical in my young mind.

What is your favourite film?

Ahhh... that's tough. Probably Blade Runner... probably.

Do you have any advice for budding film makers?

I think you just have to go for it and make it happen, don't let anybody tell you that you can't do something. It's a very hard Industry, but if you have talent and you push yourself then you'll make things happen. Do it for yourself, make your own opportunities, never wait for somebody to do it for you.

KERI COLLINS Winner of this year’s BAFTA Cymru Breakthrough Award, Pontypool-born director Keri Collins has caught the attention of the film industry with his hilarious petrol station heist comedy Convenience – but he has much more planned.

Do you remember the moment that you knew you wanted to work in film?

A few years ago, actually, I found a school report in my parents' attic. I think it was from when I was 11. It said in there that I expressed an interest in making films and television, and they encouraged me to do something more realistic, but I don’t remember at 11 years old wanting to do it so I don’t know what it was that eventually made me want to! It was really nice when I found that, because it felt like it really has been a lifelong dream.

Tell me about your next project.

My next film is called My Romantic History – it’s like a subversive, very contemporary romantic comedy. We’ve been pitching it as Annie Hall versus 500 Days Of Summer.

It’s based on a play by a brilliant Scottish writer called DC Jackson, who now writes for Fresh Meat and a few other things and he’s just brilliant, absolutely hilarious. He’s got that very cynical sensibility, but there’s a real sweetness to it as well. It’s really exciting at this stage, as we’ve just started working with the casting director, Sarah Crowe – she cast In The Loop, the Alan Partridge movie and The IT Crowd. She’s the best casting director of UK comedy, so we’re really lucky to be working with her.

She said she doesn’t normally do film at this budget level; she just really loved the script. It’s really nice to get her feedback on the script already as well.

What’s your favourite film?

It depends what mood you’re in, but there’s definitely a few films that always rise to the top of my list. The few that I always think about in my top films are Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Lost In Translation, Punch-Drunk Love, Amélie and I do really love Annie Hall as well, and When Harry Met Sally. So they are all kind of romantic films in some way, which is definitely something. Even though Convenience is not a romantic film, it’s still kind of about love. It’s about the love between these two friends and how they end up in a situation clearly because the one loves the other, so has to try and help him come out of the situation.

BUZZ 16

upfront

WONDERFUL WORLD OF WALES’ INDIE CINEMAS Going to see a film doesn’t always have to mean shuffling into a brightly lit, homogenous cinema.

Elouise Hobbs has a look at Wales’ independent cinemas – full of charm and interesting films to catch.

ABERYSWYTH ARTS CENTRE Penglais Campus, Aberystwyth. 01970 623232 / www.aberystwythartscentre.co.uk On the campus of Aberystwyth University, Wales’s largest art centre overlooks Aberystwyth town and Cardigan Bay. As well as hosting theatre shows and art exhibitions, the centre screens blockbusters alongside indie films, cult classics and live broadcasts.

The highlight of their cinematic year is always the terrifying and perfectly named horror film festival Abertoir.

Gwyn Hall

BARRY MEMO

GWYN HALL

Gladstone Road, Barry.

01446 738622 / www.memoartscentre.co.uk Barry’s Cine-memo, happy at home in the Memorial Arts Centre, has been entertaining people within its walls since the 1920s.

In the last year it has screened plenty of blockbusters, world films and family movies to over 7,000 people.

Orchard St, Neath.

03003 656677 / www.gwynhall.com This architecturally impressive Victorian structure completed its renovation in 2012, becoming a large space showing the latest cinematic releases and housing everything from children’s shows to aerial theatre. The creative minds there keep things fresh: last month they used flashmobs and recycling sculptures to transform the venue into ‘Planet Neath’ for their sci-fi season.

CHAPTER ARTS CENTRE Market Road, Canton, Cardiff.

029 2030 4400 / www.chapter.org The official film hub for Wales, Chapter is the largest provider of independent films across Wales. They have regular events such as the independent short film showcase Chapter MovieMaker and fantastically cringeworthy Bad Film Club. As well as the latest big-name movies, Chapter will be screening lots of Welsh talent in December.

SIAN GALE Sian has been working on broadcasting for over three decades, and is imparting her knowledge and experience as the manager of BECTU’s CULT Cymru media training project.

LLANCARFAN COMMUNITY CINEMA Llancarfan Village Hall, Vale Of Glamorgan.

01446 781144 / www.llancarfancinema.co.uk Nestled in the heart of rural Llancarfan, this monthly cinema is run completely by volunteers in the local Village Hall. This cinema has a great community and homely feel and the moment you enter you can see the love and care that goes into putting these performances on.

Who inspired you and why?

Jodie Foster is amongst the most inspirational directors and actors I’ve come across: she’s an activist, a feminist and cares passionately about diversity in the industry and beyond.

Her acceptance speech for her Oscar for The Silence Of The Lambs dedicated the award to “all of the women who came before me who never had the chances that I’ve had, and the survivors and the pioneers and the outcasts.”

Your top five films?

Pride – so proud of BECTU’s National Officer

MATT HOOKINGS Hookings is just about to start working with Game Of Thrones’ Julian Glover on his crowd funded film Then & Now – which sees the horrors of Sept 11, 2001 through the eyes of an elderly man in front of his TV.

THE MAGIC LANTERN CINEMA Corbett Square, Tywyn, Gwynedd.

01654 710260 / www.tywyncinema.co.uk First built in 1893 as the town assembly rooms, The Magic Lantern building was originally a place for meetings and a spot of badminton before it became a cinema in the 1930s. Recently refurbished, it now boasts a varied programme from live screenings to Q&A sessions with industry professionals.

THE MONMOUTH SAVOY

The Magic Lantern Cinema

Church Street, Monmouth.

01600 772467 / www.monmouth-savoy.co.uk Home to the oldest known theatre site in Wales, the Savoy’s original structure, built in 1751, is still standing. After many alterations and updates, the building still retains much of its original charm and has the appearance of a luxury theatre.

PENARTH PIER PAVILION The Esplanade, Penarth.

029 2071 2100 / www.penarthpavilion.co.uk The picturesque pier building is the perfect place to go to the movies. Their intimate, 70-seat cinema often plays big-name-blockbusters and has plenty of classics and sing-along scheduled for the festive season.

RICHARD BOOTHS BOOKSHOP CINEMA

Chapter Arts Centre

Brook Street, Hay-on-Wye. 01497 820322 / www.boothbooks.co.uk A truly unique cinema with less than 50 seats, this hidden gem is definitely worth a visit. The bookshop at the front disguises the room off to the side, which houses the cinema and the upstairs rustic performance space. The special thing about this cinema is the opportunity to go and see a film, then read the book afterwards in the comfort of their cafe.

THEATR GWAUN West Street, Fishguard, Pembrokeshire.

01348 873421 / www.theatrgwaun.com Established in the 1920s, Theatr Gwaun have recently converted into a digital space and this mixed arts community centre is run almost entirely by volunteers. It screens the latest blockbusters and specialist, one-off events.

David Donovan, who is played by Paddy Considine in the film – The Accused, Gandhi, Solomon A Gaenor and Made In Dagenham.

Your thoughts on the future for the film and creative industries in Wales?

There needs to be an improved pathway in terms of progression through the industry in Wales – i.e. greater synergy between entering the industry, developing vocational and entrepreneurial skills and confidence building, leading smoothly on to business support for sole traders and limited companies and continuing onto a seamless

Richard Booths Bookshop Cinema

route towards high growth. Currently this is haphazard with the creative industries hub within the Welsh Government, concentrating on inward investment leaving homegrown talent to navigate the disjointed business support infrastructure rather than offering a helping hand to springboard Wales-based talent through the system quickly.

Give us one tip for aspiring film makers.

Develop your business and vocational skills, network with influencers and treat those that work with you fairly and honestly.

When did you first decide to create a film around 9/11?

I started developing the project about two years ago, but have always been fascinated by the events of 9/11 and everything that happened as a result of it, from the conspiracy theories to war and many other changes it imprinted on the world. I started watching and collecting videos, documentaries and articles written about 9/11 from the web and that’s when I started to develop a film around it. But this film is far from complicated, it’s a very subtle but powerful story.

Do you remember where you were when you heard the news of 9/11?

I came home from school and my mum was watching the breaking news on the TV and she couldn’t believe what happened and neither could I. I remember I kept flicking the channels over and over again because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing - only to find it was on every channel.

Where did the idea of seeing the event through the experiences of an old man come from?

I wanted to write something that explored the aspect of 9/11 but away from America. Other films have often focused solely on an ‘American’ viewpoint and have been big and bold in the aspect of production. By focusing on a very old person it allowed the story to grow organically, which also heightened aspects of the emotional moments. The character George is a closed-off individual and very much isolated within his own home. A recent interesting article posted by the BBC acknowledged why older men feel a sense of loneliness when they reach a certain age and point in their life. It’s an interesting read and helps understand our characters feeling and motives in the film.

Was there one particular movie or moment that made you want to work in the world of film?

For me seeing Charlie Chaplin films and the great moments he showed us on screen influenced me to become an actor. Modern Times (1936) showed me how creative you can be as both an actor and filmmaker. The Big Sleep (1946) is another example which definitely inspired me to enter the world of film and acting. Other movies such as A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and The Third Man (1949) influenced me. I love the aesthetic style of both films and the performances. The idea of dramatic surrealism is amazing to watch and believe.

BUZZ 17

upfront HOW TO GET INTO THE FILM INDUSTRY Laura-Mae Cunningham gives some advice on how to make sure that your career doesn’t end up on the cutting room floor. main pic: ALESSANDRO PRADA

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aunching yourself into a career is hard these days. Most of us will settle for anything that will pay the rent, slowly but surely forgetting all about those adolescent ideas our of dream job. If you ever did imagine yourself whizzing about a film set, whether you were born to be behind a camera or have always been destined to bark orders from that director’s chair, this is the article for you.

The two most important things when breaking into film are experience and knowing your stuff: that means understanding the fast moving world and knowing exactly where you intend to fit into it.

Hopefully you’ll know what kind of role you are after, but if you’re not too sure then www.myfirstjobinfilm. co.uk has a great break down of every single job in the industry, of which there are A LOT. The most important thing to bear in mind is that there's no substitute for getting your work out to an audience. If you have any knowledge or skills at all, set yourself up a project. There are numerous film festivals and competitions, located near and far.

Cardiff’s own international LGBT short film festival the Iris Prize (www.irisprize.org) is highly respected and perfect for anyone interested in creating movies with an LGBT theme. Even if you’re not, their annual festival offers plenty of networking and Q&A events where you can learn everything you need to know from film makers themselves.

The Ffresh Student Media Festival Of Wales (www. ffresh.com) stopped accepting entries at the start of December but you can swing by in February, join in some workshops and get some inspiration to start working on something for next year.

If you’re not yet over 25 years old then you are lucky enough to have the incredible opportunity of getting involved with the National Youth Film Academy (www.

nyfa.org.uk) which is visiting Cardiff in January.

Interviews for a full range of creative and technical roles will be held on Thurs 11 Jan at the Cardiff Park Inn. Maybe qualifications aren’t everything, but they always help. Experience might come before grades, but qualifications and certificates are a great way

“It has a break down of every single job in the industry, of which there are A LOT” to market yourself to an employer. The University Of South Wales (www.southwales.ac.uk) offers a range of degrees under the title subject of Film. If university isn’t an option, then Creative Skill Set (www. creativeskillset.org) is the perfect place to search for courses, short courses and apprenticeships in the creative industry; while Cardiff-based non-profit Winding Snake Productions (www.windingsnake.com) run regular workshops and training in exciting areas such as animation and video game design.

The people at BAFTA Cymru (www.bafta.org) do more than just hand out shiny trophies as they also run a variety of education, training and networking events throughout the year.

The idea of working for free for the sake of experience, or heading back into education, may seem financially daunting, but help is available. The

Welsh Broadcasting Trust (www.wbt.org.uk) offers funding for part or full time career development and educational courses in television, film and radio.

Cult Cymru (www.cultcymru.org) are an organisation who provide projects and training for all sorts of film-related careers by working with freelancers/staff/ micro enterprises/employers to find out the needs of the industry. Their new networking evening, Cafe CULT, is a great opportunity to make connections and make the most of bite-sized training. Cult Cymru and advice site Creative Toolkit (www.creativetoolkit.org. uk) are both organised by BECTU (www.bectu.org.uk) – the UK’s media and entertainment trade union – so you know they have your best interests at heart.

So what else is there to stop you from starting over and getting on the path to your dream? You’re even living in the right part of the country: south Wales has become so popular and central to film making it’s been dubbed ‘Valleywood’!

JON RENNIE Jon Rennie, Managing Director of Cloth Cat Animation and visual effects studio Bait, has been working in film for over a decade. He gives us his view on the local industry, and hands out some useful advice.

Who inspired you and why?

I don't have one particular inspiration but I collect influences from many areas – I love 80's film stock and the anamorphic photography of that era, John Boorman films, Iain M. Banks, landscape photography, clouds, The Muppets, Lego, Ray Harryhausen. Each have influenced me in some way and feed that back into my films and projects.

What are your top five films?

Lawrence Of Arabia, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Contact, Watership Down, Point Blank.

Give us one tip for aspiring film makers.

Learn the business before rushing head long into the industry. Watch how others get it right (or wrong) before making your own films or starting film productions. You'll learn much more, make less mistakes and have the contacts to put together productions that would have been impossible to do without professionals.

BUZZ 18

THE REVIEWER’S TOP FIVE FILMS EVER As ‘The Reviewer’ continues to bring down his judgement on Hollywood’s offerings in his 30 Second Film Reviews on Buzz TV, we find out what films he actually likes...

When Buzz Towers asked me what my five top films of all time are, I was put in a quandary. For films are like fine wines – some need to be drunk immediately, others you can keep for a bit but they might go off.

Also different films mean different things at different times in your life. I, for instance, can never watch Stephen Seagal’s Out For Justice again as it reminds me of when my ex-wife told me of her affair with a builder and who wants to go back there? So, in no order and subject to change according to mood, here are my top five films ever!!!

1

K-9: Simply the best dog/cop movie ever made – forget Turner And Hooch.

This was Jim Belushi in his prime. It’s got everything. Laughter. Tears. A dog.

Red Heat: An underappreciated Cold War gem, again starring Jim Belushi!

Is there a theme developing here? No. Arnold Schwarzenegger is in a sauna and rips off a bloke’s wooden leg. Ideal.

Mannequin: This doesn’t have Jim Belushi in it, but has Kim Cattrall as a shop dummy who comes to life for Andrew McCarthy. A classier Splash.

Krull: Way before The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings, this British fantasy adventure starring Bernard Bresslaw and a young Liam Neeson was wowing everyone with its rudimentary effects and incomprehensible storytelling.

A Muppet Christmas Carol: Simply the best Christmas film ever, based closely on the book by Victor Hugo. All the Muppet gang, and Michael Caine as Scrooge – "You were only supposed to blow the bloody turkey legs off!"

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ONES TO WATCH With 2015 on the horizon, it’s time to have a look to at who and what will be making waves in the world of film, music, art and theatre in the New Year.

FILM DESPITE only just having released his festive film A Wonderful Christmas Time, director Jamie Adams has already wrapped up filming his next feature – Black Mountain Poets. The last part of Adams' trilogy of improvised films, Black Mountain Poets will star Downton Abbey heart-throb Tom Cullen, the hilarious Dolly Wells and the talented Alice Lowe. The actors' skills have been tested, though, as (in typical Adams fashion) the movie was filmed in less than a week.

Submarine star Craig Roberts is having his go in the director’s chair with his new film Just Jim (which he also wrote and will star in). Filmed in Roberts' home Tom Cullen town of Maesycwmmer, and part of Ffilm Cymru’s Cinematic scheme, the movie tells the tale of a kid called Jim whose life is turned upside down when an American guy (played by Hollywood heavyweight Emile Hirsch – best known for his role in Into The Wild) moves in next door.

New neighbours Pinewood Studios have also begun work on their first project with the Welsh Government. The thriller, Take Down, follows the unruly kids of the world’s rich elites who are sent to an exclusive boot camp to shape up. It soon becomes a story of survival, however, when the kids are taken hostage and a hefty price is put on their heads.

Info: www.jolenefilms.com / www.ffilmcymruwales.com / www.pinewoodpictures.com

STAGE pic: NICOLE GUARINO

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Also unofficially, and if my mum is out, 9 And A Half Weeks or about 10 minutes of The Unbearable Lightness Of Being with the bowler hat and the mirror… or that bit in Crocodile Dundee just before the lady gets attacked by a crocodile.

Info: www.youtube.co.uk/buzzmagtv

BUZZ 20

Channel Rose NATIONAL Theatre Wales will be launching into the new year with a big show based on the true story of Welsh rugby legend Gareth Thomas: the moment when, on the eve of a possibly career-defining match, he was warned that a newspaper was going to ‘out’ him as gay. They will be joining forces with touring company Out Of Joint to portray the story one of the world’s more prominent gay sportsmen. The show, titled Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage, will be on at Cardiff’s Sherman Cymru theatre in February.

The Wales Millennium Centre also has a line-up of big shows coming to its stages. The Olivier Awardwinning (not just one, it won seven of them) The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, murderous musical Sweeney Todd and movie classic turned stage show Shrek The Musical are all on the

National Theatre Wales lineup for 2015.

The Centre won’t be neglecting dance either, as Mathew Bourne’s magical adaptation of Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands and quirky acrobatic dancers Cirque Éloize will be waltzing into the centre in March and April.

National Dance Company Wales will be championing the work of their former employee, the multi-awardwinning choreographer Eleesha Drennan, as she continues to make wave in the world of dance. The will be presenting the world premiere of her first fulllength work Channel Rose at the Wales Millennium Centre on Fri 6 and Sat 7 Dec. Info: www.nationaltheatrewales.org / www.wmc.org.uk / www.ndcwales.co.uk

MUSIC

The Hearts

Bright Lights Bright Lights

THOUGH he can been seen nowadays hitting the venues of London, or touring around the States with Elton John, synthpop singer Rod Thomas (better known as Bright Light Bright Light) originally hails from Neath. His first album, Life Is Easy, came out this year and hit the number three slot in the UK Indie Breakers Chart. He’s currently touring with Sir Elton, but will be back on home turf on Tue 16 Dec when he plays Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff.

Five-piece Pontypridd band Peasants King have been getting the attention they deserve, as their song Antidotes was played on BBC Radio One as part of BBC Introducing. The Kings Of Leon-esque band headed to the music studios earlier this year to start recording album material, now we sit in anticipation!

The exciting, experimental, psychedelic sounds of White Noise Sound’s second album, Like A Pyramid Of Fire, will also be out in the new year – with their single Heavy Echo scheduled to arrive in February.

Maddie Jones' debut album, Vita Brevis, was released in November and this young musician from Ystrad Mynach is proving she’s more than simply a ‘singersongwriter’ with her lyrical hooks and her gutsy voice.

The Hearts, a Newport band formerly known as The Boy Royals, are anthemic indie fare compared to The Killers by some. If you fancy giving them a listen, the

trio will be performing a free gig in the city’s iconic music venue Le Pub on Thurs 11 Dec. On the more classical side of things, composer B Tommy Andersson, whose The Garden Of Delights went down a storm in the autumn, is continuing to work with the BBC National Orchestra Of Wales as their composer-in-association. If you want to get a real taste for his talent, Andersson will be taking the lead in a Composer Portrait show in February.

That won’t be the orchestra’s only teamup, however, as they will be premiering a new work with poet Owen Sheers in April. The piece, called A Violence Of Gifts, will be a choral journey through the universe – inspired by the Large Hadron Collider.

Sinfonia Cymru won’t be staying silent either and, in March, will be collaborating with BC Young Musician 2012 Laura Van Der Heijden – who will be taking on the challenging Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1.

Info: www.brightlightx2.com / www.peasantsking.com / www. whitenoisesound.net / www.maddie-jones. co.uk / www.loveandriots.com / www.bbc. co.uk/bbcnow / www.sinfoniacymru.co.uk

ART

FROM music to art, or a bit of both, as NME photographer Chalkie Davies exhibits his work at the National Museum Cardiff in May. During his time at the iconic music paper, Davies toured with legends such as Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello and Thin Lizzy.

Other Wales-based artists to watch out for in 2015 are documentary photographer Janire Najera, whose exhibition The Black Hole (which captured the wares of a man called Atomic Ed) last year was a big success, quirky multimedia artist Bedwyr Williams brings art and life together with a healthy dose of humour (his former installations have included a display of unused shoes and a dentist made of mosaic) and Newport-based Helen Sear – who will be representing Wales at the Venice Biennale art show in 2015, with work that combines fine art and photography.

As well as artists, new art spaces are on the horizon.

A former tramshed in Cardiff looks set to be turned into a new urban arts centre, pending contracts being finalised and plans thereafter coming to fruition. The Grade II listed building, on Clare Road in Grangetown, is from the 1800s; developers aim to give it a new lease of life that will include a dance studios, an art gallery, cafes, bars and a restaurant.

Info: www.museumwales.ac.uk / www. janirenajera.com / www.bedwyrwilliams. com / www.helensear.com BUZZ 22

Bedwyr Williams

Chalkie Davies

Helen Sear

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THE OLD MARKET ———— TAVERN ————

20-21 TRINITY STREET, CARDIFF, CF10 1BH The Old Market Tavern is one of the rare gems of the Nicholson’s Pubs collection, and we’ve taken pride in restoring it to keep alive the traditional qualities of the pub and local area.

Within its historic walls, you’ll find the best traditions of the great British pub: a superb range of cask ales, including our very own Nicholson’s Pale Ale, freshly cooked pub food, warm and genuine service and authentic British atmosphere.

Sign up to our online newsletter and we’ll give you a £5 off voucher to come and spend with us on your first visit. www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/theoldmarkettaverncardiff/signup/

Scan the QR code to download our Nicholson’s Hop Circle app, and receive 25p off your pint of cask ale every time you go to the bar!

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FESTIVE FUN

Christmas is here and it’s time to embrace and enjoy it. Kathryn Lewis and Harri Davies have a look at the Christmassy events that will get you making the most of the festive months.

CHRISTMAS STARGAZING IN THE BRECON BEACONS

Aberglasney Winter Fair ABERGLASNEY WINTER FAIR Venture into the Twyi Valley, where you will find the charming Aberglasney House winter fair this December. Famed for its beautiful gardens, the 15th century country house will be filled with hand-made Welsh crafts, delicious seasonal treats and plenty of unique gift ideas for the whole family. With a weekend packed full of entertainment, make sure to bring the kids along too as they’ll have the chance to meet Father Christmas and his reindeer!

For a truly unique Christmas experience, why not leave the bustle of the city and venture to the Brecon Beacons for a spot of stargazing? The national park’s visitor centre will be opening its doors for an evening of astronomy-inspired talks, virtual stargazing and (fingers crossed) the chance to grab a telescope and scour the skies for Santa’s sleigh if it’s clear. The star of the show will be the Germinid meteor shower, a seasonal display which graces our skies each December. What better place could there be to catch the shower than from the serenity of the rolling beacons?

Brecon Beacons, Fri 12 Dec, 7-11pm.

Tickets: £10. Info: 01874 623366 / www. breconbeacons.org

Aberglasney House, Carmarthenshire, Thurs 6 + Fri 7 Dec. Tickets: £8/£4 kids.

Info: 01558 668998 / www.aberglasney.org

Bridgend Elf-steddfod

SAUNDERSFOOT’S ST NICHOLAS CHRISTMAS MARKET The friendly coastal village of Saundersfoot hosts the St Nicholas Christmas Market, a lively threeday event on the first weekend of December. More than 50 stalls will showcase great seasonal food, drinks, gifts and live music in and around a heated and festive marquee. You can look forward to live demonstrations by celebrity chefs Anthony Evans and Lisa Fearn, as well as live music by Fiddlebox and Haverfordwest Operatic Society.

Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire, Fri 5-Thurs 7 Dec, 2014. Admission: £2 adult unlimited weekend admission / children go free.

Info: www.visit-saundersfoot.co.uk

BUZZ 24

pic: DAVE JOE

Santa + Elf Dash SANTA + ELF DASH Mermaid Quay will be hosting a festive five kilometre race on Sun 7 Dec in aid of Welsh Hearts, Wales’ cardiovascular charity. A chance to don the Santa hat or stick on the elf ears, you can jog, walk or even skip along the course which showcases the sites of Cardiff Bay. There’s a prize for the best dressed too, so make sure to get creative with your costume.

Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay, Sun 7 Dec. Registration: £5/free to spectators. Info: www.mermaidquay.co.uk

BRIDGEND ELF-STEDDFOD After setting an impressive record at last year’s Elf-Steffod, where more than 1,500 locals dressed as elves gathered in Bridgend, organisers of this year’s Elf-Steffod are hoping to attract even more elves this time around – hoping to beat the world record for the most elves gathered in one place at one time. There will be a plethora of activities and entertainment organised for the whole family throughout the day, but if you decide to head there it’s best to bring your elf hat.

Bridgend, Sat 13 Dec. Admission: free.

Info: www.bridgendbites.com

CAERPHILLY CASTLE VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS Transport yourself back to Dickens’ era in Caerphilly this Christmas, where the scent of roast pork crackling over a roaring fire, the sound of children’s gasps as they lean a little closer to the chilling ghost stories and the sight of Punch & Judy’s vibrant costumes will take you back to days gone by. The town’s famous Castle is opening its gates and welcoming families to explore the grounds and experience what castle life preparing for Christmas was like 100 years ago.

Caerphilly Castle, Sat 13 + Sun 14 Dec, Tickets: £5.50/£4.10. Info: www.cadw. wales.gov.uk ABERGAVENNY CHRISTMAS FOOD FESTIVAL There’s nothing like festive food to get you in the seasonal spirit. With independent local stalls, cookery demonstrations and experts armed with a fridge full of cookery tips, there’s something to entice every kind of foodie at Abergavenny Christmas Food Festival. And just remember, when you’re reaching for the sixth sample, that Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a little indulgence, and this is definitely the place to get stuck in.

Abergavenny Christmas Food Festival

pic: TIM WOODIER

The Market Hall, Upper Brewery Yard + St Mary's Priory Centre, Abergavenny, Sun 14 Dec. Tickets: £5. Info: www. abergavennyfoodfestival.com ONLY MEN ALOUD Only Men Aloud will be joined by their young apprentices, Only Boys Aloud, this year for their glitzy festive show We Need A Little Christmas. The all-male Welsh choir will be performing a range of classic Christmas songs, along with their unique take on some of Broadway’s best showstoppers.

St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Tue 16 Dec. Tickets: £27.50. Info: www.onlymenaloud.com THE NUTCRACKER There are few things that stir up the nostalgia of Christmas like the classic seasonal ballet, The Nutcracker. A fantasy tale encompassing all the best bits of the festive season, snow, toys and the magic of a good old-fashioned love story – the perfect opportunity to warm up any lingering Scrooges.

St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Sat 20-Wed 24 Dec. Tickets: £14.50-£32 / £7.25-£17.25 child / £40-£95.00 family tickets. Info: 029 2087 8500 / www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk SANTA'S MAGICAL POST OFFICE If you not overly fussed about Santa’s grottos but still want something with that North Pole magic, then Mermaid Quay’s magical post office might do the trick. Instead of getting your kids to put their letters to Santa in the chimney, you can send them to the post office instead – put the list in Santa’s enchanted postbox and watch its journey to Lapland on the post office’s magic map. Outside, the Christmas cheer will continue as singers and musicians perform around the eight-metre-high Christmas tree.

Mermaid Quey, Cardiff, until Sun 21 Dec + Mon 22-Tues 23 Dec. Tickets: £6.50 children.

Info: www.mermaidquay.co.uk BUZZ 26

The Nutcracker CHRISTMAS COOKERY COURSE We all love to roll up the woolly sleeves and get stuck into a little festive baking at this time of year, so why not polish up the kitchen skills with one of Kather’s Kitchen’s seasonal classes? The Monmouthshirebased cookery school is offering edible Christmas gift and seasonal favourite classes, where you’ll be able to tuck into your culinary creations after a relaxed day’s work in the kitchen.

Kather's Kitchen

Monmouthshire, various dates.

Seasonal cookery classes: £80.

Info: www.katherskitchen.co.uk THE PUMPING STATION A great place for an afternoon of Christmas shopping, check out the selection of jewellery, clothes, furniture, antiques and home furnishings at The Pumping Station - an old Victorian pumping house on Penarth Road. The space is comprised of an eclectic mix of more than 35 traders over three floors of unique shops and boutiques with products dating from the Victorian era through to modern day.

Penarth Road, Cardiff, open Mon-Sun, 9.30am-5.30pm. Info: 029 2022 1085 / www.thepumpingstation-cardiff.co.uk

The Pumping Station

Welcome to the Pumping Station Trading for over 30 years, the Pumping Station is Cardiff's number one destination for antiques, interiors, collectables, sculpture, jewellery, vintage items and retro finds.

Boasting three floors of boutiques and over 35 different retailers, this is a unique retail experience that’s full of surprises.

PENARTH ROAD | CARDIFF | CF11 8TT TEL: 02920 221 085

OPEN: MONDAY-SUNDAY | 9.30AM-5.30PM

www.thepumpingstation-cardiff.co.uk

upfront GARETH THOMAS: SWAPPING THE PITCH FOR THE STAGE The former Wales rugby player will be staring alongside singer Lee Mead in panto classic Cinderella.

Jaydon Martin talks to Gareth Thomas about how rugby and pantomime aren’t so different after all.

How did you get involved in the panto?

It was actually through a friend of mine, Christopher Biggins – who is the epitome of pantomime. I met him one day after Dancing On Ice [which Biggins judged in 2010]; we did a show in Cardiff, and the audience was really receptive to me – everything I did they cheered for. Biggins said, “have you ever done panto before? I think you’d be really good in Cardiff because so many people know you and the audience is so great.” Then he put me in contact with Jonathan who runs Qdos Entertainment. They contacted me during the summer and asked if I would be interested in doing a panto in Cardiff. I love doing panto, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to do it in Cardiff, my home city. It was a bit of a no-brainer really.

What is it about pantomime that you love so much?

I think it’s hard not to love pantomime, in any way shape or form! Especially at Christmas when people are usually open to fun. People come in knowing what to expect from a panto. They come in with a smile on their face and it's our job to make them leave with an even bigger smile on their face. When you spend so much time of the year being serious, in your job or having serious issues to deal with, to all of a sudden find something that is about making people laugh is great. It's great being OK with people laughing at you and being OK to mess up because it's part of pantomime to mess up.

Did you imagine 10 years ago that you would be actually starring in a pantomime?

Not a chance in hell! When I finished my rugby BUZZ 28

“Pantos aren’t that different from rugby” career, I didn’t know what I was going to do.

Stereotypically you become a commentator, or go into coaching, and all the other other options that were really scary to me. The route that everybody else takes have been taken so many times before – so you know exactly what’s going to come next. Eventually, though, I embraced the fear of not knowing what’s next and accepted the challenges. What I realised is that the bigger or scarier the challenge, when you overcome them you can look back and think, “that was such a big challenge but I did it, and I overcame it.”

What I realised as well, from the last one, is that pantos aren’t that different from rugby: you’re on the stage to perform, you look stupid, you make people laugh sometimes, and also you become like a little part of a team. You’ve got this little team together where everybody has to work for each other, help each other out. If things are going wrong; if someone’s ill, if someone forgets their lines – that

kind of thing. So, as much as it seemed different to me before I did it the first time, when you sit down and think about it there’s a lot of similarities, as crazy as it sounds, between the two things.

Could you tell us a little bit about your part?

That can be a little bit tough, because I’m Dandini. I didn’t know that much about Dandini prior to being asked to play him, because he’s obviously not a main character in Cinderella. But from what I’ve heard now he’s the Prince’s sidekick, and he gets mistaken for the Prince and he has to act as the Prince for a certain time.

He’s kind of there to protect the Prince and help to him, so there’s a lot of pressure for me as well because I’m protecting and looking after Lee Mead, who is a West End superstar! Looking after somebody who is so well known in the acting world is kind of strange, but hopefully it’s what makes it fun as well.

Cinderella, New Theatre, Cardiff, Sat 13 Dec-Sun 18 Jan. Tickets: £10.50-£29 / £8.50-£27 conc / £75 family ticket. Info: 029 2087 8889 / www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk

upfront

CHRISTMAS MARKETS

pic: DAVIDLOHR BUESO

pic: HEATHER COWPER

RESOLUTION REVELATIONS ONCE all the extremely enjoyable gluttony of the festive season is over, there will be many of us falling into the typical ‘this year I will finally change my life forever’ type of thinking, only to have cancelled the gym subscription, stopped listening to those learn a language podcasts and drank more than you promised yourself before Valentine’s Day. The trick to sticking to New Year’s Resolutions is to focus on one, attainable goal.

Don’t go thinking you’re going to gain 15 new skills and become a completely new person by the end of January. Resolutions don’t have to humdrum commitments either – why not commit to something new and exciting?

I’m betting most people have never driven a tank to the pub, so how about that one for a New Year’s Resolution? You don’t even need to enlist to do so as the Tank School in Usk has a ‘Tank To Pub’ package where you can literally take a tank for a jolly to the local drinking hole. If you want something a little more serious, though, the school can also give you one-to-one Special Forces tank driving training.

If you like your sport but this year you found yourself bored of the usual choice of watching rugby or football, then why not commit to sampling some of the other matches taking place in South Wales? There is a big Roller Derby scene and there are regular matches and tournaments on throughout the year. The basketball-netball combo that is known as Korfball is a good change of pace if you want something with a familiar edge, as is Gaelic football or Australian Rules Football.

If you’re wanting to take on a more traditional New Year’s Resolutions, like learn a new skill, then it’s wise to get proper support as you take on your chosen challenge. Cardiff University’s Centre For Lifelong Learning and has a wide range of subjects at a variety of levels from absolute beginners to experts wanting to hone in their art. They have flexible classes taking place in the daytime, evening, weekends or online and you can simply learn a new skill or even earn yourself an undergraduate degree. HEATHER ARNOLD Info: www.tankschool.co.uk / www.welshkorfball.org / www. cardiffgaa.com / www.facebook.com/welshARFL / www.cardiff. ac.uk/learn/pathways BUZZ 30

OPEN every day, and organised by Craft*folk, Cardiff Christmas Market (until Tues 23 Dec. Admission: free) takes homemade products and produces unique gifts. The highlights are the Welsh slate products and hand-carved lovespoons.

The traditional Blackwood Christmas Market (Sat 6 + Sun 7 Dec. Admission: free) allows you to wander the streets of Caerphilly while perusing the stalls. The fair will have a host of traditional entertainment and some wonderful funfair rides.

The Swansea Christmas Street Market (until Tue 16 Dec. Admission: free) is recognisable by its green and red chalets that house fine foods and luxury decorations. There is weekly entertainment and late shopping on Thursdays.

This year, the picturesque locations of both Cyfarthfa Castle and the Botanical Gardens Of Wales host their own Christmassy fayres – meaning you can get your presents sorted at the Christmas Craft Fair (Sat 13 + Sun 14 Dec. Tickets: £4.50-£8.50) and discover the flavours of Wales at the Gardens' Christmas Craft Fair (Carmarthenshire, Sat 20 + Sun 21 Dec. Tickets: £4.50-£8.50), or take the opportunity to relax with a hot drink at the castle, while the children can visit Father Christmas at Christmas Craft Fair & Meet Father Christmas at Cyfarthfa Castle (Merthyr, Sat 6 Dec. Admission: free/£2 to meet Santa).

This Christmas also sees food festivals come out in force. Newport Food Festival Festive Market (Sat 6 Dec. Admission: free) is the ‘little sister’ festival to the annual autumn market. Festival regulars are back with some new editions with festive twists on old classics. There will also be arts and crafts with a sprinkle of festive entertainment.

Cardiff Street Food Christmas Festival (Riverside, Sat 13 Dec. Admission: free) is bringing some festive cheer to the weekly Riverside market. This special event will be held in the evening and boasts fairy lights galore and welcomes the Crafty Devil Brewing Company with their speciality ales. Special guest entertainers promise a lively atmosphere to eat, drink and be merry. ELOUISE HOBBS Info: www.cardiffchristmasmarket.com / www.visitcaerphilly. com / www.swanseachristmas.com / www.gardenofwales.org. uk / www.visitmerthyr.co.uk / www.newportfoodfestival.co.uk / www.cardiffstreetfood.co.uk

profile SARAH WATERS Author Sarah Waters is best known for writing about lesbian Victorian women, but now she tells Jennifer Allan how she’s taking on tales of cold, Christmassy murder for the stage.

S

arah Waters first stepped into the limelight with her controversial novel Tipping The Velvet – a historical novel in which a young woman falls in love with a male impersonator and follows her to London – which was later adapted for the small screen.

Now Waters turns her attention to a collaborative adaptation of forgotten murder mystery classic, The Frozen Scream by CC Gilbert.

With a string of successful novels to her name, it is interesting that Sarah has chosen to work on someone else’s writing for her first venture into theatrical work: “CC Gilbert’s novel is one of the great forgotten novels from the ‘20s – a great murder mystery.

My co-writer Chris Green and I could see a lot of theatrical potential in her work. I’ve never adapted before which was part of the attraction – to try something new.

“When Chris suggested we write together I was quite nervous; I had to become more flexible. I usually work on my own and take a long time over a project. I spend time rewriting it, mulling it over in isolation. It was great to discover that I could work collaboratively and be flexible. It’s been really inspiring.”

Sarah is known for exploring the history of gender and sexuality throughout her writing, and The Frozen Scream is no exception as it examines British social history in the 1920s and brushes these familiar themes.

“It’s taking on a classic British story, but it felt like very new territory for me. It’s got some great women characters in it and a slight queer element. With Tipping The Velvet I acquired a certain reputation.

The novel was fairly raunchy, but maybe because it was lesbian sex rather than straight sex, for a lot of people that was extra risqué. I wanted to write very frankly about lesbian sex in what I hope was a

BUZZ 32

very positive way – I wanted to highlight both the seriousness and the fun sides of it. We see sex all the time represented as very tidy and sex in real life is very untidy!”

The sexual content in Sarah’s work plays a part in examining the roles of women in society and throughout history, both within and without the fictional world:

“It’s carving out the time to write – if I waited until I was inspired I probably wouldn’t write a word!”

“When men write about sex we take it for granted and don’t see it as an issue, but when women do it it’s somehow more sexualised. I would definitely call myself a feminist.”

Sarah also identifies as Welsh, despite having lived mostly in London since leaving Wales to go to university: “I’m not a Welsh speaker but I went to Welsh evening classes in London for four years and I really enjoyed being part of a Welsh community; it was lovely to learn a little bit of the language and keep that connection with Wales.

“I think of myself as a Londoner, because most people in London are from somewhere else and there’s room for those different identities within the idea

of London. But I do feel Welsh and I don’t like to be thought of as an English writer. My Welsh identity is very important to me.”

Like many writers, Sarah began with stories at school. As she progressed through education, her interest became far more academic before she finally tried writing fiction.

“It was a real adventure! I hadn’t written since I was a child and a novel is a big undertaking. But the academic work had been a great training experienced and helped me be very disciplined in writing. I realised that I loved writing fiction and I’ve been doing it ever since.

“Dickens, Bronte, RL Stevenson are some of my literary heroes, but I suppose I would never really have started writing if there hadn’t been writers around that I loved in the 90s: Angela Carter was a great hero of mine and there were lots of great historical novelists around in the 90s. Also I read lots and lots of gay writers before I started writing my own fiction. There was a lot of it around then. It was really exciting that it was there.

“If you want to write you must read a lot – you can’t write fiction unless you know how other people have done it – read, read, read like mad. Also Be disciplined about writing. You have to be business-like about it, so I work nine to five, really. Often inspiration doesn’t come, but I still do the writing and, with a lot of rewriting, it does come. It’s carving out the time to do it – be really ruthless about preserving time to write and being disciplined about it.”

The Frozen Scream, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Thurs 11-Sat 20 Dec. Tickets: £16 (includes glass of mulled wine or soft drink). Info: 029 2063 6464 / www.wmc.org.uk

film

by Keiron Self

GET SANTA ***

THE HOBBIT: BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES **** BLACK SEA ***

Dir: Christopher Smith (U, 104 mins) A change of pace for writer/director Christopher Smith after the horror of the underappreciated Triangle, Severance, Creep and Black Death comes a Christmas family film that, while it might tick certain boxes, does not feel like it will become a Yuletide classic. Santa, played

by Jim Broadbent, crashes his sleigh on Christmas Eve and finds himself on the run from the police. Only cheeky kid Kit Connor believes he is the real Santa and has to convince unbelieving dad, Rafe Spall that he has to be saved. A seasonal prison heist ensues with Santa having to be sprung from chokey with the help of fellow cons Warwick Davis (who is not an elf!) and Stephen Graham – so that Christmas can be saved. It’s fairly jolly and Broadbent makes a decent Kris Kringle, but this lacks a certain Yuletide magic. A slight bah humbug. Opens Dec 5

Dir: Peter Jackson (12A, Many mins) And so Peter Jackson completes his second Middle Earth trilogy. Whether The Hobbit deserved a three-film treatment when it’s half the size of any of the Lord Of The Rings books is open to question, but this installment ties together missing elements that link to the original trilogy.

Last Christmas we were left on a cheeky cliffhanger as Smaug the dragon went off to ravage Laketown, with Welsh boy Luke Evans’ Bard the only man capable of taking him down. The third film opens with the climax of that battle then on to an ensuing conflict between dwarf, man and elf over Smaug’s treasure and then to a united fist-fight with the baddie orcs and their shadowy master Sauron.

Jackson’s trademark epic swoops are there amidst the hectic smack downs with Martin Freeman still ably holding centre stage as the Ring-bearing hobbit Bilbo. If you liked the others you will love this. Just pray Jackson doesn’t turn his attention to The Silmarillion. I think we’re Middle Earthed out, my precioussss. Opens Dec 12

Dir: Kevin MacDonald (15, 115 mins) A submarine thriller with a Scottish-accented Jude Law, directed by the man who brought us The Last King Of Scotland and written by the man behind Utopia – this should be full of tense depth charges. Law plays a submarine captain who takes on a job to find Nazi gold at the bottom of the Black Sea. The backers of the expedition are dodgy, the rag-tag group of crewmates including Kill List’s Michael Smiley and Animal Kingdom’s Ben Mendelsohn are a volatile lot and in the claustrophobic pressure keg environment of a rusting submarine, someone is going to get the bends. A great premise, hopefully not prejudiced too much by Law’s accent, this should be a taut thriller from MacDonald who also gave us the stunning mountaineering drama Touching The Void. Let’s hope this pings the sonar rather than sinks to the depths. Opens Dec 5

BIRDMAN ****

INTO THE WOODS ***

UNBROKEN ****

Dir: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (15, 119 mins) A brilliantly dark comedy that examines the corrupting nature of celebrity, ego and the battle between creativity and commercialism, Birdman bursts with originality and offers Michael Keaton his best ever role. Keaton, with self referential chutzpah, plays an actor known for playing a superhero, Birdman (re: Batman). Now a fading thespian who turned down lucrative Birdman sequels, he wants to return from the acting wilderness and make a comeback in a play he has written, directed and in which he stars in a bid to kickstart his dwindling career. Alongside him in the play is another film star played by an excellent Naomi Watts, Keaton’s occasional lover Andrea Riseborough, and Edward Norton who gives a star turn as an obnoxious A-list actor who is out to sabotage the production to suit his own ends. Keaton also has his post-rehab daughter, played by Emma Stone, to deal with. Acidic yet melancholic, Birdman bypasses theatrical cliché and reaches for something higher and deeper, whilst also being very funny. Wonderfully shot and performed, this is a curate’s egg worth hatching. Opens Jan 2

Dir: Rob Marshall (PG, 124 mins) There are Sondheim songs abound in this adaptation of his hit musical, with Meryl Streep starring as a witch telling cautionary tales to Grimm Fairy Tales characters, played by a stellar cast and James Corden.

The compendium of tales is tied together with an over arcing story involving a baker and his wife (Corden and Emily Blunt), they we dip in and out of Jack And The Beanstalk, Rapunzel, Cinderella (played by Anna Kendrick with Chris Pine as her handsome prince) and Red Riding Hood with Johnny Depp playing the Wolf.

Fans of Sondheim will love it, despite Chicago director Rob Marshall’s competent if unspectacular helping of the tales. CGI abounds, actors warble with varying degrees of competence with Meryl Streep in particular giving great gusto, adding up to a slightly bewitching experience that isn’t as clever or as magical as it could have been. Opens Jan 9

Dir: Angelina Jolie (12A, 169 mins) Following on from her harrowing directorial debut In The Land Of Blood And Honey, still unreleased in the UK, Angelina Jolie spreads her wings wider with her second film as director. An epic true-life story that seems prime Oscar bait, Jack O’Connell stars as Louie Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was shot down in World War II and spent days adrift on the ocean before being taken prisoner by the Japanese and held in hellish POW camp.

The real life Zamperini who inspired the story has only recently died, but his spirit of resilience in the face of extremity is captured superbly by Jolie in a story that is by turns grueling and moving. O’Connell (also superb in the recent '71) anchors the whole tale, co-written by the Coen Brothers, and marks Jolie as a talent to be watched behind the camera as well as in front of it. Bada-bing.

Opens Jan 16

ALSO RELEASED DEC: THE PYRAMID (15) The Descent inside a pyramid, as unlikeable explorers get trapped with Egyptian horrors. NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB (PG) Another sequel for this Ben Stiller franchise? This time the action moves to a London museum, with the sad footnote that it’s one of Robin Williams' last roles. THE GRANDMASTER (12A) Epic martial arts action about the legendary Ip Man, who trained Bruce Lee with athletic fisticuffs from Tony Chiu Wai Leung and Ziyi Zhang. BIG EYES (12A) Tim Burton’s latest about Maragaret Keane who did a load of paintings of big-eyed people in the 1950s but never received the acclaim she deserved. ALSO RELEASED JANUARY 2015: ENEMY (15) A delayed release for this creepy thriller starring Jake Gylenhaal

EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS ****

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING ****

ST VINCENT ****

Dir: Ridley Scott (12A, 142 mins) It’s been a while since Charlton Heston parted the Red Sea in the last screen incarnation of Moses, and this time the Biblical duty falls to Christian Bale. The actor os post bat-suit but still gravelly of voice in Ridley Scott’s epic, grittier retelling of the Old Testament story. Moses and Egyptian pharaoh Ramses (played by a bald Joel Edgerton) are great mates, until Moses receives a calling from a higher power and has to set his people free – all 600,000 of them – from his ‘brother’s’ despotic regime.

Scenery is chewed and CGI is utilised as all manner of plagues fall on Egypt, because the Pharaoh will not let Moses’ people go. There are some gobstopping moments of epicness amidst some occasionally ponderous posturing, but this Exodus is still worth travelling for.

Aaron Paul, Sigourney Weaver and Ben ‘Sir Ben’ Kingsley prove fine support amidst the spectacle, and Bale and Edgerton are suitably antagonistic. Good old wrath of God stuff. Opens Dec 26

Dir: James Marsh (12A, 123 mins) A sensitive, well acted biopic about the genius physicist and A Brief History Of Time author Stephen Hawking, and his first wife, as they battle against the onset of his motor neurone disease. Eddie Redmayne excels as Hawking, who starts the film a student at Cambridge University; free of the disease that at one point was thought would kill him within two years. He strikes up a relationship with Felicity Jones’ Jane Wilde, who Hawkins falls for and marries despite their differences. He is a man of science, she a devout churchgoer. She is unwilling to accept any gloomy diagnosis for her new husband, but the sheer effort of caring for him as he declines, and for their subsequent three children, is painstakingly told – albeit with vast swathes of humour. Hawking’s affair with his nurse and his eventual divorce from Jane is skated over a little, but for the most part this remains an engaging, uplifting love story of two people overcoming great obstacles. Redmayne and his lips are outstanding.

Opens Jan 1

Dir: Theodore Melfi (12A, 102 mins) Bill Murray sparkles in this comedy that also pulls at the heartstrings, playing a drunken curmudgeon who begrudgingly becomes a baby sitter for next door neighbour Melissa McCarthy. Murray makes no bones about altering his own routine whilst looking after this 12-year-old boy, played winningly by Jason Lieberher.

He goes gambling, keeps drinking and shows him how to properly break a bully’s nose. Naturally the bond between them grows as the film progresses, leading to a misty-eyed ending. Murray pitches the sentimentality well, and is the funniest he has been for a long time as the colourful Vincent, who shares a very amusing Naomi Watts as a Russian stripper Daka and an old woman he visits at a retirement home. A heartwarming treat from debut writer/director Melfu that sees Murray in thoroughly enjoyable form. Opens Dec 5

FOXCATCHER ****

WHIPLASH ****

THE WOMAN IN BLACK: ANGEL OF DEATH ***

Dir: Bennet Miller (15, 134 mins) Steve Carrell transforms himself brilliantly in this gripping fact-based drama from the director of Moneyball. Carrell plays John Du Pont, a rich man with deep insecurities who wants to impress his mother, who decides to bankroll the American wrestling team for the Seoul Olympics in 1988. Du Pont approaches Channing Tatum’s Mark Schulz, a talented wrestler who has always lived in the shade of his more successful brother Dave, played by Mark Ruffalo. They are invited to train at DuPont’s Foxcatcher Farm where an initially flattered Tatum soon realises that he has only been lured there to bring his brother on board. Ruffalo chafes against his financier’s ambition and the stage is set for a tragic clash of struggling machismos. Miller brings out superb performances from the three leads, in this gripping thriller-like drama that is suffused with melancholy and despair. It’s a fantastic and pitiful examination of masculinity, made all the more chilling as the events are real. Opens Jan 9

Dir: Damien Chazelle (15, 107 mins) A gripping film about drumming? Er, yes. Whiplash takes a musical prodigy, played by Miles Teller, and puts him through the ringer courtesy of JK Simmons’ blistering turn as his sadistic mentor. Teller is a drummer keen to do whatever he can to be a successful jazz musician and, despite being a first year student at a music school, he comes to the attention of Simmons and the very tough love he offers people in his band. Simmons uses fear as a weapon to improve playing rather than encouragement, and his homophobic attacks and rants at his students and Teller are truly terrifying. Teller attempts to form a bond with a girl he likes – played by Melissa Benoist.

Initially shy, he becomes a monster towards her as his overarching ambition to succeed eclipses personal relationships. High impact, with drumsticks often blood soaked, Whiplash is raw and unfettered and never fails to absorb. Get with the beat. Opens Jan 16

Dir: Tom Harper (12A, 98 mins) After dispensing with Daniel Radcliffe 40 years previously, the Woman In Black is back as Eel Marsh House becomes the home for London evacuees during the Second World War. Jump scares ahoy! What hopefully will raise this above a cash-in sequel is a script from Susan Hill (the author of the original) and direction from Tom Harper (a veteran of Misfits and Peaky Blinders). School teachers Helen McCrory and Phoebe Fox reawaken the nasty spirit by taking up residence, things go bump in the night and barely allowable 12A horror ensues. The schoolteachers enlist the help of pilot Jeremy Irvine to try and get to the bottom of the Woman In Black’s story with much walking down corridors, twitching of doorknobs and menace.

More of the same but with a legitimate set-up, this sequel should successfully chill. Hopefully the next one will be set in space. Opens Jan 1

who discovers he has a doppelgänger. Disturbing stuff. AMERICAN SNIPER (15) Clint Eastwood’s latest is a gripping drama following Bradley Cooper’s morally conflicted marksman. WILD (15) Reese Witherspoon goes off on a trek to recover from a personal catastrophe. Witherspoon is magnetic in it. Not literally. EX MACHINA (15) Thought-provoking sci-fi from writer Alex Garland making his directing debut, as a robot woman creates tensions between Oscar Isaac and Domnhall Gleeson. MORTECAI (12A) Johnny Depp goes all Terry Thomas in this offbeat comedy thriller riddled with eccentricities.

INHERENT VICE (15) The latest from Paul Thomas Anderson is another curate’s egg like The Master with Joaquin Phoenix playing a seedy 70s private eye. It’s very funny in parts, plain odd in others.

food/drink

pic: MISSION PHOTOGRAPHIC

DAILY DISCOVERIES pic: MATS HAGWALL

LOVELY LEFTOVERS Not sure what to do with all those Christmas dinner leftovers? Lynda Nash has a few ideas to use up the scraps and keeping your belly full on Boxing Day. It’s that time of year again, which means trees, tinsel and turkey... so much turkey. Not to mention all those carrots, parsnips and sprouts that you overestimated the quantities of. It seems a shame to throw all this perfectly edible food in the waste bin, but what else can you do? Curry it? Oh no, I hear you groan, not turkey curry. We’ve still got some of last year’s in the freezer!

So how do you use up the inevitable Christmas leftovers? Here are a few suggestions that will help you make the unappetising, appetising.

Soups – be they smooth and creamy or thick and chunky – are an excellent way of using leftovers.

Try rustic turkey with carrots, potatoes and swede, or cream of parsnip or broccoli. Almost any ingredients can be blended and souped-up. Cook soups the day before eating, which will let flavours develop.

Most foods can be eaten cold and it’s the combination of ingredients that turn an ordinary salad into a gourmet meal. Forget cold meat with a few wilted lettuce leaves – try crispy pan fried turkey and/or ham thrown on a bed of wild rocket or watercress and spring onion.

The dish that uses the largest number of leftover ingredients is Olivier salad. This Russian dish

combines chopped cooked veg (carrots, peas, potatoes, other firm veg) with hard-boiled egg and mayonnaise (mayonnaise will hide a multitude of sins).

Just about anything can be made tasty if you smother it in a sauce – even sprouts (which get a bad rap!). Try a delicious sprout gratin with bacon and cheese sauce or turkey cacciatore (tomato, red wine and basil sauce). Or make a fricassee – sounds fancy but is simply a hot version of Olivier salad, with creamy white sauce replacing the mayonnaise (wine optional).

Fancy something sweet? Christmas pudding crumble with custard. Christmas pudding bread pudding. Christmas pudding trifle. Sick of Christmas pudding? Try leftover veg and orange cake, which combines grated carrot, parsnip, pumpkin, butternut squash and swede with the juice of oranges or clementines.

Forget curry, there are plenty of other spicy options: chilli turkey tortillas or enchiladas with a veg equivalent of refried beans. Think Creole jambalaya (a good way to use leftover fish) or goulash. Still, if you’re not up to being creative in the kitchen then there’s always the five-minute fail-safe that everybody loves – a good fry-up.

CLWB BRECWAST

This pop up venture is found at Got Beef, on Cardiff's Whitchurch Road and operates on Sundays, from 8am-11am. It's a real family affair: Garyn runs Clwb Brecwast with his brother Cai, who owns Got Beef. They aim to compete with larger chains with a unique take on breakfast, specials including sausage meat patties and bacon and brisket tacos. The fresh ingredients are crafted to look and taste amazing and this venue is sure to become the Sunday morning meeting place, to chat, nurse a hangover and recover with a great brecwast.

The days might be getting shorter, but The Discovery pub in Cyncoed is keeping the evenings interesting with its regular event nights. Just a stone’s throw away from the now likely frosted-over Roath Park, The Discovery hosts that age-old pub tradition, a quiz night, every Thursday from 8.30pm. This is followed the next day with an evening of bubbly for Fizz Friday – where between 5-7pm you can get a bottle of prosecco for just £15 – and tasty takeaway fish and chips for £6 as part of Fish Friday.

If you don’t fancy evenings out, and would rather be at home in a blanket by the time the sun goes down, then you can still enjoy the pub’s dedicated pub lunch menu, which is on every day (apart from Sundays) from 12-4pm.

Info: www.knifeandforkfood.co.uk/discovery

APPLE JACKS Nathan Vaughan and Ian Dakin, the original founders of Cardiff’s Buffalo and 10 Feet Tall, have put their heads together and come up with the grand idea of opening a new independent American restaurant and coffee house. Apple Jacks will be providing a variety of fresh food with a variety of menus for breakfast, brunch and light bites as well as a deluxe menu, with the intent to source all ingredients from Cardiff Central Market and local suppliers. The restaurant’s interior will feature the colourful screen walls of Palm Springs, a kitchen that imitates a New England lobster shack and include a Cali Surf Van seating booth. I can’t help imagining something like Jack Rabbit Slims, albeit maybe not quite that fun.

Info: www.applejackscardiff.co.uk

Info: www.facebook.com/brecwast BUZZ 36

RECIPE EASY CHRISTMAS CAKE

5

words RUTH JOSEPH www.ruthjoseph.co.uk www.veggischmooze.blogspot.com

OF THE BEST... Christmas Gifts

Zerodegrees mini-keg

for Foodies

As the hunt for presents intensifies, Harri Davies checks out what authentic gifts Wales has to offer its foodies.

SPANISH CHRISTMAS HAMPER Bar 44, Cowbridge & Penarth. Info: www.bar44.co.uk Bar 44, the successful tapas restaurants in Cowbridge and Penarth, have released a range of gourmet food and drink hampers as gift ideas this Christmas. In keeping with the restaurant’s focus on regional Spanish foods, the hampers are filled with unique regional Spanish produce and are priced anywhere between £35 and £150.

MICROBREWERY MINI-KEG Zerodegrees, Cardiff. Info: 029 2022 9494 / www.zerodegrees.co.uk The microbrewery Zerodegrees prides itself on the fact that their wide range of tasty beers are brewed fresh on-site, contain no preservatives or additives, and have undergone no pasteurising or filtering. A cheeky five-litre mini-keg of one of their lagers, beers or ales would make a great gift this Christmas, priced between £19.95 and £20.95.

BLACK MOUNTAINS SMOKERY’S GIFT BOX HAMPER Black Mountains Smokery, Crickhowell. Info: 01873 811566 / www.smoked-foods.co.uk Jo and Jonathan Carthew opened the doors of the Black Mountain Smokery near Crickhowell in February 1996. For 18 years the husband and wife team have been producing a wide range of high quality smoked fish, poultry and cheese, with much of their produce winning great taste awards.

Check out their Gift Box Hamper, priced at £60, for any of your foodie friends this Christmas.

BLAENAFON CHEDDAR COMPANY’S HERITAGE HAMPER The Blaenafon Cheddar Company, Blaenafon. Info: 01495 793123 / www.chunkofcheese.co.uk This ‘Heritage’ hamper, available from the Blaenafon Cheddar Company, is priced at £35, and includes a Christmas Day chutney and a Boxing Day pickle on top of 200g each of Blaenafon, Pwll Mawr, Capel Newydd and Pwll Ddu cheddars.

WHISKY MASTERCLASS Penderyn distillery, Penderyn. Info: 01685 813300 / www.welsh-whisky.co.uk Penderyn offers a whisky masterclass and tasting session at its small distillery in the Brecon Beacons. The day includes learning about different types of whisky, and methods of distillation, and costs £45 per person. There'll be ample time to enjoy sampling the whiskies, vodkas, gins and cream liqueurs produced there, and the session ends with a gift and a free masterclass booklet.

SURF AND TURF

December sees the taste of Mayfair and Soho coming to Cardiff in the form of Burger And Lobster. Although it may sound an unusual combination, this chain has taken the big smoke by storm. The menu has a set price for everything, so you can enjoy a delicacy or a fancy favourite for a bargain. Encapsulating posh hipster in both menu and design, the interior is bright red with fancy fonts covering the walls, so don your slogan tee and baggy jumper.

Info: www.burgerandlobster.com

IT’S Christmas and the supermarkets are loaded with Christmas cakes, but perhaps this year I can persuade you to bake your own cake – with the simplest, moistest recipe in the world. The secret's in the soaking. I promise you’ll never buy a Christmas cake again.

MAKES one deliciously Christmassy cake INGREDIENTS 750g mixed dried fruit – use a mixture of sultanas, raisins, currants or mixed dried fruit / 200g tub glace cherries, halved / 100g chopped candied pineapple / 250g chopped dates / 200g chopped apricots / 1 small can beer, or mango juice / 2 tbsp mixed spice / 2 tbsp marmalade / juice and grated rind of 1 lemon / 350g margarine or butter / 350g soft brown fair-trade muscovado sugar / 6 eggs / 1 tsp good vanilla essence / ¼ tsp almond essence / 100g self-raising flour / 250g plain flour PREPARATION • Place all the above ingredients in large bowl; stirring occasionally.

• The next day, heat the oven to gas mark 3 and double line a large tin.

• Cream the margarine or butter with the soft brown fair-trade muscovado sugar.

• Beat in eggs, vanilla essence and almond essence.

• Fold in the self-raising and plain flour.

• Spoon mixture into tin and smooth top. Bake for 1-2 hours or until the cake stops singing – yes, it sings as it cooks!

• Cool. Pour over a little brandy if desired. Wrap in foil.

• To ice – turn over cake for smooth surface.

Place on board and spread a little marmalade on surface. Cut out star shapes using icing sugar if sticking. Place stars all over the top.

Intersperse with nut halves or dried fruits for effect.

Enjoy the compliments. And have a wonderful Christmas!

pic: SARAH NATHAN

BUZZ 37

food/drink

ETHICAL EDIBLES

Foods for Energy

STRETCH AND KNEAD We all know that a combination of good food and exercise are important for staying healthy, but why not do both at the same time? Jaydon Martin tries out the Stretch + Knead baking and yoga class.

AT 10am on a Saturday, the last thing you could ever imagine wanting to do is a combination of baking and yoga, but surprisingly within the first 10 minutes the Zen within me started to flow from my feet to my toes.

The brainchild of Empower Yoga and The One Mile Bakery, Stretch + Knead is a new concept in wellbeing classes and retreats. But don’t be put off if you’re not into the ‘holistic’ fad: Stretch + Knead is without doubt one of the least pretentious retreats I’ve ever been on. The only mantra that was chanted was “only do what you feel comfortable doing and what feels good”.

The day was made up of two bread-making sessions, where Elisabeth Mahoney took us through how to bake the perfect ‘yoga loaf’ and then how to plait and shape your dough. Before today, I didn’t realise how much effort goes into making a beautiful-tasting loaf; more importantly, I think I’m converted to the cause of spending a bit more for a quality loaf of bread because the comparison is unbelievable. We were able to taste some of Elisabeth’s homemade bread, absolutely

divine paired with the delicious homemade soup filled with an array of healthy super foods.

The two yoga sessions which broke up the baking, meanwhile, were led by Tracey Johnson: an earlier 90-minute session of dynamic and invigorating yoga, and finishing with an ultra-relaxing session in the afternoon. Tracey believes in not pushing yourself, which many yoga instructors are inclined to do, and making everyone feel loose and relaxed.

The day ended with a cocktail filled with roasted plums, vanilla sugar and – most importantly of all – gin. A perfect end to a relaxing day. Whether you are stretching into a yoga pose, or kneading bread dough to make a handmade loaf, here you feel relaxed and comfortable, a necessity amidst our fast-paced modern lifestyle.

Stretch + Knead (Festive Workshop), Cardiff Steiner School, Llandaff, Sat 13 Dec, 10am-4.30pm. Tickets: £125. Info: www.stretchandknead.wordpress.com

THE CARIBBEAN WAY

Bringing a bit of sunshine to the Bay this winter, The Caribbean Way aims to bring authentic Caribbean cuisine to Cardiff. The family-run establishment focuses on homemade and lovingly prepared dishes, recovered from old family recipes and memories of childhood dinners. Their specialities include the colourful goat curry, flavoursome jerk chicken and the old classic, rice and peas. The inside has been completely refurbished and feels relaxed, modern and fresh which is the perfect reflection of the food. This place captures the holiday atmosphere of the bay and is sure to brighten up any cold evening.

Info: www.facebook.com/thecaribbeanwaycardiff BUZZ 38

CHRISTMAS is round the corner and while we enjoy the season with all its demands, we need extra energy. Some foods have the ability to fight exhaustion. Certainly concentrating on these foods should give you an extra boost.

Porridge has been proven to lower blood sugar levels and is highly recommended for patients suffering with diabetes or hypoglycaemia. Its magical high fibre prevents mid-morning snacking, providing a readily available source of Vitamin B1 plus magnesium, and phosphorous – vital elements in the fight against fatigue. Use less refined jumbo oats or basic oatmeal.

For one large portion, try soaking 75g overnight in a large glass bowl in the fridge. In the morning, cook in the microwave for 5 minutes and serve. (A large bowl is necessary as the porridge rises while it cooks.)

Sources of Omega 3 – vital nutrients such as walnuts and almonds – contain essential fatty acids which provide energy and are a perfect reserve of slow-burning fuel. However, as they are high in calories, their consumption level has to be watched.

Omega 6 is found in oily fish and Omega 9 is found particularly in olive oil. Try to include at least two portions of oily fish per week, while vegetarians can substitute with flax oils – vital for good health.

Vegetarians know the value of including beans in their diets. They should be well-cooked – maybe opt for the smoother red lentils initially. Their byproducts of tofu and soya are a store of easily absorbable energy.

However to achieve their fullest potential, eat your vegetables combined with a vitamin C-rich food.

For example, drink a glass of orange juice at the same time, or enjoy a spinach and watercress salad with sliced grapefruit and sprinkled with pumpkin and linseeds drizzled with a little olive oil.

Finally bananas (the athlete’s favourite and a rich absorbable source of vitamin C, and potassium) combine perfectly with natural yoghurt and with its high ratio of protein to carbohydrate makes it a wonderful source of vitality. Recent research from Canada also suggests that the probiotics contained in yoghurt can ease symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome.

So eating the right foods can help to revitalise the system and restore the body’s energy, preparing you for enjoying your perfect Christmas.

pic: AUSSIEGAL

words RUTH JOSEPH www.ruthjoseph.co.uk www.veggischmooze.blogspot.com

food/drink

WAHACA

STREET FOOD CARDIFF

Weekend Pop-Up, The Depot, Dumballs Road, Cardiff, until Sat 20 Dec. www streetfoodcardiff.com Food: **** Atmosphere: ***** Ushered through some plastic flaps that looked like they would be more at home in a large meat freezer than Cardiff's newest foodie gem, what was soon revealed was a beautifully decorated space filled with fairy lights, quirky art installations and the best street food South Wales has to offer.

Hosted in a former tramshed, known as The Depot, Street Food Cardiff (SFC) is an independent collective of street food traders who come together on the weekends to celebrate and enjoy their tasty wares in a new and exciting space designed by Something Creatives. Once you overcome the initial feeling of awe when you walk in, you’re then faced with the nearimpossible decision of deciding what to eat. There are several vendors to choose from (and different ones each weekend), each of which looks and smells mouthwateringly delicious.

In a team of three, we devised an action plan. We’d split up, each buying from a different street food aficionado, and then we’d regroup to share our tasty choices. After a few laps to look at menus I eventually settled on some Mexican food, courtesy of El Salsa. I decided to go for a larger burrito (£6), a great staple, and was blown away by it. It was really well balanced, with soft and juicy beef and spice in just-right proportions.

My partner went for three pieces of Dirty Bird fried chicken (£7.50) and it was the most tender chicken any of us had ever tasted – we only wish we had bought more. My other guest headed to Dough Boys and picked out their spicy Mexicana (£7). The stone-baked artisan pizza had the ideal elements: a crisp base, subtly creamy mozzarella and a strong chilli kick.

The overall verdict was that the atmosphere was fantastic and all the food was great, so you can’t really go wrong at Street Food Cardiff. If you fancy catching them, they’ll be about every weekend until their last event on Sat 20 Dec. They won’t be gone for long, however, and you can keep track of where SFC will be popping up in the New Year by texting “streetfood CDF” and your email to 61211. HEATHER ARNOLD

The Hayes, St David's Dewi Sant, Cardiff.

Info: 029 2167 0414 / www.wahaca.co.uk Food: *** Atmosphere: *** I have been looking forward to the opening of Wahaca for months. Londonite friends have spoke fondly of this Mexican chain; this new branch is its first outside the big smoke, and I’ve felt for a while that Cardiff has been missing a really good Mexican restaurant.

Walking into its new premises, you’re met with bright colours, high ceiling and lots of people. Looking at the menus, there is plenty to choose from, as you can go for a dish of your own or opt for a number of small ‘street food’ options (think Mexican tapas). After chowing down on a starter of brilliantly balanced frijoles (a creamy black bean dip) and tortilla chips (£3.35) we decided to go for a bit of both. Starting with the street food we had the juicy, well-spiced, slow-cooked pork pibil taco (£4.10) and the seemingly out-of-place MSC herring tostadas (£4.20) which were somewhat mild. It was actually the more unassuming of these smaller dishes that came up top trumps – with the sweet and spicy sweet potato and feta wrap (£3.95) and the cheese toastie-esque huitlacoche (£3.95) being two of my favourite dishes.

For mains we decided to try a Mexican restaurant staple, a burrito. The British steak burrito (£6.95) is well priced but I felt that, perhaps in trying to pander to all tastes, they had veered into the realm of bland. There was nothing inherently wrong with it, but if Mexican food is anything it shouldn’t be unremarkable, and it should have at least had the option to add more spice.

We finished it off with sweet, crunchy plantain fritters (£4.50) and an unremarkable chocolate tres leches cake (£4.95). Both were served with brightly coloured plastic spoons that were annoyingly, impractically shallow. I have no idea what that was about. All in all, Wahaca is a nice meal out, but lacking the kick that Mexican food is famous for. HEATHER ARNOLD

BULLY’S RESTAURANT

5 Romilly Crescent, Pontcanna, Cardiff.

029 2022 1905 / www.bullysrestaurant.co.uk Food: ***** Atmosphere: ***** On the back of their recent acclaimed triumph, being named AA Restaurant Of The Year Wales 2014, Bully’s are celebrating a bit of a purple patch. With the accolades rolling in this independent family business is going from strength to strength.

Having been a big fan of their previous location in Llandaff, the Pontcanna incarnation has lost none of its renowned charm, quirky objet d'art interior or its unique French joie de vivre. Bully’s maintains an innate style, attention to fine dining and customer’s satisfaction. Hosting an enviable wine list and dishes that are created with aplomb, it’s understandable why they have been successful in their award.

We’ve visited Bully’s on several lunchtimes, but for the purposes of this review, one occasion – a menu du dejeuner, keenly priced at £35 for two including half a bottle of wine – was chosen. Soup of the day followed by beef bavette, beans and crushed potato with a peppercorn sauce, topped off by a cherry crème brulee, was the choice for me. Other choices on offer included confit salmon with sunblushed tomatoes, fresh anchovies and a caper dressing to start; for main, fillet of mackerel with courgette ribbons, saute potatoes and a salsa verde, plus the obligatory selection of French cheeses. For an incredible price, you are served the best French food available in the area.

Bully’s also offers a five-course tasting menu for £70 per person with matching wines. If you feel a bit daunted when selecting wines with your dishes, this would be a perfect option for you. Russell and Vicky are the perfect hosts and knowledgeable with it. ANTONIA LEVAY

BUZZ 39

art

IAN WATSON: SUMMER GRASS, WINTER WORM Oriel Mwldan, Cardigan Sat 6 Dec-Sat 24 Jan

In the short days and long nights which epitomise the British winter, the possibility of things hiding in the shadows and animals transforming into monsters, seems ever more likely. This dark and plausible nightmare is realised in Ian Watson’s new exhibition Summer Grass, Winter Worms.

After studying, living and working in Cardiff, Watson is now a regular on the Cardiff art scene.

Fresh from his residency at the hugely successful Cardiff Contemporary festival, he now plans to go alone in this fascinating and innovative installation. This collection is inspired by his youth, spent on hiking expeditions through the imposing forests of Sussex. In his days wandering alone in the wood, the high evergreens created a creeping blackness which continually threatened something unwholesome lurking in the trees and this unassuming terror of the natural is reflected in his latest works.

His pieces are infamous for contrasting the natural world and the decay that inevitably follows.

In his art he is able to capture this decay in an instant, solidifying the passing moment. The images combine mythical, supernatural and fantasy elements in a disturbing manner as the pictures are plagued with echoes of folklore and fairytales – taking the everyday and manipulating it to become jarring. Black and white feature heavily in his artwork and the use of sharp pen lines create a definitive nature to his work that makes the pictures even more striking. The textured lines allow the manmade objects to slip into organic material. The men’s trousers slip into the background and camouflage into the trees. The figures in the pictures assume natural poses as if they are unaware of the chaos erupting around them.

The most interesting aspect of the artwork is the uncanny quality to the pieces: although they are monsters, they still retain the essence of the human. The pieces act as funhouse mirrors reflecting the inner darkness that lies in the corners of our imaginations. The nightmare is so scary because it blurs the boundaries between fantasy and reality.

Admission: free. Info: 01239 621200 / www.mwldan.co.uk ELOUISE HOBBS

MAURICE MARINOT: A PASSION FOR GLASS

National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff Sat 20 Dec-Sun 7 June A unique exhibition from the 19th century glasswork pioneer Maurice Marinot arrives at National Museum Wales this month and, considering glassworks was not his first vocational choice. he certainly didn’t embarrass himself – becoming a master in his craft.

After studying at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris as a painter, he returned to his home town of Troyes and was introduced to the art form. Featuring distinctive colours and irregular shapes, he initially designed ornaments for his friends to make and added the enamel. Inspired by his artistic background (he was known to paint in the Fauvism style) he became enthralled with glassworks and honed his craft by exploring with the use of bubbles, metal leaf and coloured glass.

Marinot’s works were to contribute significantly to the development of glass as a medium for modern art, and his first exhibition in 1913 was hailed as beautiful and innovative. The artist’s intricate works were painstakingly created and he was known for spending up to a year perfecting one piece of glass.

Combining works from the collections of Amgueddfa Cymru, the Victoria & Albert Museum and New Walk Museum & Art Gallery – the 44 pieces of glass will be reunited for the first time since they left the Marinot family during the 1960s and 1970s.

Admission: free. Info: 029 2057 3000 / www.museumwales.ac.uk (RH) BUZZ 40

MARION CHEUNG: LOST CONNECTIONS

The Riverfront, Newport Sat 10-Sat 31 Jan Technology is inescapable in our everyday lives; a lounge never dark due to the television glare, a bedroom never silent due to the hum of a laptop, a mind never calm in the anticipation of the next email.

This anxiety of the machines invading our private lives and space is expressed in Marion Cheung’s new exhibition Lost Connections.

Cheung’s first solo exhibition features intimate family scenes invaded by the terrifying ‘other’ of the technological age. She uses both traditional and digital techniques to create large paintings that show children, who are captured by the digital world and oblivious to the physical world that surrounds them. Cheung uses her own children as the subjects of her painting, but it seems they are only used to help her express her wider social message.

The internal scenes are marred with a chilly palette of blue and the presence of the harsh fluorescent light, being emitted from the devices onto the lifeless figures, gives the painting a sense of the machine’s corrupting nature. The interior setting contrasts with dark forests and e-waste dumps which lie just outside the window and focus attention not only on the psychological damage of the digital age but also ecological effect.

Admission: free. Info: 01633 656757 / www.newport.gov.uk/riverfront (EH)

ANDY SINGLETON: ICE STORM

Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay Until Sun 18 Jan Waking up on a winter’s morning to discover a crisp layer of snow covering the streets and rooftops is a magical moment.

Until you go outside and discover it is freezing and the once beautiful snow is transformed into dirty, wet sludge. Well, now you can experience the moment of fresh snowfall without your coat and woolly hat, with Andy Singleton’s Ice Storm exhibition.

The exhibition will transform all the public areas of the Wales Millennium Centre into atmospheric winter scenes, with icicles and mountains allowing the cold ice storm in. The main focus of the exhibition will be three large-scale installations; they will be three-dimensional, allowing you to view what the creation looks like from all angles and move within the scene. They will be accompanied by many smaller pieces that will work together to create the illusion of a winter wonderland.

Interestingly, the whole exhibition will be made out of paper. Andy Singleton has manipulated this common article, disposable in our everyday lives, and allowed it to become art. Through mimicking the movement of the winter, the paper seems to take on a life of its own.

As it moves in the draft from the front door and wrinkles with the moisture in the air, this exhibition seems to come alive before your very eyes.

Admission: free. Info: 029 2063 6464 / www.wmc.org.uk (EH)

JULIAN EVAN: DYLAN THOMAS’ THE HUNCHBACK’S WORLD

Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay Mon 5-Sun 11 Jan Dylan Thomas’ short and little known poem about loneliness, indifference and the cruelty of the young is the subject for Julian Evans photography exhibition.

Based on a park near to where Dylan Thomas grew up, of which he said “We knew every regular visitor, every nursemaid, every gardener, every old man…” the poem evokes magnificently the vastness of the small neighbourhood world every child experiences. The lines “Made the tigers jump out of their eyes / To roar on the rockery stones / And the groves were blue with sailors” evoking the sense of wild childhood imaginations imposed on ordinary places.

Using a limited palette of browns and aquamarine, Evans tries to get to the heart of the poem, although the claim to be bringing it to life ’for the first time’ is a bit dubious, given the excellent BBC animation of the poem, voiced by Dylan obsessive Michael Sheen.

The exhibition takes place in the wonderful Norwegian Church; the little wooden church has developed a track record and commitment to photographic exhibitions, dedicating a compact but well designed space from which you can look down onto coffee slurpers and cake munchers enjoying the history of this unique little place. It should be a distinctive combination and well worth the trip. Admission: free. Info: www. norwegianchurchcardiff.co.uk (JB)

Buzz TV is currently seeking an engaging presenter / journalist for an upcoming documentary series.

Are you between the ages of 20 & 30 Will you put yourself into situations where you need to engage with a variety of personalities Can You provoke and uncover information that will further a story Do You have an interest in the arts, culture and current affairs If you think you are a suitable candidate please reply with a paragraph about yourself and/or send a short MP4 video and CV to: info@buzzmag.co.uk

stage

I’LL BE THERE, NOW...

Park Cons Club, Cardiff, Tues 9 + Wed 10 Dec; Redhouse Cymru, Merthyr Tydfil, Thurs 11 + Fri 12 Dec; Volcano Theatre, Swansea, Sat 13 Dec After ten years of living in places as glamorous as L.A and Barbados, Fiona returns to her village in the Welsh Valleys.

This is the simple premise behind I’ll Be There, Now.... Written and performed by Susan Kingman, I’ll Be There, Now... is a semi-autobiographical one-woman show exploring our relationship with the place we call ‘home’. Drawing on real-life interviews and combining live theatre with film installations, the performance chronicles a young woman’s attempt to escape from her unremarkable life in the valleys towards the glitz and glamour of the wider world.

Originally written and performed as a monologue for an audition for National Theatre Wales’ site specific Easter production The Passion, Kingman was encouraged by Michael Sheen to develop the piece, and she managed to do so after being awarded a grant from the Arts Council Of Wales.

With the help of original music and film installations by Jonathan Dunn, dramaturgy by Daniel McGowan and director Elise Davidson, Susan Kingman probes at the choices we make in search of happiness and considers where we might actually find the happiness we so crave. Anybody familiar with the desire to trade the frustration and boredom of small town life for somewhere that is bigger and ‘better’ is sure to identify with this one.

Tickets: £8/£5. Info: www.chapter.org / www.redhousecymru.com (HD) BUZZ 42

BLOOD ON THE SNOW NoFit State, Four Elms, Cardiff Fri 19-Tue 23 Dec Step off the cold streets of Cardiff through the heavy wooden doors and find yourself transported into a land of wonder and mystery. A specially created Narnia-esque forest realises the magic and the dark of winter to bring you a unique, interactive fantasy experience.

Following her extremely successful A Curious Zoo two years ago, where she turned her own home into a captivating Christmas wonderland, Caroline Sabine returns this year with her interpretation of Benjamin Britten’s choral ensemble A Ceremony Of Carols.

Blood On The Snow, Caroline’s latest venture, is set to be performed in NoFit State Circus’ Four Elms building – a location steeped in history that will create the perfect atmosphere for her Christmas tale. The building was once home to school rooms, but the children have long deserted the building and for years it lay derelict, with only the echoes of laughter filling the drafty corridors. The church interior has been given new life as it is filled with performers who welcome the audience and the cold in for the evening.

Inside, a snow-covered forest transports the audience north as the effects of an unrelenting blizzard seem to have settled in this small corner of Cardiff. The promenade performance invites you to follow the actors on a guided tour where they can discover something new around every corner. The talented performers dance, fly, sing and maybe throw a snowball or two.

Taking place in late December – at time when everyone is distracted by the perils of winter and ignorant of the spring – the surprising beauty of the pine scented forest reminds the audience of the living organic world hidden beneath the snow, and is a fitting backdrop to the adventures of laughter and love within the play. The immersive theatre environment disregards the troubles of the day, allowing the audience to escape to the safe haven of the midwinter’s dream. Tickets: £8-£12. Info: www.nofitstate.org ELOUISE HOBBS

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

New Theatre, Cardiff Mon 26-Sat 31 Jan One of the world’s best known and popular Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals, Jesus Christ Superstar, is arriving in Cardiff’s New Theatre at the end of January. This is one show that can definitely be considered a classic, and not just because of its effortless longevity and the genius talent behind its inception.

Back in 1971, Jesus Christ Superstar stunned and provoked and consequently changed the landscape of theatre for decades to come: its ripples can still be felt. When there’s the added talent of Tim Rice behind the scenes, it’s easy to understand why. It’s a spectacular affair, filled to the brim with powerful songs and heart-wrenching moments. Highlights include Everything’s Alright, I Don’t Know How To Love Him and of course the titular Superstar.

The show follows the final seven days of Jesus’ life, all told through some truly intense theatricality. This new version has been put together by the renowned West End producer Bill Kenwright (Blood Brothers, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat) and his multitalented creative team. Together, they bring Jesus Christ Superstar crashing headlong into the 21st century, so that it may never be forgotten.

Tickets: £14-£45. Info: www. newtheatrecardiff.co.uk (MB)

THE LION KING

Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay Until Sun 11 Jan The Lion King has recently become the highest grossing musical of all time, stealing the crown from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom Of The Opera. That certainly isn’t an easy feat to achieve, so you could definitely say that The Lion King is a show, nay phenomenon, worth catching! There are still a few single seats left, but you need to be quick!

As with the Disney film of the same name, the stage show is set against the backdrop of the Serengeti Plains of Africa with beautifully evocative colours and musicality to boot. If you’re one of the few who haven’t seen the film, the story follows lion cub Simba as he grows into the King of the Pridelands. His journey is by no means easy, as he battles his villainous uncle and his many dastardly yet incapable hyena minions.

It’s still selling out at London’s Lyceum Theatre and has been seen by over 70 million people worldwide. If you do manage to grab a ticket, you’ll clearly see why this is the case. The eye-popping effects and enchanting music will transport you to a fantasy (yet totally real) world, to the extent that it’ll make every other musical seem inferior.

Tickets: £15.50-£80. Info: 029 2063 6464 / www.wmc.org.uk (MB)

ARABIAN NIGHTS

Sherman Theatre, Cardiff Fri 5-Wed 31 Dec Based on a compilation of ancient Middle Eastern folklore, the mythical tales of Arabian Nights are framed through the narrative of a King who is set on a path of vengeance against all women after learning of his wife’s infidelity. In order not to give another the chance of dishonouring him, as did his wife, the bitter King begins marrying a string of virgins and ordering their execution the very next morning.

Shahrazad is an imaginative young girl that enthralls her sister with her enchanting tales. She offers herself up as the next bride with the reluctant acceptance of her father, and in doing so begins a quest to change the King’s ways through her magical tales of Ali-Baba, Es-Sindibad the Sailor and Princess Parizade. But will the stories she tells be enough to save her life? You can expect to encounter enchanted caves, crafty thieves and secret sorceresses, as well as handsome heroes and beautiful princesses on your journey through a young girl’s imagination, and into the Arabian Nights.

Written by Dominic Cooke, directed by Rachel O’Riordan, and starring a company of actor-musicians, this contemporary production of a classic and much-loved stories deriving from Middle Eastern folklore promises to be beautiful and musical, and hotter than most other Christmas shows.

Tickets: £7.50-£25. Info: 029 2064 6900 / www.shermancymru.co.uk (HD)

clubs

DELUSION CHRISTMAS PARTY

Escape, Swansea Sat 20 Dec It has been a year of many highlights for Delusion organisers Jonny and Ben, including hosting their own festival arena and a fifth birthday in two parts. They intend to round it off in style tonight with a festive trance and progressive party featuring Simon Patterson, Ben Nicky and plenty more.

“Simon is definitely the man for the job,” says Jonny. “He is on fire at the moment and so in demand. When he played for us last year we had a sell-out show and we hope that this one will be the same. As ever it’s also great to have Ben Nicky back, as he was one of the first headliners we booked for Delusion five years ago, and has remained a firm favourite for us, especially now his Headf**k brand is exploding and he is playing all over the world.”

Completing the line-up are residents and local talent including Will Rees, Jonny Griffiths, Rhys Thomas, Callan Christie and Nic Lawson for what should be the pre-Chrimbo night to head for in Swansea.

“It’s a rocking lineup,” explains Jonny, “surrounded by the most up-for-it clubbers in the UK, backed with a wicked sound system, epic arena style production and a whole value for money clubbing experience. This is the perfect way for us to close 2014.”

Tickets: £15/£10. Info: 07817 234889 (RH)

BUZZ 44

BUMP & GRIND Buffalo, Cardiff Every Monday If you’re going to put on a theme night dedicated to a certain decade, you need to do it shamelessly and with vigour. Such is the ethos behind Bump & Grind, which in just two years has grown from a weekly Cardiff get-together to an essential night now also functioning in Bath, Swansea, Oxford and Liverpool.

“Near enough every Monday we’re at capacity by midnight,” explains promoter Rob. “Our recent move to Buffalo means we now have a little more room to play with, as well as a designated smoking area so we’re not spilling out onto the streets. When we launched in 2012, we were a straight up 90s/00s hiphop and r’n’b night, but since then we’ve started to include some more modern tracks along with a bit of bashment to keep it fresh. Plus, there’s just so much good music coming out at the moment, sticking with 90s/00s became way too hard. I’d say we’re definitely slightly swayed towards r’n’b though, anything that’ll keep hands in the air, people singing and the dancefloor moving.”

The event title is, of course, a nod to R. Kelly’s classic, which is the epitome of the era and sound to which the punters pledge their allegiance.

“We usually end the night on that song,” says Rob. “Watching a room full of people just start wailing out the intro is awesome every time. We’ve had people burst into choreographed dance routines, taking over the whole floor while being cheered on by everyone else in the room. We’ve had rap battles outside, and there were a bunch of people swing dancing one week, which was pretty nuts.”

The crew plan to celebrate Christmas with not one but two festive parties – on Mondays 15 and 22 Dec – when folk can expect some glitter with their grind.

“The night generates a positive vibe,” says Rob. “It sounds cliché, but in a place that small you don’t have much of a choice but to get to know the person stood next to you! Everyone’s just there to dance, and who can be angry when shaking it to Beyonce?”

Admission: £4/£3 before 11.30. Info: holla@bmpandgrnd.com RYAN HEEGER

MC MONO

Powercore @ Undertone, Cardiff Fri 16 Jan The Powercore hardcore parties are a truly collaborative effort, with many names and friends on the line-up. For this event there is the added bonus of birthday celebrations for three of those names, making it a good night to kick any January blues into touch. The Demo Sessions crew are front and centre, a mix of DJs and MCs, one of whom is Southampton’s Mitch Scanlon, known for this page’s purposes as MC Mono.

“Powercore has impressed me so much recently,” says Mono, “more so than any other small or established nights.

As well as showcasing loads of the best up and coming talent in the UK we are often treated to some wicked headliners.

The place is constantly rocking. There is nothing better for me than seeing ravers on the dance floor who are fully passionate about the music and scene, not just looking for a night out.”

After impressing the promoters with his set with Gammer at the last event, Mono was asked to take up residency.

“Hardcore is the only music that will put an instant smile on my face,” explains Mono. “I think you need to love the music as well to understand why. It’s not just the music though, it’s the all-round family feel of the scene. I’m massively looking forward to being involved in future Powercore events.”

Tickets: £10/£5 early bird. Info: 029 2022 8883 (RH)

SANTE & SIDNEY CHARLES

Memorex Meets Avotre @ Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff Fri 5 Dec Enjoy a double bang for your buck at Memorex this month, as they welcome two of Avotre’s star attractions. The label is known for its open policy on genres, rather than being of the standard tech-house fayre, with Sante being the man responsible for setting the label up in 2012.

“Current, my debut album, is out now,” says Sante. “As is VAAV, a three-track compilation strictly for the dancefloors and the DJs! A Sidney Charles’ mix compilation is also coming in January, with great artists like Hot Since 82, Patrick Topping, Pan-Pot and Darius Syrossian onboard as remixers. Avotre also gives opportunities to newcomers, who are always welcome to join the family. I’ve never been to Memorex so I’m looking forward to my first visit.”

The Memorex crew have scaled back somewhat on events this year, with a focus on fresh projects, but they still found time to take their vibe up to Spektrum at Sankeys for Tribal Sessions. With less being more, promoter Scott Kerr is chuffed to welcome Sante and Sidney to one of their end of the year parties.

“These pair are certainly two men of the moment,” says Scott, “and that shows in their production, and long back-to-back sets.

Their energy and sound when playing live is electric, so Memorex is 100% in for a treat.”

Tickets: £15. Info: 029 2023 2199 (RH)

ROMARE

Blue Honey @ Gwdihw, Cardiff Sat 13 Dec Exciting times for Blue Honey, promoters of this intriguing-looking night. No longer merely one of several Gwdihw promoters moving restless feet on an approximately monthly basis, they’ve also just opened up their own shop, also called Blue Honey, in Cardiff’s High Street Arcade. Based around clothes and music – “classic brands” and “stacks of vinyl” to be more specific – the store seems to be aiming to reflect the same ethos that holds true in their club nights, with a thoughtful, curatorial approach to disco, funk, house and more.

Archie Fairhurst, a UK DJ and producer making his debut in these parts under his Romare pseudonym, seems to be a perfect fit to headline. Named in tribute to Romare Bearden, an artist whose skin tone would have passed as white to the casual observer but whose work celebrated his African-American heritage, Fairhurst has channelled a deep, studious appreciation of black music into his releases to date.

His 2012 debut EP, on the often good Black Acre label, was titled Meditations On Afrocentricism – he’s certainly not backward in being forward about this – and threw in elements of everything from blues to jazz-house to Chicago juke. Since then he’s signed to Ninja Tune, and has a brand new 12”, the sprightly 90s-styled house of Roots. His DJ sets are reputedly eclectic and crate-digging, which local support DJs including Veto and Owain Hepple should also uphold.

Tickets: £5. Info: 029 2039 7933 (NG)

live

SAVE YOUR BREATH

Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff Fri 30 Jan You may have already heard that after eight years together, Save Your Breath are breaking up. What a shame. This Newport pop-punk band have made a name for themselves playing with bands including Funeral For A Friend and New Found Glory, gathering fans from all over Europe and the States. Despite drawing influence from the likes of Green Day and others, these Welsh lads have always stood out from the crowd with their upbeat, inspirational lyrics. Quite the opposite of the teenage heartbroken emo bands we had been used to.

Now these boys are definitely the type to go out with a bang, probably a pretty big one too. Not only will we be left with some meaty tunes to reminisce about, as a result of their last album There Used To Be A Place For Us, released last year (I guess we should have seen it coming, huh?), they’re also doing a farewell tour in January.

Not all of us like goodbyes, but if you want to have one last chance to witness SYB’s irrepressible energy, their last ever show will take place in the region. The finale of their January tour will see Clwb Ifor Bach turn into a Friday night, first-paydayof-2015 sweaty extravaganza. Tickets are already going super fast for what is sure to be a night to remember.

Admission: £10/£7 adv. Info: 029 2023 2199 (LMC)

BUZZ 46

FIRST AID KIT St David’s Hall, Cardiff Thurs 15 Jan First Aid Kit are Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg. Johanna is the eldest at 24 years old; Klara will be 22 in January. Looking at those ages, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this is a brand new act with lofty aspirations to be successful one day. The fact that six months ago these talented siblings released their third album is frankly astounding. Their sound is a challenge to pin down or pigeonhole also, mixing folk and Americana with pop sensibility that appeals to purists, chart music fans and everybody in between. Their obvious chemistry comes into play throughout all of their songs, with beautiful harmonies turning good songs into great ones, and the sisters' ages bring a freshness and natural naivety to the music that really connects and feels... well, natural.

The rise of First Aid Kit started in 2008 when a Fleet Foxes cover they recorded went viral. They had already made a name for themselves in their native Sweden, but now the world was sitting up and taking notice. Quite a thing when you realise that Klara would have been just 15 at the time. They released their first LP, The Big Black & The Blue, in 2010 and followed it up with a tour which covered the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and some European festivals. You can feel that experience when you listen to second album, The Lion's Roar: a huge step up from its predecessor and an indication that the duo were here for the long haul.

It was, however, in June 2014 that things really took off here in the UK. Third LP Stay Gold came out to rave reviews and finally radio stations started to get on board (late as usual). First Aid Kit recently appeared on Later… With Jools Holland and nailed their performance, and they have announced a full UK tour for January. If you're a fan of beautiful, soaring melodies complete with tight harmonies and youthful, carefree abandon, you need to be present and correct on Thurs 15 to witness this pair doing what they do best. Tickets: £20. Info: 029 2087 8444 IAN ROGERS

GRUFF RHYS / MARTIN CARR

Sherman Cymru, Cardiff Thurs 18-Sat 20 Dec Songwriter, musician, documentary maker, author and sometime Super Furry Animal, Gruff Rhys is a busy man these days, and 2014 has seen a bumper crop for fans.

There’s been a critically acclaimed album, a well-received book, a mobile app and an award-winning documentary film all released as part of the American Interior project, in which Rhys travelled across America in the footsteps of his distant ancestor John Evans, who left Wales in 1792 to search for a mythical tribe of Welsh-speaking Native Americans.

American Interior, the album, was everything we’ve come to expect from Rhys these days: excellent songwriting and innovative production combined to create grown-up pop. Rhys’ solo work, likewise his time fronting Super Furry Animals, has left him with few rivals in contemporary songwriting.

His solo shows over the last year have been lauded by critics, and with these Cardiff dates rounding out a very successful year and being a homecoming of sorts there’s every reason to think we’re in for a real treat.

As with Rhys, support act Martin Carr was part of one of the most interesting bands to come out of the Britpop era, the Boo Radleys. His solo albums have flirted with electronica, but never strayed far from the melody-strong neo-psychedelia in which the Boo Radleys specialised.

Tickets: £20. Info: 029 2064 6900 (DG)

THE WHO

Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff Mon 15 Dec Five decades into a tumultuous, incidentpacked career, The Who remain ubiquitous n the musical landscape: non-fans of the band, for example, might recognise their music thanks to the popular CSI franchise, which used their hits for all of its shows’ opening credits.

If you are a dyed-in-the-wool Who fan, though, this tour is not to be missed. After 50 years of The Who, Roger Daltrey has described this series of shows as “the beginning of the long goodbye” and it’s been confirmed that this will be their final tour.

From their teenaged beginnings in 1964 The Who were part of the original mod movement and have become an important part of the development of youth culture.

Back in their prime The Who were known for their onstage “auto destructive art”, destroying guitars and drum sets for the entertainment of punters, but I’m not sure if this is to be expected from their farewell tour: they are, in fairness, no spring chickens these days.

Promising to take the audience on an “amazing journey” through their entire career, Who guitarist Pete Townshend has described this show as incorporating all the “hits, picks, mixes and misses”.

Granted only two of the original line up are still alive; nonetheless, this is one of those gigs you'll want to tell your grandchildren you were at.

Tickets: from £60. Info: 029 2022 4488 (DC)

DUB WAR

The Bassment, Newport Sat 27 Dec In an era where band reunions are so commonplace, it feels like the group which stays apart is the greater rarity, you might think that every reformation is cynical and meticulously planned. This one honestly doesn’t seem to be. Case in point: Benji Webbe, evergreen frontman of Newport hybrid metal favourites Dub War, writing, “Never thought I’d see these again,” underneath a Facebook photo of a batch of tickets for their first live performance since 1997.

Webbe has since found sustained success as vocalist of Skindred, who released their fifth album earlier this year. Their late-90s birth, initially featuring two other Dub War members, came directly from the breakup of that band, who formed in 1993 and released a mini-LP before signing to kingmaking metal imprint Earache. Debut album Pain (1994) recalled everything from Faith No More to Jamaican dancehall, The Clash and I Against I-era Bad Brains, and moved healthy units. Wrong Side Of Beautiful (1996) stiffed by comparison, though, and when Earache declined a third album, Dub War dissolved.

While Skindred have retained Webbe’s fierce, ragga-styled vocals and made it a commercial trademark of sorts, for south Wales rockers of a certain age Dub War will always be the real deal. No word yet if you’ll have another chance to see them again.

Tickets: £12.50. Info: leewilliams72@ hotmail.com (NG)

reviews albums ATTILA ***

Guilty Pleasure (Razor And Tie) There’s no denying that this album, the sixth from this band of metalcore mavericks, packs a punch. The persistent growls and ferocious guitar riffs make listening to this record a particularly intrusive experience, something the band aims for without question.

At times, it’s quite an arduous affair: unless you’re willing to get on board from the start, there’s a fair chance the album’s intensity will prove too much to handle. Still, there’s enough quality here to make it worth a listen. GT

BEANS ON TOAST * The Grand Scheme Of Things (Xtra Mile) Beans On Toast is the annoying guy at a festival in a wacky hat, singing trite songs about trite things in a generic southern English accent.

One of the most irritating moments on this album is when he bemoans the amount of chickens eaten in British society, then admits eating chicken himself. He should be locked in a cage, pumped with steroids and have his eyes pecked by birds until he lays an egg. If you love morons who simplify every issue, this album is for you. GM

CEFFYLAU LLIWGAR *** Fukushima (Pesda Roc) Ceffylau Lliwgar may have only been around for two years, but their debut album is the sound of six Welsh blokes having a blast, for the most part in their native tongue. They lean towards post-punk, with some pogo-inducing on the likes of Can Moses and Bugeiliaid Newydd. However there are also some mellow moments, courtesy of tracks including Pwllderi and Nos Fawr Ddu. Dad rock it may be, but when done as well as this folk need to get involved. RH

THE CZARS ***** Best Of (Bella Union)

GAMES

As someone who couldn't give a fig about John Grant’s back passage until Pale Green Ghosts, I was as underwhelmed by the prospect of a Czars best of as many were in the band's pomp, but boy the joke’s on me. In this chronological suite of diamonds in the rough you can feel the quintet twist the torch song through every lush permutation of country, jazz and indie, while Grant's rich baritone evolves. The jawdropping Goodbye and My Love made me ashamed to miss out for a decade. CS

BUZZ 48

FALTYDL **** ///|\||\\\\ (Ninja Tune) The new, mysteriously titled EP from New Yorkbased FaltyDL features some remixes by some major names on the electronic music scene, plus some by the man himself. Sitting comfortably between the bedroom beats of Clams Casino and the untraceable ethereal sounds of Oneohtrix Point Never or Tim Hecker, it needs to be listened to in one sitting. The off-kilter percussion and bass wobbles of Do Me stand out as being more danceable, but there’s still plenty of space for strange sounds bubbling under the surface. GM

GRAVENHURST **** Flashlight Seasons / Black Holes In The Sand (Warp) Warp Records have reissued the first two Gravenhurst albums, alongside an album of outtakes and demos from the sessions, to mark the 10th anniversary of their original release.

The plaintive acoustic folk and enigmatic lyrics inhabit a crepuscular universe just two steps to the left of ours. None of the songs here leap out of the shadows, but repeated listens lead to a dawning sensation of time being out of joint.

Unsettling and beautiful in equal measure. DG

HAYSEED DIXIE **** Hair Down To My Grass (Hayseed) If bluegrass covers of hard rock classics – a unique, self-invented genre known as ‘rockgrass’ – sounds like your bag, then you’ll do well to pick up the latest Hayseed Dixie album. With the sole focus on 70s and 80s stadium rock belters, Dixie’s latest offering contains more party anthems than you can shake a banjo at. The mesmerising musicianship, combined with a relentless energy, creates an album that you won’t be able to tear your ears away from. GT

JO BARTLETT *** 9 By 7 (Strike Back) Accomplished modern folk musician Jo Bartlett (formerly of The Yellow Moon Band) shares with us airy melodies, warm acoustic ambience and a tinge of the electric for her first solo album.

With a smooth, whispery vocal she cultivates a rosy, upbeat atmosphere with delicately poignant undertones. The music is pleasantly orchestrated except for the addition of synths and other electronic textures that feel jarring and intrusive, but on the whole this is an absorbing listen. CPI

KÖLSCH **** Balance 26 (Balance Music) The Balance series has proven to be consistently good, even with the reduction from two-disc mixes down to one which pushes DJs to show their versatility beyond the usual mellower/faster techno mix

CLASH OF GANGS ** IGG.COM A confusing game, Clash Of Gangs could be great but it assumes you already know how to play it. It’s a nice-looking app, where you build up your gang and eventually get involved in some showdowns, and it could have potentially captured me if I hadn’t felt so lost but I was dropped into the game with very little instruction. free, Android

formula. Kölsch compiles some of his “favourite records of all time” alongside some of his own output, including Punchbuggy which has been produced exclusively for this. Other highlights include opener Galaxy 2 Galaxy’s Journey Of The Dragons and surprising appearances from Radiohead and Coldplay. RH

LIAM HAYES **** Slurrup (Fat Possum) Popcentric Hayes picks up the pace on his fourth album with a half-hour rush of near-perfect hipster powerpop.

Fuzzbass, straight ahead drums and Hayes’ David Essex quaver set a vibe that teeters between psychedelia and glamrock in a slush-puppy brainfreeze sugar rush. Though anyone who condenses the standout track One Way Out to 1 mins 44 seconds and dedicates three minutes of funhouse noises on Channel 44 and 30 seconds of slurping to finish is either demonstrating loveable eccentricity or grounds for divorce. CS

MICAH P. HINSON **** ...And The Gospel Of Progress (Talitres) This is the time of year when record shops are bulging with reissues of remastered, reissued, repackaged Best Of extravaganzas for the Xmas market. Now, here is something that really does matter: Micah P. Hinson’s 2004 debut album And The Gospel Of Progress is back on the racks.

Hinson’s debut lies somewhere between Nick Cave’s The Boatman’s Call and Josh T. Pearson’s The Last Of The Country Gentlemen; possessing that same dark and intense heartbroken beauty.

DN

THE PARADISE BANGKOK MOLAM INTERNATIONAL BAND *** 21st Century Molam (Paradise Bangkok) 21st Century Molam is an interesting fusion of traditional Thai Molam music and modern genres and for the most part, it works. At times, the album is surprisingly eclectic, adopting an array of rhythm sections from genres such as reggae, rock, and tribal. However, each track felt like the bare bones of something more, unfortunately leaving no stand-out songs to hear.

The best aspect of the album is the excellent rhythm section, which truly adds the energy into every track but not the life they needed. LB

THE RETROSPECTIVE SOUNDTRACK PLAYERS *** It’s A Wonderful Christmas Carol (Xtra Mile) As you may be able to gather from the title, TRSP have decided to go all festive on us for their third outing. It could be seen as something of a concept album, with the songs featured all based on the works of Messrs Dickens and Capra. It’s an interesting one for sure, and labelmates Chris T-T and Frank Turner pop up to play their parts admirably. Part folk, part pop and well worth a listen any time of year. BG

CIRCLE *** Ketchapp Though it looks like a stylish version of those gadgets where you run a loop through a course, without touching anything for fear of a buzzer, Circle plays more like Flappy Bird as you tap your way through the course. It’s a pretty game, and pretty fun if you like trying to beat your own record. Be prepared for lots of ads though. free, iOS + Android

SWAMP DOGG ***** The White Man Made Me Do It (Alive Naturalsound) Although this guy has produced and written songs for soul stalwarts such as The Commodores and Solomon Burke, as well as many others, it is his own albums that have acquired something of a cult status. Swamp Dogg, aka Jerry Williams, is to Southern soul what John Lydon is to rock. The White Man Made Me Do It is a rich stew of conscious lyrics and hard funk that is best played very loud. In all, a totally uplifting listen. DN

TARAF DE HAÏDOUKS **** Of Lovers, Gamblers And Parachute Skirts (Crammed Discs) Sad but true, thanks to Eurocentricism and capitalism and all that jazz, that there will never be the opportunity for quote-unquote ethnic musicians to score industry backing in the numbers they deserve.

Taraf De Haïdouks, a many-membered Gypsy ensemble from rural Romania, lucked out with a Crammed Discs contract over 20 years ago; this is their seventh studio album for the label.

It’s frantic, romantic, danceable, peppered with accordion and violin, sometimes dancing into French and Irish folk tropes. I won’t pretend to know if they’re the best Romanian Gypsy combo going, but I know this is flooring me. NG

VARIOUS **** Certified Connections (Keysound) The Keysound label’s attempts to appeal to British dance music’s history while moving things forward – likewise its taste for a wordy essay and the indescribable joy of a booming soundsystem – is ambitious, and admirable.

Certified Connections showcases its current roster, most of whom have emerged in the last two years – Logos and Keysound bosses Dusk + Blackdown the exceptions. It plays like a condensed club night, starting as a dark, slow rumble before the instrumental grime of Wen and Joker-style sparkle of Murlo appear. NG

VINNA BEE ** Eldorado Omega EP (Clearwing) This contemporary folk and electronica mishmash has some promise as an EP. However, most traces of potential are regrettably obscured by amateurish production and some poorly arranged material.

Certain songs gleam through the mist, namely Wounded Dear with its Americana folk sentimentality, but tiresome and predictable pop drones such as Goodbye To The Isles should really have been scrapped or rewritten. Searing remarks aside, there is a talent here; it’s just not been fully harnessed on this record. CPI

FINGER SNOWBOARD 3D * Teen World Did you ever have one of those tiny finger-operated skateboard toys as a kid? I did, and I remember setting up all these elaborate course for it, only to realise I couldn’t control the damn thing. That feeling returned when trying the digital snowboard version. The controls are terrible (I ended up going every way apart from the one I wanted) and there were no instructions whatsoever. free, Android

singles ADAM BEYER ****

You’re The Same EP (Truesoul) Three tracks of techno from the owner of Drumcode, Truesoul and more begins with The Nature Of Keys which is bare bones, almost minimal tech-house. Valium & LFO’s increases the tempo and is more driving and bass-laden, while You’re The Same brings the funk and sinister vocal. RH

SERA *** Collide EP (self-released) Fresh from the huge acclaim garnered from the Dream Catcher LP, Sera has sandwiched in this nu-folk EP prior to releasing the next album in spring 2015. Featuring more guitar-based songs than previous efforts, we’re treated to songs (in English and Welsh) of love and loss. Warms the cockles. BG

TAFFIA **** Curry In A Hurry (self-released)

Simon Green brings us more billowy synths, chopped-up samples and funky basslines with this release. The music has subtle impact, with focus on the gradual buildup and manipulation of cleverly arranged layers of sound as opposed to clear cut melodies and if that’s your bag, you’ll love it. CPI

The Taffia collective present a track written for the Welsh and British Curry Awards. Jah Scouse is joined by Bobby Singh and members of Young Marble Giants and Ludus for what is a suitably catchy piece of indie-punk. Let’s hope it goes on to find a wider audience. RH

BOYRACER ****

THE UNTHANKS ***

BONOBO *** Flashlight (Ninja Tune)

Pete Shelley EP HULABOY *** He’s Making Violent Love To Me, Mother THE SAFE DISTANCE *** Songs EP (all Emotional Response) Stewart Anderson, a Yorkshireman relocated to the US, has spent some 20 years penning literally a thousand songs of cheap, punky, sardonic, melodic indiepop clatter. This new label is mainly for bands with him in, like these three. Boyracer do typical biz with four songs of joy, anger and yearning, The Kind Of Man You Really Are standing out. Hulaboy – one of Boyracer, one of Hula Hoop – are slightly more hi-fi, moving inexorably from C86 to The Who. The Safe Distance also feature someone from A Witness, and serve quirky jerkiness that might have sprung from that eccentric postpunk scene. NG

BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT & THE PINK SINGERS ***** Everything I Ever Wanted (Self Raising) Welsh synthpop crooner Bright Light Bright Light has teamed up with the Pink Singers – London's LGBT community choir – for World Aids Day and recorded the beautiful Everything I Ever Wanted. This new version has so much more depth than the original. The Light is on and this could become quite an anthem. LN

LUBOMYR MELNYK **** Evertina EP (Erased Tapes) Afforded the chance to praise 24 minutes of classical solo piano, it turned out that CanadianUkrainian composer Melnyk offered the perfect soundtrack to contemplating December’s bleak record release schedules. Known for inventing the ‘continuous music’ technique, which enables him to play at remarkable speed, these three pieces were recorded on an upright piano, and are more bright and mellifluous. NG

METRONOMY *** I'm Aquarius / Love Letters – Remixes (Fayer) Edu Imbernon’s remix is an improvement over the original. This retains the galactic moodiness of the track, but the synth/drum machine space vibe make it funkier and more danceable. New Order orbiting Kraftwerk. Agoria’s re-working of Love Letters bears no resemblance to Metronomy’s tune that has a catchy chorus, piano and trumpet. Nothing special, repetitive, done before. RLR

Mount The Air (RabbleRouser) Mount The Air is a pretty folk song with elements of jazz and beautiful instrumentation but doesn’t quite transcend their previous releases.

The song quickly becomes repetitive, lacking a strong vocal melody or memorable lyrics to keep it afloat; the cinematic instrumentation is the highlight of an otherwise bland affair. LB

demos ART BANDINI

soundcloud.com/artbandinisongs The songwriting brainchild of one man, Rhys Llwyd, Art Bandini is fleshed out on this EP by a backing band featuring Candelas and Breichiau Hir members, plus the production nous of Curig Huws. As you might expect, these songs – warm, robust country-rock with the homely feel of, say, The Band or Willard Grant Conspiracy – are sung in Welsh. Unusually, three numbers here are additionally offered in English, with differing lyrical tacks (Ar Y Ffin changes to Caroline): possibly a case of Llwyd hedging his bets, but this has definite audience-finding potential. NG

TRADISH

tradish1.bandcamp.com Don’t judge a book by the name of its author, they say, but if I was called, for example, Derek Tradish I’m sure publishers would recommend a pen name. Still, this Cwmbran trio shrug off their lamentable moniker to create three songs of fine, grandstanding hard rock with Kyuss-y stoner elements. Kane Barker’s vocals are liberally reverbed, making him sound extra slobbery and unhinged; Nautilus and Scorpions have bloated, billowing (can they be both?) central riffs. Tradish are pretty young, too, so will surely get better still. NG

BY JUPITER

by-jupiter.bandcamp.com This Cardiff three-piece seem unable to decide if their name has an exclamation mark at the end or not; as one who frowns on frivolity, I’ve gone for ‘not’. This still leaves a band whose song titles include I’m Jack Nicholson! and Sexio, the latter of these being a Black Crowes-type choogle about Sexio himself – “a real funky cat, yeah”. Fortunately, that’s about as embarrassing as By Jupiter get, jamband indie-prog being the general direction of this EP. 6 In The Morning isn’t an Ice-T cover, so that’s something. NG

THIS MONTH’S

DVD PICK

THE GRAND SEDUCTION 12 (Entertainment One) The residents of Tickle Cove have fallen into unemployment when their fishing trade dried up years ago. Their best chance to get working again is to win the bid for a factory, but one requirement is that they need a doctor. An American doctor visits for a month and the town pulls together to seduce him (mainly with fun-to-watch lies, like knowing how to play cricket). The doctor is a little bland, and the plot predictable, but it’s a funny film with heart, Brendan Gleeson and lovely Irish accents. ***HA

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 12 (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment) A little like The Avengers' rag-tag younger sibling, Guardians Of The Galaxy tells the story of galactic thief ‘Star-Lord’ (also known as 80s kid Peter Quill) who ends up nicking a mysterious orb and getting into trouble. He soon teams up with an odd bunch, including a deadly green lady, a half-man-half-racoon creature, a tree person and a not-too-sharp muscleman. The film does suffer from ticking the 'action film' boxes, but a fab cast, great characters, witty script and 80s soundtrack make it an enjoyable watch. ****HA

TAMMY

15 (Warner Home Video) This road-trip comedy, starring Melissa McCarthy and Susan Sarandon, feels like it could have been something much better given the talent involved. Slacker Tammy goes off the rails after she’s fired from her job and catches her husband cheating on her. Skint but determined to take a trip, Tammy decides to bring along her grandma Pearl to bank role it. There are some big laughs but they are few and far between. **HA

THE GUEST 15 (ICON Entertainment) Having only seen the gorgeous Dan Stevens in Downton, I was intrigued to see him play an ex-soldier psychopath. It was odd, funny, had a killer soundtrack, and didn’t take itself too seriously.

Mr Stevens' American accent was spot-on, and he smouldered menacingly throughout. Very much like a funnier version of Drive, which let’s face it was a bit self indulgent, despite Mr Gosling; this is great fun, gory and mental. ***AL

THE INBETWEENERS 2 15 (Channel 4 DVD) The fact that the creators of The Inbetweeners said they wouldn’t make another film after the first one was released shows how much they really cared. This time, the vulgar lads head down under for a holiday in Australia, where they continue to chase horribly written female characters and end up looking like prats in the process. The jokes are exactly what you’d expect, but now they come from older characters who should know better. *HA

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST 12 (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) The X-Men are living in a dystopian future in which all ‘mutants' are hunted down by government-built robots – the only way to save themselves is to send Wolverine into the past to change the course of history. The cast was great and the plot was pretty good – all in all, this isn’t groundbreaking stuff, but it’s still a solid and exciting X-Men film. ***HA

THE PURGE: ANARCHY 15 (Universal Pictures UK) Set in new America where, one day a year, all crimes are legal for a period of 12 hours. We’re told by the government propaganda that it’s a cathartic exercise and necessary evil that must take place in order to keep the country together. Whilst The Purge was set in a house, this sequel takes place larger on the streets – losing that claustrophobic tenseness. The premise is strong but the film itself comes off as a mediocre horror. ***HA

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MUSIC NEWS EXTRA

Carmarthen music venue The Parrot, which closed its doors in August citing financial issues, is set to reopen following a successful crowdfunding campaign.

A group called the West Wales Music Collective asked the ether for £10,000 to jumpstart the venue back into life (paying off rent and bills plus installing a new PA, among other niceties) and raised it with a week to spare. Crucial in this was lugubrious comic Rhod Gilbert, born in Carmarthen, who put £3,000 in the pot – and expressed an interest in mucking in behind the bar when the Parrot reopens, with what the WWMC promise will be “a HUGE party”

A similar reprieve, albeit more mysterious at this point, has been handed to Pontypridd’s Muni Arts Centre, which had its last rites in May when Rhondda council axed its funding as part of swingeing budget cuts. Its final show was in early October, but behind the scenes, The Muni Working Group – an independent collective led by Pontypridd MP Owen Smith – devised and proposed a business plan to keep it open as a “community-driven facility”. A lease was granted by the council in November.

Less cheerfully, The Factory in Porth is to cease promoting gigs as a result of reduced funding for Valleys Kids, the community charity which runs the venue.

External promoters are still invited to book shows there, however

Twenty years ago, the Manic Street Preachers released their ‘token album that people who don’t like any of their other albums like’ album, The Holy Bible. As you may have seen, it’s getting a(nother) lavish multi-disc re-release this month. However, you may not be aware that a Cardiff production company named Barefoot Rascals is planning to put together a documentary about the album’s creation and impact – pending £4,000 of Kickstarter funding, over half of which has already been pledged. It’ll be presented by Manics biographer Simon Price and feature additional contributions from Rhian E Jones (Velvet Coalmine blog) and various Manics devotees. Search for The Holy Bible: My Testament on Kickstarter for more info

Opening a record store tends to be a risky business venture in this day and age, but Retro-Vibe Music pulled it off

when they set up shop in Barry two years ago. So much so, in fact, that the couple who oversee Retro-Vibe’s mixture of new and used vinyl, CDs and comics recently decided that it had outgrown its location.

Their whole operation will be moving to Cardiff – the lower end of St Mary Street, specifically – as of late November.

Competition for customers will inevitably be fiercer than in Barry, so let’s hope this success story continues on that path

Edward Russell, notable for being a backroom lynchpin of Doctor Who, has started a record label. Erlectro has already released one single, by Londoners Silent Alliance, but the next one may garner more attention. I Am A Woman is the debut release by Lauren Harries [pictured], whose life to date already encompasses prepubescent antiques expertise, gender reassignment surgery and Celebrity Big Brother. As its title suggests, the song is self-referential and disco-ishly defiant; musically, it’s on a kinda Pet Shop Boys/ Erasure tip, with added smooth sax. Hard to predict if the notoriety of its singer will overshadow its qualities, but it’s not half bad on its own terms. It’s streaming now and is officially released on Jan 11

ONE TO WATCH...

THIRD PARTY

Third Party’s Facebook page lists, under ‘band interests’, “that Ian Dury song that goes on about all the finer things in life.” Nudge nudge wink wink. We can thus assume that this Cardiff quartet were thinking of the good kind of parties when they chose their name, rather than stony-faced legalese. While their music isn’t exactly Andrew WK or Pitbull, in that it doesn’t hold you at gunpoint and demand you have a good time, you can certainly party to Third Party if you dig the blues, the rock, and some of the more imaginative ways in which they’ve combined in the past.

Founded by Gruff Russell-Jones in 2010, Third Party was initially a band with only one member, in effect – willing musicians were shored up, however, and the band’s sound has since developed from a kind of Medway garage-style clatter to an open-eared jumble of postpunk, ska and rhythm & blues. The current lineup includes a brace of Joels (Samuel on drums, Beswick on keys) and bassist Michael Atekeon, better known as Del Boy and old enough to be the dad of any of the other three. Now signed to south Wales-based publishing company See Monkey Songs, this month they self-release a two-song single.

Reasons To Be Idle is a creditably chaotic suite for fizzy electric blues guitar and groovy organ tinkling; BL_NKSIDE/Get By is melancholy and defiant at once, Russell-Jones grousing that he’s “got to go to work sometime”. It sounds like a product of London’s pre-punk pub rock scene circa 1974 or so, which should be interpreted as the compliment it is. thirdparty.bandcamp.com

BUZZ 50

one louder THIS month, One Louder will try as hard as possible to avoid focusing on specific people in its blizzard of raised eyebrows and tortuous sentence construction.

Last month’s column finished with a not entirely complimentary anecdote involving the band Northern Uproar, whose guitarist died in mid-November in an extremely grisly road accident. While it’s not a practical policy to only ever say nice things about anyone, in case unexpected tragedy befalls them, with the season of goodwill looming it seems prudent to be slightly less combative. Also, I can just imagine my corny readership, who exist, quipping, “I hope he writes about U2 frontman Bono this month, or teen heartthrob Justin Bieber!” I don’t want to be a vessel for your low quality humour.

From bad timing, then, to clockwork-good, metronomeregular, opportunistic timing. I’m talking about the world of the ‘hot take’, a phrase which originated in American sports journalism and is now seeping into the lexicon outside of that. I am going to make the bold prediction that you will hear the term used more often, and maybe even use it yourself, in the next 12 months.

Had you heard the term ‘clickbait’ used before 2013, if that? Exactly. Gird your loins.

The hot take is a cousin of clickbait, but is not the same animal. It describes the unseemly stampede to react to a flashpoint-like, polarising news story in the medium of an opinion piece (as in, ‘our take on...’). Sport tends to have quite a lot of these – maybe you can think of a few recent examples – thanks in part to the tribalistic nature it exploits. They’re rife in other sectors of life too, though: politics, the arts, the world of celebrity whatever that entails. Gimlet-eyed bandwagoneers can be found penning hot takes in all of them.

If there’s not much useful to say about an issue, but an audience ripe for being provoked by someone’s thoughts on it, expect a hot take to come a-knocking.

Ed Miliband and Myleene from Hear’say discussing the nuts and bolts of the mansion tax: textbook hot take material. The scientist who wore a shirt with cartoons of scantily-clad women on: assume position, then deploy rocket. A dozen other high-traffic sites are writing about the same thing? Don’t back down – simply exaggerate your opinions until they stand out enough to reel in the web’s angriest chumps.

It all makes me feel gloomy, truth be told: more so than clickbait, which might be ephemeral drivel but doesn’t tend to be fraudulently moralistic to boot.

Knuckleheaded topical columnists being inflammatory about current events predate the internet, of course, but time was they were blessedly limited in number; now pretty much anyone can have a go. Certainly, it’s seeped into social media-type discourse in recent times. People whose view on anything is rarely if ever asked for (and don’t even have the excuse of having to do it as part of their job, ahem) burst into view, pompous screeds at the ready and with the expectation of you whacking that Like button.

This column’s first effort of 2014 began with a broadside against “strident opinions”, and subsequent months have only cemented this feeling. You don’t have to rustle up a hot take on every damn subject; it’s unlikely anyone really cares. Being able to take a strong stance on something isn’t synonymous with being informed about it.

OMI PALONE, BLACK FUNGUS and other good’uns (Abacus, Cardiff, Fri 5 Dec); BAST, GRIMPEN MIRE and more heavy sorts (The Moon Club, Sun 7); AT THE GATES, TRIPTYKON and MORBUS CHRON (The Globe, Mon 8); ANDI SEX GANG and ZEUK (Fuel, Thurs 11); THE DEATH OF HER MONEY, WARM WIDOW and MXLX (Abacus, Sat 13); CAVES and MUNCIE GIRLS (Gwdihw, Tue 16); FIRE & ICE and more hardcore bands (Le Pub, Newport, Wed 17); THE OPPRESSED (Koko Gorilaz, Sat 20); J MASCIS (The Globe, Wed 14 Jan); SOUTHERN TENANT FOLK UNION (Abergavenny Borough Theatre, Wed 21 Jan). Happy wassailing. NOEL GARDNER

books

BOOK OF THE MONTH

REVIVAL Stephen King (Hodder and Stoughton)

With a repertoire of bestsellers under his belt it’s no surprise that Stephen King’s Revival is another winner.

The book tells the story of a man’s relationship with his childhood friend, a reverend. Jamie Morton recalls when he was six year old and met Reverend Charles Jacobs – a charming young clergyman that arrives in Maine and injects electricity into formerly drab youth fellowship meetings. The Reverend and Jamie bond almost instantly but one mundane midweek morning tragedy strikes and, after a terrible sermon, Reverend Charles Jacobs must leave the church.

Fast forward 30 years and little Jamie Morton is now an adult, a musician and a drug addict. Jacobs returns and helps Jamie get his life back on track, but something happened and Jamie owes Jacobs. What does he want in return? When will he collect it?

And who really is Charles Daniel Jacobs?

Is Jamie telling the story of a preacher man, who loses his way? Or is it a story of a former reverend who comes to his senses? Whatever your beliefs, this is a riveting read. Stephen King’s mind takes you on a journey and, although there are clues along the way, you won’t guess your destination.

Revival explores the relationship between science and religion, the power of grief and the danger of curiosity. What makes Revival an amazing horror story, however, isn't the questions it asks but the answers it provides. King does not leave the afterlife to your imagination, he delivers it, and it's bleak.

This novel is unnerving because we’re all searching for something, but what happens when we find it?

DAMI OKHIRIA Price: £20. Info: www.hodder.co.uk

A MAN LIES DREAMING

CITY MISSION: THE STORY OF LONDON'S WELSH CHAPELS

Lavie Tidhar (Hodder and Stoughton)

Huw Edwards (Y Lolfa)

Here’s a Hitler who was forced from power, who now lives in penury in London at the end of the 1930s, eking a living as a private detective. When a Jewish client comes to him with a missing person case he agrees to take the case out of expediency (money, it seems, trumps hatred).

Things are complicated by the fact that the novel that you, the reader, are reading exists only in the mind of a Jewish writer imprisoned in Auschwitz – and the story becomes something else; a story about memory, forgetting and survival.

Tidhar’s novel plays with many of the tropes of genre fiction while still being a gripping piece of detective fiction, and the darkness of the subject matter is leavened with glimpses of black humour.

This is a clever and thrilling work. DG Price: £13.99. Info: www.hodder.co.uk

CRIME CORNER Samantha Kofer was an associate in New York City’s largest law firm when the 2008 crash occurred, and like many others she was out on her ear. What to do? In desperation, she takes an unpaid position in a legal aid clinic in Appalachia, home of crystal meth (known locally as hillbilly crack) and torn apart by aggressive stripmining for coal. A big change! So begins Gray Mountain (Hodder & Stoughton, H/B £20), the latest John Grisham novel where the last honest lawyers in America take on the big corporations... and win.

When is a cold case not a cold case, but very warm? When the killing bullet has been in the victim’s body for 10 years, but only just dealt the final hand. That's when. U.S. Police procedural just doesn't get any better than The Burning Room (Orion, H/B £19.99) by Michael Connelly. Job done.

British police procedural doesn't get any better than the novels by Graham Hurley. The new one is Sins Of The Father (Orion, H/B £18.99). Detective Sergeant Jimmy Suttle is called in to investigate the murder of a rich old invalid in his West Country riverside mansion. The man was a despotic control freak father; living with his two messed-up adult children who both survived on his handouts. Not a good thing.

So when he ends up cut and slashed to pieces, wearing a death mask courtesy of his time as a punisher of the Mau-Mau in Kenya, Jimmy has a real mystery on his hands. MARK TIMLIN

BUZZ 52

Most recognisable as a journalist and presenter, Huw Edwards steps out from behind the news desk to explore the story of Welsh religious buildings in London in his new book, City Mission. With the migration of a Welsh population to Britain's capital during the early 20th century, it is unsurprising that Wales' non-Conformist Christianity took root in the city in the form of Welsh chapels. The story of these London Welsh chapels is under represented in popular history and Huw Edward's book sets out to readdress this imbalance, bringing the stories of the chapels and those who frequented them, to life. Beginning with the tale of his great-grandfather's move from Cardiganshire, Edwards brings a distinctly human and personal element to the book. Though the subject of the book may not appeal to the mass market, Edward's exploration of an under-represented dimension of Welsh history is a worthy endeavour. ED Price: £24.95. Info: www.ylolfa.com

THE TERRORIST’S SON: A STORY OF CHOICE Zak Ebrahim (Simon And Schuster) Recently the news has been a flurry with stories of young Brits abandoning their lives in the west to take up arms with extremist group Islamic State in Syria. While many are talking about punishments and taking passports, there are important questions to ask about why someone would turn to terrorism.

Zak Ebrahim was only seven years old when his father committed his first act of terrorism. The Terrorist’s Son is a personal, heartfelt account of how his father, El-Sayed Nosair (who was famously lauded by Osama bin Laden), was drawn to radicalism and how his actions hurt his own family. It a book that provides great understanding without offering up excuses. Though it’s a heartbreaking and eye-opening read it is also full of hope, as Zak himself rejected the bigotry and hatred his father fed him and chose a life of tolerance and non-violence. HA Price: £7.99 / eBook £2.99. Info: www.simonandschuster.co.uk

@mabjones Fear not, gentle reader! For lit burns brightly over the dark months, too... beginning with two very different poetry events in Cardiff on Wed 3 Dec. Over at the North Star, mental health organisation Making Minds (info: www.facebook. com/makingmindssouthwales) offer poetry and music with young poetry super star Johnny Giles as feature. Over in Chapter, the regular First Thursday (info: www.chapter.org) sees Seren’s Rhian Edwards and Katherine Stansfield delivering the poetry goods.

On Fri 5 and Sat 6 Dec, Dylan Thomas is re-cast as a rap artist at Swansea YMCA in a community theatre project which takes a look at what the bard would be doing if he lived in the city these days. I’m Dylan Thomas (info: www.swanseaymca. org.uk) offers a mix of spoken word and song, and I will definitely be going along.

The luminous Incandescent at Cardiff Central Library on Thurs 18 Dec, then, invites you to share a favourite war poem.

Hosted by the sublime and socially-minded Juliette Llewellyn, you can read one of her pieces, about breakdancing, below.

The Imperial open mic continues over the winter months with guest Patrick Jones on Thurs 11 Dec; while in the new year, a storytelling supper at Kemi’s in Cardiff includes food and performance.

Two courses of good grub, and some wonderfully juicy tales! Get there for the 8th, and enjoy the rest of your festive season, folk.

TOPROCK 'N' FREEZE Electric blue T-shirt, hangs loosely.

Standing central, a silver string connecting him to skies.

Power in stillness.

Dark skin shines, through sunlight dropping.

His hands take his weight, lifting body, upwards.

Holding position.

Seconds pass, he unwraps some gum. @juliette08 www.juliettellewellyn.blogspot.co.uk

lifestyle

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CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY What could be more quintessentially Christmassy than a festive jumper? They're bright, often garish, overly traditional and often make you uncomfortable – just like Christmas Day itself. Christmas Jumper Day, on which people are encouraged to wear their most ostentatious Xmas jumpers with pride so they can raise money and awareness for Save The Children, returns on Fri 12 Dec. Here are some of our top choices for knitted festive wear. www.savethechildren.org.uk/ jumpers

1. JUMPING SKIER CREW, £26, Next / 2. GREEN SANTA SIDE CAR NOVELTY CREW, £26, Next / 3. CHRISTMAS TREE JUMPER, £59, Monsoon / 4. RUDOLPH BELL CHRISTMAS JUMPER, £12, Primark / 5. M&S COLLECTION KNITTED REINDEER JUMPER, £25, Marks & Spencer, St David’s Centre / 6.

LARGE STAR PRINT JUMPER, £60, Jaeger, McArthur Glen Designer Outlet

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pic: GARETH DAVIES PHOTOGRAPHY

XMAS WALKS

SWIMMING

HOUDINI DAX

WWW. BUZZ MAG. CO.UK

sport CHRISTMAS WALKS It’s pretty common to slow down after spending several days chowing down on turkey and Christmas pudding, but eventually the time will come to get up and get out – so why not make the most of our beautiful surroundings and enjoy some nature? Laura-Mae Cummings looks at the different ways you can walk all over the Vale with vigour.

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he Vale Of Glamorgan is the perfect for all your post-Christmas dinner walks.

Whether you want to get ahead with the January fitness fad, make room for even more delicious Christmas delicacies or just get out for some fresh air then there are an abundance of reasons to get out into the great outdoors at this time of year, despite the cold. A series of new routes around the Welsh coast have been published by the Vale's tourism arm, Visit The Vale, to help encourage you to get off the sofa and start walking this winter.

It’s got to be the best way to start working off the flabbergasting 7,000 calories that we supposedly manage to consume on Christmas Day. Mother Nature flaunts her beauty no matter the season, and there are numerous pubs to pop in and warm your cockles on the way. In fact, if you’re not weak of heart, the Coast And Lighthouse Walk in Cowbridge will take you right past the Plough And Harrow pub ,which is infamous amongst the locals for its ghosts. Be warned – you might be disturbed from your pint and packet of crisps by the ghost of Christmas Past!

If that doesn’t sound thrilling enough, there is the Haunted Field Walk, leading you to the Neolithic Tinkinswood Burial Chamber – a 6,000 year old tomb

built to hold over 50 bodies – and a number of other spooky monuments.

For those looking for the serene, the Celtic Crosses And Coast Walk provides a tranquil ramble around the Welsh coast and some of the Vale's most beautiful historical inland sites. You will find a great view of The Glamorgan Heritage Coast, a 14-mile stretch of coastline that is rich in wildlife and remarkable rock formations. Strolling through Llantwit Major will fascinate with its collection of historical legends and tales of pirates, saints and royalty gathered over 3,000 years.

It might be a family expedition with the parents, grandparents and pushchairs in tow or a refreshing escape for just one or two of you from all that chaos: either way, the Vale is catering for all. The 12 walks contain trails for the most experienced hiker and the novice, requiring as much or as little effort as you wish. After all, you could always bail after the first pub.

Leaflets including the mapped routes and details on all the sights can be found for free in most Tourist Information points. Info: www. visitthevale.com / www.valeways.org.uk

TENBY BOXING DAY SWIM

pic: GARETH DAVIES PHOTOGRAPHY

As hundreds of people grab their fancy dress costumes and run straight into the not-so-welcoming waters of Carmarthen Bay for the Tenby Boxing Day Swim, Harri Davies looks into the history of this annual show of chutzpah.

FOR most Christmas is a time to avoid the cold weather, wrap up warm and eat about as much as we physically can in the company of our families.

If someone was to suggest a seaside swim on Boxing Day, I would assume that they weren’t genuine. What a ridiculous idea. This surely must be a joke. But in Tenby, swimming on Boxing Day

is not only a reality, but a longstanding tradition where hundreds of people actually choose to swap dressing gowns and comforting radiators for their swimwear and a dip in the ice cold sea.

For 43 consecutive years since the first Tenby Boxing Day Swim in 1970, large crowds of onlookers have descended on the Pembrokeshire town’s North Beach to watch swimmers ‘dash and splash’ to raise funds for good causes. With around 600 swimmers and thousands of spectators drawn to the scenic coastal town for the event last year, it has snowballed into one of Tenby’s main Christmas attractions. The Tenby Sea Swimming Association (TSSA) is the organiser of the event, boasting that no matter the weather, the swim has never been cancelled. From sunshine and clear blue skies through gales, snow and torrential rain, those brave (or crazy) enough have gone ahead with the dip, and in doing so raised an impressive amount for charity.

Although swimmers are encouraged to collect for the particular charities and good causes they

support, the TSSA also nominates charities each year that work at the event and within the local community more generally. This year St John Cymru (a first aid charity that provides cover at the swim), Splash Out 2015 (a Pembrokeshire surf event organised for children with autism) and the Harriet Davis Trust (which provides holiday houses in Pembrokeshire for families with disabled children at economic rates) are the TSSA's nominations.

This year, on the resort's 44th Boxing Day Swim, the swimmers’ Pirate & Princess fancy dress theme is sure to give onlookers enjoying their view from the beach, or the many scenic vantage points above the bay, a sight to remember. The Pirates and Princesses will take to the water at 11.30am, with the promise of a large bonfire and a warming soup upon their shivering emergence from the water, as well as a commemorative medal.

Tenby Boxing Day Swim, North Beach, Tenby, Fri 26 Dec. Entry: free.

Info: www.tenbyboxingdayswim.co.uk

TO SWIM OR NOT TO SWIM Tenby isn’t the only place encouraging its residents to run into the cold seas of winter. There are plenty of seaside towns who are also joining in the fun, all in the name of charity.

THE 50th Porthcawl Christmas Morning Swim (info: www.christmasswim.org) this year will see over a thousand swimmers hitting the water for Ty Hafan and other local charities. Fancy dress is optional, though warm clothing is advised and mankinis are not greeted with open arms. The brisk dip in the fresh waters is also a great way to earn your Christmas dinner!

Pembrey Country Park in Carmarthenshire

is getting in on the action as they get people entering the sea on Boxing Day for their fabulously titled Walrus Dip (info: www. discovercarmarthenshire.com). Not only is there a chance to see people dressed up as Vikings and fairies squirm and they breach the freezing waters, but it’s also a great opportunity to go for a stroll down the award-winning Cefn Sidan beach.

Barry Island’s New Year's Day Swim (info: www.facebook.com/

barryislandnewyeardayswim) was founded in 1984 and it gets more brave swimmers every year! There are fewer fancy dress costumes than the Tenby swim, but still plenty of guts. as hundreds of people decide to start 2015 by running into the freezing cold sea. This New Year's Day, they will be doing so in the hopes of raising lots of money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

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gift guide 2

With all bright Christmas lights, festive jingles and social pressure to buy the most thoughtful gift it can be easy to get confused. If you need somewhere to start then here are some suggestions ‘for her’.

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1. GOLD SEQUIN TUNIC DRESS, £69, Marks and Spencer, St David’s Centre / 2. DISASTER DESIGNS COLLECTIVE NOUN BULLFINCH SATCHEL, £47.95, Hampton Blue, www.hamptonblue.co.uk / 3. SAMSUNG NX COMPACT SYSTEM CAMERA, £269.95, John Lewis, St David’s Centre / 4. SILVER WING EARRINGS, £69, Renaissance Life, www.scandinavianshop.co.uk / 5. OASIS LADIES WATCH, £45, Oasis, St David’s Centre / 6. CATFORD PÂTÉ BLACK FRAME, £50, Pâté, www.placeinprint.com / 7. MIHO TROPHY DEER, £32, Milady, www.scandinavianshop.co.uk / 8. CAPVENTURE DOGGY DOORSTOPPER, £6.99, Renaissance Life, www.scandinavianshop.co.uk / 9. SOUK EMBROIDERED CUSHION, £24.95, Mon Pot, www.monpote.co.uk or 07711 646266 / 10. MENU DROPP! SILICONE BOWL, £32, Renaissance Life, www.scandinavianshop.co.uk / 11. ROBELLA DRESS PRINTED SCARF, £69, Ted Baker, McArthur Glen Designer Outlet / 12. KOSTA BODA MAKE UP MINI LIPSTICK, £39, Cerise, www.scandinavianshop.co.uk / 13. RED DALA TRAY, £29.95, Jangneus, www.jangneus.com BUZZ 56

HOUDINI DAX Buzz Presents... At Kuku is back in the New Year and in January we’ll be hosting the Beatles-inspired beat-pop trio Houdini Dax. We talk to Jack Butler, David Newington and Owen Richards – the musicians that make up the band.

How did you guys come up with the name? Was that there beforehand or something that came after?

Yeah, that came after. There’s a YouTuber called Daxflame who used to make videos in his bedroom – he’s sort of a weird teenage American kid – and there’s one video where he gets stuck in the arm of his chair in his room, and just says, “looks like Houdini Dax escaped.” We thought, “that’s a good name”. We messaged him, and he messaged back straight away saying we could use the name. He’s pretty famous now – he was in 21 Jump Street, and other stuff.

Who are your influences?

Well, the Beatles is one that we’ve been compared to by quite a lot of peers.

That was inevitable because we are just such huge Beatles fans. We like anyone as long as they have good songs, mostly genre doesn’t come into it, it’s more about great songwriting. So The Beach Boys, David Bowie, Paul Simon... there’s actually loads. Neil Young!

What are your thoughts on Wales’ live music scene?

I think Cardiff is relatively healthy. We’ve done a lot around the UK, especially before we started getting a following. I was thinking to myself earlier that we once drove all the way to Falmouth and back in the same night, which is a four or five-hour drive, for hardly any pay and we played to a room of no-one. That’s not a joke either – it was an empty room. The only time someone came in was to walk through to go to the toilet. They didn’t even make eye contact! Even the bar staff were in the other room. We did quite a bit of that before we started getting a name here. But now that we’ve tapped into Cardiff and Wales, it’s really healthy for us, and there is definitely a good scene in Wales. It’s just about getting on the right side of it.

Lastly, what are your favourite memories from touring?

There’s a few that spring to mind but they’re all kind of inappropriate! We were recently in India, though, and I have this lucky doll which I take to every gig. I’ve done it for five years now. I think they thought I was trying to smuggle drugs in this doll, and they wouldn’t give it to me. They were just so confused, like “why does this young man have this doll?” I think they were just being awkward...

Info: www.houdinidax.com

Buzz Presents... at Kuku

HOUDINI DAX Thurs 29 January 2015 Kuku Club, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff.

Doors Open 7pm / Live Music from 8pm DJ from 10pm til late Entry £3 for Kuku Club Members £4 Non-Members & Guests Pay on the door / Guest List advisable: www.facebook.com/buzzsouthwales

The Kuku Club is located within the Park Plaza Hotel / Members & Guests Welcome with Complimentary Membership available by applying online at www.kukuclub.co.uk Entrance off Greyfriars Road, Cardiff, CF10 3AL

Info: 029 2011 1177 / 07920 742520 info@kukuclub.co.uk www.kukuclub.co.uk

gift guide It can be difficult to find that gift that is ‘just right’ – if your not sure here are some ideas to get the present-buying juices flowing. We’ve got everything from clever gadgets to garish gifts. Here are some suggestions ‘for him’.

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1. BULL HEAD BIKE HOLDER, £79, www.clareloves.co.uk / 2. SENNHEISER URBANITE ON-EAR HEADPHONES, £149.95, John Lewis, St David’s Centre 3. BLEECKER STREET PEA COAT (NAVY), £169.99, Superdry, St David’s Centre / 4. SMARTPHONE PROJECTOR, £16.50, Maiden, www.maidenshop.com 5. BLUE HARBOUR HARRIS TWEED PURE WOOL LAPTOP CASE, £35, Marks And Spencers, St David’s Centre / 6. IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM RALLY ROUND THE FLAG BLOKE SOAK, £8, Marks & Spencer, St David’s Centre / 7. SAGAFORM ROCKING WHISKY GLASSES, £14 (set of six), John Lewis, St David’s Centre / 8. ROBOT NUT CRACKER, £29, Maiden, www.maidenshop.com / 9. BIG BREAST WALL CALENDAR 2015, £9.99, Maiden, www.maidenshop.com 10. SPHERE BOTTLE OPENER, £14, www.stuffofdreams.com / 11. SUEDE BOOT, £29.99, New Look, St David’s Centre BUZZ 58

BUZZ 058

listings Inclusion in Buzz’s listings is free. Send to Listings Editor Noel Gardner via email (listings@buzzmag.co.uk) or post (220c Cowbridge Road East, Canton, Cardiff, CF5 1GY). Deadline is the 17th of the previous month. Buzz takes no responsibility for material sent or any errors made after the deadline time.

CARDIFF’S WINTER WONDERLAND City Hall Lawn, Cardiff Until Mon 5 Jan Tickets: £6-£9.

Info: 029 2023 0130 www.cardiffwinterwonderland.com For those resident in Wales’ capital, as familiar and comforting a December sight as cheap chocolate hidden behind a numbered cardboard door. Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland returns once again for its standard seven-week run – having launched in mid-November, it’ll power through the last month of 2014 (only taking a break for Christmas Day) and see in the first few days of 2015 too. Those who do not fear the ice-skaters’ gleaming blades, but wish to strap up and become fellow warriors of the tundra, are invited to bomb around the ice rink in hour-long segments, from 11am until 10pm each day.

Plus, on New Year’s Eve, you can even toast the changeover into 2k15 with a special midnight skating session (if you book tickets quickly enough, and don’t get hammered beforehand). On Dec 31, and for the rest of Winter Wonderland’s residency here, there’ll be all the other usual attractions, should you feel a bit wobbly on your feet: dodgems, a helter-skelter, a sky swing and Radio Cardiff DJs rinsing the pop smashes.

BUZZ 60

CONTENTS pg 61 pg 63 pg 64 pg 75 pg 80

art clubs events live stage

art

art The Abacus

18-20 Wood Street, Cardiff.

Free. modernalchemists@ gmail.com / www. theabacusroom.wordpress. com Substance Group exhibition curated by students from Cardiff School Of Art & Design, aiming to “confront and explore the very matter of the world that surrounds us”. (From Fri 12 until Fri 19 Dec)

Aberystwyth Arts Centre

University Of Wales, Aberystwyth. Free. Mon-Sat 10am-8pm. 01970 621903 / www.aber.ac.uk/artscentre AOI Illustration Awards Overview of the best work being created by illustrators worldwide, reflecting the artform’s impact on our visual culture. (Until Sat 10 Jan) The Photographer’s Wall Rolling programme featuring work from members of the B&W photography courses and Open Access sessions. (Until Sat 10 Jan) The Box Season 17 Artists’ films by people who are TBC at the time of writing. (Until Fri 16 Jan) The Experimentalists Examples of work from the Experimental Painting and Drawing class led

by Roy Marsden. (Until Sat 7 Feb) Mary Lloyd Jones ‘A Journey From Devil’s Bridge’ Work inspired by the Welsh landscape and the marks people make on it, from an artist known for her use of rich vibrant colour and for her use of unstretched canvas in some works. (From Wed 3 Dec until Fri 16 Jan)

Albany Gallery

74b Albany Road, Cardiff.

Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-4pm. Free. 029 2048 7158 / www.albanygallery. com Christmas Exhibition A changing selection of work from the gallery’s finest artists.

(Throughout December)

Andrew Buchan Bar

29 Albany Road, Cardiff.

Daily 11am-11pm. Free. 029 2021 2509.

Made In Roath #AB2 Work by David James Morris aka DJ Dave Grooveslave (Malscapes Circa 1984), Dano Lewis (Hi-Lites/Low Lives) and graphics by Dave Rave.

(Throughout December)

Andrew Lamont Gallery (Theatr Brycheiniog)

Canal Wharf, Brecon. Open Mon-Fri 10am-5pm. Free.

01874 611622 / enquiries@ brycheiniog.co.uk / www. brycheiniog.co.uk Robert Macdonald Landscapes of the Usk Valley and Brecon Beacons, as well as the farming life and the legends of that area. (Until Fri 19 Dec)

Arcadecardiff

Queens Arcade, off Queen Street, Cardiff. Usually open Wed-Sat 12.30-5.30pm. www. arcadecardiff.co.uk Jason Pinder: What You See Is All There Is’ Cardiff conceptual artist, a longstanding member of the tactileBOSCH collective, presents simple and succinct sculptural interventions. (From Thurs 4 until Sat 27 Dec) Hannah M Morris & Owain Griffiths ‘Submersion/Ymdrochi’ Painter-printmaker Morris and musician Griffiths collaborate

in a cross-media exploration of memory and experience.

(From Wed 7 until Sat 24 Jan) Phil King Local art writer who has a body of paintings which allow him to present different ‘collections’ unpacking ideas of modern art. (From Thurs 29 Jan until Sat 14 Feb)

Art Central

Barry Town Hall, King Square, Barry. Tue-Sat 11am-4pm. Admission free.

01446 709805.

Remembering The Great War Family-friendly, interactive displays inviting you to see the First World War through the eyes of those living on the coast of the UK and Ireland.

(Until Sat 3 Jan)

Attic Gallery

37 Pocketts Wharf, Maritime Quarter, Swansea. Tue-Fri 10am-5.30pm, Sat 10am4.30pm. Free. 01792 653387 / www.atticgallery.co.uk Winter Group Show Over 50 of the gallery’s established artists are invited to exhibit their latest work. This year, the exhibition introduces the paintings of Michael Gustavius Payne and landscapes of Thomas Haskett, both artists being new to the gallery. Paintings, sculpture, glasswork, prints and pottery are available to buy. (Until Wed 24 Dec) Winter Group Show A refreshed group show from over 50 of this gallery’s artists. A wide selection of paintings, sculpture, prints and pottery are on show, “at prices to suit all budgets” Sounds like a wager to me... too bad I can’t afford to make one. (From Fri 23 Jan until Sat 14 Mar)

Barnabas Artshouse

New Ruperra Street, Newport. Open Mon-Sat. Free. 01633 673739 / www. barnabasartshouse.co.uk 10 Years Of Robbins Lane Exhibition celebrating the diversity of work created in the Newport building of the exhibition title, over the last decade.

(Throughout December and January)

Barker Gallery / Torfaen Gallery

Pontypool Museum, Park Buildings, Pontypool. MonSat 11am-5pm, Sun 2-5pm.

Free Wed/Sun 2-5pm. 01495 752036.

Winter Art 2014 Members’ selling exhibition of art and craft works. (Until Sun 21 Dec) Fundraising Art Exhibition Unique artworks donated by several Welsh artists to help raise funds for Torfaen Museum Trust. (Until Sun 21 Dec)

Big Pit National Coal Museum

Blaenafon, Torfaen. Every day 9.30am-5pm. Free. 029 2057 3650 / www. museumwales.ac.uk/bigpit Poppies For Remembrance This exhibition investigates the link between the cultural uses of poppies for remembrance and the science of biodiversity – the study of plant and animal species in the natural environment. (Until Sun 8 Feb)

Butetown History & Arts Centre

4/5 Dock Chambers, Bute St, Cardiff Bay. Tue-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Sun 11am4.30pm. Free. 029 2025 6757 / www.bhac.org Additions Work by associate members of the Women’s Arts Association, plus guests. (Until Sun 11 Jan)

Cardiff Story

The Hayes, Cardiff. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm.

Free. 029 2078 8334 / museum@cardiff.gov.uk Cardiff Carnival 25th Anniversary Celebrating 25 years of Cardiff Carnival, this will feature carnival costumes, photographs, films, audio interviews, workshops and presentations. (From Sat 31 Jan until Sat 28 Feb)

Chapter Gallery

Chapter Arts Centre, Market Rd, Canton, Cardiff. Tue, Wed, Sat + Sun 12-6pm; Thurs + Fri 12-8pm. Free.

029 2030 4400 / www. chapter.org Sharon Lockhart Artes Mundi exhibition courtesy of an American who works with individuals and groups, sometimes over periods of years, to create socially engaged photography and film work.

(Until Sun 22 Feb) Karen Mirza & Brad Butler ‘The Unreliable Narrator’ Works purporting to “take advantage of the gap between fiction and reality” via video installations, neon signs and other multimedia stuff. (Until Sun 22 Feb)

Craft In The Bay

The Flourish, Lloyd George Avenue, Cardiff. Mon-Sun 10.30am-5.30pm. Free. 029 2048 4611.

Graduates Of Ceramics From Cardiff School Of Art Recent works in clay, including sculptural heads

by Mary Jones through to functional domestic pottery

by Fleen Doran. (Until Sun 11 Jan) Christmas Show Contemporary craft by UK makers, selling for a wide range of prices from stocking fillers to bespoke artworks for the home. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Sensorial Object Curated by Zoe Preece and Natasha Mayo, this exhibition aims to explore the sensory capacity of the familiar/ domestic object, bringing together digital technologies with ceramics, wood, glass and textiles. (From Sat 17 Jan until Sun 8 Mar) Paul Wearing The new year’s first guest maker showcases a new body of ceramic vessels, created with the support of a Arts Council Of Wales grant. (From Fri 23 Jan until Sun 15 Mar)

Cyfarthfa Castle Museum

Cyfarthfa Rd, Merthyr Tydfil.

Daily 10am-5.30pm. Free.

01685 723112.

Steve Kanapik Local artist presents his first solo art exhibition, a selection of landscapes specifically. (Until Mon 8 Dec)

Dylan Thomas Centre

Somerset Place, Swansea.

Daily 10am-4pm. Free.

01792 463980 / dylanthomas.lit@swansea. gov.uk / www.dylanthomas. com The Imagined Oceans: Dyan Thomas’ Manuscripts Exhibition Exhibition of loan material from University at Buffalo, New York State, comprising manuscripts of poems, a list of rhyming words and a series of black and white photographs of Thomas, many of which have not been widely displayed or reproduced. (Until Tue 23 Dec)

Ffotogallery At Turner House

Plymouth Road, Penarth, nr Cardiff. Tue-Sat 11am-5pm.

Free. 029 2034 1667 / www. ffotogallery.org Artes Mundi 6 Work by Ragnar Kjartansson from Iceland, whose performative practice. takes in video installations, durational per-

formances (sometimes lasting hours or weeks), drawing and painting; and Sanja Ivekovic from Croatia, who tackles issues of female identity, the politics of power, consumerism and the paradoxes inherent in society’s collective memory.

(Until Sat 21 Feb)

Fountain Fine Art

6-8 Morgan Arcade, Cardiff.

Tue-Sat 10.30am-5pm. Free. www.fountainfineart.com Winter Group Exhibition A changing exhibition of new work from the gallery artists, including a couple of new exhibitors in Wendy Murphy and Chloe Holt RCA. (Throughout December)

Fountain Fine Art

Rhosmaen Street, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire. Mon-Sat 10.30am-5pm. Free. www. fountainfineart.com Winter Group Exhibition A changing exhibition of new work from the gallery artists, showcasing wide range of painting and sculpture for sale from £50-£5,000. (Throughout December)

Futures Gallery

Pierhead Building, Cardiff Bay. Daily 10.30am-4pm.

Free. 0845 010 5500 / www. pierhead.org Welsh Academy Of Art Student Showcase Showing a selection of students’ work ranging from charcoal cast drawing to figure drawing, still life, landscapes and portraits.

(From Tue 9 Dec until Fri 2 Jan)

G39

Oxford Street, Roath, Cardiff.

Saturdays 11am-5.30pm.

Free. 029 2047 3633 / post@ g39.org Carwyn Evans ‘UDO’ New sculptural work resulting from the overlaying of two contrasting cultures, agriculture and haute-couture, plus the idea that “when we consume we produce”. (Until Sat 13 Dec) Siân Melangell Dafydd ‘Foxy’ Installation, also featuring a limited edition artist’s book containing a short story

by Dafydd; the catalyst for both is a stuffed fox in a glass case, purchased by her grandfather in about 1948. (Until Sat 13 Dec) UNIT(e) New work from Becca Thomas, Dean Brierly, Freya Dooley, Gwenan Davies, Harry Morgan, Jason Pinder, John Michael Parry, Matthew Britton, Nia Metcalfe, Richard Bowers, Richard Morgan, Simon Holly and Tom Goddard.

(From Wed 14 Jan until Sat 14 Mar)

Y Galeri

8 St Fagans Street, Caerphilly. Mon-Fri 9.30am5pm, Sat 10am-5pm. Free.

029 2086 1433 / www. ygaleri.co.uk Christmas Exhibition Changing exhibition of work comprising of paintings, ceramics, textiles and glass, plus arts and crafts; buy a Christmas gift or an investment piece. Or both. (Until Wed 24 Dec) Caerphilly Open Art Annual exhibition of artworks selected from open submission: two and threedimensional work from amateur and professional artists from across Wales. (From Sat 3 Jan until Sat 7 Feb)

Gallery/Ten

23 Windsor Place, Cardiff.

Free. www.gallery-ten.co.uk Winter Group Exhibition Changing exhibition, with work replaced once sold; all work will be for sale, and a collectorplan is available. Artists featured include Natalia Dias,

Carwyn Evans, John Abell, Sue Williams, Debbie Smyth and Iwan Bala. (Until Wed 24 Dec and Wed 13-Sat 31 Jan)

Gas Gallery

Park Avenue, Aberystwyth.

Mon-Sat 11am-5pm. Free.

01974 261279.

Affordable Art Fair A wide range of artists will show their work at affordable prices. (From Sat 6 Dec until Wed 7 Jan) Amy Sterly ‘Pointless Exclamations’ Woodcut prints. (From Sat 6 Dec until Wed 7 Jan) Joanne Thompson Paintings and mixed media. (From Sat 10 Jan until Fri 13 Feb) Peter Stevenson ‘A Cabinet Of Curiosities’ Contemporary images from fairy tales, told through the ancient art of visual storytelling. (From Sat 10 Jan until Fri 13 Feb)

The Gate

Keppoch Street, Roath, Cardiff. Mon-Sat 10am-9pm.

Free. 029 2048 3344 / info@ thegate.org.uk Jac Soarsa ‘Illness Begins With I’ Soarsa tackles the visualisation of the experience of illness through a creative act of witness. (Until Fri 5 Dec) Tomos Roberts ‘Bywyd Llonydd/Still Life’ Figurative artist working mainly in still life and self-portraiture. (From Wed 10 Dec until Fri 16 Jan)

Grand Pavilion

The Esplanade, Porthcawl.

Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm, Sat 10am-5pm. Free. 01656 815995 / www.

grandpavilion.co.uk Scribbles Art & Craft Group “A chance to see a wide range of work and subjects by a local group of artists who enjoy meeting to try new ideas and encourage others to paint.”

(Until Sun 11 Jan)

King Street Gallery

33 King Street, Carmarthen.

Free. 01267 220121 / gallery@kingstreetgallery. co.uk Charlotte Leadbeater & Louise Bird ‘Step Into Motion’ A collaboration of 2D and 3D work by two local artists using the motion of movement, such as that of dancers. (Until Thurs 11 Dec) Christmas Exhibition New works by gallery members for the Christmas season. These range from paintings, original prints, drawings, sculptures and ceramics. (Throughout December) Open Art Exhibition 2015 With the unseasonal theme of ‘Carnival’ this year. (From Fri 2 until Sat 31 Jan)

Kooywood Gallery

8 Museum Place, Cardiff.

Tue-Sat 10.30am-6pm. Free.

029 2023 5093 / www. kooywoodgallery.com Jacob Buckland Shropshireraised painter who now lives in Wales, where most of his work is completed outdoors as a way of selecting and recording the subtleties of the landscape and the changing seasons. This will be his second exhibition here. (From Fri 5 Dec until

WINTER GROUP SHOW Attic Gallery, Swansea, until Wed 24 Dec and Fri 23 Jan-Sat 14 Mar Admission: free. Info: 01792 653387 / www.atticgallery.co.uk This esteemed Swansea gallery, in line with many others like it, consolidates its year of exhibitions with a 2014-into-2015 show, highlighting work by its artists. It also offers them up for sale, so they have a chance to get a bit of cash in their pocket via the pre-Christmas present rush (or post-Christmas glow). The Winter Group Show will feature work from over 50 artists, ranging from painting to sculpture, prints to pottery, and works on a rotating basis – if you like what you see, you can take it home there and then, at which point it’ll be replaced by another work. (Collectorplan loans are available to aid purchase – enquire for more details.) The gallery closes for a month on Christmas Eve, but the show runs into midMarch on re-opening.

BUZZ 61

art Sat 3 Jan)

Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre

St. David’s Rd, Cwmbran, Torfaen. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm.

Free. 01633 483321 / www. lgac.org.uk Katharine Morling Debut major solo Welsh exhibition for an artist who makes three dimensional drawings in the medium of ceramics. Each piece, on the surface an inanimate object, has been given layers of emotion and embedded with stories. (Until Sat 17 Jan) My True Love Gave To Me Cushions, rugs, scarves, jewellery and bags from 12 weavers and fabric designers from the UK. (Until Sat 17 Jan)Corrinne Eira Evans Symbolic patterns created from chainmail, also influenced by tribal jewellery. (Until Sat 17 Jan)

M.A.D.E. Gallery

41 Lochaber St, Cardiff. Free.

029 2047 3373.

Affordable Art Featuring selected artists from the South Wales area, including regular M.A.D.E. contributors.

(From Fri 5 Dec until Sat 24 Jan) David Fitzjohn ‘Fimbulwinter’ Installation made of paper, previously shown in Oriel Mwldan. (From Fri 29 Jan until Sat 21 Feb)

Martin Tinney Gallery

18 St Andrew’s Crescent, Cardiff. Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm. Free. 029 2064 1411 / mtg@artwales. com Mary Lloyd Jones At 80 Approximately 30 paintings which show this esteemed Welsh painter – 80 this year – at her vibrant, energetic, and colourful best. (Until Wed 24 Dec) Christmas Exhibition Annual show of work by MTG’s artists, constantly changing and with items for sale from £50.

Here are some featured artists, the ones whose work will presumably cost much more than that: Sir Kyffin Williams, Peter Prendergast, Harry Holland, Shani Rhys James, Gwilym Prichard, Clive Hicks Jenkins and Meirion Ginsberg.

(Until Wed 24 Dec) Gwilym Prichard An exhibition of works on paper by one of Wales’ leading landscape artists.

(From Thurs 15 Jan until Sat 14 Feb)

Mission Gallery

Gloucester Place, Swansea.

Tue-Sun 11am-5pm. Free.

01792 652016 / www. missiongallery.co.uk Buddug Humphreys Maker In Focus show from Humphreys – from Snowdonia and based in London, she works with enamels on metal to produce brooch pins, necklaces, decorative plates and wall hangings.

(Until Sun 11 Jan) Southern Lines And Northern Lights Curated by Ceri Jones, this features work by a selection of talented designers exploring bright ideas and the understanding of materials needed to illuminate them. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Lee Williams ‘My Little Pit Pony’ Work presented in ‘the [...] space’, looking at how the horse has changed, culturally, from an essential mode of transport to a symbol of the leisure class. (From Mon 2 until Sun 7 Dec) Matthew Otten Work presented in ‘the [...] space’, featuring new animations and moving illustrations influenced by the myths and legends of Nordic and SouthEast Asian cultures. (From Mon 9 Dec until Sun 11 Jan) Mette Vorraa Work presented BUZZ 62

in ‘the [...] space’, from a Norwegian artist who aims to share stories and experiences through the visual language of photography. (From Tue 13 Jan until Sun 15 Feb) Katherine Clewett Maker In Focus show forming part of an ongoing investigation into how space can be mapped by light and create an element of ‘occupation’. (From Tue 13 Jan until Sun 15 Feb) ATB: Collective Misunderstandings Copenhagen-based art group who, in this exhibition, will critically examine the history of utopian thinking as a method of open process rather than a fixed place. (From Fri 16 Jan until Sun 8 Feb)

MOMA Wales

Y Tabernacl, Heol Penrallt, Machynlleth. Mon-Sat 10am4pm. Free. 01654 703355 / info@momawales.org.uk Christmas Selection A selection of work by Welsh artists in a variety of media, including Rhian Symes, Guy Manning, Ruth Jên Evans and creatures by Glassblobbery.

What an impressively horrible word they’ve invented there.

Glassblobbery. (Until Sat 3 Jan) Bill Swann ‘The Colour Of India’ The glass wall hangings and sculptures inspired by travels in Northern India in 2012. (Until Sat 3 Jan) Ruth Koffer ‘A Turning Towards’ Ceredigion-based artist who creates work that is grounded in the different traditions of figurative, landscape and still life subjects. (Until Sat 10 Jan) Lyndon Thomas Recent work from an artist who is interested in human habitation within the landscape and uses the unusual combination of acrylic on paper.

(Until Sat 10 Jan)

National Botanic Garden Of Wales

Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire. Daily 10am-6pm. £8.50/£7 OAP/£4.50 kids/free under-5s.

01558 668768.

Jackie Morris ‘Song Of The Golden Hare’ Storyteller and illustrator displays paintings and drawings of all her favourite creatures from her best-selling books. (Until Tue 13 Jan)

National Museum & Gallery

Cathays Park, Cardiff. TueSun 10am-5pm. Free except where noted. 029 2057 3500 / www.nmgw.ac.uk Efforts And Ideals: Prints Of The First World War All 66 works from the 1917 print portfolio The Great War: Britain’s Efforts And Ideals, commissioned by the Ministry Of Information. Augustus John and Frank Brangwyn are among the artists who contributed.

(Until Wed 7 Jan) The Welsh And The War Portraits of people – soldiers, sailors, airmen, politicians and families – whose lives were transformed by the First World War. (Until Wed 7 Jan) Artes Mundi 6 Return to Cardiff of this esteemed prize, presenting groundbreaking work including film installations, sculpture, painting and performance. The overarching theme this year is the human condition. (Until Sun 22 Feb) Maurice Marinot ‘A Passion For Glass’ French sculptor Marinot (1882-1960) was a pioneer in the development of glass as a studio art form. This exhibition will bring together 44 pieces of glass from various collections, including this museum’s own. (From Sat 20 Dec until Sun 7 June) Historic Photography Uncovered

Exhibition traces the evolution of photography, as a scientific process, as a social record and a medium for artistic expression, looking at the pioneering work of the Dillwyn Llewelyn family in the 19th century.

(From Sat 24 Jan until Sun 19 Apr)

National Waterfront Museum

Oystermouth Road, Maritime Quarter, Swansea. Daily 10am-5pm. Free. 01792 638950.

Commemorating The First World War In Glass Exhibition from Swansea School of Glass displaying a selection of cartoons (glass designs) and contemporary glassworks that are a response to WWI. (Until Sun 22 Feb) Working For Victory: Welsh Industry And The First World War Exhibition looking at what the tens of thousands of Welshmen who fought in WWI produced, how it contributed to the war effort and the impact of the war on Welsh industry. (Until Sun 15 Mar) Living By The Sea These portraits of people who make their living at sea were taken by pupils from Milford Haven School to raise awareness of the contribution made by seafarers working in Pembrokeshire. (Until Sun 22 Mar)

Newport Museum & Art Gallery

John Frost Square, Newport.

Tue-Fri 9.30am-5.30pm, Sat 9.30am-4pm. Free. 01633 656656 / museum@newport. gov.uk Documenting The Chartists A collection including documents, letters, pamphlets, posters and prints which tell the story of the Newport uprising (on 4 Nov, 1839) and the events that followed. (Until Sat 24 Jan)

Norwegian Church Arts Centre

Harbour Drive, Cardiff Bay. Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 9am3pm. Free. 029 2087 7959 / www.norwegianchurchcardiff. com Disability Arts Cymru A showcase and exhibition of various pieces of artwork by people of all abilities across Wales.

(From Wed 3 Dec until Sun 4 Jan) Julian Evans ‘Dylan Thomas: The Hunchback’s World’ Through monochrome photographic compositions, the world of Dylan Thomas’ poem Hunchback In The Park is brought to life. (From Mon 5 until Sun 11 Jan)

Off The Wall

The Old Probate Registry, Cardiff Road, Llandaff, Cardiff. Tue-Fri 9.30am5.30pm, Sat 10am-4pm. Free.

029 2055 4469 / art@ galleryoffthewall.com Christmas Bazaar Showcase of the gallery’s 2014 artists, also featuring lots of new talent. You are also invited to visit for mince pies and wine every Saturday. (Until Wed 24 Dec)

The Old Iceland Building (Elysium Gallery offsite project)

27-29 High Street, Swansea.

Wed-Sat 12-5pm. Free. 07980 925449 / www. elysiumgallery.com From Here And There The final part of an exchange between Colorado and Swansea which has involved artists from both regions exhibiting in the other’s, this is curated

by Jonathan Powell and offers different perspectives of the drawing process. This is also an

early look at a building, which, post-frozen food purgatory, is set to become an “artistic hub for the community”. (Until Sat 20 Dec)

Oriel Canfas

Glamorgan Street, Canton, Cardiff. Tue-Fri 1-4.30pm, Sat 10.30am-4.30pm. 029 2066 6455 / www. orielcanfas.co.uk Christmas Exhibition (From Sun 16 Nov until Sun 21 Dec)

Oriel Cric

Beaufort Street, Crickhowell.

Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am1.30pm. Free. 01873 811970 / gallery@visitcrickhowell. co.uk Christmas At Cric Mixed work, available to buy. (Until Mon 26 Jan)

Oriel Davies

The Park, Newtown, Powys.

Mon-Sat 10am-5.30pm. Free.

01686 625041 / enquiries@ orieldavies.org Showtime Exhibition celebrating the people who take part in the gallery’s learning programmes and the art they create. (Until Wed 25 Feb) *Francesca Woodman ‘Artist Rooms’ Exhibition of esteemed work from this lauded Modernist photographer, who committed suicide in 1981 aged only 22. (Until Wed 25 Feb) Responses Work by student photographers from Newtown, responding to the Francesca Woodman exhibition listed above. (Until Wed 25 Feb)

Oriel Joanna Field

Torch Theatre, St. Peter’s Road, Milford Haven. Free.

01646 695267 / www. torchtheatre.co.uk Diane Mathias ‘Where The Heart Is’ Landscape artist who paints atmospheric scenes from around Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire in oils and pastels. (Until Sat 3 Jan)

Oriel Lliw

Pontardawe Arts Centre, Herbert Street, Pontardawe.

Free. 01792 863722 / www. npt.gov.uk/theatres Christmas Show Locally sourced arts and crafts available to purchase. (From Wed 3 Dec until Fri 9 Jan)

Oriel Mwldan

Bath House Rd, Cardigan.

Mon-Sat 10am-8pm. Free.

01239 621200 / siobhan@ mwldan.co.uk *Ian Watson ‘Summer Grass, Winter Worm’ Drawings and paintings from a Cardiff-based artist whose work harks back to a “misspent youth” of heavy metal tapes and East Sussex woodlands. See Art. (From Sat 6 Dec until Sat 24 Jan) John Abell ‘The Horse With The Human Heart’ A story in woodcuts, written and illustrated by Abell – his debut as both writer and artist, differing from his usual practice of making sprawling images with found material. (From Sat 31 Jan until Sat 21 Mar)

Oriel Myrddin

Church Lane, Carmarthen.

01267 222775 / www. orielmyrddingallery.co.uk Seren Wen A chance to find Christmas gifts, specially selected and presented in the gallery, along with crafts, gifts and cards in the gallery shop.

(Until Wed 31 Dec)

Oriel Q

The Queens Hall, High Street, Narberth. Wed-Sat 10am5pm. Free. 01834 869454 / www.orielqueenshallgallery. org.uk Winter Open Held in the main gallery, Oriel Fach and

on the stairs. Main gallery’s 3D area: assorted ceramics and jewellery by students and well-known artists. (Until Sat 20 Dec) Tina Carr and Annemarie Schöne ‘Once We Were Birds’ Photographs.

(From Fri 16 Jan until Sat 28 Feb)

Oriel Y Bont

University Of South Wales, Pontypridd. Mon-Thurs 8.30am-5.30pm, Fri 8.30am5pm. Free. 01443 480480 / www.gallery.southwales.ac.uk FUSE 2 Contemporary artworks by four south Wales-based artists, two photographers and two painters: David Barnes, Paul Cabuts, Christopher Nurse and Andreas Ruethi. (From Mon 8 Dec until Thurs 6 Mar)

The Riverfront

Bristol Packet Wharf, Newport. Mon-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 10am-6pm. Free. 01633 656757.

Dick Whittington Exhibition Work from local artists and schools along the eponymous theme. (Until Wed 7 Jan) Marion Cheung Paintings concerning mobile technology and its impact on children and the environment, from a Newport-based artist. (From Sat 3 until Sat 31 Jan)

St Donats Arts Centre

St Donats Castle, Vale Of Glamorgan. Free. 01446 779100 / www.stdonats.com Philip Watkins and Rhisiart Dafys ‘Welshscape’ Watkins’ in-situ drawings of places he has known throughout his life manipulate shadow and light to create mood and atmos-

01792 295526 / www. taliesinartscentre.co.uk Christmas Show Annual show offerign a wide selection of craft objects and jewellery for festive gift purchase, if you like. (Until Tue 23 Dec)

Tenby Museum & Art Gallery

Castle Hill, Tenby. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, £4/£3/£2 kids.

01834 842809 / www. tenbymuseum.org.uk Guy Manning Solo show from a painter who lives and works in Tenby and who has had numerous exhibitions in the UK, France and New York. (Until Sat 20 Dec)

Third Floor Gallery

102 Bute Street, Cardiff Bay. Wed-Sun 1-7pm. Free. 029 2115 9151 / cardiff. thirdfloorgallery@gmail.com Mateusz Sarello ‘Swell’ The premise behind this photography exhibition is interesting and somewhat emo. Sarello, a Polish photographer, started a project depicting the Baltic Sea, but he and his girlfriend broke up in the middle of it. Consequently, he changed his focus up to be more personal, and highlight the contrasting styles ‘before’ and ‘after’ his breakup. Hmm, that is pretty emo. (Until Sun 14 Dec)

Velindre Hospital

Whitchurch, Cardiff. Open 24/7. Free. 029 2075 2251.

South Wales Art Society – Permanent Rolling Exhibition Members’ works are available to view in the corridors and restaurant of the hospital at any any given

Until Sun 14 Dec, Third Floor Gallery in Cardiff Bay has a photographic exhibition with a curious conceit. Mateusz Sarello visited the Baltic Sea to embark on a project there, but broke up with his partner during the trip; thereafter, he changed the project's focus, making it more personal. phere. Dafys’ work is perspectival and typically delineated by hard edged areas of flat, unvarying colour. (From Tue 6 until Thurs 29 Jan)

Swansea Grand Theatre

Singleton St, Swansea. MonSat 10am-5pm. Free. 01792 475715 / www. swanseagrand.co.uk Sentinel Ffotography ‘No Worm’s Head’ Collective featuring Syd Howells (I remember this guy’s weird noise bands), Paul Nicholas and Gregg Stockdale offer an alternative view of Swansea. (Until Sat 6 Dec) Swansea Camera Club Covering all aspects of photography, both in colour and monochrome. (Until Fri 19 Dec) The Palette Club Art group showcase their diverse work, in a variety of media. (From Tue 23 Dec until Fri 9 Jan) Paul Davies ‘Textures, Shadows & Geometry’ Swansea photographer who in recent years has taken pictures “from a fine art perspective”. (From Tue 13 until Fri 30 Jan)

Taliesin Arts Centre

Singleton Park, Swansea.

Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 12pm-6pm and performance evenings 6pm-8.15pm. Free.

time. 20% of all sales go to the hospital.

Victoria Fearn Gallery

6B Heol y Deri, Rhiwbina, Cardiff. Mon-Sat 9.30am5.30pm, Sun 10am-3pm.

Free. 029 2052 0884.

Christmas Exhibition A mixture of paintings, prints, ceramics, glass, sculpture, jewellery and Christmas gifts, handmade by British designers. (Until Wed 24 Dec)

Wales Millennium Centre

Bute Place, Cardiff Bay. Free.

029 2063 6464 / www.wmc. org.uk Andy Singleton Paper sculptor Singleton will be creating intricate, large-scale, frosty-looking decorations for display throughout the Centre’s public spaces.

(Until Sun 18 Jan)

West Wharf Gallery

Jacobs Market, Cardiff.

Thurs-Sat 10am-5pm. Free. westwharfgallery@gmail. com Sean Donovan ‘Small Works’ New paintings, all under three feet on their longest side, from an artist who normally works in considerably larger scale, and who has exhibited in Manhattan this year. (Until Thurs 4 Dec) Christmas Exhibition Work

clubs from renowned Welsh artists.

(Until Thurs 1 Jan)

The Winding House

Cross Street, New Tredegar, Caerphilly. Tue-Sun 10am5pm. Free. 01443 822666 / windinghouse@caerphilly. gov.uk Our Duty To Bear: The First World War And Caerphilly County Borough Exhibition exploring how WWI affected men, women and children in this area. It will explore the impact of the war on the local area through objects, images, film and sound. (Until summer 2015)

clubs 10 Feet Tall

11a + 12 Church Street, Cardiff. 029 2022 8883 / thisis10feettall@yahoo.co.uk Mondays Sabotage 8pm, free. Classic hip-hop every Monday courtesy of DJ Jaffa.

Wednesdays Freshly Squeezed 7pm, free. Pre-club kinda night featuring freshly picked new music and drinks deals.

411 Bar And Nightclub

3-6 St Mary Street, Cardiff.

Open Thurs 9pm-3am, Fri + Sat 10pm-4am. 029 2066 7996.

Wed 31 The Great Gatsby NYE Party 10pm-6am. Toast the big ‘15 in 1920s style, a bit like Buzz did three years ago when we had our 20th birthday party. You’re three years behind Buzz on the trend curve, guys!

Thursdays Passion 10pm, £4 adv. The best r’n’b around and various drinks deals. Fridays + Saturdays Gawjus 9pm12am, free before 10. Pre-club night offering drinks deals, sexy staff and stunning beats.

Fridays Ace Of Spades 9pm4am, £10/£5 before 12/free before 10. Saturdays Classiq R&B Saturdays 9pm-4am, £10/£5 before 12/free on guest list before 10. Old skool r’n’b, old skool hip-hop, Motown, soul and neo-soul. Sat 6 is a Soul City takeover and features sets from DJ Horse and DJ Policy, probably my two favourite DJ names of this issue.

Aberystwyth Students Union

Old College, King Street, Aberystwyth. 01970 621700 / www.aber.ac.uk Sat 31 Jan Black House 8pm-5am. This is all still TBC aside from the date but if this irregular big, student-friendly Aber rave is on your radar, save said date, I daresay.

The Angel Inn

57-59 Great Darkgate Street, Aberystwyth. 01970 617878.

Fri 5 Dutty Riddims 11pm3am, £4. Dubstep, jungle and drum’n’bass featuring (first to last) Boundary, Hidden Element b2b Neurotik, Nexsuz & Hypnosis MC, Bob Hudson and the Gemini Twins.

Buffalo

11 Windsor Place, Cardiff.

Open Mon-Thurs 11am-3am, Fri + Sat 11am-4am, Sun until 4am. 029 2031 0312 / www.buffalocardiff.com Mondays Bump & Grind 10pm-3am, £4/£3 before 11.30. See Clubs for more on this 90s r’n’b/hip-hop night, which has relocated to here from Undertone. Thurs 11 Allforms 10pm-4am, £15/£12 early bird. Deep discoey diving

down with touring guests Bicep and Wolf Music. Room 1 also has Woohaforthis plus more TBC; room 2 is hosted by Disco Palace. Saturdays Buffalo Block Party 8pm-4am, £4/free b4 11. RichTea, James Size, Rackham and Stacy French offer hip-hop, house, garage, indie, alt-rock, disco etc.

Cardiff University Students Union

Park Place, Cardiff. All listings apply to term time only.

029 2078 1458 / studentsunion@cardiff.ac.uk Wednesdays YOLO 9pm-2am, £4/£3 adv/free before 11. New midweek club night promising both your favourite tunes and great offers. Good name, really on trend. Wed 31 Flux NYE 10pm-3am, £8 adv. DJs and cheap-if-you-have-an-NUS-card drinks in Y Plas, which the Union’s website rather optimistically calls “Cardiff’s newest nightclub”. Saturdays Flux 9pm-2am, £5/£4 NUS. Chart, dance and pop.

Club Oxygen

1 Northampton Lane, Swansea. 0844 8849171 / www.globaloxygen.co.uk Fridays Dance Anthems 11pm-6am, from £5. House and commercial music all night from Big Al, Nicky G, 3 Bird, Jordan Steins, LJ Isaac and Tom Chizzy. Fri 12 Cally & Juice: End Of An Era Tour 10pm-5am, £10. South Wales hardstyle royalty will be amicably separating after this month; this is their last ever Welsh set.

Swankie DJ & Kashi, Chuck-E, Big Al, Kujin Fy b2b Skitek, MKN and MC Shocker dab their eyes in room 1; Nicky G, Martin Dibble, 3bird and LJ Isaac keep room 2 cheerful. Saturdays 10pm-6am. Room 1: ED, progressive, big room, electro, deep and house. Room 2: r’n’b, bassline, garage and hip-hop.

Plus big name guests TBC. Sat 20 White Night 10pm-6am, £10. Lauren Pope off of TOWIE will be headlining with a DJ set. I wonder what sort of music she’ll play. Maybe something extreme and crazy! That would be unexpected. There’s a live saxophonist, name of Mark Dawson, so you never know.

Clwb Ifor Bach

Womanby St, Cardiff.

029 2023 2199 / www.clwb. net Mon 8 Itchy Feet 10.30pm3am, £7/£5. Rock’n’roll, swing, funk, R&B and ska. Wed 31 10pm-4am, £8/£5. The Saturday night DJ crew (see below) cook up something epochal for the new year, plus Auld Lang Syne. I myself will only listen to the Dropkick Murphys cover of it. Thursdays Maad City 11pm-4am, £3/£2 NUS. New night promising a “hip-hop house party vibe”. Fridays (bottom) Xerox 10.30pm-3am, £4/£3 NUS. A “party jukebox” night. With DJs, though, not an actual jukebox. Fri 5 Memorex 10pm-4am, £15 adv. Santé and Sidney Charles, both from Germany despite their names not suggesting this, bring good house times to Clwb. Scott Kerr and JV do something similar.

See Clubs. Fri 12 Masquerave 10pm-4am, £5/£4. “The mysterious elegance of a Masquerade Ball and the hedonistic mania of a rave are joining hands.”

Fri 19 Delete 10pm-4am, £10 adv. British house stalwart Terry Francis comes to these parts for the first time in a while (possibly since 2007 – subs check, he said to himself). Matt Owen, Marc Parsons and Lee Graves do their thing. Saturdays 10pm-4am, £5/£4 NUS.

Three floors of fun: The Vinyl Vendettas’ top floor resident indie shindig; Dirty Pop and Mr Potter's proper disco. Sat 27 Lamerica 10pm-4am. Details TBC on this one, other than it’ll be house music all night long. I assume. Sun 21 Penarth Soul Club 11pm-3am. DJing after the Meltdown night (see Live Music listings).

Courtyard

48 Cambrian Road, Newport.

01633 213161.

Wednesdays Wild Wednesdays Upfront dance anthems and “Urban Vibes”.

Wed 31 Newport’s Wildest NYE Party Taking place across the Courtyard, Blind Tiger, Delilahs, the Meze Lounge and Warehouse54; get an NPclubhop ticket to gain entry to all five.

Fridays The Kickstart A selection of r’n’b and dancehall.

Saturdays Mischief Beatdriven anthems is the ambiguous description for tonight’s music policy. Sundays The Courtyard House Sessions Spanning styles from funky to deep.

DC / Maddison

71-74 St Mary Street, Cardiff.

029 2039 9399 / www. maddisondc.com Wed 31 The Biggest NYE Party 9pm-4am, £15 adv/£10 early bird. Featuring a live PA from Bobby V and sets from Nezzy, Hilly, Raheem, Jigga, Moe, Supreme and Neeko, playing r’n’b, hip-hop, dancehall, garage etc Fridays Smack.

10pm-3am, £5/£4 before 10.30.

Hit student night, helmed by residents Lawrence Jones and Mozafari, with all the associated zany activities and modern floor-fillers that the clientele love. Saturdays 9pm-5am, £5.

Dance anthems from various special guests and residents.

Delilahs

54-55 High Street, Newport.

01633 259144.

Wed 31 Newport’s Wildest NYE Party See the Courtyard, listings above. Saturdays Chic 9pm-4am, £3-£5. Hip-hop, dancehall, r’n’b, ‘urban’ etc courtesy of DJ Lee and Alex Bee. Sat 12 is presented by Kovert Music and has a headline set from UK garage pioneer Wookie.

Dempseys

Castle Street, Cardiff. 029 2023 9253.

Thursdays (downstairs) Twisted By Design 9.30pm2am, free. Weekly night along the lines of the Saturday lineups. Fridays (downstairs) Blah Blah Blah 10pm-3am, free. Gary Twisted offers up Motown, indie, rock’n’roll, reggae and “no cheesy pop”.

Saturdays 9pm-3am, free.

Rock’n’roll, funk, soul, party tunes yadda yadda, selected

by Chris PJ Martin. Sat 6 Fabulous 9pm-2am, £4. Mod, ska, reggae, indie, R&B, funk, boogaloo and northern soul, running here for the mods since the 90s. Sat 13 + Wed 31 + Sat 31 Jan Twisted By Design 9pm-2am, £3.50/£3 NUS (£6 adv Wed 31). Monthly event with Gary playing the best in indie choons – Belle & Sebastian, Bowie, Cure, Dead Kennedys, summat like that.

Wed 31 is of course an NYE bash, and will go on an hour or so later I daresay.

Escape

Northampton Lane, Swansea. escapenightclub@live.co.uk / www.escdj.com *Fri 5 Wallop £15 adv/£10 early bird. Er, wow. Lot of people on this dancehall/jungle bill.

There are three rooms but I’ll

leave it to you to pick the bones out of: Daddy Freddy, General Levy, Lady Chann, Tippa Irie, Tenor Fly, Kenny Ken, Sweeities Irie, YT, Elle Dee, Blackout JA, Deadly Hunta, Solo Banton, Peppery, Colour Man, Jamie Irie, Norris B, Da Fuchaman, Younga C, Frisk, Ray Keith, Youth Promotion, Scotty, Lava Rock Sound, Wallop, MOD, Walshy Selecta, OCDJ, Mike Wiley, RSD, Rasterlin, Manifakture, Dubsta b2b Hoax b2b Risk, Kookie Crumble, Blokeye, Mizza and, scarcely believably, “many more”. Sat 20 Delusion 10pm, £10 adv.

Trance big hitters have a festive party and get Simon Patterson and Ben Nicky to headline. Will Rees, Rhys Thomas, Callan Christie and Nic Lawson are in room 1; Wayne Hannigan, Evs, John E & Beef, Terri Simmonds, Salty & Saunders, Ben Ishie, Dan Howells plus guests Dave Eaves b2b Puff. See Clubs.

Fuel

5 Womanby Street, Cardiff.

0845 6430032 / www. givemefuel.co.uk Thursdays FUBAR 10pm2am. Rock, metal and alternative clubnight. Fridays + Saturdays Rock and metal anthems each weekend, plus special guests when such types are in town.

The Full Moon / The Moon Club

Womanby Street, Cardiff. 029 2037 3022 / info@ thefullmooncardiff.com Wed 31 Surplus/Levitation/ Crowbar New Year’s Eve Party 6pm-6am, £15/£10 adv. Live acts and DJs alike, for you to get messy to (and I ain’t talking about your dad’s collection of ‘sploshing’ magazines here). Main room: Skull Drums, El Trouble, Slamfish, Kilnaboy, AOS3, Lacertilia, Zinc Bukowski, Gung Ho, Taffy Twp, Big Red Music, Torrie, Fry and Ben-Jah Meakin. Loft: Paul Lyons, Nick Maidment, Alan Badger, Fattman b2b Salted Slug, ABELS, and Rev Dread.

Thursdays Hullabalooza 10pm-4am, free. Three rooms of alternative party tunes in time for the students coming back, taking over etc. Fri 5 Hell’s Bent 11pm-4am, £5.

Cardiff’s number one alternative gay night. Saturdays Five Dollar Shake Free. DJ Puddlefunk with bebop, funk, soul, Motown, hip-hop, reggae, ska and everything in between.

Sat 6 + Sat 3 Jan Back To Basskicks 11pm-3am, £6/£4 before 12. Featuring, on Sat 6, a showcase of artists from the Born On Road label: Aries, Gardna (great name!), Kelvin 373 and Hud Son. Plus ILe Flottante, Shanti-Squire, Detect and DJ Nameless (Traffic). Sat 3 Jan is part of the Free For All month, thus is free to get in.

Sat 13 Before Diana Died 10.30pm-3am, £3. Hits from the 90s, plus some songs from said decade which weren’t hits but are enjoyed by the good folk behind this popular night.

Glam

Greyfriars Road, Cardiff. 029 2022 9311 / info@ glamnightclub.co.uk Mondays The Fest 10pm3am, £3.50. Two floors of charts, dance and student anthems (room one) and r’n’b, hip-hop, urban and funky (room two).

Wednesdays HUMP 10pm3am, £3.50. This is billed as the most outrageous night ever to come to Cardiff, which they will achieve via drinking games and celeb DJ sets. Wed 3 ShangriLa 10pm, £6-£10. Richy Ahmed, another of the Hot Creations

DJs who play so well in here, visits Cardif tonight. ShangriLa Residents: Nic Saunders, Adam Carey, Liam Matear and Elliot Mitchell. VIP: Ben Pullen and Mike Winters. Wed 31 Viva Glam Ultimate White Party 9pm-4am, £10-£20.

Chart, dance, club classics etc in some rooms, hip-hop, r’n’b and garage in others. Dress in white for some reason. Wed 31 Viva Glam 9pm-4am, £5-£20. Level 1: Ian Davies and Jordan Valleys.. Level 2: Sole, Spice, Urban Fusion and Willow play urban bangers. Gold Den: Veejay and DJ T. Gallery: old skool r’n’b from Monique and Willow. Thursdays Propaganda 9pm-3am, £3 adv.

UK-wide indie night comes to Cardiff with special guests on some weeks. Residents: DJ Dan, The Postman, Andy Tokyo, Matt Nelmes and Joshcat. Fridays Antisocial 9pm-3am. Level 1: r’n’b, hip-hop and mash-ups from DJ Sole and DJ Pro. Level 2: house, electro, dubstep and drum’n’bass from Ian Davies and DJ Rewire. Saturdays Vanity 9pm-3am, £5-£10. Two rooms of quality music, everyone catered for it is claimed.

Gwdihw

6 Guildford Crescent, Cardiff.

029 2039 7933 / www. gwdihw.co.uk Mon 15 The Who Afterparty 4pm, free. Cafe A Go Go play the hits mods love, as do The Who, in the Motorpoint Arena across the road. Wed 31 Heroes & Villains New Years Eve Ball 7pm-3am, £8/£6 adv. Al Thomas plays funk, soul, house etc etc. Come dressed as a hero or villain from a comic book. If you want.

Wed 21 Jan Your House 8pm, free. A night dedicated to house music in its various forms, hosted by local producer and DJ Tropical Ground plus Grooveland Records. Fri 5 + Fri 2 Jan Sure Shot 9pm, £4/£3 adv. Funky edit/remix crew Yam Who? debut (I think) in Cardiff in December, with Don Leisure and Ratcatcher also on the decks. Fri 2 Jan is a Bring Your Own Sounds night.

Fri 19 Tuxedo Junction 9pm, £4. Featuring a live set from Chango Swing and DJing from Lindy Hop Cardiff. Fri 26 Delete House Party 6pm, £5 before 10. Big fish little fish cardboard Boxing Day house and techno. Fri 9 + 23 Jan Signor Funk 9pm-2.30am, £3.

Northern soul, funk, disco etc.

Fri 16 Jan Cafe A GoGo 9pm, £4. Northern soul, R&B, blues, ska, funk and acid jazz, with residents James Parker, Mark Taylor and Eddie Crole. Sat 6 + Sat 10 Jan Fat City 9pm, £4. Soul, Latin, jazz, house, electro, funk and hip-hop.

December features a live set from Dakhla; January is a fifth birthday party. Sat 13 + Sat 3 Jan Blue Honey/Devil’s Gun 9pm, £5 adv. See Clubs for more on Romare, December’s headliner. Sat 20 + Sat 17 Jan Superchango 9pm, £4/£3. December is a Soulstice Christmas special; January has a live set from Bass12. Sat 27 City Social 9pm, £3. Featuring City Bass DJs, Owain Hepple, Sean Morgan, Danny O’Reilly (no relation to lad banter comedian Daniel ‘Dapper Laughs’ O’Reilly) and more. Sat 31 Jan Hully Gully x On The Corner Tropical Discotheque Part Deux! 9pm, £3. Funk, hip-hop, disco and house with guest sets from DJ Izem and J. Buck.

Sun 21 In The Box 5pm, free.

Ratcatcher, Brawd and Jack Siddall offer an evening of

house and suchlike, aiming to be a meatspace version of their Boxcast podcast.

Jimmy’s Bar

33 Station Rd, Port Talbot.

01639 769888.

Fri 19 Maison 9pm-4am.

Tech-house type stuff with VAM from London headlining. Callum Gillings, Blake Parker, Dale Williams and Aaron Hayes also feature. This venue was closed over the summer because they served vodka to a 14-year-old girl. So they’re probably a bit more vigilant now.

Karma

75 St Mary Street, Cardiff. Fri + Sat 8pm-6am. karmaclubcardiff@gmail.com Wed 31 Journey 10pm-6am, £8 adv/£6 early bird. Agreeably cheap NYE night here, although you’ll have to like trance.

Daniel Skyver and Ally Brown are the two out-of-town visitors; also in room 1 are Stu Grady, Hywel Matthews, Richie Knight and Sean Furlong. The ground floor is hosted by Release and features Madame Twisted, Dan 3Man & Corey S, Vinnie G, Dan Waite, Kendawg, Boy Griff and Dead Drop. Basement: techno and psy hosted by Terminus and featuring Joe Byrne, Alan Sykes, Steve Howells and Davey Marc.

Kuku Club

Park Plaza Hotel, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff. Members’ club.

029 2011 1177 / www. kukuclub.co.uk Fridays Kuku is available for private hire on Friday evenings.

Get in touch with them via the website if you want to take advantage of this. Saturdays 10pm-4am, £5/free members (10pm-1am); £10/£5 members (after 1am). With DJs TBC.

Ladybird

41 St Mary St, Cardiff. 029 2066 5500 / info@ ladybirdcardiff.com / www. ladybirdcardiff.com Mondays C.R.E.A.M 10pm4am, £4/£3 before 11. Hip-hop, r’n’b and garage. Presented

by Cirque Du Cardiff. Wed 31 Prohibition Ends Hidden Speakeasy 8pm, £5 adv.

Music from the 20, 30s, 40 and “now”, a live band at the start of the evening and 2-4-1 cocktails. Thurs 11 Basement Bassline Showcase 10pm4am, £3. House, hip-hop and bassline from up’n’coming local DJs. Room 1: Comfort , Varndell, Beekay, Rory Fisher and Alex Mathieson. Room 2: Batesy, Slaughter, Blokeye, Kloc and Weeksy. Fridays C-Y-N-T 10pm-5am. Student clubbing favourites take up residency in a new venue. Residents: Josh Thomas, Andrew Watkins, Elliot Mitchell, Batesy, Tom Rees, Van Pelt, Highforthis and Gavin Woo. Saturdays Vice 10pm-4am.

“Saturday nights in Cardiff have lost their way in recent months; well Vice has arrived to give them direction again.” Oh yeah?

Sundays Sunday Project 7pm-3am, free with guestlist.

Free industry night offers floor fillers and house classics.

Lava Lounge

The Old Brewery Quarter, Caroline Street, Cardiff. 029 2038 2313 / www. lavaloungecardiff.co.uk Fridays Circus Circus 9pm3am. “The best music from the best DJs in town” and, perhaps more importantly, cheap drinks. Saturdays 9pm-3am.

Commercial chart music and the best of the 80s and 90s is promised, as are various two for £6/three for £5 drinks offers.

Sundays Industry Sundays 9pm-4am. Folks in the bar, club BUZZ 63

clubs and hotel industry can come here after work and party to the selections of DJs Rhys Lewis and DJ George.

The Mackintosh Sports & Social Club Keppoch Street, Roath, Cardiff. 029 2049 4697 / www.mackintoshsportsclub. org Sat 6 The Saturday Social: One Foot In The Rave 7.30pm-12am. Gareth J, Wurzel, The Rev P Dread and Grooveslave will be playing danceable bangers, “post-pub pre-club” as they say.

Metros

Baker’s Row, Cardiff. 029 2039 9942 / www. metroscardiff.com Wednesdays Cheapskates 9pm-4am, £5. Hywel plays ‘alternative mayhem’ and old skool cheese. Fridays Subversion 9.30pm-3.30am, £3 with flyer before 10.30pm.

Drinks promos, no dress code.

Rock, punk, metal and alternative beats. Saturdays Slacker 9.30pm-3.30am. Wherein Hywel plays alternative and new music.

Minskys Show Bar

Cathedral Walk, St David’s Centre, Cardiff. 029 2023 3128 / www.minskysshowbar.com Fridays & Saturdays 8pm1am. Dancing and cabaret with regular drag acts including Tina Sparkle, Miss Babs and Jolene Dover.

Mocka Lounge

Mill Lane, Cardiff. Mon-Sat

11am-late. 029 2022 1295 / www.mockalounge.com Thursdays The Social Affair 9pm-3am. Over-25s night with chart hits through the ages.

Fridays Timeless DJ Dan Nicholas plays r’n’b, funk, disco and old skool. Just old skool.

Saturdays Decorum Soulful and upfront house, plus funk, disco etc, from Sinky and Styles.

Sundays VIP Chris Evans (My Playhouse) plays club classics, funky house and r’n’b.

Monkey Bar

13 Castle Street, Swansea.

01792 480822 / www. monkeycafe.co.uk Wednesdays Get Tasty New night for the new students of the new term. Sat 5 + 19 Marvel 10pm. Funk, hip-hop and r’n’b, every other Saturday.

The Mountain Ash Inn

24 Commercial Street, Mountain Ash, Rhondda.

07818 623144.

Fri 5 Time Flies Christmas Party 7pm-1am, £10 adv.

Featuring Brandon Block, Gareth Hopkins, Footlong DJs, Dave Eaves and Puff Richards.

Neath Pool World

16 New Street, Neath. www. facebook.com/pages/convergeneath Sat 6 Converge Presents The Basement 7pm-1am, £4.

House and techno with guests from Maison in Cardiff. DJs: Dean Morgan, Jason Wilkinson, Sean Morris, Sam Balla, Blake Parker, Callum Gillings and Dale Williams, the last three being Maison boys.

Cally & Juice, the inseparable duo of Welsh hardstyle, are to... separate. Amicably, and with solo projects already underway; their last set in Wales as C&J is at Oxygen, Swansea on Fri 12.

Oceana

72 The Kingsway, Swansea.

0845 293 2872 / swansea@ oceanaclubs.com Tuesdays Love Social 10pm-3am, £7.50. Under-18s night. Fridays Threesome Fridays 10pm-3am, £2.70.

Chart, party, pop and r’n’b across three rooms Saturdays Oceana Rocks 10pm-3am, £4.50. House, electro and dance anthems in the main room, plus pop, chart, party and r’n’b in the other two.

Popworld

Wind Street, Swansea. MonFri + Sun 8pm-3am; Sat 3pm-3am. 01792 470676.

Mondays Rock’n’Roller 9pm-3am. Student night. Roll the dice and win a round of drinks. Tuesdays Popworld Idol 9pm-3am. Karaoke night.

Wednesdays No Regrets 9pm, from £2. Student night.

Fridays + Saturdays Popworld Party 8pm-3am, £2-£4 (Fri)/£3-£5 (Sat).

Pryzm (formerly Oceana)

Greyfriars Road, Cardiff. 029 2023 3854 / www.pryzm. co.uk/cardiff/ Mondays Get Lucky 10pm3am, free before 11.30. Student night. Where do they come up with these names? Thursdays Cake 10pm-3am. Another student night. As with Monday, this has £1.50 drinks offers.

Fridays + Saturdays 10pm3am. Three music arenas, VIP booths, other stuff. Saturday is in conjunction with Jongleurs comedy club, which also takes place here.

Pulse

PEVERELIST City Bass @ Undertone, Cardiff, Sat 20 Dec Admission: TBC. Info: 029 2022 8883 www.undertonecardiff.com It really is pretty ridiculous that, with a good eight years under his belt as a recognised DJ and producer, Bristol’s Peverelist has never made the journey to Cardiff to do his thing. Thanks to City Bass, he’ll be doing so in time to avoid the inevitable new year jack-up of prices on the toll bridge /train lines. Debuting back in 2006, when Bristol dubstep was an extremely vibrant and mutating beast, Pev – real name Tom Ford – released his own productions, likewise those of many others from the scene, on his Punch Drunk label. His austere, purposeful and percussiondriven sound has been an influential factor in the interbreeding of dubstep and techno, which makes him a perfect fit for City Bass – who have had another year of great bookings in the form of Space Dimension Controller and Galcher Lustwerk, among others.

BUZZ 64

3 Churchill Way, Cardiff. 029 2064 1010 / www. pulsecardiff.com. Gay venue.

Wednesdays Warped 10pm4am. Join DJ Craig W on a journey through time with the best hits from the last two decades.

Fridays Pulsetastic 10pm5am, £4/£3. With live PAs once a month. Saturdays Pop Til You Drop 10pm-5am, £5/£4 b4 11. The very best chart remixes and classic hits all night long.

Revolution

Castle Street, Cardiff. Open from 11am. 029 2023 6689 / www.revolution-bars.co.uk Tuesdays Sync 9pm-3am.

Student night featuring hazers, lasers and drink deals.

Wednesdays Shotgun Rules 9pm-3am. Exclusive midweek student party. You don’t need NUS to get in though. Wed 31 8pm-3am, £10-£25. NYE special (obviously) with lots of bells and whistles. Fridays Nouveau 9pm-3am. DJs, drinks offers, free area hire.

There’s also deep house and mashups from Sarah Louise and DJ Snooze, respectively.

Saturdays Saturday Mix Session Party in style with table bookings. Saturdays 10pm, £5 adv. Not sure if this is just for December, but ‘Revs’ has got some half decent DJs in before Christmas: DJ Zinc (Sat 6), Doorly and Nicola Bear (Sat 13) and Jonathan Ulysses (Sat 20).

The Royal Oak

200 Broadway, Splott, Cardiff.

029 2049 6628.

Fridays DJ 45 Free. Punk, indie, rock and soul classics from the 60s, 70s and 80s, all played from the original 7” vinyl.

The Scene

Plymouth Street, Swansea.

07730 432166 / www. thesceneclub.co.uk Sat 6 + Sat 3 Jan Dead Of Night 10pm-3am, £3. Goth/ alternative club night, on the first Saturday of every month.

Used to be in Sin City, is now in here.

Sin City

Dilwyn Street, Swansea.

01792 468892 / bookings@ alternativeswansea.com Thursdays Sin Savers 10pm3am, £3. Student night, back for the new term. Fridays Monsters Of Rock & Metal / 131 10pm-3.30am, £4/£3 b4 11.

Indie in room 1, metal in room 2. Saturdays Sink 10pm-3am.

Hip-hop, drum’n’bass, dubstep etc, with special guests plus resident DJs Dubman, Swiss Elf and South. Sat 13 The Lighthouse Project 10pm, £8/£6 adv. Lauren Lo Sung, Liverpudlian house DJ who we previewed a while back, is the main attraction tonight.

Soda Lounge

St Mary Street, Cardiff. 029 2037 3363 / www.sodalounge. co.uk Tuesdays Cartel £4/£3.50.

UK-wide student night. Mr. Mozafari will be playing vocal house and electro upstairs; DJ Wallace will supply r’n’b and chart in the Soda Lounge.

Wed 31 Black & White Masquerade Ball 9pm5am, £5-£15. Soda Lounge: Arj Sandhu and guests TBC Sodabar: Matt Giggsy Skinner, Chris Evans and Owen Sheppard (bongos). The Attic: Jay Vivet. Oh and you’re expected to wear masks to uphold the theme of the night, at least until you get sick of it.

Thursdays Clique 10pm, £4.

New night promising the hottest r’n’b and dancefloor fillers.

Saturdays Soiree 9pm-4am.

Three rooms including the Attic which is “the social playground for the high flyers and social elite, really the only place to be seen.” Imagine catching your reflection in the mirror just after writing that.

Splott Warehouse

Titan Road, Splott, Cardiff. www.facebook.com/ splottwarehousecdf Sat 6 Off Piste Cardiff Winter Festival 2-10pm, £20 adv. Following up the event headlined by Chase & Status in early October, this studentcentric rave returns. with these lot: DJ Fresh, Zane Lowe, Alunageorge (live), Shift K3y, The Golden Boy, Panda, Grl Tlk and a special guest.

Terra Nova

Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay. 029 2045 0947 / www. terranovacardiff.com Wed 31 Going Back To The 80s New Year’s Eve Party 8pm-2am, £5. Josh O’Hara is the DJ to smoothly transition you between years. This event has a Back To The Future-

themed poster, to prep you for a year of inane knobheads making references to that movie.

Tiger Tiger

Friary House, Greyfriars Rd, Cardiff. Open Mon-Fri 12pm-2am, Sat 12pm-3am, Sun 12pm-12.30am. 029 2039 1944 / www.tigertiger-cardiff. co.uk Every Day Lucky Voice Karaoke From £2.50 per session. The UK's leading private karaoke experience each day of the week. Wed 31 5pm-3am, £15/£7.50 early bird. Streamers, shiny things, hooting, various dinner/comedy/VIP packages, and Professor Green live. I assume by “live” they mean that he will be in the building, and not dead, rather than playing a live set in the traditional sense.

Fridays Koosday 10pm-3am, £7/£5. Something that has lots of decor, smoke machines etc and describes itself as an “Arrogantly Premium Clubbing Experience”. How depressing. Saturdays Kanaloa Polynesian style area with cocktails, VIP booths, dancers etc.

Undertone (basement of 10 Feet Tall)

11a + 12 Church Street, Cardiff. 029 2022 8883 / www.undertonecardiff.com Tue 23 Sprungnacht 10pm, £3/£2 before 11.30. Londonvia-Berlin techno label Sprung Records visits Cardiff, like some kind of Santa with a bad calendar. Dopplate, Fa.çade, Harry Wootten, Mr Ben, Mike H, Akinse and more will play for cheap. Wed 10 Creeper 10pm, £3/£2 adv. Grime, garage and jackin’ house from Oli Cronin, Chris Thomas, Ben Horton and more. Wed 31 NYE Party Nothing really confirmed for this so far but it might be good, depending on whether they have enough gin and lychee juice behind the bar. Fri 5 + Sat 13 Deep Inside 10pm-4am, £5 adv. Jackin’ house enthusiasts have AC Slater, boisterous bass bloke from the States, headlining on Fri 5; Sat 13 is still TBC. Fri 12 Nocturnal Emissions 10pm-4am, £4/free before 1. Bi-monthly goth, EBM and industrial night with sets from Ember, Exhale, Hannah and Draken. Fri 19 Groove Theory 10pm-4am, £4/free before 11.30. House and disco specialists with a headliner TBC. *Fri 26 Mood Resident 10pm-5am. Cutting-edge techno pushers with a live 909 hardware set from someone who’s being kept under wraps at the moment. I won’t be here anyway so I don’t CARE who it is. Fri 16 Jan Powercore 9pm-4am, £10/£5 early bird. Hardcore for those who will have known the score. Clarkey b2b J-Delerious, Mono b2b Shutts, Fallon & MC Offside, Reflux vs Danii MC Vibrance vs Skyz, Leif Boii, Blocaldini, Dipz & Defective with MC Skyz, Watkins vs Coregasm with Pieman vs Swifty and Alpha J vs Little Jack with MC Messiah are the relevant names. Sat 6 Spin City 10pm, £5/£4. “All things underground” are promised, which still leaves plenty of ambiguity. *Sat 20 City Bass 10pm-5am. Making his first Cardiff appearance, which is kinda ridiculous really, Peverelist (Punch Drunk Records etc) hops in his Learjet and flies all the way from Bristol to Cardiff for tonight’s headline slot. City Bass DJs will surround it. Sat 17 Jan The Scoundrel Club 9pm, £4. Goth and sleaze rock type night which encourages you to dress up and pretend you’re

somewhere completely different to this venue.

The Vaults

The Old Natwest Bank, 113116 Bute Street, Cardiff Bay. 07977 131320 / cellardoorcardiff@hotmail. co.uk Fri 5 Catapult Presents 10pm-5am, £12 adv/£8 early bird. Headlined this month by Ed Rush. I’m way out of the loop with drum’n’bass these days, truthfully, but I reckon I’d still dig an Ed Rush set.

Stu Grady, Kooley, Tribe One, Sheppa D and Ransom b2b South are in the main room; Mikey Nitro, Screwy, Rogue and Erb in the littler one. Sat 6 + Fri 26 Cellar Door 10pm5am, £12.50 adv. Undercover DJs spin underground house, techno and progressive across two rooms, with a chillout room showing cartoons also. This month they promise “all the usual Christmas crap”.

Warehouse 54

Cambrian Rd, Newport.

01633 259144 / www.wh54. com Wednesdays Wild Wednesdays Matt Kirke mixes up club-influenced beats from reggae to rock, d’n’b to dancefloor-led house. Wed 31 Newport’s Wildest NYE Party Taking place across the Courtyard, Blind Tiger, Delilahs, the Meze Lounge and Warehouse54; get an NPclubhop ticket to gain entry to all five.

Thursdays The Social House beats and basslines. Friday Warehouse54 Live! A free festival-inspired mix of bass and live bands every week.

Saturdays The NPclubhop Soulful selections from the WH54 Soundsystem, alongside live guests and special events on selected dates. Sat 13 features a late-night session by tech-house locals Perc on the rooftop. Sunday The Sunday Session DJs until late.

Wow Bar

4 Churchill Way, Cardiff.

Gay venue. Free all day SunThurs; before 11pm Fri + Sat. 029 2066 6247 / www. wowbarcardiff.com Wednesdays Wish You Were Here Free. Student night with “inflight entertainment” from Lambrini Rampage and Mary Golds, plus music from DJ Krys. Thursdays The Night With No Name Free. DJ Craig and Mary Golds offer “mad games and crazy entertainment.” Fridays The Greatest Show In The City Free b4 11. With WOW Showgirls Miss Kitty and Marcia, plus special guests every week. Saturdays The VKend Free b4 11. With DJs Craig and Krys. You can get cheap deals in VK. £6.50 for a fishbowl. £6 for a jug of WKD. Settle down now, kids.

Sundays The Cuckoo Club Free. DJ Krys plays the tunes until late.

events MONDAY 1

Ballet The Gate, Cardiff.

6-9.30pm, £6.50/£5.50/£3 taster.

Info 029 2048 3344. Every Monday until Dec 15. Beginners 6-7pm; intermediate 7-8; advanced 8-9.30.

Bharata Natyam Dance Classes For Adult Beginners Bayview House, Cardiff Bay. 8.15-9.15pm. Info 029 2075

events 1158. Every Monday.

Bingo Porter’s, Cardiff. 8pm.

Info info@porterscardiff.com.

Hosted by Jack Cooper every Monday.

Cardiff Inter Varsity Club Meeting Churchill’s Hotel Bar, Llandaff, Cardiff. 8.30pm, £5 (three-month trial membership). Info 07526 141392. A friendly social group offering the chance to “liven up your social life and meet new friends” through a varied events programme including theatre, live music, walks, badminton, table tennis and pub nights. Meeting here every Monday; more info at www.cardiffivc.org.uk.

Ceroc The Gate, Cardiff. 7.4510.45pm, £7/£5 NUS. Info 029 2048 3344. Sessions every Monday until Dec 15 for a dance style billed as a combo of salsa, ballroom, hip-hop, tango and jive.

Ceroc Dance Class Odyssey Nightclub, Swansea. 7.4510.45pm, £5. Info cerocsouthwales@gmail.com.

Every Monday.

Children’s Ballroom Dancing Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 7-9pm. Info 01495 243252. Every Monday.

Community Choir Sessions Cornwall Street Church Hall, Cardiff. 7.30-9.30pm, free. Info 07952 752823. Led by Pauline Down and taking place most Mondays; ring ahead to check.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.30-8.30pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk. Every Monday and Friday.

Gymnastics: Welsh Schools Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 9am-4pm. Info 0300 3003127.

India Dance Wales Classes Highmead House, Lisvane, Cardiff. Info 029 2075 1158.

For Grade 2 to vocational level.

These classes are by special application only at various points in the month – not on specific days, hence listing them on the 1st. To apply write to admin@indiadancewales. com with previous dance experience and reason for wanting to join India Dance Wales.

Japanese Taiko Drumming The Riverfront, Newport. 4-7pm, £20 (four weeks). Info 01633 656757. Every Monday until Dec 8 (starts up again on Mon 12 Jan). 4-5pm: retired people; 5-6: stage 2 for 7-14-year-olds; 6-7: stage 1 for 7-14-year-olds.

Making Music The Gate, Cardiff. 6-10pm, £7.50-£9.50 per session/£4 taster. Info 029 2048 3344. Learn to play improvised rock and pop and basic chord sequences. Beginners 6-8pm; intermediate 8-10. Every Monday until Dec 15.

Musical Theatre The Riverfront, Newport. 6.158.30pm, £6/£5. Info 01633 656757. 7-11 years old: 6.15-7.15pm; 12 and up: 7.158.30pm. Every Monday until Dec 8 (starts up again on Mon 12 Jan).

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org. Every Monday.

Today features Youth Circus Ewoks (4-5 + 5.15-6.15pm, £6 per session); Youth Circus Wookies (4.30-6pm, £7 per session); Flying Trapeze (6-8pm, £12/£10 per session); Handstands (6.15-8.15pm, £10/£8 per session) and Flexibility (7.45-9.15pm, £9/£7 per session).

Northern Lingo Bingo Gwdihw, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free.

Info 029 2039 7933. This is a night which seems to feature

people playing bingo and speaking in Yorkshire dialect.

Also on Mon 5 Jan. Official Guided Tours – Every Day Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. £5/£4. Info 029 2063 6464. Tours of the centre running daily for one hour. Advance booking recommended.

Pilates The Gate, Cardiff.

11.30am-1.30pm, £5.50-£7.50.

Info 029 2048 3344. Every Monday until Dec 15. Beginners for the first hour, intermediate for the second.

Quizzical The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm, £1 to enter. Info 029 2062 4050. Every Monday.

RAD Children’s Ballet The Gate, Cardiff. 4-7.45pm, £6.50/£5.50/£3 taster. Info 029 2048 3344. Every Monday until Dec 15. 4-6-year-olds: 4-4.45pm; 6-8 4.45-5.45pm; Ballet Grade 1 6-8 yrs 5.45-6.45pm; Ballet Grade 2 6-8 yrs 6.45-7.45pm.

Salsa Classes Mischiefs, Cardiff Bay. 7.30-9.30pm, £5/£4 NUS. Info 07800 565651.

Every Monday. Beginners for the first hour, then improvers/ intermediate.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

St Donats Atlantic Chorale St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan. 7.30pm. Info 01446 799100. Choir rehearsals every Monday.

Swansea Christmas Waterfront Winterland, Swansea. 10am-10pm, £5.50-£8.

Info 01792 637300. Multipletimes-per-day ice skating sessions, running daily on the hour from 10am-10pm until Sun 4 Jan. (Exceptions: Wed 24 10am7pm; closed on Christmas Day; Fri 26 + Thurs 1 Jan 12-7pm.)

Tai Chi: Moving 5 Elements Qigong Glyndwr Community Hall, Penarth. 10.30-11.30am.

Info 029 2020 6042. New daytime class, every Monday.

Tango Dancing Argentine Barocco, Cardiff. 8-10.45pm, £3/£1. Info 029 2023 7332.

Every Monday.

Tang Soo Do Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff. 7-9pm.

Info 07734 557767. Learn traditional Korean karate every Monday; beginners welcome.

Welsh Lessons The Gate, Cardiff. 10am-12pm. Info 029 2048 3344. Every Monday afternoon and Tuesday evening until Dec 16. Email info@ learnwelsh.co.uk for more deets.

Winter Wonderland Civic Centre, Cardiff. 2.45-10pm, £6-£9. Info 029 2023 0130.

Multiple-times-per-day ice skating sessions, running until Mon 5 Jan this year. Sessions are every Monday to Friday (before and after Christmas) at 11am, 12.15pm, 1.30, 2.45, 4, 5.15, 6.30, 7.45 and 9pm, with an extra session at 9.45am from Mon 22 onwards. The last session on Wed 24 is at 7.45pm.

No sessions on Christmas day.

Fri 26 starts at 11am and the last session is on 5.15pm. Wed 31 has late sessions at 10.15 and 11.30pm. Saturdays and Sundays at 9.45am, 11am, 12.15pm, 1.30, 2.45, 4, 5.15, 6.30, 7.45 and 9pm.

Write On Writers Morganstown Village Hall. 6.308.30pm. Info 07512 235758.

An open group of writers who encourage others to write and also critique work. Here every first and third Monday of the month.

Yoga With Valerie Price St Mary’s Church Hall, Canton, Cardiff. 6.30-9.30pm. Info

admin@yoga-works.co.uk.

6.30-8pm: intermediate; 8.10-9.30pm: beginners. Every Monday.

Zumba Dance Classes Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay. 5.30-6.30pm, £5/£4.

Info 029 2087 7959. Every Monday.

TUESDAY 2

A Ballroom Dance Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 7-11pm. Info 01495 243252. Every Tuesday.

Aikido Village Hall, Heol Syr Lewis, Morganstown. 8-10pm.

Info 07790 167560. Every Tuesday and Friday.

American Line Dancing The Gate, Cardiff. 2.45-4.45pm, £3. Info 029 2048 3344. Every Tuesday until Dec 16.

An Audience With Steven Berkoff St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £18. Info 029 2087 8444. We did a brief preview of this thespy chat in last month’s issue.

Basketball Tournament Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 11.30am-4pm. Info 029 2087 3997.

Belly Dance Classes Conway Road Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff. 6.30-8pm, £6. Info 07872 306745. Mixed ability class with Steph, every Tuesday.

Circus Skills The Riverfront, Newport. 7-8.30pm, £3.50 per session. Info 01633 656757. For ages 14 and up. Every Tuesday until Dec 9 (starts up again on Tue 13 Jan).

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Contemporary Dance The Gate, Cardiff. 6-8.30pm, £4.50£6.50/£2.50 taster. Info 029 2048 3344. Every Tuesday until Dec 16. Beginners 6-7pm; intermediate 7-8.30.

Extend The Gate, Cardiff.

11am, £2.50. Info 029 2048 3344. Exercise to music, aimed at over-60s and people with a disability. Every Tuesday until Dec 16.

Football: Barclays Premier League – Swansea City v Queen’s Park Rangers Liberty Stadium, Swansea.

7.45pm. Info 0870 400004.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 5.30 + 6.30pm. Info www. funkypumpfitness.co.uk. Boxingbased high-intensity workout with a house soundtrack.

First session free. In this gym every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Fun Skittles Chepstow Conservative Club. 7.30pm, £2 inc food. Info 01291 624919.

Every Tuesday.

Gitananda Yoga St David's Uniting Church, Pontypridd.

7-8.30pm, free. Info 01443 408065. Every Tuesday.

Glam Dram St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan.

7pm. Info 01446 799100.

Amateur theatre company for adults meets here every Tuesday.

India Dance Wales Classes Rubicon Dance, Adamsdown, Cardiff. 6.15pm. Info 029 2075 1158. From beginners to next level and for all ages and abilities, here every Tuesday.

Jazz Workshops For Beginners Atradius Offices (4th floor), Cardiff Bay. 6.208pm, £10. Info 07806 625717.

Every Tuesday. All instruments and ages welcome.

Kizomba Tango Classes 10 Feet Tall, Cardiff. 6pm, £5. Info 029 2022 8883. Learn African samba here every Tuesday.

Law Of Attraction Discussion Group Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7.30-9pm, £5. Info 07976 478278. New

monthly event where likeminded people meet to practice the principles of Law of Attraction and create the lives we desire.

Life Drawing Sketching Session 10 Feet Tall, Cardiff.

6-7.30pm, £5. Info 029 2022 8883. Hosted by Cardiff Life Model every Tuesday.

Lindy Hop Dance Classes & Social Swing Dancing The Garage, Swansea. 6-10pm. Info 01792 475147. Every Tuesday.

Little’ns Music The Riverfront, Newport. 9.4510.30am + 1.30-2.15, £3 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Introduction to rhythm and singing for babies, plus a chance to practice nursery rhymes. Every Tuesday until Dec 9 (starts up again on Tue 13 Jan).

Meet The Curator: Natural Sciences Gallery Talk National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 1.05pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org. Every Tuesday.

Today: Youth Circus Jedis (ground based skills, 4-6pm, £7 per session); Youth Circus Padawans (4.30-6pm, £7 per session); Hula Hoop (6-7pm, £7); Circus Mish Mash (6-8pm, £5); Unicycle (6-7pm £5) and Beginners Aerial (8-10pm, £11/£9).

Open Mic Night Porter’s, Cardiff. 8pm. Info info@ porterscardiff.com. Every Tuesday.

Pied Piper Music The Gate, Cardiff. 10.15-10.45am + 1.302.15pm, £4.50 (morning)/£5 (afternoon). Info 029 2048 3344. Songs, games and music making for toddlers (morning) and pre-schoolers aged 3+ (afternoon) every Tuesday until Dec 16.

Pilates And Stretch Conway Road Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff. 8.15-9.15pm, £6. Info 07872 306745. With Steph, every Tuesday. Bring your own mat please.

Pilates: Beginners The Gate, Cardiff. 6.30-7.30pm, £5.50£7.50. Info 029 2048 3344.

Every Tuesday until Dec 16.

Pregnancy Yoga Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff.

6-7.15pm, £35/£30 (five-week blocks). Info kalavathi@ omstudio.co.uk. Every Tuesday.

Salsa Classes Bar 44, Cowbridge. 7.30-9.30pm, £5/£4 NUS. Info 07800 565651. Every Tuesday.

Salsa Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 7-11pm, £5/£4.50 NUS. Info 07949 270618. Every Tuesday. 7.15pm beginners; 8.15pm improvers; 9.15pm intermediates.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Mines & Mountains National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Sherman Players Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £90 per term. Info 029 2064 6900.

Drama group which rehearses every Tuesday (apart from over Christmas and the new year).

Open to all.

Street Dance Classes Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay. 5.30-6.30pm, £5.

Info 029 2087 7959. With Tim Stevens, every Tuesday.

Tai Chi Chepstow Conservative Club. 6-7pm, £6. Info 01291 624919. Every Tuesday.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi St Mary’s Church Hall, Canton, Cardiff. 6.30-9pm. Info 029 2020 6042. New classes every Tuesday. 6.30-7.30: Tai Chi

Health Qigong – Ba Duan Jin; 7.45-9: Rattan Bo Tai Chi Qigong (Chi Kung).

Tea Dance Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 2-4pm, £4. Info 01656 815995.

Welsh Lessons The Gate, Cardiff. 7-9pm. Info 029 2048 3344.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 7.309pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Every Tuesday, with Kalavathi Devi.

Yoga With Tori Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-7pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880. Every Tuesday and Wednesday.

Yoga With Valerie Price Llandough Institute, Penarth.

8.30-9.30pm. Info admin@ yoga-works.co.uk . Mixed level class, on every Tuesday.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes Fairwater Social & Athletic Club, Cardiff. 6-7pm.

Info 07891 712344. Led by Irene Davies, every Tuesday, as are...

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes St Faith Church Hall, Llanishen, Cardiff. 8-9pm. Info 07891 712344.

WEDNESDAY 3

Afternoon Tea With…The Games Commissioners Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2-3.30pm, free. Info 029 2063 6464. Meet some of the UK’s most successful commissioners, supporters and publishers from the games sector. Book in advance please.

A Tea Dance Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 2-4pm. Info 01495 243252. Every Wednesday.

Ceroc Dance Class Dinas Powys Parish Hall, Cardiff. 7.3010.45pm, £5. Info cerocsouthwales@gmail.com.

Every Wednesday.

Ceramics For Adults The Riverfront, Newport. 6-8pm, £30 (five weeks). Info 01633 656757. Every Wednesday until Dec 10 (starts up again on Tue 14 Jan).

Christmas Ghosts And Lost Rock Stars Glyn Jones Centre, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7-8pm, free. Info 029 2047 2266. New Welsh Review launches their winter edition in the company of writers and contributors Tiffany Murray and Paul Henry.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880. Every Tuesday to Thursday.

Festive Teas Pontypool Museum. 2-5pm, £10. Info 01495 752036. Every Wednesday until Christmas, lunch with a festive bent. That is to say, there are pork pies, but also mince pies.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Wake Up Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.15-8am, £7£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@hotmail.co.uk.

Every Wednesday.

Making Minds, Giving Voices The North Star, Cardiff.

8pm. Info 029 2062 4050.

Music, spoken word and open mic.

Newport Youth Dance The Riverfront, Newport. 4.156pm, £2.75 per session. Info 01633 656757. 7-10 years old: 4.15-5pm; 14-18: 5-6pm. Every Wednesday until Dec 10 (starts up again on Wed 14 Jan).

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org. Every Wednesday.

Today: Youth Circus Jedis (acrobatics, 4.15-6pm, £7); Acrobatics (6-8pm, £9/£7) and Aerial Yoga (7-8pm, £11/£9).

Pilates The Gate, Cardiff.

6-8pm, £5.50-£7.50. Info 029 2048 3344. Every Wednesday until Dec 17, concentrating on General Fitness. Beginners for the first hour; advanced for the second.

Pub Quiz The Pilot, Penarth.

8pm. Info 029 2071 0615. With Hayley, every Wednesday.

Salsa Classes Rhiwbina Recreational Club, Whitchurch, Cardiff. 8-10pm, £5/£4 NUS. Info 07800 565651. Every Wednesday.

Scriveners Writers’ Group Royal Exchange, Brynmawr.

8pm. Info 01495 753629.

Established group aiming to provide constructive criticism, help, advice and guidance to its members. Also on Wed 14 and Wed 28 Jan. SeeWales Sightseeing Tour: Romans And Ruins National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

Stories By Gaslight: Tales For The Turning Year Gas Gallery, Aberystwyth. 8-11pm, £5. Info peterstevensonart@ gmail.com. Monthly storytelling club.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 9.3011am + 7-9pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio. co.uk. Every Wednesday.

Yoga Trwy Gyfrwng Y Gymraeg Insole Court, Llandaff, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm.

Info admin@yoga-works.co.uk.

Every Wednesday.

Yoga With Tori Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-7pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Yu-Gi-Oh Tournaments The Freaks Geeks and Autographs Store, Swansea. 5.30pm, £3.50.

Info 07914 683534. Every Wednesday.

Zumba Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 6pm, £4. Info 07949 270618. Every Wednesday.

THURSDAY 4

Ab Attack Class Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-6.30pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880. Every Thursday.

Ballet Academy Wales Classes – Children 6-11 Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

4-5pm, £4.95. Info 07837 937351. Every Thursday.

Bingo Market Street Club, Barry. 8.30pm. Info 01446 733863. Every Thursday.

Biodanza Bishop of Llandaff High School, Cardiff. 7-9pm, £6/£5. Info antoinette@ biodanza4all.com. “A fusion of music, movement and feeling” taught here (now in a new venue) by Antoinette Lorraine every Thursday.

Breakdance The Riverfront, Newport. 6.15-7pm, £3.50 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Learn break dancing styles, uprock, freezes and power moves every Thursday until Dec 11 (starts up again on Thurs 15 Jan). For ages 8-18.

Cardiff Archaeological Society Lecture Chemistry Lecture Theatre, Main Building, Cardiff University. 7.15pm. Info www.cardiffarchsoc.btck.co.uk.

‘Return To Llanbedrgoch: Viking Anglesey Reconsidered’ by Dr Mark Redknap.

Ceroc Dance Class Odyssey Nightclub, Swansea. 7.4510.45pm, £5. Info cerocsouthwales@gmail.com.

Every Thursday.

Children’s Latin/Ballroom Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 4.30-8pm. Info 01495 243252. Every Thursday.

Circuits Class Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 6.45BUZZ 65

events 7.45pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880. Every Thursday.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Disability History Month: War and Impairment National History Museum, St Fagans. 2-3pm, free. Info 029 2057 3500. Explore objects that reveal the psychological and physical impact of the First World War on the health of Welsh soldiers.

First Thursday Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £2.50. Info 029 2030 4400. New poetry, fiction and memoir sessions with Rhian Edwards and Katherine Stansfield.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 5.30pm.

Info www.funkypumpfitness. co.uk.

Ghost Tour Cardiff Castle.

7.15pm, £14. Info 07538 878609.

Also on Fri 2 and Sat 3 Jan. Hand Drumming Group Canton Uniting Church, Cardiff.

6-6.50pm, £15 (five weeks). Info 01446 401209. Hosted by Laura Bradshaw. Every Thursday.

Hobo’s Quiz Hobo’s, Bridgend.

7.30pm, £1. Info www. hobosmusicvenue.com.

In Conversation: Meltem Arikan Glyn Jones Centre, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7-8pm, free. Info 029 2047 2266. Turkish author and playwright talks to Richard Glyn.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org. Every Thursday.

Today: Youth Circus Jedis (performance, 4.15-6pm, £7); Handstands (6-7.30pm, £10/£8); and Performance (7.30-9.30pm, £10/£8).

Pilates Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 6.157.15pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@hotmail. co.uk . Every Thursday.

Quiz Night NosDa, Cardiff.

8pm, £1 to play. Info 029 2037 8866. Every Thursday.

Salsa Buena Class Eclipse, Penarth. 7.30-9.30pm, free. Info 07800 565651. Every Thursday.

New class, free for a limited time. Also features a Latin disco after the class.

Salsa Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 7-11pm, £5/£4.50 NUS. Info 07949 270618. Every Thursday. 7.15pm beginners; 8.15pm improvers; 9.15pm Rueda.

Salsa Dancing Classes Revolucion De Cuba, Cardiff.

8-10pm, £6/£5 NUS. Info 029 2023 6689. Salsa, bachata, zouk and kizomba, every Thursday.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com. Day tours from Cardiff, every Monday, Thursday and Sunday. This one visits the Gower, Swansea Bay, ParcLe-Breos, the Dylan Thomas Centre and more.

Sherman Choir Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 6-8pm, £1.50.

Info 029 2064 6900. Rehearsals every Thursday until Dec 4 (ie finishes today) and starting again on Jan 15. Open to all.

Simon Yates: My Mountain Life Wyeside Arts Centre, Builth Wells. 7.30pm, £13.50/£12. Info 01982 552555.

Mountain climber of some 30 years’ standing talks about his feats.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi Albert Road Church & Community Centre, Penarth.

6.30-9.15pm. Info 029 2020 BUZZ 66

6042. With Christie Butterick, every Thursday. 6.30-7.30: The 18 Movements Of Shibashi Tai Chi/Qigong; 7.45-9.15: Tai Chi Short Form.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi St Fagans Village Hall. 12-1pm.

Info 029 2020 6042. Daytime class every Thursday.

The Alternative Poetry Experience Café Nisse, Swansea. 7.30pm, free. Info 01792 686914. Poetry, spoken word and performance open mic night. This is its debut but it plans to take place every first Thursday of the month.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 7-8am + 1-2.30, 6-7.15 + 7.30-9pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk. Every Thursday.

Zumba Chepstow Conservative Club. 6-7pm. Info 01291 624919.

Every Thursday.

FRIDAY 5

Aikido Village Hall, Heol Syr Lewis, Morganstown. 8-10pm.

Info 07790 167560.

Art Lunchtime Talk National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff.

1.05pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. ‘Between Medieval And Modern: Representing The Efforts And Ideals Of The First World War’, by Dr Toby Thacker.

Art Opinions Service National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff.

2-4pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951.

Bring in your own picture or art object for opinions/referrals by the Art Department.

Baby Mice Song Time National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 10.30am, free. Info 01792 463980. Babies can learn Welsh nursery rhymes on the museum carpet.

Boutique Gift Markets Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay. 10.30am-5.30pm.

Info 029 2087 7959. (Until Sun 7) Boys’ Dance The Riverfront, Newport. 4.45-5.30pm, £2.75 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Taught by Rubicon every Friday until Dec 12 (starts up again on Fri 16 Jan), for ages 6-12.

Cardiff Aikikai The Dojo, Roath, Cardiff. 6.30-10pm. Info mcaluan@cardiffaikikai.co.uk.

Every Friday.

Cardiff Inter Varsity Club Meeting Mochyn Du, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 8.30pm, £5 (three-month trial membership). Info 07526 141392 / www.cardiffivc.org.uk. Meeting here on the first Friday of each month.

Children’s Tap/Ballet Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 10.30-11.30am. Info 01495 243252. Every Friday.

Christmas Market King Square, Barry. Free. Info 01446 704788. Every Friday and Saturday until Sat 27.

Community Choir Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 9.4511.45am, £72/£48 (12 weeks).

Info 01446 401209. Every Friday.

Craft Fair Community Hall, Neath. Free. Info ariancrafts@ hotmail.co.uk. Also on Fri 19 and Sat 20.

Cuppa Cymraeg National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

10.30am, free. Info 01792 463980. Tour of the galleries aimed at Welsh learners.

Diverse Cymru Winter Ball Memorial Hall Theatre, Barry. £20 adv. Info 01446 738622.

Featuring live music from Superchango among other treats. Email events@ diversecymru.org.uk for a ticket.

Farmers Market High Street, Merthyr Tydfil. Free. Info 01685 725106. Quality produce from no more than 50 miles away, on the first Friday of each month.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.30-8.30pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk.

Get Quizzical The Globe At Hay, Hay-On-Wye. 8pm, £2 to enter. Info 01497 821762.

Monthly pub quiz.

Little’ns Dance The Riverfront, Newport. 9.4510.25am + 10.30-11.15am, £3 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Every Friday until Dec 12 (starts up again on Fri 16 Jan).

Newport Photographic Club Skip Jennings Hall, Maindee, Newport. 7.30pm. Info 01633 400685. Every Friday.

NoFit State Circus: Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff. Info 029 2022 1330 / www.nofitstate.org. Every Friday. Today: Youth Circus Jedis (aerial, 4.15-6pm, £7); Aerial Conditioning (6-7.30pm, £10/£8); Flying Trapeze Taster class (fortnightly, on Fri 10 and 24 this month, 6-8pm, £15).

Nordic Walking Cwmcarn Scenic Drive, Caerphilly. 11am, £3.50. Info 07906 365280. Get out in the fresh air, get fit and meet new people every Friday.

Older Adult Dance/Exercise The Riverfront, Newport.

11.15am-12.15pm, £2.80. Info 01633 656757. Low impact dance and exercise class aimed at the over 50s every Friday until Dec 12 (starts up again on Fri 16 Jan).

Pig Street Craft Fair The Queens Hall, Narberth. 10am4pm, free. Info enquiries@ pigstreetcrafts.co.uk. Selling original arts and crafts, also on Fri 19 and Sat 20.

Rhiwbina Farmers Market The Butchers Arms, Rhiwbina.

10am-1pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982. Every Friday.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Mines & Mountains National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com. Every Tuesday and Friday. This one visits Big Pit Mining Museum of Wales and Brecon Beacons National Park (including BBNP visitors centre).

Squash: Welsh Masters Open Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 4-10pm. Info 0300 3003121. I am gonna go along and watch some of this I reckon. (Until Sun 7) St Nicholas Christmas Market Various venues, Sanudersfoot, Pembrokeshire.

Free. Info www.visitsaundersfoot.co.uk. Featuring over 50 stalls with that good artisan, gourmet, giftwrapped fodder’n’fare. (Until Sun 7) Tango Argentine Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff. 7.308.45pm, £7/£4. Info 029 2023 7332. Every Friday. No experience or partner required.

Toddler Days Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. £4.80 for adults.

Info 029 2047 5475. Monthly event where pre-school children have their run of the exhibits with activities on a special theme, December’s being Winter Wonderland.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes Sbectrwm Community Centre, Fairwater, Cardiff.

1-2pm. Info 07891 712344. With Irene Davies, every Friday.

SATURDAY 6

10th Barry Guide Group Craft Fayre 10th Barry Guide Hall, Romilly Road, Barry.

10am-2pm, free. Info 07578 194913. Also on Sat 24 Jan. A Child’s Christmas In Wales Craft Workshop Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea.

10am-1pm + 2-4pm, free.

Info 01792 463980. Create a stritched felt piece on the theme of this famous Dylan Thomas work.

A Sustainable Christmas National History Museum, St Fagans. 11am-1pm + 2-4pm, free. Info 029 2057 3500. Create your own decoration out of recycled materials. On tomorrow also.

Boutique Gift Markets Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay. 10.30am-5.30pm.

Info 029 2087 7959. (Until Sun 7) Charity Christmas Race Day Chepstow Racecourse.

10.30am-6pm, £50. Info 01291 622260. George Thomas Hospice Care fundraising event, featuring a full day of hospitality.

Charity Fishing Match Amroth Beach, Pembrokeshire.

8.30am, £10 entry/£5 kids.

Info contact@fishingthroughoutpembrokeshire.co.uk. In aid of the Cleft Lip and Palate Association.

Chepstow Charivari The Drill Hall, Chepstow. 7.30pm, £12/£10. Info www. poetryontheborder.org. A Poetry On The Border event with Michael Harvey, Philip Wells, Chepstow Châtelaines Choir, Jay Ramsay and, presumably no relation, Adam Horowitz.

Children’s Climbing Classes Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 10-11.30am, £12. Info 029 2048 4880. Every Saturday and Sunday.

Christmas Felts Craft In The Bay, Cardiff Bay. 10.30am4.30pm, £55. Info 029 2048 4611. With Claire Cawte.

Christmas Market King Square, Barry. Free. Info 01446 704788.

Christmas Market Town centre, Blackwood. 10am-4pm.

Info 029 2088 0011. On tomorrow also.

Christmas Vintage And Handcrafted Emporium National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 10am-4pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. Hosted in conjunction with Smock Village.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 12, 2 + 4pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880. Every Saturday and Sunday.

Craft Fair, Jumble Sale & Acoustic Gig Urban Tap House, Cardiff. 12-6pm, free.

Info 0129 2039 9557.

Dyffryn Gardens Christmas Fair Dyffryn Gardens, Vale Of Glamorgan. 10am-4pm, free.

Info jennifer.park@ nationaltrust.org.uk. On tomorrow, Sat 13 and Sun 14.

Festive Funday National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

12-4pm, free. Info 01792 463980. Featuring an animatronic pengiun family among other treats.

Fire & Light Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475. “Spontaneously erupting flames, money burning and an amazing tornado of fire,” all promised here. (At weekends until Sun 14) Football: Sky Bet Championship – Cardiff City v Rotherham United Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff.

3pm. Info 0845 3451400.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 9.30am.

Info www.funkypumpfitness. co.uk.

Gift Penarth Pier Pavilion.

12-5pm, free/£35 to set up a stall. Info 029 2071 2100.

Christmas craft market featuring jewellery, ceramics, textiles, paper and print etc. On tomorrow also.

Handmade Craft And Gift Fair The Old School, Sully, Vale

Of Glamorgan. 10.30am-2.30pm, free. Info uniquefairs@gmx. co.uk.

Ice Hockey: Cardiff Devils v Belfast Giants Ice Arena, Cardiff Bay. 7pm, £6-£15. Info 029 2038 2001. Cardiff v Belfast is here tomorrow also.

Introduction To Double Cloth Weave On 4 Shaft Loom Craft In The Bay, Cardiff Bay. 10.30am-4.30pm, £55. Info 029 2048 4611. With Laura Thomas.

Lazy Crafternoons: Festive Wreath National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 1.30pm, £5.

Info 01792 463980. Adult class where you can make a door hanging.

Lights In The Sky Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475. Discover the origins of everything from nearby satellites to distant stars, and find out which lights in the sky you can see from your own back garden. (At weekends until Sun 14) Llandaff Ghost Walk City Cross, Cathedral Green, Llandaff (meeting point).

7.45pm, £8.50. Info 07538 878609. A walk through woodlands, ruins and graveyards, also on Sat 13 this month.

Margam Castle Christmas Fair Margam Castle, Port Talbot. 10am-4pm, free. Info 07500 495270. In aid of Welsh Hearts.

Narberth Winter Carnival 2014 Christmas Market Queens Hall, Narberth. Free.

Info 01834 869323.

NoFit State Circus: Youth Circus Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

10.30am-12pm, £7/£6 per session. Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org. Every Saturday.

10.30-11.30am: Ewoks; 10.30am-12pm: Padawans; 10.30am-12pm: Wookies.

Rhondda Christmas Fair Margam Castle, Port Talbot.

11am-4pm, free. Info mead. k3@googlemail.com.

Risca Christmas Market & Lantern Parade Tredegar Park, Risca, Caerphilly. 12-5pm, free. Info 029 2088 0011.

River Of Light Workshops Caerphilly Leisure Centre.

10am-5pm. Info 029 2088 0011.

On tomorrow also, plus Sat 13 and Sun 14; a precursor to the River Of Light Parade on Thurs 18.

Roath Real Food Market Mackintosh Sports Club Car Park, Roath, Cardiff. 9.30am1pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

Every Saturday.

SeeWales Sightseeing Tour: Romans And Ruins National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com. Day tours from Cardiff, every Wednesday and Saturday. This one visits Caerleon, Caerwent, Tintern Abbey, the Wye Valley, Abbey Mill Craft Centre and Raglan Castle.

Squash: Welsh Masters Open Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 10am-9.20pm. Info 0300 3003121. (Until Sun 7) St Fagans Book Club National History Museum, St Fagans. 11am-1pm, free. Info 029 2057 3500. A look back over what participants have been reading in 2014, plus a discussion of Northern Lights by Philip Pullman.

St Mary Street Cardiff Market St Mary Street, Cardiff.

11am-5pm, free. Info 029 2019 0036. Selling artisan foods, vintage clothing, antique furniture and bric-a-brac. Every Saturday.

St Michael’s College Christmas Craft Fair St

Michael’s College, Llandaff, Cardiff. 11am-3pm, free/£10 to set up a stall. Info sheryl. williams-gascoigne@stmichaels.ac.uk.

St Nicholas Christmas Market Various venues, Sanudersfoot, Pembrokeshire.

Free. Info www.visitsaundersfoot.co.uk. (Until Sun 7) Street Science: How To Make Snow In 10 Seconds National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 12-3.30pm, free. Info 01792 463980. The name of this event sort of sounds like a rap mixtape.

Thrifty Kids: Reindeers National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 11am, £2.50. Info 01792 463980. Cut out cardboard shapes from a template and slot them together to make a 3D reindeer head.

Vintage Fayre Le Pub, Newport. 8pm, free. Info 01633 221477. On the first Saturday of every month.

Weightlifting: UK Open Championships Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 9am8.30pm. Info 01407 763300.

Winter Garland & Decoration Making M.A.D.E. Gallery, Roath, Cardiff. 10am5pm. Info 029 2047 3373.

Course led by Sarah Hatton from Hatton Willow.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff.

8-9.30am, £6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

With Kalavathi Devi, every Saturday.

Youth Theatre The Riverfront, Newport. 12.45-3.15pm, £28 (seven weeks)/£25 (six weeks).

Info 01633 656757. Every Saturday for ages 8 to 16, across two classes (youngest first).

Finishes on Sat 13; starts again on Sat 17 Jan.

SUNDAY 7

A Child’s Christmas In Wales: Meet The Producer!

National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 2pm, free. Info 01792 463980. Michael Jeffrey being the producer in question.

A Sustainable Christmas National History Museum, St Fagans. 11am-1pm + 2-4pm, free. Info 029 2057 3500.

Boutique Gift Markets Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay. 10.30am-5.30pm.

Info 029 2087 7959. (Finishes today) Bridgend Undercover Car Boot Sale Multistorey Car Park, Bridgend Town Centre.

7am-12pm, free (selling cars £6; selling cars with trailers £10). Info 01656 661338. Every Sunday.

Caerphilly Artisans Fair Rudry Parish Hall, Caerphilly.

10am, free. Info 07969 017214.

Cardiff Storytelling Circle Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

8pm, £4. Info 029 2030 4400.

Children’s Climbing Classes Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 10-11.30am, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Christmas Market Town centre, Blackwood. 10am-4pm. Info 029 2088 0011.

Christmas Wreath Making Cardiff Castle. 10.30am, £25 per wreath. Info 029 2087 8100.

Cider Sundays Christmas Fayre Shire Hall, Monmouth.

11am-6pm, £6 adv. Info hellocidersundays@gmail.com.

With guest speaker, renowned cider maker Tom Oliver.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 12, 2 + 4pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Cwmbran Craft Fayre Our Lady’s School Hall, Cwmbran.

1-4pm. Info cwmbran_crafts@ hotmail.co.uk. Every first

events Sunday of the month.

Festive 5K Dash Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay. 9am-1pm, £5 to register. Info 029 2078 6521.

Charity run for all ages in aid of Welsh Hearts.

Fire & Light Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(At weekends until Sun 14) Friends Of Ty Hafan Family Christmas Fete The Old School Hall, Sully, Vale Of Glamorgan. 2-4pm, free/£10-£20 to set up a stall. Info 07859 365493.

Gift Penarth Pier Pavilion.

12-5pm, free/£35 to set up a stall. Info 029 2071 2100.

Ice Hockey: Cardiff Devils v Belfast Giants Ice Arena, Cardiff Bay. 6pm, £6-£15. Info 029 2038 2001.

Lights In The Sky Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475. (At weekends until Sun 14)

and home.

MONDAY 8

Ballet The Gate, Cardiff.

6-9.30pm, £6.50/£5.50/£3 taster.

Info 029 2048 3344.

Bharata Natyam Dance Classes For Adult Beginners Bayview House, Cardiff Bay. 8.15-9.15pm. Info 029 2075 1158.

Bingo Porter’s, Cardiff. 8pm.

Info info@porterscardiff.com.

Cardiff Inter Varsity Club Meeting Churchill’s Hotel Bar, Llandaff, Cardiff. 8.30pm, £5 (three-month trial membership). Info 07526 141392 / www. cardiffivc.org.uk.

Ceroc The Gate, Cardiff. 7.4510.45pm, £7/£5 NUS. Info 029 2048 3344.

Ceroc Dance Class Odyssey Nightclub, Swansea. 7.4510.45pm, £5. Info cerocsouthwales@gmail.com .

Lovers of quirky news items may remember astronaut Chris Hadfield for his in-orbit exploits last year, when he regaled those of us left below with a bit of acoustic Bowie. Before that, he was the first Canadian to walk in space. Now retired, he visits Monmouth's Savoy Theatre on Wed 10 to discuss his distinguished career.

Lindy Hop Dance Classes & Social Swing Dancing Pontardawe Arts Centre.

6-10pm. Info 01792 863722.

Every Sunday.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www.nofitstate.org. Every Sunday. Today: Youth Circus Jedis (mixed circus skills, 12-2pm, £7) and Circus Fit (2-4pm, £10/£8). *Riverside Farmers’ Market Fitzhammon Embankment, Cardiff. 10am-2pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982. On every Sunday, always worth a trip.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

Squash: Welsh Masters Open Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 10am-4pm. Info 0300 3003121. (Finishes today) St Nicholas Christmas Market Various venues, Sanudersfoot, Pembrokeshire.

Free. Info www.visitsaundersfoot.co.uk. (Finishes today) Sunday Board Games Cardiff Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 3pm, free. Info 029 2030 4400. New weekly session featuring a mixture of competitive and co-operative games.

The Christmas Penguins Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay. 12.30, 2 + 3.30pm. Info info@ thereddragoncentre.co.uk. Men in penguin suits, promoting a new movie about penguins which I’m not going to give free publicity to, walk about the Centre to entertain the kids.

Willow Christmas Tree Decorations Humble By Nature, Penalt, nr Monmouth.

10am-12.30pm + 1.30-4pm, £35. Info 01600 714595. Learn to make woven stars, trees, angels and baubles for your tree

Children’s Ballroom Dancing Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 7-9pm. Info 01495 243252.

Community Choir Sessions Cornwall Street Church Hall, Cardiff. 7.30-9.30pm, free. Info 07952 752823.

Food Haven The Canteen On Clifton Street, Cardiff. 6.30pm, £25. Info info@realfrankfood. com. Vegan and gluten-free supper club presented by Romy of Real Frank Food. Also here on Mon 12 Jan, and before that in Penarth on Sun 14 Dec. Freestyle Fitness Yoga Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.30-8.30pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk.

Joy Of Living Mindfulness Group Meeting Gaia Yoga Studio, Roath, Cardiff. 7.309pm, free (donations welcome).

Info 07412 346054. On the second and fourth Monday of every month.

Making Music The Gate, Cardiff. 6-810pm, £7.50-£9.50 per session/£4 taster. Info 029 2048 3344.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pilates The Gate, Cardiff.

11.30am-1.30pm, £5.50-£7.50.

Info 029 2048 3344.

Quizzical The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm, £1 to enter. Info 029 2062 4050.

RAD Children’s Ballet The Gate, Cardiff. 4-7.45pm, £6.50/£5.50/£3 taster. Info 029 2048 3344.

Rhyme And Real Ale Mackintosh Sports Club, Roath, Cardiff. 7.30pm. Info 07512 235758. Monthly open mic poetry night with a little music too.

On Mon 12 Jan next month.

Salsa Classes Mischiefs, Cardiff Bay. 7.30-9.30pm, £5/£4 NUS. Info 07800 565651.

Science Cafe: Jamie

Newbold Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 7.30pm, free. Info 01970 623232.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

St Donats Atlantic Chorale St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan. 7.30pm. Info 01446 799100.

Tai Chi: Moving 5 Elements Qigong Glyndwr Community Hall, Penarth. 10.30-11.30am.

Info 029 2020 6042.

Tango Dancing Argentine Barocco, Cardiff. 8-10.45pm, £3/£1. Info 029 2023 7332.

Tang Soo Do Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff.

6-7.20pm. Info 07734 557767.

Welsh Lessons The Gate, Cardiff. 10am-12pm. Info 029 2048 3344.

Yoga With Valerie Price St Mary’s Church Hall, Canton, Cardiff. 6.30-9.30pm. Info admin@yoga-works.co.uk .

Zumba Dance Classes Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay. 5.30-6.30pm, £5/£4.

Info 029 2087 7959.

TUESDAY 9

A Ballroom Dance Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 7-11pm. Info 01495 243252.

Aikido Village Hall, Heol Syr Lewis, Morganstown. 8-10pm.

Info 07790 167560.

American Line Dancing The Gate, Cardiff. 2.45-4.45pm, £3.

Info 029 2048 3344.

Behind The Scenes: Natural Sciences National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 1.05pm, free.

Info 029 2039 7951.

Belly Dance Methodist Church Hall, Conway Road, Cardiff.

6.50-8.10pm, £6/£30 for six weeks. Info info@ burlesquecardiff.co.uk.

Circus Skills The Riverfront, Newport. 7-8.30pm, £3.50 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Contemporary Dance The Gate, Cardiff. 6-8.30pm, £4.50£6.50/£2.50 taster. Info 029 2048 3344.

Extend The Gate, Cardiff.

11am, £2.50. Info 029 2048 3344.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 5.30 + 6.30pm. Info www. funkypumpfitness.co.uk.

Fun Skittles Chepstow Conservative Club. 7.30pm, £2 inc food. Info 01291 624919.

Gitananda Yoga St David's Uniting Church, Pontypridd.

7-8.30pm, free. Info 01443 408065.

India Dance Wales Classes Rubicon Dance, Adamsdown, Cardiff. 6.15pm. Info 029 2075 1158.

Jazz Workshops For Beginners Atradius Offices (4th floor), Cardiff Bay. 6.208pm, £10. Info 07806 625717.

Kizomba Tango Classes 10 Feet Tall, Cardiff. 6pm, £5. Info 029 2022 8883.

Life Drawing Sketching Session 10 Feet Tall, Cardiff.

6-7.30pm, £5. Info 029 2022 8883.

Lindy Hop Dance Classes & Social Swing Dancing The Garage, Swansea. 6-10pm. Info 01792 475147.

Little’ns Music The Riverfront, Newport. 9.4510.30am + 1.30-2.15, £3 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Music Matters Gwdihw, Cardiff. 8pm, £1 entry. Info 029 2039 7933. Pop quiz, held every month. For December

it’s A Merry Quizmas Music Monopoly.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pied Piper Music The Gate, Cardiff. 10.15-10.45am + 1.302.15pm, £4.50 (morning)/£5 (afternoon). Info 029 2048 3344.

Pilates Conway Road Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff.

8.15-9.15pm, £6. Info 07872 306745.

Pilates And Stretch Conway Road Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff. 8.15-9.15pm, £6. Info 07872 306745.

Pilates: Beginners The Gate, Cardiff. 6.30-7.30pm, £5.50£7.50. Info 029 2048 3344.

Poetry Night Pontardawe Arts Centre. 7.30pm, £4.50/£3. Info 01792 863722. Hosted by Glyn Roberts.

Pregnancy Yoga Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff.

6-7.15pm, £35/£30 (five-week blocks). Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Salsa Classes Bar 44, Cowbridge. 7.30-9.30pm, £5/£4 NUS. Info 07800 565651.

Salsa Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 7-11pm, £4.50/£3.50 NUS. Info 07949 270618.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Mines & Mountains National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Sherman Players Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £90 per term. Info 029 2064 6900.

Simon Mundy The Globe At Hay, Hay-On-Wye. 6.30pm. Info 01497 821762. Poet reads from his new collection, By Fax To Alice Springs.

Street Dance Classes Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay. 5.30-6.30pm, £5.

Info 029 2087 7959.

Tai Chi Chepstow Conservative Club. 6-7pm, £6. Info 01291 624919.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi St Mary’s Church Hall, Canton, Cardiff. 6.30-9pm. Info 029 2020 6042.

Talk: Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace – An Inspiration For The 21st Century Penarth Pier Pavilion.

7-9pm, £5 adv. Info 029 2071 2100. With Professor Anthony Campbell.

Welsh Lessons The Gate, Cardiff. 7-9pm. Info 029 2048 3344.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 7.309pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio. co.uk.

Yoga With Tori Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-7pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Yoga With Valerie Price Llandough Institute, Penarth.

8.30-9.30pm. Info admin@ yoga-works.co.uk.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes Fairwater Social & Athletic Club, Cardiff. 6-7pm.

Info 07891 712344.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes St Faith Church Hall, Llanishen, Cardiff. 8-9pm. Info 07891 712344.

WEDNESDAY 10

A Tea Dance Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 2-4pm. Info 01495 243252.

Beginner And Advanced Cabaret Classes Methodist Church Hall, Conway Road, Cardiff. 6.15-9pm, £35 for six weeks. Info info@ burlesquecardiff.co.uk.

Ceramics For Adults The

Riverfront, Newport. 6-8pm, £30 (five weeks). Info 01633 656757.

Ceroc Dance Class Dinas Powys Parish Hall, Cardiff. 7.3010.45pm, £5. Info cerocsouthwales@gmail.com.

Chris Hadfield Savoy Theatre, Monmouth. 6.30pm, £6. Info 01600 772467. Illustrated talk

by Canadian astronaut.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Festive Teas Pontypool Museum. 2-5pm, £10. Info 01495 752036.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Wake Up Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.15-8am, £7£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@hotmail.co.uk.

Newport Youth Dance The Riverfront, Newport. 4.15-6pm, £2.75 per session. Info 01633 656757.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pilates The Gate, Cardiff.

6-8pm, £5.50-£7.50. Info 029 2048 3344.

Pub Quiz The Pilot, Penarth.

8pm. Info 029 2071 0615.

Salsa Classes Rhiwbina Recreational Club, Whitchurch, Cardiff. 8-10pm, £5/£4 NUS. Info 07800 565651.

SeeWales Sightseeing Tour: Romans And Ruins National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

The Castle After Dark Cardiff Castle. 6pm, £11-£17.50. Info 029 2087 8100. Tour the castle’s interiors with a costumed guide.

On tomorrow also.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 9.3011am + 7-9pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio. co.uk.

Yoga Trwy Gyfrwng Y Gymraeg Insole Court, Llandaff, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm. Info admin@yoga-works.co.uk.

Yoga With Tori Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-7pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Yu-Gi-Oh Tournaments The Freaks Geeks and Autographs Store, Swansea. 5.30pm, £3.50.

Info 07914 683534.

Zumba Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 6pm, £4. Info 07949 270618.

THURSDAY 11

Ab Attack Class Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-6.30pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Ballet Academy Wales Classes – Children 6-11 Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

4-5pm, £4.95. Info 07837 937351.

Bingo Market Street Club, Barry. 8.30pm. Info 01446 733863.

Biodanza Bishop of Llandaff High School, Cardiff. 7-9pm, £6/£5. Info antoinette@ biodanza4all.com.

Brangwyn Christmas Party Brangwyn Hall, Swansea. 6pm, £35.95 adv. Info 01792 475715.

Featuring a three-course meal, cocktails, a band etc.

Breakdance The Riverfront, Newport. 6.15-7pm, £3.50 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Children’s Latin/Ballroom Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 4.30-8pm. Info 01495 243252.

Christmas Quiz Night National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 7.30pm, £3.50 adv.

Info 01792 463980.

Circuits Class Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 6.457.45pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Design Stuff Cardiff Undertone, Cardiff. 6.30pm, free. Info 029 2022 8883.

Various talks about design.

Book in advance please.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 5.30pm.

Info www.funkypumpfitness. co.uk.

Hand Building & Surface Hand Drumming Group Canton Uniting Church, Cardiff.

6-6.50pm, £15 (five weeks). Info 01446 401209.

Howl Mozarts, Swansea.

7.30pm, free. Info 01792 649984. Poetry night, every second and third Thursday of the month.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pilates Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 6.157.15pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk.

Quiz Night NosDa, Cardiff.

8pm, £1 to play. Info 029 2037 8866.

Salsa Buena Class Eclipse, Penarth. 7.30-9.30pm, free. Info 07800 565651.

Salsa Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 7-11pm, £4.50/£3.50 NUS. Info 07949 270618.

Salsa Dancing Classes Revolucion De Cuba, Cardiff.

8-10pm, £6/£5 NUS. Info 029 2023 6689.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi Albert Road Church & Community Centre, Penarth.

6.30-9.15pm. Info 029 2020 6042.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi St Fagans Village Hall. 12-1pm.

Info 029 2020 6042.

The Castle After Dark Cardiff Castle. 6pm, £11-£17.50. Info 029 2087 8100.

Traditional Christmas Customs National History Museum, St Fagans. 11am, free.

Info 029 2057 3500. Bilingual talk. Book in advance please.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 7-8am + 1-2.30, 6-7.15 + 7.30-9pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Zumba Chepstow Conservative Club. 6-7pm. Info 01291 624919.

FRIDAY 12

Aikido Village Hall, Heol Syr Lewis, Morganstown. 8-10pm.

Info 07790 167560.

Art Lunchtime Talk National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff.

1.05pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. ‘‘The Welsh girls are good fighters’: women’s work in Wales during the First World War’, by Thomas George.

Boys’ Dance The Riverfront, Newport. 4.45-5.30pm, £2.75 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Cardiff Aikikai The Dojo, Roath, Cardiff. 6.30-10pm. Info mcaluan@cardiffaikikai.co.uk.

Carol Ann Duffy & Gillian Clarke Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea. 5 + 7.30pm, £4-£12.

Info 01792 463980. Titled poets read verse, some with the Dylan Thomas theme that has haunted my dreams throughout 2014.

BUZZ 67

events A quick glance at the listings pages for the next couple of months will confirm that, with their autumn tours over, most folk and roots musicians are pulling up the drawbridge and keeping a low profile. It’s a recurrent trend at this time of year and, with many folk clubs and venues concentrating on more festive fare in the run up to Christmas, one that’s not so surprising.

Things do start to pick up when January gets under way, as normality slowly returns following the festive period; but, by and large and with a few notable exceptions (see below), these are lean times for the gig going roots music fan.

Time then, perhaps, to fill the gaps in the record collection. There’s certainly been no shortage of good albums released over the past 12 months, including a truly great one: Amser from Fernhill, a band that continue to take the Welsh tradition to places it’s rarely visited before. Described as “an ecstatic musical exploration of love poetry, Welsh dance rhythm and the ballad form,” it’s a stunning collection of songs and tunes exploring the concepts of time, whether mechanical, seasonal, generational or poetical. The album features many new musical settings of poetry, including Thomas Hardy's exquisite The Self Unseeing, while the words of Welsh poet Vernon Watkins are woven into the title track, a collision of the winter folk customs Wassail, Mari Lwyd, Calennig and the wren hunt.

Taking inspiration from Welsh songs, tunes and poetry, guitarist Ceri Rhys Matthews, singer Julie Murphy (who features on Robert Plant’s latest album), trumpeter Tomos Williams and fiddle player Christine Cooper continue to create the beautifully crafted original music that has built them a reputation as among the finest exponents of traditionally-based Welsh folk.

In addition to touring in support of their new album in 2014, Fernhill also performed as part of the Dylan Thomas centenary celebrations in Swansea, Laugharne, Beunos Aires and Trelew, Patagonia. Continuing to tour in 2015, they can be seen at Cardiff’s St David’s Hall on Tue 20 Jan, when they’ll be launching the new season of Roots Unearthed gigs.

Buzz also recommends BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST. Top notch English folk duo. Lyceum Folk Club, Lyceum Tavern, Newport (Thurs 4 Dec) THE DYLAN PROJECT. Tribute to ‘His Bobness’ by Steve Gibbons, Dave Pegg, et al. The Garage, Uplands, Swansea. (Sat 20 Dec) www. dylanproject.co.uk DnA. Stunning playing from the harp and fiddle of Delyth & Angharad Jenkins. Valley Folk Club, Ivy Bush Hotel, Pontardawe (Fri 16 Jan) BROOKS WILLIAMS. Guitar player par excellence.

The Angel Hotel, Llandeilo. (Thurs 29 Jan) Please send your folk and roots listings to listings@buzzmag.co.uk or phone them in to 029 2022 7677 BUZZ 68

Children’s Tap/Ballet Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 10.30-11.30am. Info 01495 243252.

Christmas Market King Square, Barry. Free. Info 01446 704788.

Christmas Streetfood Humble By Nature, Penalt, nr Monmouth. 7.30pm, £32.50.

Info 01600 714595. American diner food (which I would say is distinct from street food, but what do I know) is celebrated here, in conjunction with Native Breeds Charcuterie.

Classic Margam Ghost Walk Margam Country Park & Castle, nr Port Talbot (meeting point).

6.30 + 8.45pm, £10. Info 07538 878609. Two-hour walk for ages 12 and over (under-18s must also be with an adult).

Community Choir Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 9.4511.45am, £72/£48 (12 weeks).

Info 01446 401209.

Festive Glass Fair National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

10am-4pm, free. Info 01792 463980. There’s only one type of festive glass I like, amirite guys, and it’s this wide range of unique handcrafted glasswork by students from Swansea School Of Glass. (Until Sun 14) Four Bars Swing Dempseys, Cardiff. 8pm, £5. Info 029 2023 9253. Featuring a lindy hop class for beginners, followed by dancing to classic swing tracks.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.30-8.30pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk.

Little’ns Dance The Riverfront, Newport. 9.4510.25am + 10.30-11.15am, £3 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Memo Vegas Christmas Party Memorial Hall Theatre, Barry. 7.30pm, £40. Info 01446 738622. Featuring a Rat Pack tribute band, a four-course meal, a casino and a disco.

Newport Photographic Club Skip Jennings Hall, Maindee, Newport. 7.30pm. Info 01633 400685.

Nordic Walking Cwmcarn Scenic Drive, Caerphilly. 11am, £3.50. Info 07906 365280.

Older Adult Dance/Exercise The Riverfront, Newport.

11.15am-12.15pm, £2.80. Info 01633 656757.

Rhiwbina Farmers Market The Butchers Arms, Rhiwbina.

10am-1pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Mines & Mountains National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Sessions The Riverfront, Newport. 5-11pm, £1. Info 01633 656757. Boutique market and open mic night.

Squash: Welsh Junior Closed Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 4.40-9.20pm. Info 0300 3003121. (Until Sun 14) Tango Argentine Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff.

7.30-8.45pm, £7/£4. Info 029 2023 7332.

Tea Dance St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan.

2-4pm, £5. Info 01446 779100.

With Alan Taylor. Also on Fri 23 Jan. Tocyn Crowdfunding Surgeries Oriel Davies, Newtown, Powys. 10am-3pm.

Info 07530 291907. One of three ‘crowdfunding coffee clinics’ this month which explain in more detail how new ticket service Tocyn works.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes Sbectrwm Community Centre, Fairwater, Cardiff.

1-2pm. Info 07891 712344.

SATURDAY 13

A Child’s Christmas In Wales: Drop-In Family Activities Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea. 12-4pm. Info 01792 463980. Also on Sat 20.

A Child’s Christmas In Wales: Stories For Christmas Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea. 11am-12pm.

Info 01792 463980. Stories aimed at under-8s. Also on Sat 20.

A Fire In The Sky National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

2pm, free. Info 01792 463980.

Talk by Andrew Lound and the Swansea Astronomical Society.

A Victorian Christmas YMCA, Swansea. 11am-4pm, free. Info 01792 516900. Adult workshop with Arwen Roberts. Make a hand crafted Victorian inspired Christmas decoration to adorn your tree.

Caerphilly Christmas Fayre Town centre, Caerphilly. 10am5pm. Info 029 2088 0011. On tomorrow also.

Cardiff Mini-Con NosDa, Cardiff. 2pm, free. Info 029 2037 8866. All-day evening purporting to “showcase the future of Wales’ growing influence within the comic and pop culture scene”.

Caerwent Craft Fayre Caerwent Village Hall, Monmouthshire. 2.30-4.30pm.

Info cwmbran_crafts@hotmail. co.uk. Every second Saturday of the month.

Chepstow Farmers’ Market Cormeilles Square, Chepstow.

8.30am-1pm, free. Info 01291 626370. Every second and fourth Saturday of the month (normally).

Children’s Climbing Classes Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 10-11.30am, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Children’s Craft/Christmas Decorating Workshops M.A.D.E. Gallery, Roath, Cardiff.

11am-1pm + 2-4pm, £10. Info 029 2047 3373. Aimed at ages 8-14. Morning session: make your own evergreen garland.

Afternoon session: design and decorate your own felt Christmas stocking.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 12, 2 + 4pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Christmas Craft Fair Coffee Cove Cafe Bar, Barry Island.

10am-2pm, free/£10 to set up a table. Info bassist1959@ hotmail.com. Love this email address.

Christmas Fair National Botanic Garden Of Wales, Carmarthenshire. 10am-4pm.

Info 01558 667149. Hosted in the Great Glasshouse. On tomorrow also.

Christmas Food & Craft Fair Ogmore Valley Life Centre, nr Bridgend. 10am-2pm, free/£7 to set up a table. Info 01656 840694.

Christmas Market King Square, Barry. Free. Info 01446 704788.

Dark Skies Evening Venue TBC, Brecon Beacons National Park. £55. Info 01874 749092. A Good Day Out event with a professional astronomer in a small group. Also on Sat 20, Sat 27, Sat 17 Jan and Sat 24 Jan. Dyffryn Gardens Christmas Fair Dyffryn Gardens, Vale Of Glamorgan. 10am-4pm, free.

Info jennifer.park@ nationaltrust.org.uk.

Farmers’ Market Twyn Community Centre, Caerphilly.

9.30am, free. Info 01656 658963. Every second Saturday of the month.

Festive Family Fun National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff.

11am-4pm, free. Info 029 2039

7951.

Festive Glass Fair National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

10am-4pm, free. Info 01792 463980. (Until Sun 14) Fire & Light Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(At weekends until Sun 14) Funky Craft Fayre Osteme Centre, Mumbles, Swansea.

10am-4pm, free. Info manuelaruault@hotmail.co.uk.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 9.30am.

Info www. funkypumpfitness.co.uk.

Gymnastics: Awards Evening Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. Info 0300 3003127.

Handmade Craft & Gift Fayre Parish Hall, Church Village, Pontypridd. 11am-3pm, free. Info uniquefairs@gmx. co.uk.

Lights In The Sky Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475. (At weekends until Sun 14) Llandaff Ghost Walk City Cross, Cathedral Green, Llandaff (meeting point).

7.45pm, £8.50. Info 07538 878609.

Make A Travel Wrap Mission Gallery, Swansea. 1-4pm, £25.

Info 01792 652016. With Lucy Read. On tomorrow also.

Midwinter Making Ffotogallery, Penarth. 11am5pm, free. Info 029 2034 1667.

Family event.

Mumbles Produce Market Seafront Car Park, Mumbles.

9am-1pm, free. Info 01792 361012. Every second Saturday of the month.

Newport Craft Fayre The Gallery, Newport Indoor Market.

9am-4.30pm, free. Info 01633 656656. Every second Saturday of the month.

NoFit State Circus: Youth Circus Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

10.30am-12pm, £7/£6 per session. Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Oh So Crafty Christmas Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

11am-6pm, free. Info 029 2030 4400. Seasonal edition of quarterly craft fair.

River Of Light Workshops Caerphilly Leisure Centre.

10am-5pm. Info 029 2088 0011.

Roath Real Food Market Mackintosh Sports Club Car Park, Roath, Cardiff. 9.30am1pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

Saturnalia: Christmas Can Be Murder... National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon.

11am-4pm, free. Info 029 2057 3550. Murder mystery taking place during Saturnalia, the Roman equivalent of Christmas.

SeeWales Sightseeing Tour: Romans And Ruins National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

Squash: Welsh Junior Closed Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 9.20am-9.20pm.

Info 0300 3003121. (Until Sun 14) St Mary Street Cardiff Market St Mary Street, Cardiff.

11am-5pm, free. Info 029 2019 0036.

Stretch + Knead Steiner School, Llandaff North, Cardiff.

10am-4.30pm, £125. Info stretchandknead@gmail.com.

The One Mile Bakery (Cardiff) and Empower Yoga (Bristol) team up to offer the unlikely combo of a yoga and bakery day.

Only 12 places are available.

Talk At 2 Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 2pm, free. Info 029 2030 4400. Free guided tour of the exhibitions currently showing here. Also on Sat 27.

Vintage And Handmade Christmas Fair National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

10am-4pm, free. Info 01792 463980. In partnership with Smock Village.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff.

8-9.30am, £6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Youth Theatre The Riverfront, Newport. 12.45-3.15pm, £28 (seven weeks)/£25 (six weeks).

Info 01633 656757.

SUNDAY 14

Big Pit Babies Big Pit National Coal Museum, Blaenafon. 11.30am-12.30pm + 1.30-2.30pm, free. Info 029 2057 3650. Kids can meet Mother Christmas (don’t worry, this isn’t political correctness gone mad, she’ll let you know how Father C is getting on in his commonly recognised role).

Book in advance please.

Bridgend Undercover Car Boot Sale Multistorey Car Park, Bridgend Town Centre.

7am-12pm, free (selling cars £6; selling cars with trailers £10).

Info 01656 661338.

Caerphilly Christmas Fayre Town centre, Caerphilly. 10am4pm. Info 029 2088 0011.

Children’s Climbing Classes Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 10-11.30am, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Christmas Fair National Botanic Garden Of Wales, Carmarthenshire. 10am-4pm.

Info 01558 667149.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 12, 2 + 4pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Cowbridge Christmas Craft Fair And Children’s Fun Day Cowbridge Leisure Centre.

10am-4pm. Info sarahwood278@hotmail.com.

Dyffryn Gardens Christmas Fair Dyffryn Gardens, Vale Of Glamorgan. 10am-4pm, free.

Info jennifer.park@ nationaltrust.org.uk.

Festive Food Fair Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 11am6pm, free. Info 029 2030 4400.

Hosted by Chapter and Green City Events. As well as food and craft produce there’s various treats for the kids, and pedalpowered Christmas music.

Festive Glass Fair National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

10am-4pm, free. Info 01792 463980. (Finishes today) Fire & Light Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Finishes today) Food Haven Waterloo Tea, Penarth. 7.30-10.30pm, £30.

Info info@realfrankfood.com.

Football: Barclays Premier League – Swansea City v Tottenham Hotspur Liberty Stadium, Swansea. 4pm. Info 0870 400004.

Ice Hockey: Cardiff Devils v Braehead Clan Ice Arena, Cardiff Bay. 6pm, £6-£15. Info 029 2038 2001.

Lights In The Sky Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475. (Finishes today) Lindy Hop Dance Classes & Social Swing Dancing Pontardawe Arts Centre.

6-10pm. Info 01792 863722.

Make A Travel Wrap Mission Gallery, Swansea. 1-4pm, £25.

Info 01792 652016.

Marina Market National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

10am-3pm, free. Info 01792 463980.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

River Of Light Workshops Caerphilly Leisure Centre.

10am-5pm. Info 029 2088 0011.

events Riverside Farmers’ Market Fitzhammon Embankment, Cardiff. 10am-2pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

Roy Noble National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 2.30pm, free. Info 01792 463980. Welsh radio personality talks about his life and work.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

Snapped Up Market The Printhaus, Canton, Cardiff.

11am-6pm, free. Info info@ theprinthaus.org.

Squash: Welsh Junior Closed Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 9.20am-5.20pm.

Info 0300 3003121. (Finishes today) Sunday Board Games Cardiff Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 3pm, free. Info 029 2030 4400.

Table Tennis: Dragon Event Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 10am-3pm. Info 07754 525754.

by Patrick Gale. Patrick himself will be there.

Making Music The Gate, Cardiff. 6-810pm, £7.50-£9.50 per session/£4 taster. Info 029 2048 3344. Today is a Christmas showcase. Starting again on Mon 5 Jan. Pilates The Gate, Cardiff.

11.30am-1.30pm, £5.50-£7.50.

Info 029 2048 3344.Starting again on Mon 5 Jan. Quizzical The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm, £1 to enter. Info 029 2062 4050.

RAD Children’s Ballet The Gate, Cardiff. 4-7.45pm, £6.50/£5.50/£3 taster. Info 029 2048 3344. Starting again on Mon 5 Jan. Salsa Classes Mischiefs, Cardiff Bay. 7.30-9.30pm, £4.50.

Info 07800 565651.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

St Donats Atlantic Chorale St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan. 7.30pm. Info 01446 799100.

Tai Chi: Moving 5 Elements Qigong Glyndwr Community Hall, Penarth. 10.30-11.30am.

Info 029 2020 6042.

Tango Dancing Argentine Barocco, Cardiff. 8-10.45pm, £3/£1. Info 029 2023 7332.

Tang Soo Do Chapter Arts

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Contemporary Dance The Gate, Cardiff. 6-8.30pm, £4.50£6.50/£2.50 taster. Info 029 2048 3344. Starting again on Tue 6 Jan. Extend The Gate, Cardiff.

11am, £2.50. Info 029 2048 3344. Starting again on Tue 6 Jan. Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 5.30 + 6.30pm. Info www. funkypumpfitness.co.uk.

Fun Skittles Chepstow Conservative Club. 7.30pm, £2 inc food. Info 01291 624919.

Gitananda Yoga St David's Uniting Church, Pontypridd.

7-8.30pm, free. Info 01443 408065.

Glam Dram St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan.

7pm. Info 01446 799100.

India Dance Wales Classes Rubicon Dance, Adamsdown, Cardiff. 6.15pm. Info 029 2075 1158.

Jazz Workshops For Beginners Atradius Offices (4th floor), Cardiff Bay. 6.208pm, £10. Info 07806 625717.

MONDAY 15 Kizomba Tango Classes 10 Afternoon Teas Mansion Feet Tall, Cardiff. 6pm, £5. Info House, Cardiff. £15. Info 029 029 2022 8883.

2087 1144. Including a guided Life Drawing Sketching tour of the house. On tomorrow Session 10 Feet Tall, Cardiff. also, plus Thurs 18 and Fri 19.

6-7.30pm, £5. Info 029 2022 Ballet The Gate, Cardiff.

8883.

6-9.30pm, £6.50/£5.50/£3 taster.

Lindy Hop Dance Classes & Social Swing Dancing The Garage, Swansea. 6-10pm. Info On Mon 15, Chapter Arts Centre 01792 475147.

Mike Davies Workmen’s Hall, in Cardiff hosts a Gay Men's Caerphilly. 7pm. Info 07512 237983. Spirit medium.

Book Club – the first in what Pied Piper Music The Gate, is presumably hoped to be a Cardiff. 10.15-10.45am + 1.302.15pm, £4.50 (morning)/£5 series of such events. The book (afternoon). Info 029 2048 3344. Starting again on Tue discussed will be A Place Called 6 Jan. Pilates Conway Road Winter by Patrick Gale, who Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff. will himself be in attendance to 8.15-9.15pm, £6. Info 07872 306745. answer your questions and/or Pilates And Stretch Conway Road Methodist Church Hall, put you off saying anything too Cardiff. 8.15-9.15pm, £6. Info critical of the book.

07872 306745.

Pilates: Beginners The Gate, Cardiff. 6.30-7.30pm, £5.50£7.50. Info 029 2048 3344.

Centre, Canton, Cardiff.

7-9pm.

Starting again on Tue 6 Jan. Info 029 2048 3344. Starting Info 07734 557767.

Pregnancy Yoga Om Studio, again on Mon 5 Jan. Welsh Lessons The Gate, Partridge Lane, Cardiff.

Bharata Natyam Dance 6-7.15pm, £35/£30 (five-week Classes For Adult Beginners Cardiff. 10am-12pm. Info 029 2048 3344.

Starting again on blocks). Info 07727 139379 / Bayview House, Cardiff Bay. Mon 5 Jan. www.omstudio.co.uk.

8.15-9.15pm. Info 029 2075 Write On Writers Morganstown Salsa Classes Bar 44, 1158.

Village Hall. 6.30-8.30pm. Info Cowbridge. 7.30-9.30pm, £5/£4 Bingo Porter’s, Cardiff. 8pm.

07512 235758.

NUS. Info 07800 565651.

Info info@porterscardiff.com.

Yoga With Valerie Price St Salsa Classes La Tasca, Cardiff Inter Varsity Club Cardiff. 7-11pm, £4.50/£3.50 Meeting Churchill’s Hotel Bar, Mary’s Church Hall, Canton, Cardiff. 6.30-9.30pm. Info NUS. Info 07949 270618.

Llandaff, Cardiff. 8.30pm, £5 admin@yoga-works.co.uk .

SeeWales Sightseeing Day (three-month trial memberZumba Dance Classes Tour: Mines & Mountains ship). Info 07526 141392 / www.

Norwegian Church Arts Centre, National Museum & Gallery, cardiffivc.org.uk.

Cardiff Bay. 5.30-6.30pm, £5/£4.

Cardiff (pickup point). 9amCeroc The Gate, Cardiff. 7.45Info 029 2087 7959.

5.30pm, £5 off if you present 10.45pm, £7/£5 NUS. Info 029 this magazine. Info 029 2022 2048 3344. Starting again on 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Mon 5 Jan. TUESDAY 16 Sherman Players Sherman Ceroc Dance Class Odyssey A Ballroom Dance Memorial Cymru, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £90 per Nightclub, Swansea. 7.45Hall, Newbridge. 7-11pm. Info term. Info 029 2064 6900.

10.45pm, £5. Info 01495 243252.

Spice Preview Night Chapter cerocsouthwales@gmail.com.

Afternoon Teas Mansion Arts Centre, Cardiff. Info 07429 Children’s Ballroom House, Cardiff. £15. Info 029 598414. A chance for you to go Dancing Classes Memorial 2087 1144. along and see what you might Hall, Newbridge. 7-9pm. Info Aikido Village Hall, Heol Syr get out of this adventure, activ01495 243252.

Lewis, Morganstown. 8-10pm. ity, sports and social group.

Community Choir Sessions Info 07790 167560.

Street Dance Classes Cornwall Street Church Hall, American Line Dancing The Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7.30-9.30pm, free. Info Gate, Cardiff. 2.45-4.45pm, £3.

Cardiff Bay. 5.30-6.30pm, £5.

07952 752823.

Info 029 2048 3344. Starting Info 029 2087 7959.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Kings again on Tue 6 Jan. Tai Chi Chepstow Conservative Road Studios, Pontcanna, Behind The Scenes: Cardiff. 7.30-8.30pm, £7/£6. Info Conservation National Museum Club. 6-7pm, £6. Info 01291 624919.

07774 601544 / serenhealth@ & Gallery, Cardiff. 1.05pm, free.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi hotmail.co.uk.

Info 029 2039 7951.

Gay Men’s Book Club Belly Dance Methodist Church St Mary’s Church Hall, Canton, Cardiff Chapter Arts Centre, Hall, Conway Road, Cardiff. 6.50- Cardiff. 6.30-9pm. Info 029 2020 6042.

Cardiff. 7.30pm, £5. Info 029 8.10pm, £6/£30 for six weeks.

Welsh Lessons The Gate, 2030 4400. Special event to talk Info info@ Cardiff. 7-9pm. Info 029 2048 about A Place Called Winter burlesquecardiff.co.uk.

3344. Starting again on Tue 6 Jan. Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 7.309pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Yoga With Tori Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-7pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Yoga With Valerie Price Llandough Institute, Penarth.

8.30-9.30pm. Info admin@ yoga-works.co.uk.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes Fairwater Social & Athletic Club, Cardiff. 6-7pm.

Info 07891 712344.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes St Faith Church Hall, Llanishen, Cardiff. 8-9pm. Info 07891 712344.

WEDNESDAY 17

A Tea Dance Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 2-4pm. Info 01495 243252.

Ceroc Dance Class Dinas Powys Parish Hall, Cardiff. 7.3010.45pm, £5. Info cerocsouthwales@gmail.com.

Chinwag Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 7.45pm, £2.50-£5. Info 01970 623232. Spoken word and open mic.

Festive Teas Pontypool Museum. 2-5pm, £10. Info 01495 752036.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Wake Up Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.15-8am, £7£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@hotmail.co.uk.

Handmade Christmas Decorations Mission Gallery, Swansea. 10am-2.30pm, £5.

Info 01792 652016.

Pilates The Gate, Cardiff.

6-8pm, £5.50-£7.50. Info 029 2048 3344. Starting again on Wed 7 Jan. Reading Between The Wines The White Hart, Llangybi, nr Caerleon. 7pm. Info lucyrewilliams@gmail.com.

Monthly book club. This month’s book is Haroun And The Sea Of Stories by Salman Rushdie.

Pub Quiz The Pilot, Penarth.

8pm. Info 029 2071 0615.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 9.3011am + 7-9pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio. co.uk.

Yoga Trwy Gyfrwng Y Gymraeg Insole Court, Llandaff, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm. Info admin@yoga-works.co.uk.

Yoga With Tori Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-7pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Yu-Gi-Oh Tournaments The Freaks Geeks and Autographs Store, Swansea. 5.30pm, £3.50.

Info 07914 683534.

Zumba Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 6pm, £4. Info 07949 270618.

THURSDAY 18

Ab Attack Class Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-6.30pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Afternoon Teas Mansion House, Cardiff. £15. Info 029 2087 1144.

Ballet Academy Wales Classes – Children 6-11 Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

4-5pm, £4.95. Info 07837 937351.

Bingo Market Street Club, Barry. 8.30pm. Info 01446 733863.

Biodanza Cathays Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff. 8-10pm, £6/£5. Info antoinette@ biodanza4all.com.

Children’s Latin/Ballroom Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 4.30-8pm. Info 01495 243252.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 5.30pm.

Info www.funkypumpfitness. co.uk.

Hand Drumming Group Canton Uniting Church, Cardiff.

6-6.50pm, £15 (five weeks). Info 01446 401209.

Howl Mozarts, Swansea.

7.30pm, free. Info 01792 649984.

Incandescent Poetry Meeting Cardiff Central Library. 5.45-6.45pm, free. Info 029 2038 2116. Held on the third Thursday of each third month. The theme of this one is WWI war poetry.

Pilates Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 6.157.15pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@hotmail. co.uk.

Quiz Night NosDa, Cardiff.

8pm, £1 to play. Info 029 2037 8866.

River Of Light Parade Caerphilly Railway Station (starting point). 6.30pm, free.

Info 029 2088 0011. This will go through the town centre and finish in Caerphilly Castle, where there’ll be a fireworks display.

Salsa Buena Class Eclipse, Penarth. 7.30-9.30pm, free. Info 07800 565651.

Salsa Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 7-11pm, £4.50/£3.50 NUS. Info 07949 270618.

Salsa Dancing Classes Revolucion De Cuba, Cardiff.

8-10pm, £6/£5 NUS. Info 029 2023 6689.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi Albert Road Church & Community Centre, Penarth.

6.30-9.15pm. Info 029 2020 6042.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi St Fagans Village Hall. 12-1pm.

Info 029 2020 6042.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 7-8am + 1-2.30, 6-7.15 + 7.30-9pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Zumba Chepstow Conservative Club. 6-7pm. Info 01291 624919.

FRIDAY 19

Afternoon Teas Mansion House, Cardiff. £15. Info 029 2087 1144.

Aikido Village Hall, Heol Syr Lewis, Morganstown. 8-10pm.

Info 07790 167560.

Cardiff Aikikai The Dojo, Roath, Cardiff. 6.30-10pm. Info mcaluan@cardiffaikikai.co.uk.

Children’s Tap/Ballet Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 10.30-11.30am. Info 01495 243252.

Christmas Market King Square, Barry. Free. Info 01446 704788.

Christmas Peace-Time Promises National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 10am-4pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. Kids’ activity session based on the WWI truce on Christmas Day 1914. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Community Choir Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 9.4511.45am, £72/£48 (12 weeks).

Info 01446 401209.

Craft Fair Community Hall, Neath. Free. Info ariancrafts@ hotmail.co.uk.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.30-8.30pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk.

Newport Photographic Club Skip Jennings Hall, Maindee, Newport. 7.30pm. Info 01633 400685.

Pig Street Craft Fair The Queens Hall, Narberth. 10am4pm, free. Info enquiries@ pigstreetcrafts.co.uk. On tomorrow also.

Rhiwbina Farmers Market The Butchers Arms, Rhiwbina.

10am-1pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982. Back on Fri 9 Jan. SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Mines & Mountains National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

So You Think You’re Smart?

Memorial Hall, Newbridge.

7pm, free. Info 01495 243252.

Quiz night, every third Friday of the month.

Tango Argentine Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff.

7.30-8.45pm, £7/£4. Info 029 2023 7332.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes Sbectrwm Community Centre, Fairwater, Cardiff.

1-2pm. Info 07891 712344.

SATURDAY 20

A Child’s Christmas In Wales: Drop-In Family Activities Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea. 12-4pm. Info 01792 463980.

A Child’s Christmas In Wales: Stories For Christmas Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea. 11am-12pm.

Info 01792 463980.

Children’s Climbing Classes Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 10-11.30am, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Christmas Decoration Workshop For Families National History Museum, St Fagans. 11am-1pm + 2-4pm, £4 adv. Info 029 2057 3500. On tomorrow also.

Christmas Market King Square, Barry. Free. Info 01446 704788.

Christmas Peace-Time Promises National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 10am-4pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 12, 2 + 4pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Cool Science Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

Find out what amazing things can happen when stuff gets really cold. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Craft Fair Community Hall, Neath. Free. Info ariancrafts@ hotmail.co.uk.

Dark Skies Evening Venue TBC, Brecon Beacons National Park. £55. Info 01874 749092.

Dr Bob Balloons Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay. 12, 2 + 4pm. Info info@ thereddragoncentre.co.uk.

Balloon modeller.

Father Christmas At The Pit Big Pit National Coal Museum, Blaenafon. 10.30pm, £5. Info 029 2057 3650. Also featuring brassy soundtracking by the Blaenavon Town Band.

FEAST At Riverside Fitzhammon Embankment, Cardiff. 4-9.30pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982. Street food festival, the first in a series of many planned by the Riverside Market people.

Football: Sky Bet Championship – Cardiff City v Brentford Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff. 3pm. Info 0845 3451400.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 9.30am.

Info www.funkypumpfitness. co.uk.

NoFit State Circus: Youth Circus Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

10.30am-12pm, £7/£6 per session. Info 029 2022 1330 / www.

BUZZ 69

events nofitstate.org.

Nordic Walking Cwmcarn Scenic Drive, Caerphilly. 11am, £3.50. Info 07906 365280.

Pig Street Craft Fair The Queens Hall, Narberth. 10am4pm, free. Info enquiries@ pigstreetcrafts.co.uk.

Roath Real Food Market Mackintosh Sports Club Car Park, Roath, Cardiff. 9.30am1pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

Back on Fri 10 Jan. SeeWales Sightseeing Tour: Romans And Ruins National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

Star Tours Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

Find out more about some familiar constellations, the planets, how stars are born and how they die. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Table Tennis: Cardiff Grand Prix Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 9am-9pm. Info 07754 525754. On tomorrow also.

Talk: ‘Orientalist’ Jones Heads West National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

11am, free. Info 01792 463980.

Talk by Professor Michael Franklin about Sir William Jones.

Winter Solstice Feast National History Museum, St Fagans. 11am-1pm + 2-4pm, free. Info 029 2057 3500.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff.

8-9.30am, £6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

SUNDAY 21

Bjorn The Polar Bear Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay. 12.30, 2 + 3.30pm. Info info@ thereddragoncentre.co.uk. Lifesize animatronic polar bear visits to entertain and/or utterly terrify young children.

Bridgend Undercover Car Boot Sale Multistorey Car Park, Bridgend Town Centre.

7am-12pm, free (selling cars £6; selling cars with trailers £10).

Info 01656 661338.

Children’s Climbing Classes Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 10-11.30am, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Christmas Decoration Workshop For Families National History Museum, St Fagans. 11am-1pm + 2-4pm, £4 adv. Info 029 2057 3500.

Christmas Peace-Time Promises National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 10am-4pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 12, 2 + 4pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Cool Science Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Festive Family Workshop Mission Gallery, Swansea.

12-4pm, free. Info 01792 652016.

Ice Hockey: Cardiff Devils v Nottingham Panthers Ice Arena, Cardiff Bay. 6pm, £6-£15.

Info 029 2038 2001.

Riverside Farmers’ Market Fitzhammon Embankment, Cardiff. 10am-2pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982. No market next Sunday, FYI; back on Sun 4 Jan. Star Tours Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Sunday Board Games Cardiff Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 3pm, free. Info 029 2030 4400.

Table Tennis: Cardiff Grand Prix Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 9am-9pm. Info 07754 525754.

Winter Festival Event M.A.D.E. Gallery, Roath, Cardiff.

BUZZ 70

12-7pm. Info 029 2047 3373.

Live music, hot and cold food and drink, craft type gifts for sale etc.

MONDAY 22

Christmas Peace-Time Promises National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 10am-4pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Cool Science Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Cwtch Club Workshops M.A.D.E. Gallery, Roath, Cardiff.

10am-12.30pm + 2-4.30pm, £10. Info 029 2047 3373. Make decorations while the olds do last-minute shopping. Early session: 5-7-year-olds; later: 8-12-year-olds.

Joy Of Living Mindfulness Group Meeting Gaia Yoga Studio, Roath, Cardiff. 7.309pm, free (donations welcome).

Info 07412 346054.

Quizzical The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm, £1 to enter. Info 029 2062 4050.

Star Tours Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4 Jan)

TUESDAY 23

Christmas Holiday Art Cart National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 10am-4pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. Create artwork related to the national traditions of the Artes Mundi 6 artists. Also on Sat 27, Sun 28, Wed 31 and Fri 2 Jan. Christmas Peace-Time Promises National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 10am-4pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. Next session is on Sat 3 Jan. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Cool Science Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

Next show is on Sat 27. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Star Tours Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

Next show is on Sat 27. (Until Sun 4 Jan)

FRIDAY 26

Boxing Day Swim Noeth Beach, Tenby. 11.30am. Info www.tenbyboxingdayswim.co.uk.

Annual charity dip, this year in aid of the Harriet Davies Trust and St John Cymru.

Christmas Market King Square, Barry. Free. Info 01446 704788.

Football: Barclays Premier League – Swansea City v Aston Villa Liberty Stadium, Swansea. 3pm. Info 0870 400004.

SATURDAY 27

Christmas Holiday Art Cart National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 10am-4pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951.

Christmas Market King Square, Barry. Free. Info 01446 704788.

Cool Science Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Dark Skies Evening Venue TBC, Brecon Beacons National Park. £55. Info 01874 749092.

Glow In The Dark Constellation Calendars National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 12.30-3.30pm, free.

Info 01792 463980. Family activity. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Ice Hockey: Cardiff Devils v Coventry Blaze Ice Arena, Cardiff Bay. 7pm, £6-£15. Info 029 2038 2001.

Star Tours Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Talk At 2 Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 2pm, free. Info 029 2030 4400.

SUNDAY 28

Bridgend Undercover Car Boot Sale Multistorey Car Park, Bridgend Town Centre.

7am-12pm, free (selling cars £6; selling cars with trailers £10).

Info 01656 661338.

Cardiff Geek Party Gwdihw, Cardiff. 5pm, £1. Info 029 2039 7933. Monthly retro console night. Also on Sat 24 Jan. Children’s Climbing Classes Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 10-11.30am, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Christmas Holiday Art Cart National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 10am-4pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 12, 2 + 4pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Cool Science Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Football: Sky Bet Championship – Cardiff City v Watford Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff. 3pm. Info 0845 3451400.

Glow In The Dark Constellation Calendars National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 12.30-3.30pm, free.

Info 01792 463980. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Lindy Hop Dance Classes & Social Swing Dancing Pontardawe Arts Centre.

6-10pm. Info 01792 863722.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

Sheep Trekking In The Brecon Beacons Venue TBC, Brecon Beacons National Park. £35/£25 kids. Info 01874 749092. A Good Day Out event.

Also on Wed 31.

Star Tours Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Sunday Board Games Cardiff Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 3pm, free. Info 029 2030 4400.

MONDAY 29

Cool Science Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Glow In The Dark Constellation Calendars National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 12.30-3.30pm, free.

Info 01792 463980. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Gwd Mondays Quiz Gwdihw, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info 029 2039 7933. Also on Mon 19 Jan. Quizzical The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm, £1 to enter. Info 029 2062 4050.

Star Tours Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4 Jan)

TUESDAY 30

Cool Science Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Glow In The Dark Constellation Calendars National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 12.30-3.30pm, free.

Info 01792 463980. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Ice Hockey: Cardiff Devils v Hull Stingrays Ice Arena, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £6-£15.

Info 029 2038 2001.

Star Tours Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4 Jan)

WEDNESDAY 31

Calennig City Hall, Cardiff.

Free. Info 029 2023 0130. In addition to Winter Wonderland, there’ll be a live band of some kind, and fireworks I guess.

Christmas Holiday Art Cart National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 10am-4pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951.

Cool Science Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

Next show is on Fri 2 Jan. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Glow In The Dark Constellation Calendars National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 12.30-3.30pm, free.

Info 01792 463980. Not on tomorrow, in case you were thinking of going to a museum and making a glow in the dark calendar on Jan 1. (Until Sun 4 Jan) New Year’s Eve Ball Brangwyn Hall, Swansea.

7.30pm, £55 adv. Info 01792 475715. With a casino, tribute acts from Las Vegas, and loads of food to eat (not sure if it’s included in the price).

Sheep Trekking In The Brecon Beacons Venue TBC, Brecon Beacons National Park. £35/£25 kids. Info 01874 749092.

Star Tours Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

Next show is on Fri 2 Jan. (Until Sun 4 Jan)

FRIDAY 2 JANUARY

Christmas Holiday Art Cart National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 10am-4pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951.

Cool Science Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4) Ghost Tour Cardiff Castle.

7.15pm, £14. Info 07538 878609.

Glow In The Dark Constellation Calendars National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 12.30-3.30pm, free.

Info 01792 463980. (Until Sun 4) Nordic Walking Cwmcarn Scenic Drive, Caerphilly. 11am, £3.50. Info 07906 365280.

Star Tours Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4)

SATURDAY 3 JANUARY

Christmas Peace-Time Promises National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 10am-4pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Cool Science Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4) Ghost Tour Cardiff Castle.

7.15pm, £14. Info 07538 878609.

Glow In The Dark Constellation Calendars National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 12.30-3.30pm, free.

Info 01792 463980. (Until Sun 4) Star Tours Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Until Sun 4) Vintage Fayre Le Pub, Newport. 8pm, free. Info 01633 221477.

SUNDAY 4 JANUARY

Bridgend Undercover Car Boot Sale Multistorey Car Park, Bridgend Town Centre.

7am-12pm, free (selling cars £6; selling cars with trailers £10).

Info 01656 661338.

Christmas Peace-Time Promises National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 10am-4pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951.

(Finishes today) Cool Science Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Finishes today) Cwmbran Craft Fayre Our

Lady’s School Hall, Cwmbran.

1-4pm. Info cwmbran_crafts@ hotmail.co.uk.

Glow In The Dark Constellation Calendars National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 12.30-3.30pm, free.

Info 01792 463980. (Finishes today) Ice Hockey: Cardiff Devils v Fife Flyers Ice Arena, Cardiff Bay. 6pm, £6-£15. Info 029 2038 2001.

Riverside Farmers’ Market Fitzhammon Embankment, Cardiff. 10am-2pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Star Tours Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(Finishes today) Sunday Board Games Cardiff Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 3pm, free. Info 029 2030 4400.

MONDAY 5 JANUARY

Ballet The Gate, Cardiff.

6-9.30pm, £6.50/£5.50/£3 taster.

Info 029 2048 3344. Every Monday until 8 Feb. Bharata Natyam Dance Classes For Adult Beginners Bayview House, Cardiff Bay. 8.15-9.15pm. Info 029 2075 1158.

Bingo Porter’s, Cardiff. 8pm.

Info info@porterscardiff.com.

Cardiff Inter Varsity Club Meeting Churchill’s Hotel Bar, Llandaff, Cardiff. 8.30pm, £5 (three-month trial membership). Info 07526 141392 / www. cardiffivc.org.uk.

Ceroc The Gate, Cardiff. 7.4510.45pm, £7/£5 NUS. Info 029 2048 3344. Every Monday until 8 Feb. Ceroc Dance Class Odyssey Nightclub, Swansea. 7.4510.45pm, £5. Info cerocsouthwales@gmail.com.

Children’s Ballroom Dancing Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 7-9pm. Info 01495 243252.

Community Choir Sessions Cornwall Street Church Hall, Cardiff. 7.30-9.30pm, free. Info 07952 752823.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.30-8.30pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk.

Making Music The Gate, Cardiff. 6-810pm, £7.50-£9.50 per session/£4 taster. Info 029 2048 3344. Every Monday until 8 Feb. Northern Lingo Bingo Gwdihw, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free.

Info 029 2039 7933.

Pilates The Gate, Cardiff.

11.30am-1.30pm, £5.50-£7.50.

Info 029 2048 3344. Every Monday until 8 Feb. Quizzical The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm, £1 to enter. Info 029 2062 4050.

RAD Children’s Ballet The Gate, Cardiff. 4-7.45pm, £6.50/£5.50/£3 taster. Info 029 2048 3344. Every Monday until 8 Feb. Salsa Classes Mischiefs, Cardiff Bay. 7.30-9.30pm, £4.50.

Info 07800 565651.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

St Donats Atlantic Chorale St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan. 7.30pm. Info 01446 799100.

Tai Chi: Moving 5 Elements Qigong Glyndwr Community

Hall, Penarth. 10.30-11.30am.

Info 029 2020 6042.

Tango Dancing Argentine Barocco, Cardiff. 8-10.45pm, £3/£1. Info 029 2023 7332.

Tang Soo Do Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff. 7-9pm.

Info 07734 557767.

Welsh Lessons The Gate, Cardiff. 10am-12pm. Info 029 2048 3344. Every Monday until 8 Feb. Write On Writers Morganstown Village Hall. 6.308.30pm. Info 07512 235758.

Yoga With Valerie Price St Mary’s Church Hall, Canton, Cardiff. 6.30-9.30pm. Info admin@yoga-works.co.uk .

TUESDAY 6 JANUARY

A Ballroom Dance Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 7-11pm. Info 01495 243252.

Aikido Village Hall, Heol Syr Lewis, Morganstown. 8-10pm.

Info 07790 167560.

American Line Dancing The Gate, Cardiff. 2.45-4.45pm, £3. Info 029 2048 3344. Every Tuesday until 9 Feb. Belly Dance Methodist Church Hall, Conway Road, Cardiff.

6.50-8.10pm, £6/£30 for six weeks. Info info@ burlesquecardiff.co.uk.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Contemporary Dance The Gate, Cardiff. 6-8.30pm, £4.50£6.50/£2.50 taster. Info 029 2048 3344. Every Tuesday until 9 Feb. Extend The Gate, Cardiff.

11am, £2.50. Info 029 2048 3344. Every Tuesday until 9 Feb. Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 5.30 + 6.30pm. Info www. funkypumpfitness.co.uk.

Fun Skittles Chepstow Conservative Club. 7.30pm, £2 inc food. Info 01291 624919.

Gitananda Yoga St David's Uniting Church, Pontypridd.

7-8.30pm, free. Info 01443 408065.

Glam Dram St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan.

7pm. Info 01446 799100.

Improvers Belly Dance Methodist Church Hall, Conway Road, Cardiff. 6.50-8pm, £6/£30 for six weeks. Info info@ burlesquecardiff.co.uk.

India Dance Wales Classes Rubicon Dance, Adamsdown, Cardiff. 6.15pm. Info 029 2075 1158.

Jazz Workshops For Beginners Atradius Offices (4th floor), Cardiff Bay. 6.208pm, £10. Info 07806 625717.

Kizomba Tango Classes 10 Feet Tall, Cardiff. 6pm, £5. Info 029 2022 8883.

Life Drawing & Sketching Session 10 Feet Tall, Cardiff.

6-7.30pm, £5. Info 029 2022 8883.

Lindy Hop Dance Classes & Social Swing Dancing The Garage, Swansea. 6-10pm. Info 01792 475147.

Meet The Curator: Natural Sciences Gallery Talk National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 1.05pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pied Piper Music The Gate, Cardiff. 10.15-10.45am + 1.30-2.15pm, £4.50 (morning)/£5 (afternoon). Info 029 2048 3344. Every Tuesday until 9 Feb. Pilates Conway Road Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff.

8.15-9.15pm, £6. Info 07872 306745.

events Pilates And Stretch Conway Road Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff. 8.15-9.15pm, £6. Info 07872 306745.

Pilates: Beginners The Gate, Cardiff. 6.30-7.30pm, £5.50£7.50. Info 029 2048 3344.

Every Tuesday until 9 Feb. Pregnancy Yoga Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff.

6-7.15pm, £35/£30 (five-week blocks). Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Salsa Classes Bar 44, Cowbridge. 7.30-9.30pm, £5/£4 NUS. Info 07800 565651.

Salsa Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 7-11pm, £4.50/£3.50 NUS. Info 07949 270618.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Mines & Mountains National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Sherman Players Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £90 per term. Info 029 2064 6900.

Street Dance Classes Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay. 5.30-6.30pm, £5.

Info 029 2087 7959.

Tai Chi Chepstow Conservative Club. 6-7pm, £6. Info 01291 624919.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi St Mary’s Church Hall, Canton, Cardiff. 6.30-9pm. Info 029 2020 6042.

The Tuesday Night Swing Dance Club The Scene Club, Swansea. 7.30-11.30pm, £3-£8.

Info 07730 432166. Every Tuesday, starting tonight.

Beginners are at 7.30pm, improvers 8.30, social swing dancing is at 9.30 and from 11.30 there’s an electroswing club night if you’re a midnight oil burner. Price varies depending on how many bits you take part in.

Welsh Lessons The Gate, Cardiff. 7-9pm. Info 029 2048 3344. Every Tuesday until 9 Feb. Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 7.309pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Yoga With Tori Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-7pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Yoga With Valerie Price Llandough Institute, Penarth.

8.30-9.30pm. Info admin@ yoga-works.co.uk.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes Fairwater Social & Athletic Club, Cardiff. 6-7pm.

Info 07891 712344.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes St Faith Church Hall, Llanishen, Cardiff. 8-9pm. Info 07891 712344.

WEDNESDAY 7 JANUARY

A Tea Dance Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 2-4pm. Info 01495 243252.

Beginner And Advanced Cabaret Classes Methodist Church Hall, Conway Road, Cardiff. 6.15-9pm, £35 for six weeks. Info info@ burlesquecardiff.co.uk.

Ceroc Dance Class Dinas Powys Parish Hall, Cardiff. 7.3010.45pm, £5. Info cerocsouthwales@gmail.com.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Wake Up Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.15-8am, £7£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@hotmail.co.uk.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pilates The Gate, Cardiff.

6-8pm, £5.50-£7.50. Info 029 2048 3344. Every Wednesday until 10 Feb. Pub Quiz The Pilot, Penarth.

8pm. Info 029 2071 0615.

Salsa Classes Rhiwbina Recreational Club, Whitchurch, Cardiff. 8-10pm, £5/£4 NUS. Info 07800 565651.

SeeWales Sightseeing Tour: Romans And Ruins National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 9.3011am + 7-9pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio. co.uk.

Yoga Trwy Gyfrwng Y Gymraeg Insole Court, Llandaff, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm. Info admin@yoga-works.co.uk.

Yoga With Tori Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-7pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Yu-Gi-Oh Tournaments The Freaks Geeks and Autographs Store, Swansea. 5.30pm, £3.50.

Info 07914 683534.

Zumba Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 6pm, £4. Info 07949 270618.

THURSDAY 8 JANUARY

Ab Attack Class Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-6.30pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Ballet Academy Wales Classes – Children 6-11 Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

4-5pm, £4.95. Info 07837 937351.

Bingo Market Street Club, Barry. 8.30pm. Info 01446 733863.

Biodanza Cathays Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff. 8-10pm, £6/£5. Info antoinette@ biodanza4all.com.

Cardiff Archaeological Society Lecture Chemistry Lecture Theatre, Main Building, Cardiff University. 7.15pm. Info www.cardiffarchsoc.btck.co.uk.

‘The Walls Of Medieval Ascalon’

by Professor Denys Pringle.

Children’s Latin/Ballroom Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 4.30-8pm. Info 01495 243252.

Circuits Class Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 6.457.45pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 5.30pm.

Info www.funkypumpfitness. co.uk.

Hand Drumming Group Canton Uniting Church, Cardiff.

6-6.50pm, £15 (five weeks). Info 01446 401209.

Howl Mozarts, Swansea.

7.30pm, free. Info 01792 649984.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pilates Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 6.157.15pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk.

Quiz Night NosDa, Cardiff.

8pm, £1 to play. Info 029 2037 8866.

Salsa Buena Class Eclipse, Penarth. 7.30-9.30pm, free. Info 07800 565651.

Salsa Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 7-11pm, £4.50/£3.50 NUS. Info 07949 270618.

Salsa Dancing Classes Revolucion De Cuba, Cardiff.

8-10pm, £6/£5 NUS. Info 029 2023 6689.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi Albert Road Church & Community Centre, Penarth.

6.30-9.15pm. Info 029 2020 6042.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi St Fagans Village Hall. 12-1pm.

Info 029 2020 6042.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 7-8am + 1-2.30, 6-7.15 + 7.30-9pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Zumba Chepstow Conservative Club. 6-7pm. Info 01291 624919.

FRIDAY 9 JANUARY

Aikido Village Hall, Heol Syr Lewis, Morganstown. 8-10pm.

Info 07790 167560.

Art Lunchtime Talk National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff.

1.05pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. ‘An introduction to Maurice Marinot: A Passion For Glass’, by Andrew Renton.

Cardiff Aikikai The Dojo, Roath, Cardiff. 6.30-10pm. Info mcaluan@cardiffaikikai.co.uk.

Children’s Tap/Ballet Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 10.30-11.30am. Info 01495 243252.

Community Choir Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 9.4511.45am, £72/£48 (12 weeks).

Info 01446 401209.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.30-8.30pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk.

Newport Photographic Club Skip Jennings Hall, Maindee, Newport. 7.30pm. Info 01633 400685.

NoFit State Circus: Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff. Info 029 2022 1330 / www.nofitstate.org.

Nordic Walking Cwmcarn Scenic Drive, Caerphilly. 11am, £3.50. Info 07906 365280.

Rhiwbina Farmers Market The Butchers Arms, Rhiwbina.

10am-1pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Mines & Mountains National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Sessions The Riverfront, Newport. 5-11pm, £1. Info 01633 656757. Boutique market and open mic night.

Tango Argentine Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff.

7.30-8.45pm, £7/£4. Info 029 2023 7332.

Toddler Days Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. £4.80 for adults.

Info 029 2047 5475. Monthly event where pre-school children have their run of the exhibits with activities on a special theme, January’s being Fairytale Frolics.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes Sbectrwm Community Centre, Fairwater, Cardiff.

1-2pm. Info 07891 712344.

SATURDAY 10 JANUARY

Caerwent Craft Fayre Caerwent Village Hall, Monmouthshire. 2.30-4.30pm.

Info cwmbran_crafts@hotmail. co.uk.

Chepstow Farmers’ Market Cormeilles Square, Chepstow.

8.30am-1pm, free. Info 01291 626370.

Children’s Climbing Classes Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 10-11.30am, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 12, 2 + 4pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Cuppa Cymraeg National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

10.30am, free. Info 01792 463980.

Don’t Do This At Home Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475. Science demonstrations using simple household equipment that you should definitely not try at home.

That’s a serious ‘definitely not’, not sarcastic like it would be if for example I said it. (At weekends until Sun 1 Feb) Farmers’ Market Twyn Community Centre, Caerphilly.

9.30am, free. Info 01656 658963.

Football: Sky Bet Championship – Cardiff City v Fulham Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff. 3pm. Info 0845 3451400.

Football: Barclays Premier League – Swansea City v West Ham United Liberty Stadium, Swansea. 3pm. Info 0870 400004. Thought there was a policy of not having Cardiff and Swansea playing at home simultaneously. If either of these are wrong, blame the BBC website.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 9.30am.

Info www.funkypumpfitness. co.uk.

Ice Hockey: Cardiff Devils v Coventry Blaze Ice Arena, Cardiff Bay. 7pm, £6-£15. Info 029 2038 2001.

Jiu Jitsu: Professional Invitational St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 6pm, £25-£70. Info 029 2087 8444.

Mari Llwyd Spoon Puppets National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 12-3.30pm, free. Info 01792 463980. On tomorrow also.

Mumbles Produce Market Seafront Car Park, Mumbles.

9am-1pm, free. Info 01792 361012.

Newport Craft Fayre The Gallery, Newport Indoor Market.

9am-4.30pm, free. Info 01633 656656.

NoFit State Circus: Youth Circus Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

10.30am-12pm, £7/£6 per session. Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Playing The Spoons National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

12-3.30pm, free. Info 01792 463980. Join virtuoso spoons players Pat Smith and Ned Clamp, who will be performing and leading a spoons workshop. The Wikipedia page for Spoonman, the Soundgarden song, is most enlightening. On tomorrow also.

Roath Real Food Market Mackintosh Sports Club Car Park, Roath, Cardiff. 9.30am1pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

Search For Life Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

Find out how life is thought to have started on this planet, and where it might be outside of it.

(At weekends until Sun 1 Feb) SeeWales Sightseeing Tour: Romans And Ruins National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

Squash: South Glamorgan County Championships Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 10am-8pm. Info 0300 3003121. On tomorrow also.

Table Tennis: Junior Team Championships Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff.

10am-5pm. Info 07754 525754.

On tomorrow also.

Yoga Classes Om Studio,

Partridge Lane, Cardiff.

8-9.30am, £6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

SUNDAY 11 JANUARY

Bridgend Undercover Car Boot Sale Multistorey Car Park, Bridgend Town Centre.

7am-12pm, free (selling cars £6; selling cars with trailers £10).

Info 01656 661338.

Children’s Climbing Classes Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 10-11.30am, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 12, 2 + 4pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Don’t Do This At Home Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475. (At weekends until Sun 1 Feb) Lindy Hop Dance Classes & Social Swing Dancing Pontardawe Arts Centre.

6-10pm. Info 01792 863722.

Mari Llwyd Spoon Puppets National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 12-3.30pm, free. Info 01792 463980.

Marina Market National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

10am-3pm, free. Info 01792 463980.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Playing The Spoons National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

12-3.30pm, free. Info 01792 463980.

Riverside Farmers’ Market Fitzhammon Embankment, Cardiff. 10am-2pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

Search For Life Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(At weekends until Sun 1 Feb) SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

Squash: South Glamorgan County Championships Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 10am-4pm. Info 0300 3003121.

Sunday Board Games Cardiff Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 3pm, free. Info 029 2030 4400.

Table Tennis: Dragon Event Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 3pm. Info 07754 525754.

Table Tennis: Junior Team Championships Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff.

10am-5pm. Info 07754 525754.

MONDAY 12 JANUARY

Ballet The Gate, Cardiff.

6-9.30pm, £6.50/£5.50/£3 taster.

Info 029 2048 3344.

Bharata Natyam Dance Classes For Adult Beginners Bayview House, Cardiff Bay. 8.15-9.15pm. Info 029 2075 1158.

Bingo Porter’s, Cardiff. 8pm.

Info info@porterscardiff.com.

Cardiff Inter Varsity Club Meeting Churchill’s Hotel Bar, Llandaff, Cardiff. 8.30pm, £5 (three-month trial membership). Info 07526 141392 / www. cardiffivc.org.uk.

Ceroc The Gate, Cardiff. 7.4510.45pm, £7/£5 NUS. Info 029 2048 3344.

Ceroc Dance Class Odyssey Nightclub, Swansea. 7.4510.45pm, £5. Info cerocsouthwales@gmail.com.

Children’s Ballroom Dancing Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 7-9pm. Info 01495 243252.

Community Choir Sessions Cornwall Street Church Hall,

Cardiff. 7.30-9.30pm, free. Info 07952 752823.

Food Haven The Canteen On Clifton Street, Cardiff. 6.30pm, £25. Info info@realfrankfood. com.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.30-8.30pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk.

Japanese Taiko Drumming The Riverfront, Newport. 4-7pm, £20 (four weeks). Info 01633 656757.

Joy Of Living Mindfulness Group Meeting Gaia Yoga Studio, Roath, Cardiff. 7.309pm, free (donations welcome).

Info 07412 346054.

Making Music The Gate, Cardiff. 6-810pm, £7.50-£9.50 per session/£4 taster. Info 029 2048 3344.

Musical Theatre The Riverfront, Newport. 6.158.30pm, £6/£5. Info 01633 656757.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pilates The Gate, Cardiff.

11.30am-1.30pm, £5.50-£7.50.

Info 029 2048 3344.

Quizzical The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm, £1 to enter. Info 029 2062 4050.

RAD Children’s Ballet The Gate, Cardiff. 4-7.45pm, £6.50/£5.50/£3 taster. Info 029 2048 3344.

Rhyme And Real Ale Mackintosh Sports Club, Roath, Cardiff. 7.30pm. Info 07512 235758.

Salsa Classes Mischiefs, Cardiff Bay. 7.30-9.30pm, £4.50.

Info 07800 565651.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

St Donats Atlantic Chorale St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan. 7.30pm. Info 01446 799100.

Tai Chi: Moving 5 Elements Qigong Glyndwr Community Hall, Penarth. 10.30-11.30am.

Info 029 2020 6042.

Tango Dancing Argentine Barocco, Cardiff. 8-10.45pm, £3/£1. Info 029 2023 7332.

Tang Soo Do Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff. 7-9pm.

Info 07734 557767.

Welsh Lessons The Gate, Cardiff. 10am-12pm. Info 029 2048 3344.

Yoga With Valerie Price St Mary’s Church Hall, Canton, Cardiff. 6.30-9.30pm. Info admin@yoga-works.co.uk .

Zumba Dance Classes Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay. 5.30-6.30pm, £5/£4.

Info 029 2087 7959.

TUESDAY 13 JANUARY

A Ballroom Dance Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 7-11pm. Info 01495 243252.

Aikido Village Hall, Heol Syr Lewis, Morganstown. 8-10pm.

Info 07790 167560.

American Line Dancing The Gate, Cardiff. 2.45-4.45pm, £3.

Info 029 2048 3344.

Behind The Scenes: Natural Sciences National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 1.05pm, free.

Info 029 2039 7951.

Belly Dance Methodist Church Hall, Conway Road, Cardiff.

6.50-8.10pm, £6/£30 for six weeks. Info info@ burlesquecardiff.co.uk.

Circus Skills The Riverfront, Newport. 7-8.30pm, £3.50 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, BUZZ 71

events Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Contemporary Dance The Gate, Cardiff. 6-8.30pm, £4.50£6.50/£2.50 taster. Info 029 2048 3344.

Explore Books National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

10.30am, free. Info 01792 463980. Come along to discuss authors and books old and new.

Also on Tue 20 and Tue 27.

Extend The Gate, Cardiff.

11am, £2.50. Info 029 2048 3344.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 5.30 + 6.30pm. Info www. funkypumpfitness.co.uk.

Fun Skittles Chepstow Conservative Club. 7.30pm, £2 inc food. Info 01291 624919.

Gitananda Yoga St David's Uniting Church, Pontypridd.

7-8.30pm, free. Info 01443 408065.

Glam Dram St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan.

7pm. Info 01446 799100.

Improvers Belly Dance Methodist Church Hall, Conway Road, Cardiff. 6.50-8pm, £6/£30 for six weeks. Info info@ burlesquecardiff.co.uk.

India Dance Wales Classes Rubicon Dance, Adamsdown, Cardiff. 6.15pm. Info 029 2075 1158.

Jazz Workshops For Beginners Atradius Offices (4th floor), Cardiff Bay. 6.208pm, £10. Info 07806 625717.

Kizomba Tango Classes 10 Feet Tall, Cardiff. 6pm, £5. Info 029 2022 8883.

Life Drawing & Sketching Session 10 Feet Tall, Cardiff.

6-7.30pm, £5. Info 029 2022 8883.

Lindy Hop Dance Classes & Social Swing Dancing The Garage, Swansea. 6-10pm. Info 01792 475147.

Little’ns Music The Riverfront, Newport. 9.4510.30am + 1.30-2.15, £3 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Music Matters Gwdihw, Cardiff. 8pm, £1 entry. Info 029 2039 7933.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pied Piper Music The Gate, Cardiff. 10.15-10.45am + 1.302.15pm, £4.50 (morning)/£5 (afternoon). Info 029 2048 3344.

Pilates Conway Road Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff.

8.15-9.15pm, £6. Info 07872 306745.

Pilates And Stretch Conway Road Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff. 8.15-9.15pm, £6. Info 07872 306745.

Pilates: Beginners The Gate, Cardiff. 6.30-7.30pm, £5.50£7.50. Info 029 2048 3344.

Pregnancy Yoga Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff.

6-7.15pm, £35/£30 (five-week blocks). Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Salsa Classes Bar 44, Cowbridge. 7.30-9.30pm, £5/£4 NUS. Info 07800 565651.

Salsa Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 7-11pm, £4.50/£3.50 NUS. Info 07949 270618.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Mines & Mountains National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Sherman Players Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £90 per term. Info 029 2064 6900.

Street Dance Classes Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay. 5.30-6.30pm, £5.

Info 029 2087 7959.

Tai Chi Chepstow Conservative BUZZ 72

Club. 6-7pm, £6. Info 01291 624919.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi St Mary’s Church Hall, Canton, Cardiff. 6.30-9pm. Info 029 2020 6042.

The Tuesday Night Swing Dance Club The Scene Club, Swansea. 7.30-11.30pm, £3-£8.

Info 07730 432166.

Welsh Lessons The Gate, Cardiff. 7-9pm. Info 029 2048 3344.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 7.309pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Yoga With Tori Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-7pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Yoga With Valerie Price Llandough Institute, Penarth.

8.30-9.30pm. Info admin@ yoga-works.co.uk.

Youth Theatre Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 6-7.30pm. Info 029 2064 6900. For 16 and 17-year-olds, also on Tue 20 and Tue 27 this month.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes Fairwater Social & Athletic Club, Cardiff. 6-7pm.

Info 07891 712344.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes St Faith Church Hall, Llanishen, Cardiff. 8-9pm. Info 07891 712344.

WEDNESDAY 14 JANUARY

A Tea Dance Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 2-4pm. Info 01495 243252.

Beginner And Advanced Cabaret Classes Methodist Church Hall, Conway Road, Cardiff. 6.15-9pm, £35 for six weeks. Info info@ burlesquecardiff.co.uk.

Ceramics For Adults The Riverfront, Newport. 6-8pm, £30 (five weeks). Info 01633 656757.

Ceroc Dance Class Dinas Powys Parish Hall, Cardiff. 7.3010.45pm, £5. Info cerocsouthwales@gmail.com.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Wake Up Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.15-8am, £7£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@hotmail.co.uk.

Newport Youth Dance The Riverfront, Newport. 4.15-6pm, £2.75 per session. Info 01633 656757.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pilates The Gate, Cardiff.

6-8pm, £5.50-£7.50. Info 029 2048 3344.

Pub Quiz The Pilot, Penarth.

8pm. Info 029 2071 0615.

Salsa Classes Rhiwbina Recreational Club, Whitchurch, Cardiff. 8-10pm, £5/£4 NUS. Info 07800 565651.

Scriveners Writers’ Group Royal Exchange, Brynmawr.

8pm. Info 01495 753629.

SeeWales Sightseeing Tour: Romans And Ruins National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 9.3011am + 7-9pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio. co.uk.

Yoga Trwy Gyfrwng Y Gymraeg Insole Court, Llandaff, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm. Info admin@yoga-works.co.uk.

Yoga With Tori Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-7pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Youth Theatre Sherman

Cymru, Cardiff. 6-9pm. Info 029 2064 6900. 6-7.30pm: 10-12-year-olds. 7.30-9pm: 13-15-year-olds. Also on Wed 21 and Wed 28 this month.

Yu-Gi-Oh Tournaments The Freaks Geeks and Autographs Store, Swansea. 5.30pm, £3.50.

Info 07914 683534.

Zumba Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 6pm, £4. Info 07949 270618.

THURSDAY 15 JANUARY

Ab Attack Class Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-6.30pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Ballet Academy Wales Classes – Children 6-11 Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

4-5pm, £4.95. Info 07837 937351.

Bingo Market Street Club, Barry. 8.30pm. Info 01446 733863.

Biodanza Cathays Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff. 8-10pm, £6/£5. Info antoinette@ biodanza4all.com.

Breakdance The Riverfront, Newport. 6.15-7pm, £3.50 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Children’s Latin/Ballroom Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 4.30-8pm. Info 01495 243252.

Circuits Class Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 6.457.45pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

FameLab: Talking Science Gwdihw, Cardiff. 7pm, free. Info 029 2039 7933. Presented by Cardiff Science Festival.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 5.30pm.

Info www.funkypumpfitness. co.uk.

Hand Drumming Group Canton Uniting Church, Cardiff.

6-6.50pm, £15 (five weeks). Info 01446 401209.

Howl Mozarts, Swansea.

7.30pm, free. Info 01792 649984.

Music Networking Event Dempseys, Cardiff. 7.30-9.30pm, free. Info 029 2023 9253.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pilates Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 6.157.15pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk.

Quiz Night NosDa, Cardiff.

8pm, £1 to play. Info 029 2037 8866.

Salsa Buena Class Eclipse, Penarth. 7.30-9.30pm, free. Info 07800 565651.

Salsa Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 7-11pm, £4.50/£3.50 NUS. Info 07949 270618.

Salsa Dancing Classes Revolucion De Cuba, Cardiff.

8-10pm, £6/£5 NUS. Info 029 2023 6689.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

Sherman Choir Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 6-8pm, £1.50.

Info 029 2064 6900.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi Albert Road Church & Community Centre, Penarth.

6.30-9.15pm. Info 029 2020 6042.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi St Fagans Village Hall. 12-1pm.

Info 029 2020 6042.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 7-8am + 1-2.30, 6-7.15 + 7.30-9pm,

£8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Zumba Chepstow Conservative Club. 6-7pm. Info 01291 624919.

FRIDAY 16 JANUARY

Aikido Village Hall, Heol Syr Lewis, Morganstown. 8-10pm.

Info 07790 167560.

Art Lunchtime Talk National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff.

1.05pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. ‘Whitefriars Glass in the 1920s and 1930s’, by Alex Werner.

Boys’ Dance The Riverfront, Newport. 4.45-5.30pm, £2.75 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Cardiff Aikikai The Dojo, Roath, Cardiff. 6.30-10pm. Info mcaluan@cardiffaikikai.co.uk.

Children’s Tap/Ballet Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 10.30-11.30am. Info 01495 243252.

Community Choir Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 9.4511.45am, £72/£48 (12 weeks).

Info 01446 401209.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.30-8.30pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk.

Little’ns Dance The Riverfront, Newport. 9.4510.25am + 10.30-11.15am, £3 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Newport Photographic Club Skip Jennings Hall, Maindee, Newport. 7.30pm. Info 01633 400685.

NoFit State Circus: Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff. Info 029 2022 1330 / www.nofitstate.org.

Nordic Walking Cwmcarn Scenic Drive, Caerphilly. 11am, £3.50. Info 07906 365280.

Older Adult Dance/Exercise The Riverfront, Newport.

11.15am-12.15pm, £2.80. Info 01633 656757.

Rhiwbina Farmers Market The Butchers Arms, Rhiwbina.

10am-1pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Mines & Mountains National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

So You Think You’re Smart?

Memorial Hall, Newbridge.

7pm, free. Info 01495 243252.

Table Tennis: Euro Challenge Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 8pm. Info 07754 525754. (Until Sun 18) Tango Argentine Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff.

7.30-8.45pm, £7/£4. Info 029 2023 7332.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes Sbectrwm Community Centre, Fairwater, Cardiff.

1-2pm. Info 07891 712344.

SATURDAY 17 JANUARY

Badminton Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 9am-6pm. Info 0300 300 3124.

Cartooning The First World War National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 11am, free.

Info 01792 463980. Talk by Professor Chris Williams about drawings of men with names of nation states written on their torso, and inscrutable captions.

Children’s Climbing Classes Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 10-11.30am, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 12, 2 + 4pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Dark Skies Evening Venue TBC, Brecon Beacons National Park. £55. Info 01874 749092.

Don’t Do This At Home Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475. (At weekends

until Sun 1 Feb) Football: Barclays Premier League – Swansea City v Chelsea Liberty Stadium, Swansea. 3pm. Info 0870 400004.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 9.30am.

Info www.funkypumpfitness. co.uk.

Ice Hockey: Cardiff Devils v Nottingham Panthers Ice Arena, Cardiff Bay. 7pm, £6-£15.

Info 029 2038 2001.

Make A Bird Feeder National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

12.30-3.30pm, free. Info 01792 463980. On tomorrow also.

NoFit State Circus: Youth Circus Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

10.30am-12pm, £7/£6 per session. Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Riverside Farmers’ Market Fitzhammon Embankment, Cardiff. 10am-2pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

Roath Real Food Market Mackintosh Sports Club Car Park, Roath, Cardiff. 9.30am1pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

Search For Life Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(At weekends until Sun 1 Feb) SeeWales Sightseeing Tour: Romans And Ruins National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

Table Tennis: Euro Challenge Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 9am-6pm. Info 07754 525754. (Until Sun 18) Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff.

8-9.30am, £6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Youth Theatre The Riverfront, Newport. 12.45-3.15pm, £28 (seven weeks)/£25 (six weeks).

Info 01633 656757.

Make A Bird Feeder National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

12.30-3.30pm, free. Info 01792 463980.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Search For Life Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(At weekends until Sun 1 Feb) SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

Sunday Board Games Cardiff Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 3pm, free. Info 029 2030 4400.

Table Tennis: Euro Challenge Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 9am-4pm. Info 07754 525754. (Finishes today)

MONDAY 19 JANUARY

Ballet The Gate, Cardiff.

6-9.30pm, £6.50/£5.50/£3 taster.

Info 029 2048 3344.

Bharata Natyam Dance Classes For Adult Beginners Bayview House, Cardiff Bay. 8.15-9.15pm. Info 029 2075 1158.

Bingo Porter’s, Cardiff. 8pm.

Info info@porterscardiff.com.

Cardiff Inter Varsity Club Meeting Churchill’s Hotel Bar, Llandaff, Cardiff. 8.30pm, £5 (three-month trial membership). Info 07526 141392 / www. cardiffivc.org.uk.

Ceroc The Gate, Cardiff. 7.4510.45pm, £7/£5 NUS. Info 029 2048 3344.

Ceroc Dance Class Odyssey Nightclub, Swansea. 7.4510.45pm, £5. Info cerocsouthwales@gmail.com.

Children’s Ballroom Dancing Classes Memorial

Spoons! The most musical of all the cutlery, even if you include the tuning fork. On Sat 10 Jan, their rhythmic properties are the focus of an afternoon in Swansea's National Waterfront Museum. Pat Smith and Ned Clamp, expert spoons players, will demonstrate their skills and host a workshop teaching you how to be like them.

SUNDAY 18 JANUARY

Bridgend Undercover Car Boot Sale Multistorey Car Park, Bridgend Town Centre.

7am-12pm, free (selling cars £6; selling cars with trailers £10).

Info 01656 661338.

Children’s Climbing Classes Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 10-11.30am, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 12, 2 + 4pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Don’t Do This At Home Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475. (At weekends until Sun 1 Feb) Fencing: Tournament Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 9am5pm. Info 07530 226532. Also on Sun 25.

Lindy Hop Dance Classes & Social Swing Dancing Pontardawe Arts Centre.

6-10pm. Info 01792 863722.

Hall, Newbridge. 7-9pm. Info 01495 243252.

Community Choir Sessions Cornwall Street Church Hall, Cardiff. 7.30-9.30pm, free. Info 07952 752823.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.30-8.30pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk.

Gwd Mondays Quiz Gwdihw, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info 029 2039 7933.

Japanese Taiko Drumming The Riverfront, Newport. 4-7pm, £20 (four weeks). Info 01633 656757.

Making Music The Gate, Cardiff. 6-810pm, £7.50-£9.50 per session/£4 taster. Info 029 2048 3344.

Musical Theatre The Riverfront, Newport. 6.158.30pm, £6/£5. Info 01633 656757.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales

events Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pilates The Gate, Cardiff.

11.30am-1.30pm, £5.50-£7.50.

Info 029 2048 3344.

Quizzical The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm, £1 to enter. Info 029 2062 4050.

RAD Children’s Ballet The Gate, Cardiff. 4-7.45pm, £6.50/£5.50/£3 taster. Info 029 2048 3344.

Salsa Classes Mischiefs, Cardiff Bay. 7.30-9.30pm, £4.50.

Info 07800 565651.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

St Donats Atlantic Chorale St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan. 7.30pm. Info 01446 799100.

Tai Chi: Moving 5 Elements Qigong Glyndwr Community Hall, Penarth. 10.30-11.30am.

Info 029 2020 6042.

Tango Dancing Argentine Barocco, Cardiff. 8-10.45pm, £3/£1. Info 029 2023 7332.

Tang Soo Do Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff. 7-9pm.

Info 07734 557767.

Welsh Lessons The Gate, Cardiff. 10am-12pm. Info 029 2048 3344.

Write On Writers Morganstown Village Hall. 6.308.30pm. Info 07512 235758.

Yoga With Valerie Price St Mary’s Church Hall, Canton, Cardiff. 6.30-9.30pm. Info admin@yoga-works.co.uk .

Zumba Dance Classes Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay. 5.30-6.30pm, £5/£4.

Info 029 2087 7959.

TUESDAY 20 JANUARY

A Ballroom Dance Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 7-11pm. Info 01495 243252.

Aikido Village Hall, Heol Syr Lewis, Morganstown. 8-10pm.

Info 07790 167560.

American Line Dancing The Gate, Cardiff. 2.45-4.45pm, £3.

Info 029 2048 3344.

Belly Dance Methodist Church Hall, Conway Road, Cardiff.

6.50-8.10pm, £6/£30 for six weeks. Info info@ burlesquecardiff.co.uk.

Circus Skills The Riverfront, Newport. 7-8.30pm, £3.50 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Contemporary Dance The Gate, Cardiff. 6-8.30pm, £4.50£6.50/£2.50 taster. Info 029 2048 3344.

Explore Books National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

10.30am, free. Info 01792 463980.

Extend The Gate, Cardiff.

11am, £2.50. Info 029 2048 3344.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 5.30 + 6.30pm. Info www. funkypumpfitness.co.uk.

Fun Skittles Chepstow Conservative Club. 7.30pm, £2 inc food. Info 01291 624919.

Gitananda Yoga St David's Uniting Church, Pontypridd.

7-8.30pm, free. Info 01443 408065.

Glam Dram St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan.

7pm. Info 01446 799100.

Improvers Belly Dance Methodist Church Hall, Conway Road, Cardiff. 6.50-8pm, £6/£30 for six weeks. Info info@ burlesquecardiff.co.uk.

India Dance Wales Classes Rubicon Dance, Adamsdown, Cardiff. 6.15pm. Info 029 2075

1158.

Jazz Workshops For Beginners Atradius Offices (4th floor), Cardiff Bay. 6.208pm, £10. Info 07806 625717.

Kizomba Tango Classes 10 Feet Tall, Cardiff. 6pm, £5. Info 029 2022 8883.

Life Drawing & Sketching Session 10 Feet Tall, Cardiff.

6-7.30pm, £5. Info 029 2022 8883.

Lindy Hop Dance Classes & Social Swing Dancing The Garage, Swansea. 6-10pm. Info 01792 475147.

Little’ns Music The Riverfront, Newport. 9.4510.30am + 1.30-2.15, £3 per session. Info 01633 656757.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pied Piper Music The Gate, Cardiff. 10.15-10.45am + 1.302.15pm, £4.50 (morning)/£5 (afternoon). Info 029 2048 3344.

Pilates Conway Road Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff.

8.15-9.15pm, £6. Info 07872 306745.

Pilates And Stretch Conway Road Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff. 8.15-9.15pm, £6. Info 07872 306745.

Pilates: Beginners The Gate, Cardiff. 6.30-7.30pm, £5.50£7.50. Info 029 2048 3344.

Pregnancy Yoga Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff.

6-7.15pm, £35/£30 (five-week blocks). Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Salsa Classes Bar 44, Cowbridge. 7.30-9.30pm, £5/£4 NUS. Info 07800 565651.

Salsa Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 7-11pm, £4.50/£3.50 NUS. Info 07949 270618.

Script Slam Final Pontardawe Arts Centre. Info 01792 863722. Featuring the winners from three heats held in in late 2014, in which four new writers from the local area had their plays performed in front of judges.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Mines & Mountains National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Sherman Players Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £90 per term. Info 029 2064 6900.

Street Dance Classes Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay. 5.30-6.30pm, £5.

Info 029 2087 7959.

Tai Chi Chepstow Conservative Club. 6-7pm, £6. Info 01291 624919.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi St Mary’s Church Hall, Canton, Cardiff. 6.30-9pm. Info 029 2020 6042.

The Tuesday Night Swing Dance Club The Scene Club, Swansea. 7.30-11.30pm, £3-£8.

Info 07730 432166.

Welsh Lessons The Gate, Cardiff. 7-9pm. Info 029 2048 3344.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 7.309pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Yoga With Tori Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-7pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Yoga With Valerie Price Llandough Institute, Penarth.

8.30-9.30pm. Info admin@ yoga-works.co.uk.

Youth Theatre Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 6-7.30pm. Info 029 2064 6900.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes Fairwater Social & Athletic Club, Cardiff. 6-7pm.

Info 07891 712344.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes St Faith Church Hall, Llanishen, Cardiff. 8-9pm. Info 07891 712344.

WEDNESDAY 21 JANUARY

A Tea Dance Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 2-4pm. Info 01495 243252.

Beginner And Advanced Cabaret Classes Methodist Church Hall, Conway Road, Cardiff. 6.15-9pm, £35 for six weeks. Info info@ burlesquecardiff.co.uk.

Ceramics For Adults The Riverfront, Newport. 6-8pm, £30 (five weeks). Info 01633 656757.

Ceroc Dance Class Dinas Powys Parish Hall, Cardiff. 7.3010.45pm, £5. Info cerocsouthwales@gmail.com.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Wake Up Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.15-8am, £7£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@hotmail.co.uk.

Newport Youth Dance The Riverfront, Newport. 4.15-6pm, £2.75 per session. Info 01633 656757.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pilates The Gate, Cardiff.

6-8pm, £5.50-£7.50. Info 029 2048 3344.

Pub Quiz The Pilot, Penarth.

8pm. Info 029 2071 0615.

Salsa Classes Rhiwbina Recreational Club, Whitchurch, Cardiff. 8-10pm, £5/£4 NUS. Info 07800 565651.

SeeWales Sightseeing Tour: Romans And Ruins National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Spice Preview Night Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. Info 07429 598414. A chance for you to go along and see what you might get out of this adventure, activity, sports and social group.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 9.3011am + 7-9pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio. co.uk.

Yoga Trwy Gyfrwng Y Gymraeg Insole Court, Llandaff, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm. Info admin@yoga-works.co.uk.

Yoga With Tori Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-7pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Youth Theatre Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 6-9pm. Info 029 2064 6900.

Yu-Gi-Oh Tournaments The Freaks Geeks and Autographs Store, Swansea. 5.30pm, £3.50.

Info 07914 683534.

Zumba Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 6pm, £4. Info 07949 270618.

THURSDAY 22 JANUARY

Ab Attack Class Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-6.30pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Ballet Academy Wales Classes – Children 6-11 Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

4-5pm, £4.95. Info 07837 937351.

Bingo Market Street Club, Barry. 8.30pm. Info 01446 733863.

Biodanza Cathays Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff. 8-10pm, £6/£5. Info antoinette@ biodanza4all.com.

Breakdance The Riverfront, Newport. 6.15-7pm, £3.50 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Cardiff Archaeological Society Lecture Chemistry Lecture Theatre, Main Building, Cardiff University. 7.15pm. Info www.cardiffarchsoc.btck.co.uk.

‘The Walton Basin, Radnorshire: An Archaeological Microcosm Of The Welsh Marches?’ by Bill Britnell.

Children’s Latin/Ballroom Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 4.30-8pm. Info 01495 243252.

Circuits Class Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 6.457.45pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 5.30pm.

Info www.funkypumpfitness. co.uk.

Hand Drumming Group Canton Uniting Church, Cardiff.

6-6.50pm, £15 (five weeks). Info 01446 401209.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pilates Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 6.157.15pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk.

Quiz Night NosDa, Cardiff.

8pm, £1 to play. Info 029 2037 8866.

Salsa Buena Class Eclipse, Penarth. 7.30-9.30pm, free. Info 07800 565651.

Salsa Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 7-11pm, £4.50/£3.50 NUS. Info 07949 270618.

Salsa Dancing Classes Revolucion De Cuba, Cardiff.

8-10pm, £6/£5 NUS. Info 029 2023 6689.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine.

Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

Sherman Choir Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 6-8pm, £1.50.

Info 029 2064 6900.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi Albert Road Church & Community Centre, Penarth.

6.30-9.15pm. Info 029 2020 6042.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi St Fagans Village Hall. 12-1pm.

Info 029 2020 6042.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 7-8am + 1-2.30, 6-7.15 + 7.30-9pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Zumba Chepstow Conservative Club. 6-7pm. Info 01291 624919.

FRIDAY 23 JANUARY

Aikido Village Hall, Heol Syr Lewis, Morganstown. 8-10pm.

Info 07790 167560.

Art Lunchtime Talk National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff.

1.05pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. ‘Amalric Walter: A glass menagerie’, by Kari Moodie.

Barry Cryer New Theatre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £10-£17.50.

Info 029 2087 8889. This show is called Twitter Titters. It doesn’t say why, though.

Boys’ Dance The Riverfront, Newport. 4.45-5.30pm, £2.75 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Cardiff Aikikai The Dojo, Roath, Cardiff. 6.30-10pm. Info mcaluan@cardiffaikikai.co.uk.

Children’s Tap/Ballet Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 10.30-11.30am. Info 01495 243252.

Community Choir Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 9.4511.45am, £72/£48 (12 weeks).

Info 01446 401209.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Kings

BURNS NIGHT 2015 Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff, Fri 23 Jan Tickets: £25.

Info: 029 2039 1391 / www.rwcmd.ac.uk An annual event which dates back to shortly after the death of Scotland’s de facto national poet Robert Burns in 1796, Burns Night may trigger a few more watery eyes and patriotic searches of the soul than usual this year. While participants ponder what the big man would have made of his country’s mulling – and eventual rejection – of independence, food, drink and entertainment will be laid on at Burns Nights worldwide, by no means confined to Scotland. Cardiff’s Royal Welsh College, for example, arrange a Burns Night celebration every year. The itinerary goes something like this: a concert of Burns music to start the evening, presumably with bagpipes fully present; a Burns supper of haggis, neeps and tatties; whisky tasting; and, to finish off, a (possibly whisky-fuelled) ceilidh.

Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.30-8.30pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk.

Gymnastics: Welsh Schools Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 9am-4pm. Info 0300 3003127.

Little’ns Dance The Riverfront, Newport. 9.4510.25am + 10.30-11.15am, £3 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Newport Photographic Club Skip Jennings Hall, Maindee, Newport. 7.30pm. Info 01633 400685.

NoFit State Circus: Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff. Info 029 2022 1330 / www.nofitstate.org.

Nordic Walking Cwmcarn Scenic Drive, Caerphilly. 11am, £3.50. Info 07906 365280.

Older Adult Dance/Exercise The Riverfront, Newport.

11.15am-12.15pm, £2.80. Info 01633 656757.

Rhiwbina Farmers Market The Butchers Arms, Rhiwbina.

10am-1pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Mines & Mountains National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Squash: Welsh Closed Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff.

4.40-10pm. Info 0300 3003121.

(Until Sun 25) Tango Argentine Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff.

7.30-8.45pm, £7/£4. Info 029 2023 7332.

Tea Dance St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan.

2-4pm, £5. Info 01446 779100.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes Sbectrwm Community Centre, Fairwater, Cardiff.

1-2pm. Info 07891 712344.

SATURDAY 24 JANUARY

10th Barry Guide Group Craft Fayre 10th Barry Guide Hall, Romilly Road, Barry.

10am-2pm, free. Info 07578 194913.

Cardiff Geek Party Gwdihw, Cardiff. 5pm, £1. Info 029 2039 7933.

Celebrating Dwynwen Big Pit National Coal Museum, Blaenafon. 11am-4pm, free. Info 029 2057 3650. Love spoon and card making craft activities, love spoon carving demonstration and face painting.

Chepstow Farmers’ Market Cormeilles Square, Chepstow.

8.30am-1pm, free. Info 01291 626370.

Children’s Climbing Classes Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 10-11.30am, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 12, 2 + 4pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Dark Skies Evening Venue TBC, Brecon Beacons National Park. £55. Info 01874 749092.

Don’t Do This At Home Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475. (At weekends until Sun 1 Feb) Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 9.30am.

Info www.funkypumpfitness. co.uk.

Hedge Laying Humble By Nature, Penalt, nr Monmouth.

BUZZ 73

events £95. Info 01600 714595. The ancient craft of creating a living, natural boundary to a livestock field or garden. Also on Sat 28 Feb and Sun 15 Mar. I Spy... Nature Big Garden Birdwatch National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 11am, 1pm + 3pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951.

Jewellery In Anodised Aluminium Craft In The Bay, Cardiff Bay. 10.30am-4.30pm, £55. Info 029 2048 4611. With Mandy Nash.

NoFit State Circus: Youth Circus Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

10.30am-12pm, £7/£6 per session. Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Roath Real Food Market Mackintosh Sports Club Car Park, Roath, Cardiff. 9.30am1pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

Search For Life Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(At weekends until Sun 1 Feb) SeeWales Sightseeing Tour: Romans And Ruins National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www. seewales.com.

Squash: Welsh Closed Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff.

9.20am-10pm. Info 0300 3003121. (Until Sun 25) Table Tennis: Glam Junior Open Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 9.30am-5pm. Info 07754 525754.

Youth Theatre The Riverfront, Newport. 12.45-3.15pm, £28 (seven weeks)/£25 (six weeks).

Info 01633 656757.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff.

8-9.30am, £6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

SUNDAY 25 JANUARY

A Day In The Life Of Simon Fisher-Becker Penarth Pier Pavilion. 11.30pm, £12/£8. Info 029 2071 2100. Doctor Whothemed event.

Bridgend Undercover Car Boot Sale Multistorey Car Park, Bridgend Town Centre.

7am-12pm, free (selling cars £6; selling cars with trailers £10). Info 01656 661338.

Children’s Climbing Classes Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 10-11.30am, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 12, 2 + 4pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Don’t Do This At Home Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475. (At weekends until Sun 1 Feb) Fencing: Tournament Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 9am5pm. Info 07530 226532.

Ice Hockey: Cardiff Devils v Sheffield Steelers Ice Arena, Cardiff Bay. 7pm, £6-£15. Info 029 2038 2001.

Lap Harps Have A Go Workshop National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. 12pm, free.

Info 01792 463980.

Lindy Hop Dance Classes & Social Swing Dancing Pontardawe Arts Centre.

6-10pm. Info 01792 863722.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Riverside Farmers’ Market Fitzhammon Embankment, Cardiff. 10am-2pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

Search For Life Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475.

(At weekends until Sun 1 Feb) SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, BUZZ 74

£5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Squash: Welsh Closed Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff.

9.20am-5.20pm. Info 0300 3003121. (Finishes today) Sunday Board Games Cardiff Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 3pm, free. Info 029 2030 4400.

Weddings @ St Fagans National History Museum, St Fagans. 11.30am-4pm, free.

Info 029 2057 3500. Find out about various winter wedding packages on St Dwynwen’s Day, the most romantic and least commercial of days.

MONDAY 26 JANUARY

Ballet The Gate, Cardiff.

6-9.30pm, £6.50/£5.50/£3 taster. Info 029 2048 3344.

Bharata Natyam Dance Classes For Adult Beginners Bayview House, Cardiff Bay. 8.15-9.15pm. Info 029 2075 1158.

Bingo Porter’s, Cardiff. 8pm.

Info info@porterscardiff.com.

Cardiff Inter Varsity Club Meeting Churchill’s Hotel Bar, Llandaff, Cardiff. 8.30pm, £5 (three-month trial membership). Info 07526 141392 / www.cardiffivc.org.uk.

Ceroc The Gate, Cardiff. 7.4510.45pm, £7/£5 NUS. Info 029 2048 3344.

Ceroc Dance Class Odyssey Nightclub, Swansea. 7.4510.45pm, £5. Info cerocsouthwales@gmail.com .

Children’s Ballroom Dancing Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 7-9pm. Info 01495 243252.

Community Choir Sessions Cornwall Street Church Hall, Cardiff. 7.30-9.30pm, free. Info 07952 752823.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.308.30pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@hotmail.co.uk.

Japanese Taiko Drumming The Riverfront, Newport.

4-7pm, £20 (four weeks). Info 01633 656757.

Jillian Michaels St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £35/£25/£150 VIP. Info 029 2087 8444. American “wellness guru” who was on The Biggest Loser, a term which would accurately describe anyone who pays £150 to get a photo and souvenir laminate.

Joy Of Living Mindfulness Group Meeting Gaia Yoga Studio, Roath, Cardiff. 7.309pm, free (donations welcome). Info 07412 346054.

Making Music The Gate, Cardiff. 6-810pm, £7.50-£9.50 per session/£4 taster. Info 029 2048 3344.

Musical Theatre The Riverfront, Newport. 6.158.30pm, £6/£5. Info 01633 656757.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pilates The Gate, Cardiff.

11.30am-1.30pm, £5.50-£7.50.

Info 029 2048 3344.

Quizzical The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm, £1 to enter. Info 029 2062 4050.

RAD Children’s Ballet The Gate, Cardiff. 4-7.45pm, £6.50/£5.50/£3 taster. Info 029 2048 3344.

Salsa Classes Mischiefs, Cardiff Bay. 7.30-9.30pm, £4.50. Info 07800 565651.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am5.30pm, £5 off if you present

this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

St Donats Atlantic Chorale St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan. 7.30pm. Info 01446 799100.

Tai Chi: Moving 5 Elements Qigong Glyndwr Community Hall, Penarth. 10.30-11.30am.

Info 029 2020 6042.

Tango Dancing Argentine Barocco, Cardiff. 8-10.45pm, £3/£1. Info 029 2023 7332.

Tang Soo Do Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff. 7-9pm.

Info 07734 557767.

Welsh Lessons The Gate, Cardiff. 10am-12pm. Info 029 2048 3344.

Yoga With Valerie Price St Mary’s Church Hall, Canton, Cardiff. 6.30-9.30pm. Info admin@yoga-works.co.uk .

Zumba Dance Classes Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay. 5.30-6.30pm, £5/£4. Info 029 2087 7959.

TUESDAY 27 JANUARY

A Ballroom Dance Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 7-11pm. Info 01495 243252.

Aikido Village Hall, Heol Syr Lewis, Morganstown. 8-10pm.

Info 07790 167560.

American Line Dancing The Gate, Cardiff. 2.45-4.45pm, £3.

Info 029 2048 3344.

Behind The Scenes: Archaeology National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff.

1.05pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951.

Belly Dance Methodist Church Hall, Conway Road, Cardiff. 6.50-8.10pm, £6/£30 for six weeks. Info info@ burlesquecardiff.co.uk.

Circus Skills The Riverfront, Newport. 7-8.30pm, £3.50 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Contemporary Dance The Gate, Cardiff. 6-8.30pm, £4.50£6.50/£2.50 taster. Info 029 2048 3344.

Explore Books National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

10.30am, free. Info 01792 463980.

Extend The Gate, Cardiff.

11am, £2.50. Info 029 2048 3344.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff. 5.30 + 6.30pm. Info www. funkypumpfitness.co.uk.

Fun Skittles Chepstow Conservative Club. 7.30pm, £2 inc food. Info 01291 624919.

Gitananda Yoga St David's Uniting Church, Pontypridd.

7-8.30pm, free. Info 01443 408065.

Glam Dram St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan.

7pm. Info 01446 799100.

Improvers Belly Dance Methodist Church Hall, Conway Road, Cardiff. 6.508pm, £6/£30 for six weeks. Info info@burlesquecardiff.co.uk.

India Dance Wales Classes Rubicon Dance, Adamsdown, Cardiff. 6.15pm. Info 029 2075 1158.

Jazz Workshops For Beginners Atradius Offices (4th floor), Cardiff Bay. 6.208pm, £10. Info 07806 625717.

Kizomba Tango Classes 10 Feet Tall, Cardiff. 6pm, £5. Info 029 2022 8883.

Life Drawing & Sketching Session 10 Feet Tall, Cardiff.

6-7.30pm, £5. Info 029 2022 8883.

Lindy Hop Dance Classes & Social Swing Dancing The Garage, Swansea. 6-10pm. Info 01792 475147.

Little’ns Music The Riverfront, Newport. 9.4510.30am + 1.30-2.15, £3 per

session. Info 01633 656757.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pied Piper Music The Gate, Cardiff. 10.15-10.45am + 1.30-2.15pm, £4.50 (morning)/£5 (afternoon). Info 029 2048 3344.

Pilates Conway Road Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff.

8.15-9.15pm, £6. Info 07872 306745.

Pilates And Stretch Conway Road Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff. 8.15-9.15pm, £6. Info 07872 306745.

Pilates: Beginners The Gate, Cardiff. 6.30-7.30pm, £5.50£7.50. Info 029 2048 3344.

Pregnancy Yoga Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff.

6-7.15pm, £35/£30 (five-week blocks). Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Salsa Classes Bar 44, Cowbridge. 7.30-9.30pm, £5/£4 NUS. Info 07800 565651.

Salsa Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 7-11pm, £4.50/£3.50 NUS. Info 07949 270618.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Mines & Mountains National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Sherman Players Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £90 per term. Info 029 2064 6900.

Street Dance Classes Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay. 5.30-6.30pm, £5.

Info 029 2087 7959.

Tai Chi Chepstow Conservative Club. 6-7pm, £6.

Info 01291 624919.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi St Mary’s Church Hall, Canton, Cardiff. 6.30-9pm. Info 029 2020 6042.

The Tuesday Night Swing Dance Club The Scene Club, Swansea. 7.30-11.30pm, £3-£8.

Info 07730 432166.

Welsh Lessons The Gate, Cardiff. 7-9pm. Info 029 2048 3344.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 7.309pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Yoga With Tori Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-7pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Yoga With Valerie Price Llandough Institute, Penarth.

8.30-9.30pm. Info admin@ yoga-works.co.uk.

Youth Theatre Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 6-7.30pm. Info 029 2064 6900.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes Fairwater Social & Athletic Club, Cardiff. 6-7pm.

Info 07891 712344.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes St Faith Church Hall, Llanishen, Cardiff. 8-9pm. Info 07891 712344.

WEDNESDAY 28 JANUARY

A Tea Dance Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 2-4pm. Info 01495 243252.

Beginner And Advanced Cabaret Classes Methodist Church Hall, Conway Road, Cardiff. 6.15-9pm, £35 for six weeks. Info info@ burlesquecardiff.co.uk.

Ceramics For Adults The Riverfront, Newport. 6-8pm, £30 (five weeks). Info 01633 656757.

Ceroc Dance Class Dinas Powys Parish Hall, Cardiff.

7.30-10.45pm, £5. Info cerocsouthwales@gmail.com.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park,

Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Wake Up Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.15-8am, £7£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@hotmail.co.uk.

Natural Sciences Lunchtime Talk National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff.

1.05pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951.

Newport Youth Dance The Riverfront, Newport. 4.15-6pm, £2.75 per session. Info 01633 656757.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pilates The Gate, Cardiff.

6-8pm, £5.50-£7.50. Info 029 2048 3344.

Pub Quiz The Pilot, Penarth.

8pm. Info 029 2071 0615.

Reading Between The Wines The White Hart, Llangybi, nr Caerleon. 7pm.

Info lucyrewilliams@gmail. com. This month’s books are both autobiographies: This Boy by Alan Johnson, and I know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.

Salsa Classes Rhiwbina Recreational Club, Whitchurch, Cardiff. 8-10pm, £5/£4 NUS. Info 07800 565651.

Scriveners Writers’ Group Royal Exchange, Brynmawr.

8pm. Info 01495 753629.

SeeWales Sightseeing Tour: Romans And Ruins National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 9.3011am + 7-9pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio. co.uk.

Yoga Trwy Gyfrwng Y Gymraeg Insole Court, Llandaff, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm.

Info admin@yoga-works.co.uk.

Yoga With Tori Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-7pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Youth Theatre Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 6-9pm. Info 029 2064 6900.

Yu-Gi-Oh Tournaments The Freaks Geeks and Autographs Store, Swansea. 5.30pm, £3.50.

Info 07914 683534.

Zumba Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 6pm, £4. Info 07949 270618.

THURSDAY 29 JANUARY

Ab Attack Class Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

6-6.30pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Ballet Academy Wales Classes – Children 6-11 Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

4-5pm, £4.95. Info 07837 937351.

Basketball Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 11.30am-4pm.

Info 029 2087 3997.

Bingo Market Street Club, Barry. 8.30pm. Info 01446 733863.

Biodanza Cathays Methodist Church Hall, Cardiff. 8-10pm, £6/£5. Info antoinette@ biodanza4all.com.

Breakdance The Riverfront, Newport. 6.15-7pm, £3.50 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Children’s Latin/Ballroom Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 4.30-8pm. Info 01495 243252.

Circuits Class Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 6.457.45pm, £8.50/£8 NUS. Info 029 2048 4880.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 7-8.30pm, £12. Info

029 2048 4880.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff.

5.30pm. Info www. funkypumpfitness.co.uk.

Hand Drumming Group Canton Uniting Church, Cardiff. 6-6.50pm, £15 (five weeks). Info 01446 401209.

NoFit State Circus Classes And Courses Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

Info 029 2022 1330 / www. nofitstate.org.

Pilates Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 6.157.15pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@ hotmail.co.uk.

Quiz Night NosDa, Cardiff.

8pm, £1 to play. Info 029 2037 8866.

Salsa Buena Class Eclipse, Penarth. 7.30-9.30pm, free.

Info 07800 565651.

Salsa Classes La Tasca, Cardiff. 7-11pm, £4.50/£3.50 NUS. Info 07949 270618.

Salsa Dancing Classes Revolucion De Cuba, Cardiff.

8-10pm, £6/£5 NUS. Info 029 2023 6689.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Golden Gower National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Sherman Choir Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 6-8pm, £1.50.

Info 029 2064 6900.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi Albert Road Church & Community Centre, Penarth.

6.30-9.15pm. Info 029 2020 6042.

Tai Chi / Qigong Shibashi St Fagans Village Hall. 12-1pm.

Info 029 2020 6042.

Taith Iaith National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 1.05pm, free.

Info 029 2039 7951. Monthly session for Welsh learners.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff. 7-8am + 1-2.30, 6-7.15 + 7.30-9pm, £8/£6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Zumba Chepstow Conservative Club. 6-7pm. Info 01291 624919.

FRIDAY 30 JANUARY

Aikido Village Hall, Heol Syr Lewis, Morganstown. 8-10pm.

Info 07790 167560.

Cardiff Aikikai The Dojo, Roath, Cardiff. 6.30-10pm. Info mcaluan@cardiffaikikai.co.uk.

Children’s Tap/Ballet Classes Memorial Hall, Newbridge. 10.30-11.30am.

Info 01495 243252.

Community Choir Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 9.4511.45am, £72/£48 (12 weeks).

Info 01446 401209.

Freestyle Fitness Yoga Kings Road Studios, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 7.308.30pm, £7/£6. Info 07774 601544 / serenhealth@hotmail.co.uk.

Newport Photographic Club Skip Jennings Hall, Maindee, Newport. 7.30pm. Info 01633 400685.

NoFit State Circus: Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff. Info 029 2022 1330 / www.nofitstate.org.

Nordic Walking Cwmcarn Scenic Drive, Caerphilly. 11am, £3.50. Info 07906 365280.

Rhiwbina Farmers Market The Butchers Arms, Rhiwbina.

10am-1pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

SeeWales Sightseeing Day Tour: Mines & Mountains National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Stretch + Knead Weekend

live music Retreat Old Marlborough House, Grosmont, nr Abergavenny. £350-£550. Info stretchandknead@gmail. com. A two-day retreat (on tomorrow also) where you can learn/do bakery and yoga in equal proportion. Described by S+K’s own literature as “all open fires, baking in the Aga and restorative cosiness to recharge batteries”.

Tango Argentine Chapter Arts Centre, Canton, Cardiff.

7.30-8.45pm, £7/£4. Info 029 2023 7332.

Zumba: Dance Exercise Classes Sbectrwm Community Centre, Fairwater, Cardiff.

1-2pm. Info 07891 712344.

SATURDAY 31 JANUARY

Badminton: Senior Nationals Welsh Institute Of Sport, Cardiff. 9am-8pm.

Info 0300 300 3124. On tomorrow also.

Boys’ Dance The Riverfront, Newport. 4.45-5.30pm, £2.75 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Children’s Climbing Classes Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff.

10-11.30am, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Climbing Class For Adults Boulders, St Catherine's Park, Cardiff. 12, 2 + 4pm, £12. Info 029 2048 4880.

Don’t Do This At Home Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475. (At weekends until Sun 1 Feb) Football: Sky Bet Championship – Cardiff City v Derby County Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff. 3pm.

Info 0845 3451400.

Funkypump Fitness Universal Gym, Cardiff.

9.30am. Info www. funkypumpfitness.co.uk.

Little’ns Dance The Riverfront, Newport. 9.4510.25am + 10.30-11.15am, £3 per session. Info 01633 656757.

Llangennith Produce & Craft Market Llangennith Hall, Gower, Swansea. Info catherineevans1970@ btinternet.com. On the last Saturday of every month.

NoFit State Circus: Youth Circus Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

10.30am-12pm, £7/£6 per session. Info 029 2022 1330 / www.nofitstate.org.

Noisy Dinosaurs Workshop National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 11am, 1pm + 3pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. Find out more about dinosaurs and the noises they made, before enjoying a reading of the dinosaur book written by my friend Grace who works at the museum.

Older Adult Dance/Exercise The Riverfront, Newport.

11.15am-12.15pm, £2.80. Info 01633 656757.

Pottery: Throwing & Slip Decoration Craft In The Bay, Cardiff Bay. 10.30am-4.30pm, £80 (two days). Info 029 2048 4611. With Billy Adams. On tomorrow also.

Roath Real Food Market Mackintosh Sports Club Car Park, Roath, Cardiff. 9.30am1pm, free. Info 029 2022 7982.

Search For Life Techniquest, Cardiff Bay. Info 029 2047 5475. (At weekends until Sun 1 Feb) SeeWales Sightseeing Tour: Romans And Ruins National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff (pickup point). 9am-5.30pm, £5 off if you present this magazine. Info 029 2022 7227 / www.seewales.com.

Smallholding For Beginners Humble By Nature, Penalt, nr Monmouth. £115.

Info 01600 714595. Monthly

course, running all through 2015, hosted by smalholding expert Liz Shapland.

Stretch + Knead Weekend Retreat Old Marlborough House, Grosmont, nr Abergavenny. £350-£550. Info stretchandknead@gmail.com.

Working For Victory: Welsh Industry And The First World War National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

11am, free. Info 01792 463980.

Talk by Robert ProtheroeJones.

Yoga Classes Om Studio, Partridge Lane, Cardiff.

8-9.30am, £6.50. Info 07727 139379 / www.omstudio.co.uk.

Youth Theatre The Riverfront, Newport. 12.45-3.15pm, £28 (seven weeks)/£25 (six weeks).

Info 01633 656757.

live music MONDAY 1

Bock A Da Bock Dempseys, Cardiff. 8pm, £7/£5. Info 029 2023 9253.

Breed 77 + Protafield The Globe, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £10 adv. Info theglobevenue@ gmail.com. Breed 77 will be performing all of their album Cultura. Was that the one where they sounded nothing like Breed 77? No? Oh. Dave Cottle & Guests Noah’s Yard, Swansea. 8pm. Info 01792 447360.

Donnie Joe’s American Swing Café Jazz, Cardiff. 8pm, £3/£2.50. Info 029 2038 7026.

Funke And The Two Tone Baby + Doozer McDooze + Luke Bennett The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £4. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

A Grown Up Music night, in conjunction with the event below.

Future Blood Pontardawe Arts Centre. 7.30pm, £3. Info 01792 863722. Live performances from up and coming local talent: Room To Breathe, Nexus, Distorted Figures, Thomas Howell and Ella Edwards.

Grown Up Music The Full Moon, Cardiff. 8pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Jam session presented by Pi & Hash.

Live Original Broadcasts The Brewhouse, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2039 9913. Every Monday, promoted

by Big Scott and broadcast live online simultaneously.

Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band Borough Theatre, Abergavenny. 8pm, £18.£05. Info 01873 850805.

Peter Gabriel Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff. 8pm, £45. Info 029 2022 4488. Genesis dude, 80s pop auteur, ‘world music’ poobah etc.

Preservation Rhythm Kings Café Jazz, Cardiff. 8pm, £4.50/£4/£2 NUS. Info 029 2038 7026.

That’ll Be The Day St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £20-£24. Info 029 2087 8444.

Both Christmas classics and comedy routines are promised here.

The Amity Affliction + Buried In Verona + Heart In Hand + Napoleon Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff. 7.3010.30pm, £10. Info 029 2023 2199. Sold out.

The Appletree Theory Warehouse54, Newport. 8pm.

Info 01633 259144. Playing as part of Warehouse54’s birthday week.

The Holly & The Ivy Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 7pm, £4.50 adv. Info 01656 815995. Carols.

Ukulele Jam Session The Andrew Buchan, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2021 2509. Every Monday.

TUESDAY 2

Acoustic Tuesday South Riverside Community Development Centre, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £5. Info 029 2030 4400. Regular event led by pioneering local musicians and singers.

Against The Current + Glass Giants Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £13/£10 adv.

Info 029 2023 2199.

Baby Godzilla + Zoax + Constructor Static Bar, Swansea. 7pm, £7.50 adv. Info 01792 467998.

Capital City Jazz Orchestra Dempseys, Cardiff.

8pm, £7/£5. Info 029 2023 9253.

Community Samba Band – Practise Dates Westenders Hall, Llanfaes, Brecon. 6-8pm, £4/£2 under-16s. Info sambabrecon@yahoo.co.uk. Every Tuesday.

Navigator. Get Out + Rainbow Maniac Gwdihw, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info 029 2039 7933.

Welsh Voices 1 Cardiff University Concert Hall.

7-9pm, £5/£3. Info 029 2087 4816. Introductory event of a two-year project exploring the work of Welsh composers.

WNO String Orchestra Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391.

The first of four WNO concerts here between now and Fri 5.

WEDNESDAY 3

Bandaoke Porter’s, Cardiff.

8pm. Info info@ porterscardiff.com. “Sing with a fully rehearsed band and become the Popstar you always dreamed of being.” Also on Wed 17.

Banned From Utopia The Scene Club, Swansea. 7.30pm, £16 adv. Info 07730 432166.

The music of Frank Zappa as played by a variety of his former bandmates and other seasoned musos.

Bite The Buffalo + Wolf Note + Them Dead Beats The Moon Club, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £5 adv. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com.

Presented by Rockpie.

Brass Composition Prize Concert Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391.

Caerphilly Christmas Showcase St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7pm, £6-£8. Info 029 2087 8444. Featuring ensembles and choirs from throughout the county.

Cardiff University Chamber Choir Cardiff University Concert Hall. 7-9pm, £5/£3.

Info 029 2087 4816.

Christmas Carol Concert Ararat Baptist Church, Whitchurch, Cardiff. 7-9pm.

Info info@gthc.org.uk. A George Thomas Hospice Care fundraising event.

Christmas With The Siren Sisters Grand Theatre Arts Wing, Swansea. 2pm, £11.50.

Info 01792 475715.

Citrus Jam The Full Moon, Cardiff. 7pm-12am, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Open mic night, normally every Wednesday (although not on Dec 24 or 31).

live review

GREGORY PORTER

St David's Hall, Cardiff, Sat 15 Nov words RHONDA LEE REALI photos GARETH GRIFFITHS We weren't merely at a concert on Sat 15. Uh-uh. We were up on the musical mountaintop. And two amazing singers and a group of musicians got us there. This was a spiritual experience indeed. Chicken soup for the soul.

Mixed into the pot were equal helpings of jazz and soul, with a bit of blues and a side serving of gospel.

Starting off, bringing bright Georgia rays, was singer/keyboardist Avery Sunshine (with guitarist Dana Johnson). She warmed everyone with her earthy tones, belting out, among others, hits by Carole King and Al Green, and her single Call My Name is climbing the r’n’b chart. Her ‘Lu-Retha Jackson’ medley/singalong was fun and loosened up the crowd. One of the few times you didn't want the support act to exit so soon.

When the always nattily dressed Gregory Porter walked out, the audience was ready to show some love and he sure enough gave it right back. After just the opener, the multi-hued Painted On Canvas, Porter had us in the palm of his hand but also enveloped in a hearty embrace.

Joining him On My Way To Harlem, we met ghosts of artists past but also looked towards the future. With the rousing Liquid Spirit, we were at a Sunday revival, clapping fervently. He gave a stirring a capella prelude to a cover of the chain gang tale Work Song. The band were outstanding on eve-ry-thing (as was Porter), and on this, the sax players, Yosuke Sato (alto) and guest tenor Jean Toussaint, went crazy.

The Max Roach/Abbey Lincoln tune Lonesome Lover followed, with Porter displaying some serious scatting on Harlem, then segueing into Hit The Road Jack and back again. Audience favourite, the waltz-like hit Be Good (Lion’s Song), was done, with wonderful work from double bassist Aaron James. Porter was defiant on the old school soul, Musical Genocide (right on), and drummer Emanuel Harrold was cooking with gas for real! Think I even heard part of The ‘In’ Crowd, the coolest song ever.

The singer/songwriter (reminiscent of Lou Rawls and Nat King Cole), shone superbly on the ballads, with lovely soloing from pianist Chip Crawford. Especially with the tearjerker, Wolfcry, Porter showed what it’s about: doing music that reaches in and grabs your heart.

The pinnacle was achieved with 1960 What?, his protest song addressing MLK, Jr.'s assassination and the Detroit riots. With his powerful baritone voice ringing out and the quintet more like an orchestra, the escalation, in sound and feeling, was tremendous. Couldn't get any higher, so Porter brought us down gently, with a sweet one that must be every parents’ favourite, Real Good Hands, as the encore.

He and some of the other performers came out after the show to sign autographs, pose for photos and shoot the breeze – charm and warmth personified. We all were truly blessed that night by greatness. Amen!

Folk Session Café Jazz, Cardiff. 8pm, £4/£3. Info 029 2038 7026. With Dan James.

Hot Club Gallois Jazzland, Swansea. 8.30-11pm, £10/£7

members. Info 07802 912789.

Joe McMahon + Low Derive + The Doublecross + Question The Mark Mozarts, Swansea. 7.30pm, £3.

Info 01792 649984. Punkish stuff. Headliner is from the American band Smoke Or Fire.

Open Mic Market Street Club, Barry. 8pm. Info 01446 733863.

BUZZ 75

live music Every Wednesday. *Piano Pieces The Abacus, Cardiff. 7pm, free. Info 07934 011061. This sounds really

veterans who we previewed and indeed interviewed last month.

Jimjam Open Mic Session

Euros Childs, now alost a decade into his post-Gorky's Zygotic Mynci solo career, has another new album out in December, and launches it with a performance in a Cardiff church – St Luke's in Canton – on Sat 13. It'll be in two parts, both performed solo on piano: selections from the new album to start, old favourites (including token GZM numbers) to finish. great. Daniel Wyn-Jones will be playing pieces for piano by lots of avant-garde/minimalist/ etc classical dudes (Satie, Glass, Feldman etc) in a manner which will probably end with the piano being destroyed.

Seems it annoys a lot of people when this happens in the name of ‘art’ but I say, nuts to it.

Robin Porter Quartet Dempseys, Cardiff. 9pm, £7/£5.

Info 029 2023 9253.

Simone Felice The Chattery, Swansea. 7.30pm, £15. Info 01792 473276.

Swingcopation With Chepstow Community Big Band Whiteheads Sports & Social Club, Bassaleg, Newport. 8pm, £8. Info malc@ dancebands.plus.com. South Wales Big Band Society gig.

The Brwmys + Georgia Patterson + Gastric Band + Siobhan McCrudden Gwdihw, Cardiff. 8pm, £4. Info 029 2039 7933. A Folk In The Owl’s Nest night.

WNO Woodwind Ensemble Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 1.15pm, £8/£6. Info 029 2039 1391.

THURSDAY 4

1000 Voices Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff. 6.30pm, £10.

Info 029 2022 4488. A “musical spectacular” accompanied by a full orchestra.

Aubrey Parsons Tempus Bar, St David’s Hotel, Cardiff. 6pm, free. Info 0844 8246171. Every Thursday.

Augustines + Arkells The Globe, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £12 adv. Info theglobevenue@ gmail.com. Presented by Swn. Bay City Rollers Grand Theatre, Swansea. 7.30pm, £20/£18. Info 01792 475715.

Belshazzar’s Feast Lyceum Tavern, Newport. 8pm, £3. Info 01633 858636. A Lyceum Folk Club night.

Bluegrass Acoustic Picking Session The Chattery, Swansea. 7.30pm. Info 01792 473276.

Chain Reaction Hamptons, Penarth. 7.30pm, £36. Info 029 2070 5391. Shola Kaye performs the music of Diana Ross, with a five-course meal also set to cause a ‘chain reaction’ in your stomach.

Dewi Griffiths The Old Library, Cardiff. 6-8pm, free.

Info 029 2066 6566. Live flamenco guitar every Thursday.

Echo & The Bunnymen Y Plas, Cardiff University Students Union. 7pm, £24.50 adv. Info 029 2078 1458. Indie

The Claude Hotel, Albany Road, Cardiff. 9pm, free. Info 07557 505123. Every Thursday.

This evening’s guest band is Glas.

Messiah Dub Club The Yard, Cardiff. 9pm, free. Info 029 2022 7577.

Nanook Of The North + Escapists + Fjords Gwdihw, Cardiff. 8pm, £4. Info 029 2039 7933.

Open Mic Night Lyceum Tavern, Newport. 8.30pm. Info 01633 858636. A Lyceum Folk Club night. Every Thursday.

Profile Piano Series: European Delights Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7pm, £5/£3.

Info 029 2039 1391.

Rhondda Cynon Taf Music Service Jazz Project Café Jazz, Cardiff. 8pm, £6/£5. Info 029 2038 7026. Workshop band led by James Chadwick.

Richard & Adam Princess Royal Theatre, Port Talbot.

7.30pm, £18. Info 01639 763214. Could there be any mileage in liking these guys ironically? Asking for a friend.

Sicknote Steve City Arms, Cardiff. 9pm, free. Info 029 2022 5258.

Tamasin Reardon Duo The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm. Info 029 2062 4050. Jazz.

The Bootleg Beatles St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 8pm, £27.50. Info 029 2087 8444.

These guys are always here in the first week of December, just too early to attend as The Bootleg Mark Chapman [stolen joke].

The St Pierre Snake Invasion + Masts The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £4. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Turbowolf + Empress AD + God Damn Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £11/£9 adv.

Info 029 2023 2199. I called Turbowolf “banterbus metal” in a review last year, when they played this venue. In lieu of contradictory evidence, I stand by this.

Voulez Vous Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 8pm, £11-£22. Info 01970 623232. Abba tribute.

Lots of these about this month.

Don’t see what’s Christmassy about them really.

White Christmas Mansion House, Cardiff. 7pm, £12.50 adv. Info 029 2087 1144. Old time favourites and classics are both offered here.

FRIDAY 5

182 Static Bar, Swansea. 7pm.

Info 01792 467998. Blink 182

tribute band.

A Band Apart Warehouse54, Newport. 8pm. Info 01633 259144. Playing as part of Warehouse54’s birthday week.

ACAB Kiwis, Cardiff. Free. Info 029 2039 8965.

Acoustic Club The Met, Abertillery. 7pm, £2. Info 01495 355800.

A Design For Life The Dolls House, Abertillery. 7.30pm, free. Info 01495 213300. Manic Street Preachers tribute.

A Foreigner’s Journey + Serpentine Ebbw Vale Institute. 7pm, £10. Info 01495 708022. A tribute to Foreigner and Journey, perfect for these economically stretched times.

Afternoon With Thomas Søndergård Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2pm, £11.50-£13.50. Info 029 2063 6464. Conducting works by Sibelius and Greig.

Allusondrugs + Lyger + Prom Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff.

7.30-10.30pm, £6. Info 029 2023 2199.

Amser Jazz Time Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 5.30pm, free.

Info 029 2039 1391. Presented

by Paula Gardiner, every Friday until 12 Dec. A Night At The Movies St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £5-£22. Info 029 2087 8444.

With the Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra.

A Night At The Opera St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan. 7.30pm, £16. Info 01446 779100. Queen tribute.

Aubrey Parsons Porter’s, Cardiff. 10.30pm. Info info@ porterscardiff.com.

Ben Huws Duo The North Star, Cardiff. 9pm. Info 029 2062 4050.

Black Tamanous + Desalvo + Bloodlung Crowley’s Rock Bar, Swansea.

8pm, free. Info 07981 684142.

Dansette Café Jazz, Cardiff.

9pm, £4. Info 029 2038 7026.

Blues.

David Grubb Dempseys, Cardiff. 8pm, £5. Info 029 2023 9253. Jazz musician launches an album, High Rise.

Elephant Tree + Lacertilia + Gulah The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £4. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com.

Hipicat + Veritas The Full Moon, Cardiff. 8pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Hotter Than Hell The Scene Club, Swansea. 8pm, £10/£8.

Info 07730 432166. Kiss tribute.

Inspiral Carpets + Gramotones The Globe, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £17.50 adv.

Info theglobevenue@gmail. com. Here’s an unpopular opinion for 2015: Inspiral Carpets are more deserving of your early-90s indie nostalgia than Ride. I mean, ideally neither of them, but still.

Jango Haze + Young Minorities + Atlas The Garage, Swansea. 8.30pm, £3.

Info 01792 475147.

Joe Brown Borough Theatre, Abergavenny. 7.30pm, £22.50.

Info 01873 850805. Sold out.

Legend: The Bob Marley Experience Y Plas, Cardiff University Students Union.

8pm, £13 adv. Info 029 2078 1458. Presented by Radio Cardiff.

Live Acoustic Night The Pilot, Penarth. Free. Info 029 2071 0615. On the first Friday of each month.

Lux Quintet Congress Theatre, Cwmbran. 1pm, £6.

Info 01633 868239. Wind quintet.

Misled Truth + The Jonestown Flood + Howl + The Dead End Friends + The Liminals Le Pub, Newport. 8pm. Info 01633 221477. This is the Rock’n’Roll Circus Christmas Party.

Mista Ifsta’s Winter Reggae Jam Delilah’s, Newport. Featuring sets from Troy Ellis, Aleighcia Scott, Empire Flipz and Ecko Vybes Soundsystem.

National Opera Studio With WNO Orchestra Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7.45pm, £18/£16. Info 029 2039 1391. *Omi Palone + Mars To Stay + Luvv + Black Fungus + Memory Hoax The Abacus, Cardiff. 7pm, £5. Info 07934 011061. Punky bands from London and the locale.

Recluse + Between Waves The Dragonffli, Pontypool.

6pm. Info gigs@thedragonffli.com.

Red Hot Pokers Café Jazz, Cardiff. 9pm, £4. Info 029 2038 7026. Blues.

Richmond Soul Hamptons, Penarth. 7.30pm, £36. Info 029 2070 5391. Motown and soul hits covered by two cleancut young Caucasians.

Rock Factor Salt, Cardiff Bay. 9pm, free. Info 029 2049 4375.

Rod Stewart Tribute Chepstow Racecourse. £32 adv. Info 01291 622260. One of a series of Christmas party nights here from now until Sat 20, featuring tribute acts.

Step Into Christmas Blake Theatre, Monmouth. 7pm. Info 01600 719401. Christmas songs sung by choir and soloists.

Fundraiser for Welsh Warrior, The Richard Hunt Foundation and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Supreme Queen Grand Theatre, Swansea. 7.30pm, £18.50/£15.50. Info 01792 475715. Queen tribute band.

Tattsyrup The Yard, Cardiff.

9.30pm, free. Info 029 2022 7577.

The Rockin’ Sinners The Three Horseshoes, Dinas Powys. Info 029 2051 4848.

Rockabilly/psychobilly type band who are playing in Newpot tomorrow, and a few other places this month.

The Royal Welsh College Brass Band St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 1pm, £4.50-£6.50. Info 029 2087 8444.

Trigger’s Broom Kitty Flynn’s, Cardiff. 9.30pm, free.

Info 029 2064 4952.

Twmpath Small World Theatre, Cardigan. 7pm. Info 01239 615952. Courtesy of George Whitfield and Henry Sears.

SATURDAY 6

12 Bore Kiwis, Cardiff. Free.

Info 029 2039 8965.

2 Sick Monkeys + Zinc Bukowski + Gung Ho Clwb Y Bont, Pontypridd. 7pm, £3.

Info 01443 491424. Local punk bands cause a scene.

Abergavenny Borough Band Borough Theatre, Abergavenny. 7.30pm, £8/£6.

Info 01873 850805.

Big Band Swing Hamptons, Penarth. 7.30pm, £36. Info 029 2070 5391. Featuring “the gorgeous Miss Samantha Link” and five courses of food.

Chris Kelly Poet’s Corner, Roath, Cardiff. 9pm, free. Info 029 2045 8714.

Christmas Fantasia Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7pm, £20 adv. Info 0845 2263510.

Featuring the Hywel Girls’ Choir & Hywel Boy Singers.

Christmas Wishes The Gate, Cardiff. 7pm, £8/£6. Info 029 2048 3344. Singalong to songs from Frozen.

Christmas With The Salvation Army & Ladies Orpheus Choir The Met, Abertillery. 7pm, £5. Info 01495 355800.

Christmas With The Siren Sisters Miners Theatre, Ammanford. 2.30pm, £12. Info 0845 2263510.

Colibri Soul + Leighton Jones The Yard, Cardiff.

9.30pm, free. Info 029 2022 7577.

Community Choir Concert Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 8pm, free.

Info 029 2039 1391.

Dakhla Gwdihw, Cardiff.

9pm, £4. Info 029 2039 7933.

Playing as part of the Fat City night.

Deadbeat Deluxe Le Pub, Newport. 8pm. Info 01633 221477.

Freddie Mercury Tribute Chepstow Racecourse. £32 adv. Info 01291 622260. One of a series of Christmas party nights here from now until Sat 20, featuring tribute acts.

Georgia Paterson The Royal Exchange, Cardiff. 9.30pm, free. Info 029 2056 4068.

Junior Concert Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 5pm, £7.50/£4. Info 029 2039 1391.

Pantera UK Static Bar, Swansea. 7pm. Info 01792 467998. Tribute band.

Philomusica Of Aberystwyth Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 8pm, £2-£9.50.

Info 01970 623232.

Railroad Bill The Full Moon, Cardiff. 8pm, free. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com.

Ria Jones Grand Theatre, Swansea. 7.30pm, £17.50/£15.50. Info 01792 475715. West End siren from Swansea.

Rocket Joe Joe & The Old Time Bangers Porter’s, Cardiff. 8pm. Info info@ porterscardiff.com.

Sabrage + Inked Crowley’s Rock Bar, Swansea. 8pm, free.

Info 07981 684142.

Stone Cold Killers + Gun Metal Gray The Dolls House, Abertillery. 7.30pm. Info 01495 213300. Headliners feature former members of Wrathchild and Persian Risk, so are presumably quite old and play hard rock/metal.

Swansea Philharmonic Choir Brangwyn Hall, Swansea. 7.30pm, £10-£15.

Info 01792 475715. Farewell concert for Clive John.

The Decoy + The Undivided The Dragonffli, Pontypool. 6pm. Info gigs@ thedragonffli.com.

The Promise Of Christmas St David’s Hall, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £13/£11. Info 029 2087 8444. Choral special.

The Rockin’ Sinners + Deadbeat Deluxe + Dukes Of Bordello + Tenplusone Le Pub, Newport. 7.30pm, £5.

Info 01633 221477.

The Village Quire Pontardawe Arts Centre.

7.30pm, £6 adv. Info 01792 863722. Special Christmas show.

SUNDAY 7

Aubrey Parsons Tempus

Bar, St David’s Hotel, Cardiff.

1pm, free. Info 0844 8246171.

Cowbridge-based singer performs here every Sunday. *Bast + Grimpen Mire + Greenhorn + Thorun + Tides of Sulfur The Moon Club, Cardiff. 5pm, £6 adv.

Info info@thefullmooncardiff. com. Doom, sludge and stoner bands. Some good ones in here, too.

Broadway Irregulars The Yard, Cardiff. 1-3.30pm, free.

Info 029 2022 7577. Jazz.

Cat Southall + Mixalydia Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff. 7.3010.30pm, £6. Info 029 2023 2199.

Christmosh Static Bar, Swansea. 12pm, £12/£10 adv.

Info 01792 467998. Metal alldayer. Think the name is supposed to be a pun on ‘Christmas’ rather than implying that it is in the name of Christ. Anyway, main stage: Ingested, Actions To Onslaught, In Arms, Boston Manor, Surrender The Coast, Ghostless, Sticks & Stones, Sentiments UK, My Life For Hire and The Dirty South.

Second stage: No Second Chance, Solemn Promise, Curbstomp SCBD, Renounced, Back Down, Murder Circuit, Sodomized Cadaver, Reality Check, Vaults and Negative Mind.

Dark Place Gwdihw, Cardiff.

7.30pm. Info 029 2039 7933.

Galoots The Brunswick Arms, Swansea. Free. Info 01792 465676.

Moroccan Bee Project Fundraiser Small World Theatre, Cardigan. 7pm, £3-£7.

Info 01239 615952. Featuring live music by Bob Minney, Maxine Bennett and Annie Taber.

St Donats Atlantic Chorale St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan. 4pm, £10/£8. Info 01446 779100.

The Sixteen St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 3pm, £20. Info 029 2087 8444. Festive choir.

Warming Winter Sing Fforest Farm, Brechfa, Carmarthenshire. 1.30-6.30pm, £25 adv. Info 07870 633193.

Songs to celebrate the turning of the year, with Pauline Down.

MONDAY 8

*At The Gates + Triptykon + Morbus Chron + Code Orange Kids The Globe, Cardiff. 7pm, £18 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

Death metal bill headed by ultra-influential Swedes. This is actually a pretty amazing lineup.

Brit Floyd St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 8pm, £29.50. Info 029 2087 8444. The world’s greatest non-Australian Pink Floyd tribute show.

CAVMS Youth Orchestra & RWCMD Christmas Big Band Bash Dempseys, Cardiff. 8pm, £7/£5. Info 029 2023 9253.

Gypsy Jazz Noah’s Yard, Swansea. 8pm. Info 01792 447360.

Live Original Broadcasts The Brewhouse, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2039 9913.

Sodomized Cadaver + Nonlifter The Dolls House, Abertillery. 7pm, free. Info 01495 213300.

Ukulele Jam Session The Andrew Buchan, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2021 2509.

JUST ANNOUNCED FOR 2015: COLLABRO (St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Wed 4 Feb) SONGHOY BLUES (Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, Wed 4 Feb) ENTER SHIKARI (Cardiff University Students Union, Tue 17 Feb) FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS (Clwb Ifor Bach, Thurs 19) KING CHARLES (The Globe, Cardiff, Sun 22) THE BUZZ 76

live music TUESDAY 9

Christmas Carols & Snow Songs St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan. 3-4pm, £6.50. Info 01446 779100. With RWCMD students.

City Of Light: Paris 19001950 Cardiff University Concert Hall. 7-9pm, £3-£10.

Info 029 2087 4816. Recital of French piano music.

Community Samba Band – Practise Dates Westenders Hall, Llanfaes, Brecon. 6-8pm, £4/£2 under-16s. Info sambabrecon@yahoo.co.uk.

Dave Jones Quartet Dempseys, Cardiff. 8pm, £7/£5.

Info 029 2023 9253.

Deacon Blue + Zervas & Pepper St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £29.50/£39.50 Gold Circle. Info 029 2087 8444. “Don’t expect to go home too early!” says Deacon Blue’s Ricky Ross of this performance.

Embrace Y Plas, Cardiff University Students Union.

7pm, £19.50 adv. Info 029 2078 1458.

Fish The Globe, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £22.50 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

Not just any old fish, but Fish from Marillion.

Hopes Die Last + The Eden Skyline Static Bar, Swansea. 7pm, £5 adv. Info 01792 467998.

Jeff Hooper With Capital City Big Band Whiteheads Sports & Social Club, Bassaleg, Newport. 8pm, £8. Info malc@ dancebands.plus.com. South Wales Big Band Society gig.

My Name Is Ian + Shiny Tiger + Oh Peas! Gwdihw, Cardiff. 8pm, £3. Info 029 2039 7933.

The Garden + Luvv + His Naked Torso Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff. 7.30-10.30pm, £6. Info 029 2023 2199.

The Memphis Six Café Jazz, Cardiff. 8pm, £4.50/£4/£2 NUS. Info 029 2038 7026.

WEDNESDAY 10

Amy Jones & Adam Jenkins Pontyclun Institute Athletic Club. 7.30pm, £3. Info 01443 226892.

Cardiff County & Vale Of Glamorgan Music Service Christmas Showcase St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7pm, £6-£10. Info 029 2087 8444.

Citrus Jam The Full Moon, Cardiff. 7pm-12am, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Give Me The Night Hamptons, Penarth. 7.30pm, £36. Info 029 2070 5391. A tribute to George Benson, performed by Nat Augustin.

“Give me the five-course meal included in the price,” you may find yourself shouting.

Healthcare Music Society Christmas Concert St Teilo’s Church, Woodville Road, Cardiff. 7pm. Info 029 2078 1400.

Marion’s Festive Songs Congress Theatre, Cwmbran.

1-3pm, £5. Info 01633 868239.

Maybeshewill + Flood Of Red + Samoans Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff. 7.30-10.30pm, £9. Info 029 2023 2199. Tinkly postrock band headline.

Nights Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff.

7.30-10.30pm, £6. Info 029 2023 2199.

Open Mic Market Street Club, Barry. 8pm. Info 01446 733863.

Open Mic With Dylan Morgan The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm. Info 029 2062 4050.

Pontypridd Acoustic Club Clwb Y Bont, Pontypridd.

8.30pm. Info 01443 491424.

On the second Wednesday of every month.

Reckless Love + The First The Globe, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £11 adv. Info theglobevenue@ gmail.com. Glam metal revival.

Simon Allen Quintet Jazzland, Swansea. 8.30-11pm, £12/£9 members. Info 07802 912789.

Sion Russell Jones + Son Of Jack Rhodri Brooks + The Moon Club, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £6 adv. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com. EP launch gig for the headliner.

St Fagans Christmas Songsheet National History Museum, St Fagans. 6 + 7.30pm, £4 adv. Info 029 2057 3500. Traditional and contemporary Christmas songs and carols. (Until Fri 12) The Three Rhys The Gate, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £12/£10.

Info 029 2048 3344. Cardiff Sinfonietta Gala 10th anniversary concert.

Cardiff. 7.30pm, £10 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

Pretty excited to see what current Leeds United coach Neil Redfern is going to serve up tonight.

St Fagans Christmas Songsheet National History Museum, St Fagans. 6 + 7.30pm, £4 adv. Info 029 2057 3500. (Until Fri 12) The Eggmen The Yard, Cardiff. 9pm, free. Info 029 2022 7577.

The Hearts + Luvv + Hana Le Pub, Newport. 8pm, free.

Info 01633 221477.

Welsh Hospitals Choir: Christmas Celebration St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £9-£14. Info 029 2087 8444.

In aid of CLIC/Sargent Caring For Children With Cancer.

Featuring royal harpist Hannah Stone as special guest.

We’re No Heroes + Stalin’s Street Party + Mumbleman Gwdihw, Cardiff. 8pm, £4. Info 029 2039 7933.

THURSDAY 11

FRIDAY 12

Aidan Thorne & Paul Jones Christmas Jazzfest The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm. Info 029 2062 4050.

Andi Sex Gang + Zeuk Fuel Bar, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £10 adv.

Info mail@givemefuel.co.uk.

Andi is so named because he was in Sex Gang Children, an 80s goth band. Kevin Matthews, another member of SGC, will be DJing after his set.

Beezewax + Pipedream The Moon Club, Cardiff. 8pm, £5. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com.

Norwegian indie-rockers headline.

Christmas Coffee Morning Concert The Met, Abertillery.

11am, £4. Info 01495 355800.

With Ross Leadbeater and Enid Middleton.

Ebola Crisis Appeal Charity Concert Rhos Y Gilwen, Pembrokeshire. 8pm, £10 adv. Info 01239 841387.

Featuring Robyn Lynn and Y Tri Tenor.

Elton John Tribute Chepstow Racecourse. £29 adv.

Info 01291 622260.

Fretwork Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff.

7pm, £15/£13. Info 029 2039 1391. String quartet.

Jimjam Open Mic Session The Claude Hotel, Albany Road, Cardiff. 9pm, free. Info 07557 505123. Every Thursday.

This evening’s guest band is Whiskey Outlaws. *Raging Speedhorn + Sworn To Oath + Hogslayer Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £10/£8 adv.

Info 029 2023 2199. First postreunion tour for Speedhorn, a band who entertained me a few times in their early-00s heyday. They are probably not ‘cool’ to like when set against the sludge metal groups who inspired them, but I reckon their first two albums still have some bangers.

Red Jam Café Jazz, Cardiff.

8pm, £6/£5. Info 029 2038 7026. Soul/jazz/pop ensemble.

Sisters Of Swing Hamptons, Penarth. 7.30pm, £36. Info 029 2070 5391. Featuring Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, who are not blonde but are reputedly gorgeous, the second act at this venue to receive such an accolade this month.

Son Of Man + Mark Pontin Group + Neil Redfern Band The Globe,

A Brass Band + The Jazz Boys Porter’s, Cardiff. 8pm.

Info info@porterscardiff.com.

I think this is a brass band called A Brass Band.

Age Of Anarchy + Trunkshot + Attercopus + Truth Seeking Conspiracy Sin City, Swansea. 7pm, £3.

Info 01792 468892.

Amser Jazz Time Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 5.30pm, free.

Info 029 2039 1391. Christmas special.

Anarchy At The Hall Workmen’s Hall, Caerphilly.

7pm, £5 adv. Info 07512 237983. Punk night fundraiser with live sets from Dodgem X, Bankrupt Pug and Sydney Fate, with more TBC. It’s quite likely there won’t actually be much anarchy, if that’s putting you off.

Andy Huntley Kitty Flynn’s, Cardiff. 9.30pm, free. Info 029 2064 4952.

Beatles Tribute Band Chepstow Racecourse. £32 adv.

Info 01291 622260.

Bones 2 Ashes EP Launch Night The Moon Club, Cardiff.

7.30pm, free. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com. Not sure who is performing at this, but it, along with the EP, will celebrate the life of Anthony Carey, who used to be in a local band called The Scooters and died earlier this year.

Endaf Gremlin + Brigyn + Y Yo’s Gwdihw, Cardiff. 8pm, £7/£5. Info 029 2039 7933.

Festive gig of Welsh language bands, presented by Nyth.

Headliners clearly going for some of that sweet Joanna Gruesome-type action.

Fluff Tongue Static Bar, Swansea. 7pm, free. Info 01792 467998.

Friday Night Is Christmas Night Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7pm, £15/£13. Info 029 2039 1391.

Hob Goblin + Bag Of Bones The Dragonffli, Pontypool.

6pm, free. Info gigs@thedragonffli.com.

Houdini Dax + Stephen Light + Jack Perrett Le Pub, Newport. 8pm, £5 adv.

Info 01633 221477. This is a Save Le Pub show. Are you a bad enough dude to save Le Pub? Howl + Grey Mondeo The Abacus, Cardiff. 7pm. Info 07934 011061. Playing the opening of the Substance exhi-

bition (see the Art listings).

Humble Opinion The North Star, Cardiff. 9pm. Info 029 2062 4050.

Jack The Biscuit Café Jazz, Cardiff. 9pm, £4. Info 029 2038 7026. Blues.

Junior Bill & The Scallies + Iron Eye Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff. 7.30-10.30pm, £4. Info 029 2023 2199.

Limehouse Lizzy The Globe, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £14 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

Quintabile Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 1.15pm, £8/£6 adv. Info 029 2039 1391. Brass quintet.

Rocket Joe Joe & The Old Time Bangers Kiwis, Cardiff.

Free. Info 029 2039 8965.

Roy Orbison & Friends Christmas Special Congress Theatre, Cwmbran. 7.30pm, £18. Info 01633 868239.

So 80s Salt, Cardiff Bay. 9pm, free. Info 029 2049 4375.

Covers.

St Fagans Christmas Songsheet National History Museum, St Fagans. 6 + 7.30pm, £4 adv. Info 029 2057 3500. (Finishes today) The Company Of Fools The Globe At Hay, Hay-On-Wye. 8pm. Info 01497 821762. Live band playing on a ‘pay what you can afford’ basis.

The Cosmic Nod The Full Moon, Cardiff. 8pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

The Electric Swing Circus Queens Hall, Narberth.

7.30pm, £6-£12. Info 01834 869323. Electroswing band play Span Arts Christmas gig.

The Glory Of Christmas Parc & Dare, Treorchy. 7pm, £3.50-£8. Info 0800 0147111.

With the Parc & Dare Band featuring Treorchy Primary School.

The Music Of John Barry St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £12-£35. Info 029 2087 8444.

As performed by the Welsh National Opera Orchestra.

The Spokes The Yard, Cardiff.

9.30pm, free. Info 029 2022 7577.

The Squirts The Chattery, Swansea. 7.30pm, £10. Info 01792 473276. Christmas gig.

On tomorrow also.

Tradish + Chip Pan Fire Squad The Dolls House, Abertillery. 7pm, £4/£3. Info 01495 213300.

Up The Creek The Ivy Bush, Pontardawe. 8pm, £6. Info huwpudner@ntlworld.com.

A Valley Folk Club Christmas party night.

SATURDAY 13

Abba Mania Gwyn Hall, Neath. 7.30pm, £18/£16. Info 0300 3656677.

Aberystwyth Choral Society Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 8pm, £2-£12. Info 01970 623232.

Alfie Boe Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff. 6.30pm, £25-£65. Info 029 2022 4488.

Allan Yn Y Fan Little Theatre, Blackwood. 7.30pm, £8/£5. Info 01495 366196.

Welsh Celtic folk ensemble unveils a new lineup, featuring vocalist Catrin O’Neill.

Al Lewis + Gwyneth Glyn + Plu St John’s Church, Canton, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £12/£10 adv. Info 07960 820645. Newsoundwales present a Christmas gig headlined by singer-songwriter Al; they did a similar one here last year and it went swimmingly.

Ampersand Le Pub, Newport.

8pm. Info 01633 221477.

THE AMERICAN FOUR TOPS MOTOWN SHOW Radisson Blu, Cardiff, Sat 20 Dec Tickets: £69.95. Info: 029 2045 4777 www.radissonblu.co.uk/hotel-cardiff Attempting to bring a bit of that Vegas rhinestone glare to the not especially glitzy environs of south Wales, the last Saturday before Christmas brings the opportunity to assemble in Cardiff’s plush Radisson Blu hotel and watch the songs, harmonies and dance steps of classic Motown belted out with gusto.

William Hicks, a gentleman from Atlanta, is the brains behind the American Four Tops – taking the lead vocal position, he’s assembled a crack band to do justice to the original, soulful, high-octane 60s sound of The Four Tops. There’ll be plenty of other Motown classics trotted out, as well, the better to allow you to dance off the Christmas dinner you’ll be eating between 8pm and 9.30, when Hicks and band hit the stage.

An Acapella Christmas The Gate, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £10/£8.

Info 029 2048 3344. With SOW Acapella.

An Evening With Elvis Borough Theatre, Abergavenny.

7.30pm, £12. Info 01873 850805. As played by Paul Davies.

Barking Fish + Tomos Lewis The Yard, Cardiff.

9.30pm, free. Info 029 2022 7577.

Cantemus Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 6.45pm, £16/£8. Info 029 2039 1391. Choir perform works by Bach and Vivaldi.

Carols For Christmas St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 11am, £5.

Info 029 2087 8444.

Christmas Concert With Carols St David’s Hall, Cardiff.

7pm, £10-£15. Info 029 2087 8444. In aid of Leukemi & Lymphoma Research.

Climbing Trees +Matthew Frederick Snails Deli, Rhiwbina, Cardiff. 7pm, £18 inc buffet. Info 029 2062 0415.

Continents + Falling With Style + Breathe In The Silence + From Her Eyes Hobo’s, Bridgend. 7.30pm, £5.

Info www.hobosmusicvenue. com. Imperial Christmas gig.

Dave Wickenden Newport Centre. 7pm. Info 01633 656757. A Christmas-time tribute to the 50s and 60s, apparently.

David Cooper Orton + Georgina Brett +

AcouChristo + Gareth Whittock Penarth Pier Pavilion. 7pm, £10/£8 adv. Info 029 2071 2100. Ambient musicians using guitar, voice and electronics variously.

Diamond Nights Hamptons, Penarth. 7.30pm, £36. Info 029 2070 5391. Jeff Phillips sings Neil Diamond.

Euros Childs St Luke’s Church, Canton, Cardiff. 7pm, £12/£10 adv. Info www. euroschilds.co.uk. Euros has a new album, which he has clearly been too busy to tell Buzz about, and will be playing material from it on a piano, followed by a set of his old stuff.

Faith No Man Fuel Bar, Cardiff. 8pm, £5 adv. Info mail@givemefuel.co.uk. Faith No More tribute.

Juice & Dave Parsons The Heath, Cardiff. 8pm, £10. Info 029 2039 4207. A RUFF Ceilidh night. Not the same Juice who we previewed last month.

Keith James Llanbedr Village Hall, Crickhowell. 7.30pm. Info 01873 812017. Welsh folk-rock artist’s final date touring his Dylan Thomas tribute set, Time Let Me Play.

Knotslip The Scene Club, Swansea. 7.30pm, £12/£10 adv.

Info 07730 432166. Slipknot tribute band.

Micky’s 4th Annual Xmas Jam The Garage, Swansea.

7pm, £15/£12.50 adv. Info 01792 475147.

JESUS & MARY CHAIN (Cardiff University, Fri 27) RUSSELL WATSON (Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Wed 11 Mar) GLASS ANIMALS (Buffalo, Cardiff, Thurs 12) THE QEMISTS (Clwb Ifor Bach, Thurs 12) SPANDAU BALLET (Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Fri 13) KATHERINE JENKINS (Motorpoint Arena, Sat 14) JON BUZZ 77

live music Novana The Dragonffli, Pontypool. 6pm, £5. Info gigs@ thedragonffli.com. Nirvana tribute. *Sigiriya+ The Groundnuts & Independents Mozarts, Swansea. 7pm, £4. Info 01792 649984.

Swansea Bach Ladies Stradey Castle, Llanelli.

7.30pm, £15/£12. Info 01792 230738. Performing Britten’s Ceremony Of Carols and other seasonal music. In Swansea tomorrow.

That 80s Band Kiwis, Cardiff.

Free. Info 029 2039 8965.

The Birmingham Blues Brothers Hamptons, Penarth.

7.30pm, £36. Info 029 2070 5391. Plus a five-course meal.

SUNDAY 14

A Child’s Christmas In Wales Rhos Y Gilwen, Pembrokeshire. 3pm, £10 adv.

Info 01239 841387. Seasonal music by the Tempus Vocal Group.

Andy Huntley The Yard, Cardiff. 1-3.30pm, free. Info 029 2022 7577. Jazz.

Astroid Boys + Manga + Xo Man Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff. 12-7.30pm, £7. Info 029 2023 2199. Matinee show for local hip-hop crossover type group.

Aubrey Parsons Tempus Bar, St David’s Hotel, Cardiff. 1pm, free. Info 0844 8246171.

Ben Ottewell + Michelle Stoddart Clwb Ifor Bach,

On Sun 21 Dec, Clwb Ifor Bach and both Full Moon venues club together for a charitable cause, the Safe Foundation, to host an outsized edition of the Meltdown nights, which offered eclectic musical fun in the city from the 80s to the 00s. A few dozen acts feature, including old faithfuls like John Lewis and Railroad Bill, plus newer pups.

Featuring Dave Price, Sophie Congdon & Caitlin Ray, Denmark Street and Locker House.

Brutality Will Prevail + Polar + Warcharge + Outrage CC Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £13/£10 adv.

Info 029 2023 2199.

Ceredigion Schools Aberystwyth Arts Centre. Info 01970 623232. Featuring the Symphony Orchestra and Youth Choir.

Chris Rea St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £35. Info 029 2087 8444.

Dave C Thomas The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £4. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

EP launch gig.

Dominic Norcross Quartet Noah’s Yard, Swansea. 8pm.

Info 01792 447360.

Live Original Broadcasts The Brewhouse, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2039 9913.

Michael Buble Tribute Hamptons, Penarth. 7.30pm, £36. Info 029 2070 5391. With Max Hutton.

The Collective Dempseys, Cardiff. 8pm, £7/£5. Info 029 2023 9253.

The Who Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff. 6.30pm, from £60. Info 029 2022 4488. See Music.

Ukulele Jam Session The Andrew Buchan, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2021 2509.

TUESDAY 16 The Crook Family Cellar Bar, Cardigan. 7.30pm, £5 adv. Info 07818 056599. Country, folk, roots type stuff. *The Death Of Her Money + Warm Widow + MXLX The Abacus, Cardiff. 7pm, £6.

Info 07934 011061. Celebrating 10 years sleeping in a big bed together as a band, TDOHM play their first south Wales gig for about a year. Should be great.

The Rockin’ Sinners The Full Moon, Cardiff. 8pm, free.

Info info@thefullmooncardiff. com.

The Rock’n’Roll Circus Radio Show Charity Christmas Bash The Dolls House, Abertillery. 3pm12.30am, free. Info 01495 213300. Featuring sets from Fireroad, Crowsaw, Texas Flood, Florence Black, THEIAuk, The Happenin’ and Witness To The Reform. In aid of the Hospice Of The Valleys.

Stick some money in a tin, I imagine.

The Rollin’ Clones + The Candy Skulls Queens Hall, Narberth. 7.30pm, £14/£12.50 adv. Info 01834 869323.

Tribute band.

The Small Fakers The Globe, Cardiff. 7pm, £12 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

Small Faces tribute.

The Squirts The Chattery, Swansea. 7.30pm, £10. Info 01792 473276.

The Trio Porter’s, Cardiff.

8pm. Info info@porterscardiff. com.

Vocal Harmony National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

2pm, free. Info 01792 463980.

Community choir.

Wille & The Bandits New Panteg Rugby Club, New Inn, Pontypool. 7.30pm, £10/£8 members. Info 01633 483238.

A Borough Blues Club gig.

Cardiff. 7.30-10.30pm, £14. Info 029 2023 2199. Bloke out of Gomez headlines.

Catrin Finch Acapela, Pentyrch, Cardiff. 8pm, £5. Info 029 2089 0862.

Christmas With The Stars City Hall, Cardiff. 7pm, £20.50£25.50. Info 029 2063 6464.

Songs from the musicals etc, featuring lots of people you might have heard of. Presented by the Wales Millennium Centre; in aid of Welsh Hearts.

Eric Martin + Empire Of Fools + Kane’d + Mayhem Messiah Static Bar, Swansea.

7.30pm, £10 adv. Info 01792 467998. Solo set from the singer out of Mr. Big. Despite being 54 years old, going on his promo picture he probably needs to carry ID to get served.

Either that or it’s massively Photoshopped.

Halfpenny Folk Club Xmas Party The Greyhound Inn, Oldwalls, Gower, Swansea.

8.30pm. Info 01792 850803.

Handel Messiah St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 5pm, £9-£26. Info 029 2087 8444. With Cardiff Polyphonic Choir and various soloists.

Il Terzo Suono Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £10.

Info 029 2030 4400. Baroque group performing Bach, Handel and Tartini.

Lunchtime Concert National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff.

1pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951.

Featuring RWCMD students.

Open Mic & Karaoke Workmen’s Hall, Caerphilly.

7pm. Info 07512 237983.

Swansea Bach Ladies St Gabriel’s Church, Brynmill, Swansea. 3pm, £12/£5/kids free. Info 01792 230738.

MONDAY 15

Breast Cancer Campaign Fundraiser The Globe, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £5 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

Afternoon With Pablo Gonzalez Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2pm, £11.50-£13.50. Info 029 2063 6464.

Bright Light Bright Light + Gabrielle Murphy & Jamie Willetts + Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £12/£8 adv.

Info 029 2023 2199. Presented

by Newsoundwales.

Caves + Muncie Girls + The Modern Farewell + Pipedream Gwdihw, Cardiff.

8pm, £5. Info 029 2039 7933.

Punk bands of various types play together, promoted by the boldly named DIY Cardiff.

Community Samba Band – Practise Dates Westenders Hall, Llanfaes, Brecon. 6-8pm, £4/£2 under-16s. Info sambabrecon@yahoo.co.uk.

Corrie Dick Quartet Dempseys, Cardiff. 8pm, £7/£5.

Info 029 2023 9253.

Little Rumba Quartet Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon.

8pm, £6. Info 01874 611622. A Brecon Jazz Club gig.

Only Men Aloud St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £27.50.

Info 029 2087 8444. Joined onstage by Only Boys Aloud, who will climb out of the tops of their heads like Russian dolls come to life.

Richie Ramone + Clay Statues Static Bar, Swansea.

7.30pm, £10 adv. Info 01792 467998. Fella who was the drummer in the Ramones during their classic period, 1983-87.

Status Quo + Chas & Dave Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £39.50. Info 029 2022 4488. This gig and the one in Gwdihw are so near to each other I think they should club together and be a kind of minifestival, possibly under a giant tarpaulin.

The Beards The Globe, Cardiff. 7pm, £12 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

The Puppini Sisters Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7pm, £25.

Info 0871 4720400. Christmas with them, no less. See Upfront, if plans come to fruition. If they don’t, I forgot to take this bit of the listing out.

The Swinging Sixties Hamptons, Penarth. 7.30pm, £36. Info 029 2070 5391.

Tribute to US/UK female singers from the 60s.

The Wessex New Orleans Band Café Jazz, Cardiff. 8pm, £4.50/£4/£2 NUS. Info 029 2038 7026.

WEDNESDAY 17

Alan Barnes With The Dave Cottle Trio Jazzland, Swansea. 8.30-11pm, £13/£10 members. Info 07802 912789.

Christmas party gig.

Andy Nowak Trio Dempseys, Cardiff. 8pm, £7/£5. Info 029 2023 9253.

Bad Manners The Globe, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £15 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

Bandaoke Porter’s, Cardiff.

8pm. Info info@porterscardiff. com.

Bars & Melody Gwyn Hall, Neath. 5 + 8pm, £20. Info 0300 3656677. Teenage duo who were apparently a hit on Britain’s Got Talent.

Impressive how they’ve chosen such a pitch-perfect ‘pub singers’ name while being too young to drink in pubs. On tomorrow also.

Buddy Wakefield + Craig Kierce + Danny Hay + Nicodemus Reuben The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £7 adv. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com. Popular slam poet type guy headlines, Citrus Jam The Full Moon, Cardiff. 7pm-12am, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Fire & Ice + Broken Teeth + Survival + No Rest + Judgement Le Pub, Newport.

7pm, £9/£7 adv. Info 01633 221477. Hardcore. Headliners are from Richmond and are ex[some bands I’ve heard of and some who I haven’t].

Got It Covered Kiwis, Cardiff.

Free. Info 029 2039 8965.

Jeff Hooper Trio With Bruce Adams Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 8pm, £10.50. Info 01656 815995.

Liberty Big Band Whiteheads Sports & Social Club, Bassaleg, Newport. 8pm, £8. Info malc@dancebands. plus.com. South Wales Big Band Society gig. Also featuring a Christmas buffet.

Miss Maud’s Folly Gwdihw, Cardiff. 8pm, £5. Info 029 2039 7933.

Open Mic Market Street Club, Barry. 8pm. Info 01446 733863.

Open Mic With Mark Bowie The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm.

Info 029 2062 4050.

Talon Borough Theatre, Abergavenny. 7.30pm, £20.

Info 01873 850805. On tomorrow also.

The Dukes & The Duchess The Dingle Hotel, Narberth.

8pm, £7/£6. Info 01834 869323.

This month’s Spanjazz gig.

THURSDAY 18

Aubrey Parsons Tempus Bar, St David’s Hotel, Cardiff. 6pm, free. Info 0844 8246171.

Bars & Melody Gwyn Hall, Neath. 5 + 8pm, £20. Info 0300 3656677.

Carols At The Museum National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 2pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. With songs, mince pies and mulled wine. It seems a bit wrong putting carols in the ‘live music’ section but I

guess it technically is?

Christmas Celebrations St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £10-£32. Info 029 2087 8444.

Dewi Griffiths The Old Library, Cardiff. 6-8pm, free.

Info 029 2066 6566.

Esuna + Masts + Scumbag Familiar Gwdihw, Cardiff. 8pm, £4. Info 029 2039 7933.

Funeral For A Friend Y Plas, Cardiff University Students Union. 7pm, £16 adv. Info 029 2078 1458. Billed as a Christmas show, although I don’t know if the choice of songs will reflect that. New FFAF album features a song called The Jade Tree Years Were My Best. Full body cringe.

Gruff Rhys + Martin Carr Sherman Cymru, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £20 adv. Info 029 2064 6900. See Music. (Until Sat 20) Jimjam Open Mic Session The Claude Hotel, Albany Road, Cardiff. 9pm, free. Info 07557 505123. Every Thursday.

This evening’s guest band is the Kenny Driscoll Band.

Julian Martin Duo The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm. Info 029 2062 4050. Jazz.

Leighton Jones The Yard, Cardiff. 9pm, free. Info 029 2022 7577.

Les Frotteurs City Arms, Cardiff. 9pm, free. Info 029 2022 5258.

Little Arrow + Richard James & Gareth Bonello + Quiet Marauder + Ivan Moult Dempseys, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £7/£5. Info 029 2023 9253.

Open Mic Night Lyceum Tavern, Newport. 8.30pm. Info 01633 858636.

Robbie Williams Tribute Chepstow Racecourse. £29 adv.

Info 01291 622260.

Skalet The Globe, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £5 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

Local ska band play their first gig for 30 years. For charity, although it doesn’t say which one(s).

Soul Invasion Hamptons, Penarth. 7.30pm, £36. Info 029 2070 5391. With Jackie Webbe.

Talon Borough Theatre, Abergavenny. 7.30pm, £20. Info 01873 850805.

The Magical Xmas Tree Newport Fugitives Athletic Club, Rogerstone, Newport.

8.45pm. Info 01633 897923.

A Newport Folk Club night featuring Pete Morton, Maggie Boyle and Chris Parkinson.

The Mavron Quartet The Gate, Cardiff. 7pm, £6/£4. Info 029 2048 3344.

The Philanderers Uplands Tavern, Swansea. Free. Info 01792 458242.

Tomos Williams Miles Tribute Café Jazz, Cardiff.

8pm, £4/£3. Info 029 2038 7026.

FRIDAY 19

Bandaoke Acapela, Pentyrch, Cardiff. 8pm, £10. Info 029 2089 0862. Festive karaoke thing.

BBC NOW Brangwyn Hall, Swansea. 7.30pm, £5-£16. Info 01792 475715.

Beautiful Strangers Crowley’s Rock Bar, Swansea.

8pm, free. Info 07981 684142.

Big Joe Bone Cellar Bar, Cardigan. 7.30pm, £5 adv. Info 07818 056599. Blues.

Canute Salt, Cardiff Bay. 9pm, free. Info 029 2049 4375.

Cowboy & The Corpse +

The Dukes Of Bordello The Full Moon, Cardiff. 8pm, free.

Info info@thefullmooncardiff. com.

Denuo Dempseys, Cardiff.

8pm, £7/£5. Info 029 2023 9253.

Gruff Rhys + Martin Carr Sherman Cymru, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £20 adv. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 20) Hogslayer + Tides Of Sulfur + Haast’s Eagled The Moon Club, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £5. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com.

Leighton Jones Band Kiwis, Cardiff. Free. Info 029 2039 8965.

Lost Highway The Dragonffli, Pontypool. 6pm, £5. Info gigs@ thedragonffli.com. Acoustic Bon Jovi tribute band.

Michael Jackson Tribute Chepstow Racecourse. £32 adv.

Info 01291 622260.

Miss Maud’s Folly + Slippery Slope The Globe At Hay, Hay-On-Wye. 8pm, £5 adv.

Info 01497 821762.

Quiet Illuminations Small World Theatre, Cardigan. 3.155pm + 7-9pm, £7/£4 kids. Info 01239 615952. “Improvisations with gong, singing bowls, bells, strings, shruti box and voice.”

I can dig it.

Rogora Khart + The Social Club Le Pub, Newport. 8pm, free. Info 01633 221477.

Scott Morgan The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm. Info 029 2062 4050.

Surreal Panther + The Darkmess Fuel Bar, Cardiff.

8pm, £8/£6 adv. Info mail@ givemefuel.co.uk. Ironic glam metal tribute.

The Coversluts Hobo’s, Bridgend. 8pm, free. Info www. hobosmusicvenue.com.

The Happenings The Yard, Cardiff. 9.30pm, free. Info 029 2022 7577.

The Sex Pistols Experience + Ed Tudor Pole The Globe, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £11 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

SATURDAY 20

A Vulgar Picture + Extinction + Attercopus Crowley’s Rock Bar, Swansea.

8pm, free. Info 07981 684142.

Christmas Concert & Supper Rhos Y Gilwen, Pembrokeshire. 7pm, £27 adv.

Info 01239 841387. Featuring Cor Y Wiber and Leah Marion Jones.

Cider & Carols The Gate, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info 029 2048 3344.

Cwmbach Male Choir Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare.

7pm, £10/£9. Info 0800 0147111.

Dunvant Male Choir St Mary’s Church, Swansea.

7pm, £10. Info 01792 468321.

Annual Christmas concert.

Georgia Patterson Poet’s Corner, Roath, Cardiff. 9pm, free. Info 029 2045 8714.

Grass Snakes The Chattery, Swansea. 7.30pm, £10. Info 01792 473276. Bluegrass.

Gruff Rhys + Martin Carr Sherman Cymru, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £20 adv. Info 029 2064 6900. (Finishes today) Handel – Messiah Brangwyn Hall, Swansea. 7pm, £5-£20.

Info 01792 475715. Featuring Swansea Bach Choir and Elin Manahan Thomas among other performers.

Hondo Maclean + En Garde Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £10/£8 adv. Info 029 2023 2199. Launch gig for valleys twiddly hardcore band’s

GOMM (The Moon Club, Cardiff, Sun 15) OYSTERBAND (The Garage, Swansea, Fri 20) THE SELECTER (The Globe, Fri 20) OLLY MURS + ELLA EYRE (Motorpoint Arena, Fri 3 + Sat 4 Apr) MCBUSTED (Motorpoint Arena, Thurs 9) GENO WASHINGTON (The Globe, Sat 18) BEN HOWARD (Motorpoint Arena, Tue BUZZ 78

live music album The Truth; The Fiction (which was actually recorded six years ago). Not many semicolons in album titles I’ll tell you what. *Holy Boredom & Joy Collective Xmas Party The Abacus, Cardiff. 3pm. Info 07934 011061. This will very probably have a great lineup of good bands, and be good value as well, but confirmation will probably miss our print deadline.

Jools Holland Rhythm & Blues Orchestra Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff. 6.30pm, £36.

Info 029 2022 4488.

Leighton Jones Kitty Flynn’s, Cardiff. 9.30pm, free. Info 029 2064 4952.

Little Notes Christmas Concert The Gate, Cardiff.

11am, £7/£5 kids. Info 029 2048 3344. Family songfest.

Maddie & The Pandas Porter’s, Cardiff. 8pm. Info info@porterscardiff.com.

Madonna Tribute Chepstow Racecourse. £32 adv. Info 01291 622260.

Mamma Mia Hamptons, Penarth. 7.30pm, £36. Info 029 2070 5391. Abba tribute.

Neville Staple Band + Talisman Sin City, Swansea.

7.30pm, £15 adv. Info 01792 468892.

Phil Campbell’s All Starr Band + Fireroad + Texas Flood Ebbw Vale Institute.

7pm, £10 adv. Info 01495 708022.

Rock Factor Kiwis, Cardiff.

Free. Info 029 2039 8965.

Stonehouse + The Dust Monkeys + Little Black Submarines West End Club, Barry. 8pm, £5. Info 07561 143114.

The American Four Tops Radisson Blu, Cardiff. 7pm, £69.95 adv. Info 01446 771265.

A Christmas Motown Party, no less, in plush hotel surroundings.

The Bleedin Noses + Soap + Rustling Bones The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £5 adv.

Info info@thefullmooncardiff. com. Péchés Mignons present their Christmas Discothèque.

The Dylan Project The Garage, Swansea. 8pm, £15 adv. Info 01792 475147.

The Graveltones The Globe, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £12 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

The Lushtones + Cat Delphi The Yard, Cardiff.

9.30pm, free. Info 029 2022 7577.

The Oppressed + The D Teez + The Phucks Koko Gorilaz, Cardiff. 8pm, £5.

Info 029 2034 1767. Cardiff progenitors of anti-fascist Oi! with a Christmas gig, like they do most years. There’s a punk rock disco as well.

The Rumblestrutters The Full Moon, Cardiff. 8pm, free.

Info info@thefullmooncardiff. com.

The Special Brew Jack Murphys, Swansea. 9pm, £5 adv. Info 01792 017920. Bad Manners tribute. Playing Abertillery on Sat 10 Jan. Quite possibly some other dates too.

Thoby Davis The Royal Exchange, Cardiff. 9.30pm, free. Info 029 2056 4068.

Tibet Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff.

7-9.30pm. Info 029 2023 2199.

Triaxis + The 8th Bridge + Preacher + Mayhem Messiah Fuel Bar, Cardiff.

7pm, £5 adv. Info mail@ givemefuel.co.uk.

SUNDAY 21

Aubrey Parsons Tempus Bar, St David’s Hotel, Cardiff. 1pm, free. Info 0844 8246171.

Buffalo Summer Sin City, Swansea. 7.30pm, £5 adv. Info 01792 468892. Local hard rockers with a seasonal gig, more bands TBC. Christmas By Candlelight Acapela, Pentyrch, Cardiff.

8pm, £15. Info 029 2089 0862.

Introduced and conducted by Alwyn Humphreys.

Christmas Meltdown 2014 Clwb Ifor Bach, The Full Moon & The Moon Club, Cardiff.

2-11pm, £8. Info 029 2023 2199. Eclectic Cardiff promoters Meltdown, established in the mid-80s, come out of retirement in aid of The Safe Foundation. Across three venues, you can see Wonderbrass, Samba Galez, Screaming Miss Jackson & The Slap Ya Mama Big Band, Maddie And The Pandas, Rusty Shackle, Tommy & The Trouble, The Brwmys, Howl, Railroad Bill, Massive Horse, Grant Sharkey, The Rumblestrutters, Gareth And The Machine, Rockin’ John Lewis, Fingertrap, Rum Puppets, Francesca’s Word Salad, Men On The Chessboard, Albatross Archive, Anonymous Iconoclasts, The Wizards Of Delight, Georgia Patterson, Dave Morris, Halcyon Sessions, Joe Kelly, Dead In The Water, F-Block and more TBC. Eat Static The Globe, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £15 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

Live gloopy trance/techno sorts, kings of the Megadog heyday. Ian Liquid Lounge, Slamfish and Steve Magic Lantern will be DJing also.

Miss May & The Magic The Yard, Cardiff. 9.30pm, free. Info 029 2022 7577.

Salvation Army Civic Carol Service Brangwyn Hall, Swansea. 6pm, £5. Info 01792 475715.

The Village Quire + Phil Smith The Globe At Hay, HayOn-Wye. 7.30pm, £7.50 adv.

Info 01497 821762.

Welcome To Christmas Borough Theatre, Abergavenny.

7.30pm, £8/£7. Info 01873 850805. Seasonal concert.

MONDAY 22

Bad Manners + Max Splodge + Cartoon Violence The Garage, Swansea. 7.30pm, £18 adv. Info 01792 475147.

Band Melingruffudd + Brigyn The Duke Of Clarence, Canton, Cardiff. 6pm. Info clwbydiwc@gmail.com.

Presented by Clwb Y Diwc.

Gwd Mondays Open Mic Gwdihw, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free.

Info 029 2039 7933. Every fourth Monday of the month; also on Mon 26.

The Gents Noah’s Yard, Swansea. 8pm. Info 01792 447360.

The Syd Lawrence Orchestra Brangwyn Hall, Swansea. 7.30pm, £14-£18.

Info 01792 475715.

TUESDAY 23

Christmas By Candlelight Brangwyn Hall, Swansea.

6.15pm, £13.50 adv. Info 01792 475715. Featuring Ros Evans (soprano) and the Chamber Orchestra Of Wales.

WEDNESDAY 24

Aubrey Parsons Bar 44,

Cowbridge. Free. Info 01446 776488. Afternoon set, precise time TBC. Henry Marten’s Ghost Kiwis, Cardiff. Free. Info 029 2039 8965.

THURSDAY 25

Aubrey Parsons The Corran, Laugharne. 1-3.30pm. Info 01994 427417. Hustlin’ every day. (On tomorrow also!) They probably do a serviceable lunch here so don’t feel too sorry for Aubrey.

FRIDAY 26

Aubrey Parsons The Corran, Laugharne. 7pm. Info 01994 427417.

Regime Queens Hall, Narberth. 8pm, £8 adv. Info 01834 869323. EP launch presented by Pure Tech.

Stop Stop + Sabrage Crowley’s Rock Bar, Swansea.

8pm, free. Info 07981 684142.

SATURDAY 27

*Dub War + Misled Truth + Applied Science Bassment, Newport. 7.30pm, £12.50 adv. Info 01633 252252.

See Music for more on this, Dub War’s first gig in 18 years apparently.

Dukes Of Mumbai The Full Moon, Cardiff. 8pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Guns 2 Roses Fuel Bar, Cardiff. 8pm, £10/£7 adv.

Info mail@givemefuel.co.uk.

Tribute band.

Leighton Jones Band + Gareth Evans & Bella Collins Duo The Yard, Cardiff.

9.30pm, free. Info 029 2022 7577.

The Bowie Experience The Globe, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £10 adv. Info theglobevenue@ gmail.com.

The Eggmen Kiwis, Cardiff.

Free. Info 029 2039 8965.

The Sick Livers + Science Bastard Le Pub, Newport.

8pm. Info 01633 221477.

SUNDAY 28

Aubrey Parsons Tempus Bar, St David’s Hotel, Cardiff. 1pm, free. Info 0844 8246171.

The Vibrators + The Autonomes + Venom + Ray Jones & The Lunnerettes The Garage, Swansea. 8pm, £10/£8 adv.

Info 01792 475147. Of special note, in this reporter’s opinion, is the presence of Venom – not the early 80s metal pioneers, but a punk band from the same period made up of Swansea hooligans and miscreants. Their song Saturday Afternoon Trouble is a legit classic.

MONDAY 29

Afternoon In Paris Noah’s Yard, Swansea. 8pm. Info 01792 447360.

Easy Street Café Jazz, Cardiff. 8pm, £3/£2.50. Info 029 2038 7026.

Live Original Broadcasts The Brewhouse, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2039 9913.

Ukulele Jam Session The Andrew Buchan, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2021 2509.

WEDNESDAY 31

Aubrey Parsons The Atlantic Hotel, Porthcawl. Info 01656 785011.

Colibri Soul + Leighton Jones + Mario Morris Magic Show The Yard,

Cardiff. 8pm, £10. Info 029 2022 7577.

Lee Gilbert & The Dave Barry Big Band Masonic Hall, Cardiff. £45 adv. Info 029 2039 6576. Ticket price includes a three-course meal, half a bottle of wine and the opportunity to spend the new year in the company of freemasons. *New Year’s Eve At Chapter Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

7pm-2am, £25 adv. Info 029 2030 4400. This is a cool lineup if you like live electronic music and probably a glass of champagne at some point. Bass Clef, R. Seiliog, Gwenno and Macho City will all play live; CAM DJs will...

DJ and Shape Records are the curators.

Salvation Porter’s, Cardiff.

8pm, £16.55 adv. Info info@ porterscardiff.com. Playing as part of Porter’s NYE special.

This is also the last ever gig

by Salvation, who describe themselves as “your friendly neighbourhood covers band” and who I’ve never had the pleasure of.

Soul’d The Globe At Hay, HayOn-Wye. 8pm, £10 adv/£8 early bird. Info 01497 821762. Live soul/R&B group as the centrepiece of the night here.

Stars In Your Eyes The Dolls House, Abertillery. Free. Info 01495 213300. Karaoke, covers etc for NYE. Fancy dress, prizes and food are also listed on this rather gaudy poster I’m looking at here.

The Johnstown Flood + The Halcyon Sessions + Stew Hume NosDa, Cardiff.

8pm, free. Info 029 2037 8866.

Tomos Lewis The North Star, Cardiff. 8pm. Info 029 2062 4050.

FRIDAY 2 JANUARY

Junkiefest 2 Workmen’s Hall, Caerphilly. Info 07512 237983.

An all-dayer, or maybe halfdayer, of bands TBC. Despite the name, I doubt you have to be addicted to heroin to attend, or even to perform.

SATURDAY 3 JANUARY

Absolution New Panteg Rugby Club, New Inn, Pontypool.

7.30pm, £10/£8 members.

Info 01633 483238. A Borough Blues Club gig.

Aubrey Parsons Porter’s, Cardiff. 10pm. Info info@ porterscardiff.com.

Free For All Opening Party The Moon Club, Cardiff. Free.

Info info@thefullmooncardiff. com. First in a series of gigs throughout January which are free entry. This one has Rita Lynch, A Doubtful Sound, Sleep In The Fire, Calling Apollo, Mixalydia, Audio Pirates, 3MPH and Adam Morgan.

SUNDAY 4 JANUARY

Aubrey Parsons Tempus Bar, St David’s Hotel, Cardiff. 1pm, free. Info 0844 8246171.

David Grubb Gwdihw, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £3. Info 029 2039 7933.

Haast’s Eagled + Fetus Christ + The Judas Cradle + Wraiths & Omens The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com. Metal bands.

MONDAY 5 JANUARY

Live Original Broadcasts The Brewhouse, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2039 9913.

Rum Puppets + The Cradles + Luke Williams The Moon Club, Cardiff.

7.30pm, free. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com.

Ukulele Jam Session The Andrew Buchan, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2021 2509.

TUESDAY 6 JANUARY

Acoustic Tuesday South Riverside Community Development Centre, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £5. Info 029 2030 4400.

Bronze Age Boats + Fire Fences Gwdihw, Cardiff. 8pm, £3. Info 029 2039 7933.

Community Samba Band – Practise Dates Westenders Hall, Llanfaes, Brecon. 6-8pm, £4/£2 under-16s. Info sambabrecon@yahoo.co.uk.

Tendons + Ampersand + Blood Club + Aled Rheon The Moon Club, Cardiff.

7.30pm, free. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com.

Two’s Company Café Jazz, Cardiff. 8pm, £4.50/£4/£2 NUS. Info 029 2038 7026.

WEDNESDAY 7 JANUARY

Citrus Jam The Full Moon, Cardiff. 7pm-12am, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Crisis Talks + Redroom + Think Pretty The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Ellie Makes Music + Sera + Thomas Fitton Gwdihw, Cardiff. 8pm. Info 029 2039 7933. A Folk In The Owl’s Nest night, also known as FITON but not to be confused with the surname of the opening act. Crazy!

Folk Session Café Jazz, Cardiff. 8pm, £4/£3. Info 029 2038 7026. With Dan James.

Newport City Jazz & Swing Band Whiteheads Sports & Social Club, Bassaleg, Newport. 8pm, £8. Info malc@ dancebands.plus.com. South Wales Big Band Society gig.

Open Mic Market Street Club, Barry. 8pm. Info 01446 733863.

THURSDAY 8 JANUARY

Aubrey Parsons Tempus Bar, St David’s Hotel, Cardiff. 6pm, free. Info 0844 8246171.

Blue Collar Decade The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com.

Open Mic Night Lyceum Tavern, Newport. 8.30pm. Info 01633 858636.

Tim Cronin Gwdihw, Cardiff.

8pm, £4. Info 029 2039 7933.

SATURDAY 10 JANUARY

Fur + Jim Evans + Dave Morris + Tom Morgan + Ellie Makes Music + Sarah Proudfoot + Sera + Remembering August The Full Moon, Cardiff. Free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Folk alldayer.

Lacertilia + Valfader + Gulah + Dead Shed Jokers + Heavy Flames + Mind Victory + Cobalt Sons + Badly Timed Acid Flashback The Moon Club, Cardiff. Free. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com. EP launch for Lacertilia.

The Special Brew The Dolls House, Abertillery. 7.30pm.

Info 01495 213300.

SUNDAY 11 JANUARY

Aubrey Parsons Tempus Bar,

St David’s Hotel, Cardiff. 1pm, free. Info 0844 8246171.

Maddie Jones + The Kix + Grace Hartrey The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

MONDAY 12 JANUARY

Live Original Broadcasts The Brewhouse, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2039 9913.

Massive Horse + Heil Zilla + F-Block & The Tank Cat Allstars The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Ukulele Jam Session The Andrew Buchan, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2021 2509.

TUESDAY 13 JANUARY

Community Samba Band – Practise Dates Westenders Hall, Llanfaes, Brecon. 6-8pm, £4/£2 under-16s. Info sambabrecon@yahoo.co.uk.

Godbomber + Attercopus + Luna Stasi The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

John Scantlebury Quartet Café Jazz, Cardiff. 8pm, £4.50/£4/£2 NUS. Info 029 2038 7026.

Paolo Nutini Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff. 6.30pm, £35. Info 029 2022 4488.

Rescheduled from October.

Possibly sold out.

WEDNESDAY 14 JANUARY

Citrus Jam The Full Moon, Cardiff. 7pm-12am, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com. *J Mascis The Globe, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £15 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

Solo set from the Dinosaur Jr guitarist.

John Alderslade Pontyclun Institute Athletic Club. 8pm, £8/£5 members. Info 01443 226892. A Llantrisant Folk Club night.

Dave Barry Big Band Whiteheads Sports & Social Club, Bassaleg, Newport. 8pm, £8. Info malc@dancebands. plus.com. South Wales Big Band Society gig, also featuring Lee Gilbert and Amy Coombes.

Open Mic Market Street Club, Barry. 8pm. Info 01446 733863. *Personal Best + The Exhausts + Twisted + Terrafraid Gwdihw, Cardiff.

8pm, £5. Info 029 2039 7933.

DIY Cardiff’s second show has more punk, indie and garage fare. Good lineup.

The African Children’s Choir St David’s Hall, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £9-£12. Info 029 2087 8444. “Helping Africa’s most vulnerable children today... so they can help Africa tomorrow.”

THURSDAY 15 JANUARY

All The Best Tapes + Guerilla Monsoon + Masts + Cashed In The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Aubrey Parsons Tempus Bar, St David’s Hotel, Cardiff. 6pm, free. Info 0844 8246171.

Barry Steele’s Roy Orbison & Friends On Tour Grand Theatre, Swansea. 7.30pm, £19.50/£17.50. Info 01792 475715.

Dewi Griffiths The Old Library, Cardiff. 6-8pm, free.

Info 029 2066 6566.

Eleventh Apparition + The Autonomy Within + Hollow Tone Static Bar, Swansea.

7pm, £5/£4 adv. Info 01792

21) NOAH STEWART (Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff, Mon 27) THE TWILIGHT SAD (The Globe, Mon 27) BELLE & SEBASTIAN (St David’s Hall, Sun 3 May) S CLUB 7 (Motorpoint Arena, Tue 12) MARTIN CARTHY (Little Theatre, Neath, Sat 28) EWAN DOBSON (The Moon Club, Mon 28 Sept) BUZZ 79

live music 467998.

First Aid Kit St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £20. Info 029 2087 8444. See Music.

Miranda Sykes & Rex Preston Lyceum Tavern, Newport. 8pm. Info 01633 858636. A Lyceum Folk Club night.

The Lonely Hearts Rugby Clwb Café Jazz, Cardiff. 8pm, £6/£5. Info 029 2038 7026.

FRIDAY 16 JANUARY

Abba Mania Grand Theatre, Swansea. 7.30pm, £20/£18.

Info 01792 475715.

Bella & The Blues Café Jazz, Cardiff. 9pm, £4. Info 029 2038 7026. Blues.

DnA The Ivy Bush, Pontardawe. 8pm, £6. Info huwpudner@ntlworld.com. A Valley Folk Club night.

Howlin’ Lord + Screaming Miss Jackson & The Slap Ya Mama Big Band + The Jim E Vistic Experience The Moon Club, Cardiff.

7.30pm, free. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com.

I Am Hope The Full Moon, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Profile Piano Series: Virtuoso Pianist Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7pm, £5/£3.

Info 029 2039 1391.

Welsh National Opera Orchestra St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £5-£42. Info 029 2087 8444. Conducted by Lothar Koenigs.

SATURDAY 17 JANUARY

Bass 12 Gwdihw, Cardiff.

9pm, £4/£3 adv. Info 029 2039 7933. Playing as part of the Friends Of Superchango night.

Blue Is Black + Glue Foot The Full Moon, Cardiff.

7.30pm, free. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com.

Johnny Cash Roadshow St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £18/£17. Info 029 2087 8444.

The Smyths The Globe, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £10 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

Smiths tribute band, doing all of Meat Is Murder.

The Stars From The Commitments Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 7.30pm, £20/£19. Info 01656 815995.

Welsh Beatbox Championships The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free.

Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com.

Featuring Dead Residents, Squid Ninjaz, Applied Science and Mr Phormula.

SUNDAY 18 JANUARY

Aubrey Parsons Tempus Bar, St David’s Hotel, Cardiff.

1pm, free. Info 0844 8246171.

Drawn In + Rough Justice + Judgement + Ancestors + Strike Back + Splitknuckle Static Bar, Swansea. 7pm, £3. Info 01792 467998. Hardcore and that.

Jemma Roper + Titus Monk + Local Sports Team The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Lunchtime Concert National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff. 1pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. Featuring RWCMD students.

Nakisha Esnard + Jen Moore Gwdihw, Cardiff.

7pm, £2. Info 029 2039 7933.

Singer-songwriters.

MONDAY 19 JANUARY

Albatross Archive The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free.

Info info@thefullmooncardiff. com.

BUZZ 80

Live Original Broadcasts The Brewhouse, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2039 9913.

Ukulele Jam Session The Andrew Buchan, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2021 2509.

TUESDAY 20 JANUARY

Afternoon Concert With B Tommy Andersson Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2pm, £11.50-£13.50. Info 029 2063 6464.

Between Waves + Redmoth + Descyphered The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Community Samba Band – Practise Dates Westenders Hall, Llanfaes, Brecon. 6-8pm, £4/£2 under-16s. Info sambabrecon@yahoo.co.uk.

Fernhill St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 8pm, £14/£13 adv. Info 029 2087 8444. Playing the Roots Unearthed night.

Pomegranate Piano Trio St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 1pm, £4.50-£6.50. Info 029 2087 8444.

WEDNESDAY 21 JANUARY

Bully Wee Band With Phil Beer Burnett’s Hill Chapel, Martletwy, Pembrokeshire.

7.30pm, £10. Info 01646 651725.

Cities + Nanook Of The North + Zac White The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com.

Citrus Jam The Full Moon, Cardiff. 7pm-12am, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Henry Lowther Vortex With The John Gibbon Trio The Dingle Hotel, Narberth. 8pm, £7/£6. Info 01834 869323. This month’s Spanjazz gig.

Liberty Big Band Whiteheads Sports & Social Club, Bassaleg, Newport. 8pm, £8. Info malc@dancebands. plus.com. South Wales Big Band Society gig.

Southern Tenant Folk Union Borough Theatre, Abergavenny. 8pm, £12/£10.

Info 01873 850805. Bluegrass band. I quite like ‘em. Their new album is called The Chuck Norris Project. Bit disappointed by that.

THURSDAY 22 JANUARY

Aubrey Parsons Tempus Bar, St David’s Hotel, Cardiff. 6pm, free. Info 0844 8246171.

Dewi Griffiths The Old Library, Cardiff. 6-8pm, free.

Info 029 2066 6566.

John Gibbon & Henry Lowther Café Jazz, Cardiff.

8pm, £6/£5. Info 029 2038 7026.

Open Mic Night Lyceum Tavern, Newport. 8.30pm. Info 01633 858636.

Opera Gala 2015 Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £13/£11. Info 029 2039 1391.

Featuring the Royal Welsh College Chamber Ensemble and Royal Welsh College Chorus And Soloists.

Paul Carrack St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £28.50. Info 029 2087 8444.

Sonny Bonds Gwdihw, Cardiff. 7.30pm. Info 029 2039 7933. Blues.

Steve Knightley Rudry Parish Hall, Caerphilly. 6.30pm, £16.

Info 07740 192879. Solo set from a member of British folk group Show Of Hands.

FRIDAY 23 JANUARY

Burns Night 2015 Royal Welsh College Of Music &

Drama, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £20.

Info 029 2039 1391. Concert followed by a Burns Supper, whiskey tasting and ceilidh.

Frank Sinatra: The Centennial Concert St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £22.50/£20. Info 029 2087 8444. Frank was born in 1915, so commiserations in advance to the people of Hoboken, New Jersey for the 12 months of desperate cashing in they’re presumably about to endure.

Hayseed Dixie Princess Royal Theatre, Port Talbot.

8pm, £17/£15. Info 01639 763214. Reviewed in the albums section this issue.

They’ll be doing Stiff Upper Lip by AC/DC from start to finish in this set.

Howl + Clay Statues + Zinc Bukowski + Vulcan 3 + Babezilla The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Milk Teeth + Hindsights Le Pub, Newport. 7.30pm, £6 adv. Info 01633 221477. Bristol punk band headline. Jealous Lovers Club present.

Moonstruck Cabaret Small World Theatre, Cardigan.

7.30pm. Info 01239 615952.

Featuring sets from Beyond Compere and Miss Maud’s Folly.

Railroad Bill The Full Moon, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Real Ale Real Music Acapela, Pentyrch, Cardiff.

8pm, £5. Info 029 2089 0862.

Rob Lynch + Front Porch Step + Alison Weiss Gwdihw, Cardiff. 7pm, £8 adv.

Info 029 2039 7933. Acoustic punk type stuff presented by Punktastic.

The Albino Frogs Café Jazz, Cardiff. 9pm, £4. Info 029 2038 7026. Blues.

The Magic Of Motown Maesteg Town Hall. 7.30pm, £25 adv. Info 01656 733700.

T’Pau The Globe, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £17.50 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

Collaborative album between Carol Decker and Tim Hecker, mastered in Berlin by Rashad Becker.

SATURDAY 24 JANUARY

Blood Lips + Recluse + Bankrupt Pug + Birdcage Dempseys, Cardiff. 8pm, £4 adv. Info 029 2023 9253.

Cakehole Presley Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

7.30pm. Info 029 2030 4400.

Newsoundwales present a gig by local band who sold out their last Cardiff show, back in November.

Jazz In The Gallery M.A.D.E. Gallery, Roath, Cardiff. 7.30-10.30pm, £8 adv.

Info 029 2047 3373. A civilised and gentle evening of 1940s jazz, even though the real 1940s were neither civilised nor gentle, due to war. *Julian Cope The Globe, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £22.50 adv.

Info theglobevenue@gmail. com. Not seen Julian live before, is he likely to be much cop? Might have a look.

Kookamunga + Inc.A + Third Party + Kinky Wizzards The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Presented by Péchés Mignons.

Maña Collective Acapela, Pentyrch, Cardiff. 8pm, £5-£10.

Info 029 2089 0862. A Jazz@ Acapela presentation.

Open Mic Market Street Club, Barry. 8pm. Info 01446 733863.

Slipknot + Korn Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff. 6.30pm, £39.50.

Info 029 2022 4488. A dream teamup of bands... if you’re

a sulky teenager who won’t tidy his bedroom, that is! Just one of my razor-sharp zings concerning the modern rock scene there. This is long sold out by the way.

Sold Gold 70s Show The Riverfront, Newport. 7.30pm, £20. Info 01633 656757.

Talon Congress Theatre, Cwmbran. 7.30pm, £16. Info 01633 868239.

SUNDAY 25 JANUARY

Aubrey Parsons Tempus Bar, St David’s Hotel, Cardiff.

1pm, free. Info 0844 8246171.

Geraint Jarman + Plu Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

8pm, £12. Info 029 2030 4400.

Album launch gig for GJ. Groblar + Thorun + Mike Dennis The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Heavenly Harps National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

1-4pm, free. Info 01792 463980. Recital by harpist Shelley Fairplay, as in “fairplay, that is a good surname”.

Nazareth The Globe, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £17 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

RAZZAMANAZZ!!!

MONDAY 26 JANUARY

Easy Street Café Jazz, Cardiff. 8pm, £3/£2.50. Info 029 2038 7026.

Gwd Mondays Open Mic Gwdihw, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free.

Info 029 2039 7933.

Live Original Broadcasts The Brewhouse, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2039 9913.

Luke Bennett + Evan Graham + Dewi Griffiths + Joe Silva The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Neck Deep + Knuckle Puck + Trophy Eyes + Seaway Y Plas, Cardiff University Students Union.

7pm, £10.50 adv. Info 029 2078 1458. Pop-punk type stuff.

Ukulele Jam Session The Andrew Buchan, Cardiff.

8.30pm, free. Info 029 2021 2509.

TUESDAY 27 JANUARY

Back To Bach 4: Chiara Bertoglio Cardiff University Concert Hall. 7-9pm, £3-£10.

Info 029 2087 4816. Piano recital.

Community Samba Band – Practise Dates Westenders Hall, Llanfaes, Brecon. 6-8pm, £4/£2 under-16s. Info sambabrecon@yahoo.co.uk.

Dimensions + Tides Of Sulfur The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Lost Tuesday Society + Paul Edwards + Jonathan Nicolas Gwdihw, Cardiff.

8pm, £3. Info 029 2039 7933. Presented by Acoustic Showcase Bridgend.

RWCMD Symphony Orchestra St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 1pm, £4.50-£6.50. Info 029 2087 8444.

WEDNESDAY 28 JANUARY

Citrus Jam The Full Moon, Cardiff. 7pm-12am, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

Composer Portrait: Thierry Escaich Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £10. Info 029 2063 6464.

Meg & Dave Cox Pontyclun Institute Athletic Club. 8pm, £3. Info 01443 226892. A Llantrisant Folk Club night.

Open Mic Night NosDa, Cardiff. 8pm, free. Info 029

2037 8866. Free drink for performers. Last Wednesday of every month.

The St Pierre Snake Invasion The Moon Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@thefullmooncardiff.com.

THURSDAY 29 JANUARY

Aubrey Parsons Tempus Bar, St David’s Hotel, Cardiff. 6pm, free. Info 0844 8246171.

Brooks Williams The Angel Hotel, Llandeilo. Info info@ llandeiloacoustic.com.

Dewi Griffiths The Old Library, Cardiff. 6-8pm, free.

Info 029 2066 6566.

Frankie & The Heartstrings Gwdihw, Cardiff. 7.30pm. Info 029 2039 7933. Huw Stephens presents indie band from the north-east, as part of Independent Venue Week. *Houdini Dax Kuku Club, Cardiff. 7pm, £4/£3 members.

Info 029 2011 1177. The fourth in Buzz Presents’ series of gigs.

Check the Facebook page of that name out for more info.

Levellers Pontardawe Arts Centre. 7.30pm, £25. Info 01792 863722. Screening of A Curious Life, a new documentary about the band’s rise to fame in the 90s, followed by an acoustic set.

Open Mic Night Lyceum Tavern, Newport. 8.30pm. Info 01633 858636.

Stalin’s Street Party + Homes + Henry’s Funeral Shoe + Johnstown Flood + The Bakestones + Higher Bells The Moon Club, Cardiff.

7.30pm, free. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com.

FRIDAY 30 JANUARY

Amy Wadge + Luke Jackson Pontardawe Arts Centre. 7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 01792 863722. Brace of singersongwriters.

Atomic Blondie The Globe, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £10 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

Tribute act.

Beyond The Barricade St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £15.50-£19.50. Info 029 2087 8444.

Gion Stump The Gate, Cardiff.

8pm, £5. Info 029 2048 3344.

Johnny Cage & The Voodoo Groove Revue Gwdihw, Cardiff. 8pm, £3. Info 029 2039 7933. First in a planned series of bi-monthly takeover events for local rock’n’rollers.

Junior Bill & The Scallies + Holy Moly & The Crackers + Three Pairs of Shoes The Moon Club, Cardiff.

7.30pm, free. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com. EP launch gig for headliners.

Organ Recital National Museum & Gallery, Cardiff.

1pm, free. Info 029 2039 7951. *Suns Of Thunder + Hogslayer + VAILS + Heil Zilla Static Bar, Swansea.

7.30pm, £4. Info 01792 467998.

The Simon & Garfunkel Story Torch Theatre, Milford Haven. 7.30pm, £16.50-£18.50.

Info 01646 695267.

SATURDAY 31 JANUARY

Big Mac’s Wholly Soul Band The Globe, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £10 adv. Info theglobevenue@gmail.com.

Dusty & Friends The Riverfront, Newport. 7.30pm, £18.50/£16.50. Info 01633 656757. Dusty Springfield tribute act, courtesy of Mazine Mazumder.

Free For All Closing Party The Moon Club, Cardiff.

7.30pm, free. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com.

Featuring Graveyard Johnnys, Cowboy & The Corpse, Crooked

Little Sons, The Dukes Of Bordello and Deadbeat Deluxe.

Open Mic Market Street Club, Barry. 8pm. Info 01446 733863.

Sam Bailey + Daughters Of Davis St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £29.50/£27.50.

Info 029 2087 8444.

Sild + Sioned Davis + Sweet Solace Penarth Pier Pavilion. 7-10pm, £10/£8 adv.

Info 029 2071 2100. Trad folk evening presented by WAVE. Tattsyrup + Poor Old Dogs + The Puss Puss Band The Full Moon, Cardiff. 7.30pm, free. Info info@ thefullmooncardiff.com.

The Jive Aces Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7.30pm, £15/£13.

Info 0845 2263510. Jive and swing band.

stage MONDAY 1

A Child’s Christmas In Wales Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 7pm, £7.50-£15.

Info 01970 623232. Michael Bogdanov’s Dylan Thomas adaption. In Brecon after this.

(Until Wed 3) Emily Brown And The Thing Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea. 4pm, £7.50. Info 01792 602060. Kids’ show.

Puss In Boots The Gate, Cardiff. 10am + 12.30pm, £8/£6. Info 029 2048 3344.

Black RAT present 2014’s edition of Christmas At The Gate, ie panto. (Until Fri 5) Pws Mewn Bwts Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 1 + 6.30pm, £8-£13. Info 029 2063 6464. Kids’ show starring Martyn Geraint. On tomorrow also; in Barry on Wed 3; Neath on Mon 15; Newtown Tue 16, Ystradgynlais Thurs 18.

Santa In Love Miners’ Institute, Blackwood. 4pm, £6.50/£8 kids. Info 01495 227206. Festive kids’ show. In Merthyr tomorrow.

TUESDAY 2

A Child’s Christmas In Wales Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 10am + 7pm, £10.50£15. Info 01970 623232. (Until Wed 3) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 8pm, £5.50. Info 01633 656757.

Panto, presented by Hiss And Boo. Today is a special opening night price. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Hoke’s Bluff Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 8pm, £6-£12. Info 01970 623232. Theatre based on the corny drama of schoolage sports narratives.

Last Christmas Porter’s, Cardiff. 6.30pm. Info info@ porterscardiff.com. Dirty Protest’s one-man seasonal drama, Matthew Bulgo playing the one man. On tomorrow also; in Aberystwyth on Thurs 4, Milford Haven Fri 5.

Puss In Boots The Gate, Cardiff. 10am + 12.30pm, £8/£6. Info 029 2048 3344.

(Until Fri 5) Pws Mewn Bwts Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 1 + 6.30pm, £8-£13. Info 029 2063 6464.

Santa In Love Theatr Soar, Merthyr Tydfil. 11am + 1.30pm, £7. Info 01685 722176.

Scrooge The Met, Abertillery.

7pm, £9/£8. Info 01495 355800.

Christmas performance by Abertillery Amateur Dramatic & Musical Society. (Until

stage Thurs 4) The Great Big Gilbert & Sullivan Show Grand Theatre, Swansea. 7.30pm, £13-£18. Info 01792 475715.

The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. This started in early November and still has nearly a month and a half to go. Tickets vary in availability, I believe, so do check before making big plans. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Ugly Duckling St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan. 10.30am + 1.30pm, £8/£6. Info 01446 779100. Kids’ show. In English first, then Welsh.

White Christmas New Theatre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £9-£20.50. Info 029 2087 8889.

Orbit Theatre with the musical of the film. (Until Sat 6)

WEDNESDAY 3

A Child’s Christmas In Wales Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 10am, £7.50-£15. Info 01970 623232. (Finishes today) A Christmas Carol Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 1 + 7.30pm, £10. Info 0845 2263510. One-

01656 733700. Playing the Clown’s Pocket comedy night.

Novello & Son Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 8pm, £8-£13. Info 029 2063 6464. One-woman show with Rosamund Shelley playing Ivor Novello’s mum.

Puss In Boots The Gate, Cardiff. 10am, 12.30pm + 6.30pm, £8/£6. Info 029 2048 3344. (Until Fri 5) Pws Mewn Bwts Memorial Hall Theatre, Barry. 10am, £6.

Info 01446 738622.

Scrooge The Met, Abertillery.

7pm, £9/£8. Info 01495 355800.

(Until Thurs 4) Santa In Love The Welfare, Ystradgynlais. 8pm, £12/£10.

Info 01639 843163. Kids’ play, the second to mull the interior life of Santa today. The feelings of love and needing a wee are easily confused, after all. In Builth Wells on Tue 30.

Swan Lake Wyeside Arts Centre, Builth Wells. 7.30pm, £15/£14. Info 01982 552555.

Presented by Ballet Theatre UK. The Experimentrics Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea. 5pm, £5.

Info 01792 602060. Theatrical science thing. On tomorrow

Welsh standup promoters, the stereotype-embracing Comedy Sheep, host four dates across south Wales in December.

Starting at Dempseys, Cardiff, on Thurs 4 with a four-comic bill (Dan Thomas plus three), they'll return there on Sun 14, with Rob Hughes headlining. On Mon 8 they're at Blanco's Hotel, Port Talbot and on Wed 17 they're at Static Bar, Swansea. man show with James Hyland as Scrooge.

Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 2pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Dick Whittington Workmen’s Hall, Caerphilly. 7pm, £10/£6 kids. Info 07512 237983. Panto performed by the Caerphilly Players. (Until Sat 6) Father Christmas Needs A Wee! Grand Theatre, Swansea. 11am, 2pm + 5pm, £12.50/£10.50. Info 01792 475715. Kids’ show combining the increasing anticipation for Dec 25 with the piss-based humour currently in vogue.

Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain Theatr Hafren, Newtown. 10am + 1pm, £11/£9. Info 01686 614555.

Barmy Britain? History?

Sounds like current events to me! Seriously though folks, enjoy this 3D stage adaption of the edutaining kids’ book series. (Until Sat 6) Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Gwyn Hall, Neath. 7pm, £10.

Info 0300 3656677. Amateur youth production. (Until Sat 6) Katherine Ryan Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 6.45pm, £12/£10 NUS. Info 0871 4720400.

Last Christmas Porter’s, Cardiff. 6.30pm. Info info@ porterscardiff.com.

Nick Helm + David Trent Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff.

7.30pm. Info 029 2023 2199.

Two standup comedians, presented here by Little Wander.

Noel James Maesteg Town Hall. 7.30pm, £11 adv. Info

also.

The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Winter’s Tale Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7.15pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391.

Shakespeare, as directed by Joe Murphy. (Until Sat 13) White Christmas New Theatre, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £9-£20.50. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sat 6)

THURSDAY 4

A Child’s Christmas In Wales Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon. 7pm, £16.50/£15. Info 01874 611622. (Until Sun 7) Comedy Sheep Dempseys, Cardiff. 7pm, £20/£15 adv. Info 029 2023 9253. With a total of four comedians, including Dan Thomas. I’m assuming the other three will offer an answer to why tickets are £15. A Comedy Sheep bill will also be in Port Talbot on Mon 8; here again on Sun 14 and Swansea on Wed 17.

Cymraeg Congress Theatre, Cwmbran. 7.30pm, £8.50/£7.50.

Info 01633 868239. “A celebration of Welsh music and artists.” That’s all I know. (Until Sat 6) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 2 + 7pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Dick Whittington Workmen’s Hall, Caerphilly. 7pm, £10/£6 kids. Info 07512 237983. (Until Sat 6)

Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain Theatr Hafren, Newtown. 10am + 1pm, £11/£9. Info 01686 614555.

(Until Sat 6) John Moloney + Kockov + Martin Mór Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7pm, £10/£5 NUS. Info 0871 4720400. Comedy Carousel night.

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Gwyn Hall, Neath. 7pm, £10.

Info 0300 3656677. (Until Sat 6) Last Christmas Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 7.45pm, £4.25£8.50. Info 01970 623232.

Le Pub Is For LOLs Le Pub, Newport. 8pm. Info 01633 221477. Comedy night on the first Thursday of every month.

Luisa Omielan Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 8pm, £8-£13. Info 029 2063 6464. Comedian brings her Fringe hit show, What Would Beyonce Do?, to Cardiff. Not sure what it’s about so I’m going to guess it’s about playing private concerts for Libyan autocrats.

Peter Pan Dolman Theatre, Newport. 7pm, £8.50/£6.50 kids. Info 01633 263670. Panto.

(Until Sat 6) Puss In Boots The Gate, Cardiff. 10am, 12.30pm + 6.30pm, £8/£6. Info 029 2048 3344. (Until Fri 5) Porter’s Christmas Special Mass Collective Porter’s, Cardiff. 8pm. Info info@ porterscardiff.com. The best of the last month of talent showcased at this venue.

Rory McGrath & Philip Pope Borough Theatre, Abergavenny. 8pm, £16. Info 01873 850805. Comedy music.

Scrooge The Met, Abertillery.

7pm, £9/£8. Info 01495 355800.

(Finishes today) The Chimes Pontardawe Arts Centre. 7.30pm, £10. Info 01792 863722. Lighthouse Theatre interpret Dickens.

In Pembrokeshire on Sun 7; Ystradgynlais on Mon 8; Aberystwyth on Thurs 11; Porthcawl Thurs 18.

The Experimentrics Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea. 10am, £5. Info 01792 602060.

The Future For Beginners The Welfare, Ystradgynlais.

7.30pm, £10/£8. Info 01639 843163. Theatre show about the perils of growing old together.

The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £15.50£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Man The Gate, Cardiff.

7pm, £10/£8. Info 029 2048 3344. James Graham’s play about a self-employed bloke called Ben who has to do his self-assessment form for the year.

The Winter’s Tale Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7.15pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391.

(Until Sat 13) White Christmas New Theatre, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £9-£20.50. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sat 6)

FRIDAY 5

A Child’s Christmas In Wales Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon. 7pm, £16.50/£15. Info 01874 611622. (Until Sun 7) A Child’s Christmas In Wales Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon. 7pm, £16.50/£15. Info 01874 611622. (Until Sun 7) Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 7pm, £12-£20.

Info 029 2064 6900. See more in our Christmas roundup Upfront concerning this

month-long showing. Tonight and tomorrow are discounted preview prices. (Until Wed 31) A Tea Party With Snow White & Friends Pontardawe Arts Centre. 4.15-5pm, £5. Info 01792 863722.

Channel Rose Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2063 6464. New dance production from award winning choreographer Eleesha Drennan. On tomorrow also.

Company Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391. Stephen Sondheim musical. (Until Sat 13) Cymraeg Congress Theatre, Cwmbran. 7.30pm, £8.50/£7.50.

Info 01633 868239. (Until Sat 6) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 2pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Dick Whittington Workmen’s Hall, Caerphilly. 7pm, £10/£6 kids. Info 07512 237983. (Until Sat 6) Drones Comedy Club Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

8.30pm, £3.50. Info 029 2030 4400. Also on Fri 19.

Duncan Oakley + Caimh McDonnell + Ray Peacock Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 8pm, £12/£10 adv. Info 0845 2263510. Comedy Club night.

Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain Theatr Hafren, Newtown. 10am + 7pm, £11/£9. Info 01686 614555.

(Until Sat 6) I’m Dylan Thomas YMCA, Swansea. 7pm, £5/£2.50. Info 01792 652032. A modern adaption of the life of big dog DT, made by and for young people.

On tomorrow also.

Jack & The Beanstalk Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare.

7pm, £10. Info 0800 0147111.

Panto, starring Frank Vickery.

(Until Tue 16) Jarlath Regan + Sean Meo + Slim Jongleurs, Cardiff.

7pm, from £20. Info 08700 111960. On tomorrow also.

John Moloney + Kockov + Martin Mór Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 8.15pm, £24 adv. Info 0871 4720400. On tomorrow also. This is the point where the prices get jacked up, so the venue can compensate for the hell that is having to put up with your works party.

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Gwyn Hall, Neath. 7pm, £10.

Info 0300 3656677. (Until Sat 6) Last Christmas Torch Theatre, Milford Haven.

7.45pm, £10.50/£9.50. Info 01646 695267.

Ntokee Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2030 4400. Dance production from Ballet Nimba, Wales’ African dance company. On tomorrow also.

Peter & The Wolf Acapela, Pentyrch, Cardiff. 8pm, £5-£15.

Info 029 2089 0862. Classical Cafe Christmas special. It’s theatre, but with live music, specifically that of Prokofiev.

Peter Pan Dolman Theatre, Newport. 7pm, £8.50/£6.50 kids. Info 01633 263670. Panto.

(Until Sat 6) Puss In Boots The Gate, Cardiff. 10am, 12.30pm + 6.30pm, £8/£6. Info 029 2048 3344. (Finishes today) Smashed Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 8pm, £8-£12. Info 029 2063 6464. A theatrical display of juggling from Gandini Juggling.

The Forgotten? Never! Savoy Theatre, Monmouth. 7.30pm, £10/£8. Info 01600 772467.

Play celebrating the 175th

anniversary of the Chartist movement The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Winter’s Tale Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7.15pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391. (Until Sat 13) Unity (1918) Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7pm, £6-£12.

Info 029 2030 4400. The RWCMD’s Richard Burton Company present a play about an influenza epidemic in a Canadian town, circa 1918.

(Until Sat 13) White Christmas New Theatre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £9-£20.50. Info 029 2087 8889.

(Until Sat 6)

SATURDAY 6

A Child’s Christmas In Wales Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon. 2.30 + 7pm, £16.50/£15. Info 01874 611622.

(Until Sun 7) Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 7pm, £12-£20.

Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Channel Rose Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2063 6464.

Company Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391. (Until Sat 13) Cymraeg Congress Theatre, Cwmbran. 7.30pm, £8.50/£7.50.

Info 01633 868239. (Finishes today) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 1 + 5pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Dick Whittington Workmen’s Hall, Caerphilly. 11am + 4pm, £10/£6 kids. Info 07512 237983. (Finishes today) Diversity Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff. 6.30pm, £35/£25. Info 029 2022 4488. Dance troupe off the telly.

Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain Theatr Hafren, Newtown. 10.30am + 2pm, £11/£9. Info 01686 614555.

(Finishes today) I’m Dylan Thomas YMCA, Swansea. 7pm, £5/£2.50. Info 01792 652032.

Jack & The Beanstalk Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare.

2pm, £15/£11. Info 0800 0147111. (Until Tue 16) Jarlath Regan + Sean Meo + Slim Jongleurs, Cardiff.

7pm, from £20. Info 08700 111960.

John Moloney + Kockov + Martin Mór Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7.15pm, £27.50 adv. Info 0871 4720400.

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Gwyn Hall, Neath. 7pm, £10.

Info 0300 3656677. (Finishes today) Ntokee Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2030 4400.

Peter Pan Dolman Theatre, Newport. 7pm, £8.50/£6.50 kids. Info 01633 263670. Panto.

(Finishes today) Swan Lake Blake Theatre, Monmouth. 3pm, £12-£16. Info 01600 719401. Ballet, presented by Ballet Theatre UK. The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £15.50£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Winter’s Tale Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7.15pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391.

(Until Sat 13) Unity (1918) Chapter Arts

Centre, Cardiff. 7pm, £6-£12.

Info 029 2030 4400. (Until Sat 13) White Christmas New Theatre, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £9-£20.50. Info 029 2087 8889. (Finishes today)

SUNDAY 7

A Child’s Christmas In Wales Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon. 2.30pm, £16.50/£15.

Info 01874 611622. (Finishes today) Jack & The Beanstalk Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare.

2pm, £15/£11. Info 0800 0147111. (Until Tue 16) Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff. 8pm, £65/£43.50. Info 029 2022 4488. Or, to give it its full name, Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds – Alive On Stage! – Final Arena Tour.

Starring Brian McFadden, or to give him his full name, Brian McFadden – Just The Way You Are (Drunk At The Bar). On tomorrow also.

Live Cabaret Market Street Club, Barry. 8.30pm. Info 01446 733863. Every Sunday.

Mayor’s Christmas Charity Show Princess Royal Theatre, Port Talbot. 7pm, £3. Info 01639 763214. Variety show presented

by Hugh James, the mayor in question.

Peter & The Wolf Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 12pm, £8/£5 kids. Info 029 2039 1391. Also on Wed 10 and Thurs 11.

T42 Christmas Special Dolman Theatre, Newport.

7.15pm, £6 adv. Info 01633 263670. Christmas variety show.

(Until Tue 9) The Chimes Rhos Y Gilwen, Pembrokeshire. 8pm, £8. Info 01239 841387.

The Christmassy Christmas Show Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli.

2pm, £9/£7. Info 0845 2263510.

Family show presented by Squashbox Theatre.

The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Noise Next Door + Clint Edwards + Robin Morgan Buffalo, Cardiff. 7pm, £7 adv.

Info 029 2031 0312. Presented

by Buffalo Comedy.

MONDAY 8

Andy Zaltzman + Helen Keen Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7pm, £10. Info 029 2030 4400. Gofasterstripe comedy night, which’ll be recorded for a DVD. Caterpillar Comedy Gwdihw, Cardiff. 8pm, free. Info 029 2039 7933. Open mic standup night hosted by Jordan Brookes. Also on Mon 12 Jan. Comedy Sheep Blanco’s Hotel, Port Talbot. 7pm, £20/£15 adv.

Info 01639 864500.

Gower College Swansea Third Year Acting Company Showcase Grand Theatre Arts Wing, Swansea. 7pm, £8.50/£6.50. Info 01792 475715.

(Until Wed 10) Jack & The Beanstalk Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare.

9.45am + 12.30pm, £15/£11.

Info 0800 0147111. (Until Tue 16) Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff. 8pm, £65/£43.50. Info 029 2022 4488.

T42 Christmas Special Dolman Theatre, Newport.

7.15pm, £6 adv. Info 01633 263670. (Until Tue 9) The Chimes The Welfare, Ystradgynlais. 7.30pm, £9/£7.

BUZZ 81

stage

BLUESTOCKING LOUNGE: HOTHOUSE FLOWERS Grand Theatre Arts Wing, Swansea, Sat 20 Dec Tickets: £12.50. Info: 01792 475715 www.swanseagrand.co.uk No relation to the sappy 90s acoustic pop band of that name, Hothouse Flowers in this instance presumably refers to the presence of one Lady Wildflower tonight, heading the bill for Bluestocking Lounge’s Christmas extravaganza.

Based in Yorkshire, Lady Wildflower organises one of the UK’s biggest burlesque festivals, in Hebden Bridge; her own stage show, meanwhile, has taken her abroad, touring China in 2012.

Also of note on the bill is Constance Peach, who bowed out of the burlesque game recently – Bluestocking Lounge, however, is a respected enough name for her to un-retire for one night only. Sandy Sure, a Welshwoman now based in Devon, and Bluestocking big cheese Lilly Laudanum will give the night extra local colour.

Info 01639 843163.

The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am + 1.30pm, £8. Info 029 2064 6900. This year’s Sherman panto, a family show with storytelling, puppetry and music.

(Until Sat 3 Jan)

TUESDAY 9

Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 10.30am + 7pm, £15-£25. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Company Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391. (Until Sat 13) Gower College Swansea Third Year Acting Company Showcase Grand Theatre Arts Wing, Swansea. 7pm, £8.50/£6.50. Info 01792 475715. (Until Wed 10) I’ll Be There, Now... Park Cons Club, Cardiff. 8pm, £8/£5.

Info 029 2030 4400. Presented

by Chapter, you can see more on this one-woman show in Stage. On tomorrow also; in Merthyr on Thurs 11 and Fri 12, Swansea Sat 13.

Jack & The Beanstalk Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare.

9.45am + 12.30pm, £15/£11.

Info 0800 0147111. (Until Tue 16) Jimmy Carr Princess Royal Theatre, Port Talbot. 8pm, £25.

Info 01639 763214.

On The Edge: The Undead Poets Society Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 8pm, £4. Info 029 2030 4400. Script-in-hand BUZZ 82

performance of John Hussey’s play.

Patagonia Gwyn Hall, Neath.

10am + 1pm, £8. Info 0300 3656677.

T42 Christmas Special Dolman Theatre, Newport.

2pm, £6 adv. Info 01633 263670. (Finishes today) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am + 1.30pm, £8. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 3 Jan) The Winter’s Tale Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7.15pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391.

(Until Sat 13) Unity (1918) Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7pm, £6-£12. Info 029 2030 4400.

(Until Sat 13)

WEDNESDAY 10

Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 10.30am, £15£25. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Cinderella Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen. 10am + 7pm, £14/£12. Info 0845 2263510.

Panto, presented by Jermin Productions. (Until Sun 21) Company Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391. (Until Sat 13) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 7pm,

£10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Dylan Thomas: Clown In The Moon Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £8-£12. Info 029 2030 4400.

First of three evenings here where Rhodri Miles will take the stage on his ownsome.

Tomorrow he is ‘being’ Richard Burton; tonight and Fri 12, he is Dylan Thomas.

Gower College Swansea Third Year Acting Company Showcase Grand Theatre Arts Wing, Swansea. 7pm, £8.50/£6.50. Info 01792 475715. (Finishes today) I’ll Be There, Now... Park Cons Club, Cardiff. 8pm, £8/£5.

Info 029 2030 4400.

Jack & The Beanstalk Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare.

9.45am + 12.30pm, £15/£11.

Info 0800 0147111. (Until Tue 16) Jack & The Beanstalk Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon.

7pm, £14/£10. Info 01874 611622. Panto. Not on tomorrow, bit it is on Fri-Sun. (Until Sun 14) John Bishop Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff. 6.30pm, £30.

Info 029 2022 4488. On tomorrow also.

On The Edge: The Undead Poets Society Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea. 7.30pm, £4/£1.60. Info 01792 463980.

Script-in-hand reading of this John Hussey play.

Peter & The Wolf Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 10.30am + 1.15pm, £8/£5 kids. Info 029 2039 1391.

The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am + 1.30pm, £8. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sun 4 Jan) The Winter’s Tale Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7.15pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391. (Until Sat 13) Unity (1918) Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7pm, £6-£12.

Info 029 2030 4400. (Until Sat 13)

THURSDAY 11

A Christmas Carol Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £7.50/£3.50. Info 029 2087 7959. One-man performance of seasonal favourite, courtest of Dewi Savage.

Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 10.30am, £15£25. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Burton Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £8-£12. Info 029 2030 4400. One-man show with Rhodri Miles playing the volatile Welsh thesp.

Cinderella Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen. 10am + 7pm, £14/£12. Info 0845 2263510.

(Until Sun 21) Company Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff.

2.30 + 7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391. (Until Sat 13) County Youth Dance Company Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea. 7.30pm, £8.75/£6.75. Info 01792 602060.

Dancefit Showcase The Gate, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £5. Info 029 2048 3344.

Gavin Webster + Gerry K + Gareth Berliner Queens Hall, Narberth. 7.15pm, £8-£12.

Info 01834 869323. Span Arts comedy night.

Geoff Norcott + Jim Tavare + Keith Farnan Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7.15pm,

£29.50 adv. Info 0871 4720400.

(Until Sat 13) I’ll Be There, Now...

Redhouse Cymru, Merthyr Tydfil. 7.30pm, £7/£5. Info 01685 384111. On tomorrow also.

Jack & The Beanstalk Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare.

9.45am + 12.30pm, £15/£11.

Info 0800 0147111. (Until Tue 16) John Bishop Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff. 6.30pm, £30.

Info 029 2022 4488.

Peter & The Wolf Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 10.30am + 1.15pm, £8/£5 kids. Info 029 2039 1391.

Sioe Nadolig Cyw Gwyn Hall, Neath. 5.45pm, £5-£7. Info 0300 3656677. Welsh language Christmas show.

The Addams Family Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7pm, £12.50 adv. Info 0845 2263510.

Musical, presented by Llanelli Musical Players. (Until Sat 13) The Chimes Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 7.45pm, £4.25-£8.50.

Info 01970 623232.

The Frozen Scream Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 8pm, £17/£16. Info 029 2063 6464. Spooky play based on the lost 1928 supernatural murder-mystery novel by CC Gilbert. (Until Sat 20) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £15.50£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Twelve Days Of Christmas Memorial Hall Theatre, Barry. 10am, £6. Info 01446 738622. Kids’ show about a clumsy elf.

The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am + 1.30pm, £8. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 3 Jan) The Winter’s Tale Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7.15pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391.

(Until Sat 13) Unity (1918) Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7pm, £6-£12.

Info 029 2030 4400. (Until Sat 13)

FRIDAY 12

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 10.30am + 12.45pm, £9.50. Info 01656 815995. Panto. These are special opening weekend prices.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 10.30am, £15£25. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Cinderella Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen. 10am + 7pm, £14/£12. Info 0845 2263510.

(Until Sun 21) Cinderella Miners’ Institute, Blackwood. 7pm, £6. Info 01495 227206. Owen Money is the big kahuna in this particular panto. Special opening night price FYI. (Until Wed 31) Comedy Shed The Riverfront, Newport. 7.45pm, £12. Info 01633 656757. With standups TBC. Company Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391. (Until Sat 13) Community Christmas Cabaret Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

7.30pm. Info 029 2022 1330 / www.nofitstate.org. This event, which is on tomorrow also, doubles as an Alice In Wonderland-themed performance and a showcase for the skills learned by NoFit State class attendees this term.

Countdown To Christmas Theatr Hafren, Newtown. 7pm, £8/£4 kids. Info 01686 614555.

Variety show in aid of Cancer

Research UK. Dylan Thomas: Clown In The Moon Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £8-£12. Info 029 2030 4400.

Geoff Norcott + Jim Tavare + Keith Farnan Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 8.15pm, £26 adv. Info 0871 4720400.

(Until Sat 13) I’ll Be There, Now...

Redhouse Cymru, Merthyr Tydfil. 7.30pm, £7/£5. Info 01685 384111.

Jack & The Beanstalk Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare.

9.45am + 12.30pm + 7pm, £15/£11. Info 0800 0147111.

(Until Tue 16) Jack & The Beanstalk Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon.

7pm, £14/£10. Info 01874 611622. (Until Sun 14) Puss In Cahoots Miners Theatre, Ammanford. 1 + 7.30pm, £8/£6. Info 0845 2263510. A slapstick panto, presumably to offset all the gloomy serious pantos elsewhere. (Until Sun 14) Snow White Pontardawe Arts Centre. 7pm, £10/£8. Info 01792 863722. Panto presented

by Ovation Musical Theatre Company. (Until Sun 21) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 7pm, £11.50-£24.

Info 01792 475715. Panto. John Partridge is in it. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Addams Family Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7pm, £12.50 adv. Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sat 13) The Frozen Scream Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 6 + 9pm, £17/£16. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sat 20) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Twelve Days Of Christmas Gwyn Hall, Neath.

1.30 + 5pm, £9/£8.50. Info 0300 3656677.

The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am + 1.30pm, £8. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 3 Jan) The Winter’s Tale Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7.15pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391.

(Until Sat 13) Unheard Voices Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £12/£5 under-30s.

Info 029 2063 6464. This takes place in rehearsal room 3 and features performances from WNO’s temporary technical staff. On tomorrow also.

Unity (1918) Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7pm, £6-£12.

Info 029 2030 4400. (Until Sat 13) Windsor + Wayne Deakin + Kane Brown Jongleurs, Cardiff. 7pm, from £25. Info 08700 111960.

SATURDAY 13

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 1 + 5pm, £9.50.

Info 01656 815995. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 2 + 7pm, £15£25. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Cinderella Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen. 2 + 7pm, £14/£12. Info 0845 2263510.

(Until Sun 21) Cinderella Miners’ Institute, Blackwood. 2 + 5.30pm, £14/£11. Info 01495 227206.

(Until Wed 31) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. Panto, you know. Lee Mead, Linda Lusardi and Gareth Thomas are in it. (Until Sun 18 Jan)

Community Christmas Cabaret Prince Of Wales Building, John Street, Cardiff.

7.30pm. Info 029 2022 1330 / www.nofitstate.org.

Company Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff.

7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391. (Finishes today) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 1.20 + 5pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Father Christmas Needs A Wee! Theatr Hafren, Newtown.

2.30pm, £6. Info 01686 614555.

Ffin Dance Faktry Winter Festival 2014 The Met, Abertillery. 7.30pm, £8/£6.

Info 01495 355800. Featuring performances from Abertillery Youth Dance Company, SCARF Dance Abertillery and the Move, County Youth Dance Company.

Geoff Norcott + Jim Tavare + Keith Farnan Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7.15pm, £27.50 adv. Info 0871 4720400.

(Finishes today) I’ll Be There, Now... Volcano, Swansea. 4 + 8pm, £8/£5. Info 029 2030 4400.

Jack & The Beanstalk Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare.

2pm, £15/£11. Info 0800 0147111. (Until Tue 16) Jack & The Beanstalk Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon. 2 + 6pm, £14/£10. Info 01874 611622. (Until Sun 14) Mike Bubbins Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 8pm, £8-£10. Info 029 2030 4400.

Gofasterstripe comedy night, to be recorded for a DVD, where Welsh comic Mike performs his Elvis-themed The King & I show.

Musicality Princess Royal Theatre, Port Talbot. 7pm, £8.

Info 01639 763214. Songs from the musicals.

Puss In Cahoots Miners Theatre, Ammanford. 7.30pm, £8/£6. Info 0845 2263510.

(Until Sun 14) Snow White Pontardawe Arts Centre. 2 + 7pm, £10/£8. Info 01792 863722. (Until Sun 21) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 7pm, £11.50£24. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Addams Family Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 2 + 7pm, £12.50 adv. Info 0845 2263510.

(Finishes today) The Frozen Scream Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 8pm, £17/£16. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sat 20) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £15.50£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 1.30pm, £8.

Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 3 Jan) The Winter’s Tale Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7.15pm, £12/£10. Info 029 2039 1391.

(Finishes today) Unheard Voices Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £12/£5 under-30s.

Info 029 2063 6464.

Unity (1918) Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7pm, £6-£12.

Info 029 2030 4400. (Finishes today) Windsor + Wayne Deakin + Kane Brown Jongleurs, Cardiff. 7pm, from £25. Info 08700 111960.

SUNDAY 14

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 1 + 5pm, £9.50.

Info 01656 815995. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Cinderella Lyric Theatre,

stage Carmarthen. 2pm, £14/£12.

Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sun 21) Cinderella Miners’ Institute, Blackwood. 2 + 5.30pm, £14/£11. Info 01495 227206.

Next on Sat 20. (Until Wed 31) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1 + 5pm, £10.50-£29.

Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Comedy Sheep Dempseys, Cardiff. 7pm, £20/£15 adv. Info 029 2023 9253. With a total of four comedians, including Rob Hughes.

Jack & The Beanstalk Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare.

2pm, £15/£11. Info 0800 0147111. (Until Tue 16) Jack & The Beanstalk Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon.

2pm, £14/£10. Info 01874 611622. (Finishes today) Live Cabaret Market Street Club, Barry. 8.30pm. Info 01446 733863.

Puss In Cahoots Miners Theatre, Ammanford. 3pm, £8/£6. Info 0845 2263510.

(Until Sun 14) Snow White Pontardawe Arts Centre. 2pm, £10/£8.

Info 01792 863722. The next showing is on Thurs 18. (Until Sun 21)

MONDAY 15

Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 10.30am, £15£25. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Jack & The Beanstalk Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare.

9.45am + 12.30pm, £15/£11.

Info 0800 0147111. (Until Tue 16) Pws Mewn Bwts Gwyn Hall, Neath. 10am + 1pm, £10/£8.

Info 0300 3656677.

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 7pm, £11.50£24. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am + 1.30pm, £8. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 3 Jan) The West End At Christmas The Welfare, Ystradgynlais.

7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 01639 843163. Songs from the musicals, with some festive numbers bunged in. On tomorrow also.

TUESDAY 16

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 10.30am + 1.45pm, £7.50. Info 01656 815995.

Schools performances from today until Fri 19. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland Blake Theatre, Monmouth. 7.15pm, £15. Info 01600 719401. Ballet in three acts, devised by Christopher Wheeldon.

Anamnesis 25.12 Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £8-£12. Info 029 2030 4400.

Bethan Morgan directs this new theatre experiences taking an alternative look at Christmas. (Until Sat 20) Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 10.30am, £15£25. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Jack & The Beanstalk Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare.

9.45am + 12.30pm, £15/£11.

Info 0800 0147111. In Treorchy from Fri 19-Sun 28. (Finishes today) Piste Off Comedy Club Face 11, Cathays, Cardiff. 8pm, free.

Info 029 2022 8221. Here on the third Tuesday of every month (albeit on Mon 19 Jan

next month).

Puss In Boots Theatr Soar, Merthyr Tydfil. 10am + 1pm, £8.50/£7. Info 01685 722176.

Panto. (Until Sat 20) Pws Mewn Bwts Theatr Hafren, Newtown. 10am + 1pm, £10/£8. Info 01686 614555.

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 7pm, £11.50£24. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Frozen Scream Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 8pm, £17/£16. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sat 20) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am, £8. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 3 Jan) The West End At Christmas The Welfare, Ystradgynlais.

7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 01639 843163.

WEDNESDAY 17

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 10.30am + 1.45pm, £7.50. Info 01656 815995.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Alice In Wonderland Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7pm, £15/£10.

Info 029 2039 1391. Actually this is Disney’s Alice In Wonderland Jr, an adaption which features songs like in the 50s film. On tomorrow alnd Sat 20 also.

Alice In Wonderland St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 6.30pm, £10. Info 029 2087 8444.

Presented by the Unknown Theatre Company. (Until Sat 20) Anamnesis 25.12 Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 2 + 7.30pm, £8-£12. Info 029 2030 4400. (Until Sat 20) Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 10.30am + 2pm, £15-£25. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Cinderella Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen. 10am + 7pm, £14/£12. Info 0845 2263510.

(Until Sun 21) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Comedy Sheep Static Bar, Swansea. 7pm, £20/£15 adv.

Info 01792 467998.

Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 2 + 7pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Jack & The Beanstalk Congress Theatre, Cwmbran.

10am + 1pm, £14/£10. Info 01633 868239. Panto. (Until Fri 26) Miracle On 34th Street Dolman Theatre, Newport.

7.15pm, £12/£10. Info 01633 263670. Musical presented by New Venture Players. (Until Sun 21) Puss In Boots Theatr Soar, Merthyr Tydfil. 10am + 1pm, £8.50/£7. Info 01685 722176.

(Until Sat 20) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 7pm, £11.50£24. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) Static Comedy Club Xmas Special Static Bar, Swansea.

7pm. Info 01792 467998.

The Frozen Scream Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 8pm, £17/£16. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sat 20) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £15.50£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan)

The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 1.30pm, £8.

Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 3 Jan)

THURSDAY 18

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 10.30am + 1.45pm, £7.50. Info 01656 815995.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Alice In Wonderland Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7pm, £15/£10.

Info 029 2039 1391.

Alice In Wonderland St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 6.30pm, £10. Info 029 2087 8444. (Until Sat 20) Anamnesis 25.12 Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £8-£12. Info 029 2030 4400.

(Until Sat 20) Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 10.30am, £15£25. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Christmas In Wales Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea.

7pm, £2-£5. Info 01792 463980.

Variety show of sorts, presented by Fluellen.

Cinderella Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen. 10am + 7pm, £14/£12. Info 0845 2263510.

(Until Sun 21) Cinderella Memorial Hall Theatre, Barry. 7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 01446 738622.

Panto, presented by BillBoard Ensemble. (Until Sun 21) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Damian Clark + Paul McCaffrey + Paul Thorne Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 8.15pm, £16 adv. Info 0871 4720400.

(Until Sat 20) Jack & The Beanstalk Congress Theatre, Cwmbran.

10am + 1pm, £14/£10. Info 01633 868239. (Until Fri 26) Miracle On 34th Street Aberystwyth Arts Centre.

7.30pm, £6-£12. Info 01970 623232. Another amateur production of this. (Until Tue 23) Miracle On 34th Street Dolman Theatre, Newport.

7.15pm, £12/£10. Info 01633 263670. (Until Sun 21) Puss In Boots Theatr Soar, Merthyr Tydfil. 10am, 1pm + 7pm, £8.50/£7. Info 01685 722176. (Until Sat 20) Pws Mewn Bwts The Welfare, Ystradgynlais. 10am + 1pm, £10/£8. Info 01639 843163.

Russell Howard Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff. 6.30pm, £27.50.

Info 029 2022 4488.

Snow White Pontardawe Arts Centre. 7pm, £10/£8. Info 01792 863722. (Until Sun 21) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 7pm, £11.50£24. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) That’ll Be The Day Theatr Hafren, Newtown. 7.45pm, £23/£22. Info 01686 614555.

The Chimes Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 7.30pm, £11. Info 01656 815995.

The Frozen Scream Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 8pm, £17/£16. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sat 20) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £15.50£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am, £8. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 3 Jan)

FRIDAY 19

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 10.30am + 2pm, £7.50. Info 01656 815995.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Alice In Wonderland St

David’s Hall, Cardiff. 6.30pm, £10. Info 029 2087 8444. (Until Sat 20) Anamnesis 25.12 Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £8-£12. Info 029 2030 4400.

(Until Sat 20) Bert & Cherry’s Christmas Plum Pudding St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 10.30am + 12.30pm, £7. Info 029 2087 8444. Presented by the Tiddly Prom team. On tomorrow also.

Blood On The Snow NoFit State, off Newport Road, Cardiff. 7pm, £8-£12. Info 029 2030 4400. Caroline Sabin and Chapter with an offsite performance of Benjamin Britten’s iconic choral masterpiece A Ceremony Of Carols. (Until Tue 23) Cinderella Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen. 10am + 7pm, £14/£12. Info 0845 2263510.

(Until Sun 21) Cinderella Memorial Hall Theatre, Barry. 7.30pm, £12/£10. Info 01446 738622.

(Until Sun 21) Damian Clark + Paul McCaffrey + Paul Thorne Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 8.15pm, £22 adv. Info 0871 4720400.

(Until Sat 20) Drones Comedy Club Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff.

8.30pm, £3.50. Info 029 2030 4400.

Jack & The Beanstalk Congress Theatre, Cwmbran.

10am, 1pm + 7pm, £14/£10.

Info 01633 868239. (Until Fri 26) Jack & The Beanstalk Parc & Dare, Treorchy. 7pm, £15/£11. Info 0800 0147111.

(Until Sun 28) Miracle On 34th Street Aberystwyth Arts Centre.

7.30pm, £6-£12. Info 01970 623232. (Until Tue 23) Miracle On 34th Street Dolman Theatre, Newport.

7.15pm, £12/£10. Info 01633 263670. (Until Sun 21) O Dan Y Pridd Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon. 6pm, £6.50/£4.50. Info 01874 611622. Short musical looking at the wasteful way we live our lives. Nice try but ALL art is bourgeois indulgence, including low-budget local theatre.

Puss In Boots Theatr Soar, Merthyr Tydfil. 10am, 1pm + 7pm, £8.50/£7. Info 01685 722176. (Until Sat 20) Rhodri Rhys + Prince Abdi + Dave Johns Jongleurs, Cardiff. 7pm, from £20. Info 08700 111960. On tomorrow also.

Snow White Pontardawe Arts Centre. 7pm, £10/£8. Info 01792 863722. (Until Sun 21) The Frozen Scream Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 6 + 9pm, £17/£16. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sat 20) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am + 1.30pm, £8. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 3 Jan)

SATURDAY 20

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 1 + 5pm, £15/£14.

Info 01656 815995. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Alice In Wonderland Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7pm, £15/£10. Info 029 2039 1391.

Alice In Wonderland St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 3 + 6.30pm, £10. Info 029 2087 8444. (Finishes today) Anamnesis 25.12 Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff. 2 + 7.30pm, £8-£12. Info 029 2030 4400. (Until Sat 20)

Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 2pm, £15-£25.

Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Bert & Cherry’s Christmas Plum Pudding St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 10.30am + 12.30pm, £7. Info 029 2087 8444.

Blood On The Snow NoFit State, off Newport Road, Cardiff.

7pm, £8-£12. Info 029 2030 4400. (Until Tue 23) Bluestocking Lounge Grand Theatre Arts Wing, Swansea.

8pm, £12.50. Info 01792 475715. Burlesque.

Cinderella Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen. 2 + 7pm, £14/£12.

Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sun 21) Cinderella Memorial Hall Theatre, Barry. 2.30pm, £12/£10. Info 01446 738622.

(Until Sun 21) Cinderella Miners’ Institute, Blackwood. 2 + 5.30pm, £14/£11. Info 01495 227206.

(Until Wed 31) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Cinderella Torch Theatre, Milford Haven. 2 + 6pm, £12£16.50. Info 01646 695267. This is why Jim Davidson was moved to take action against panto hegemony with his ribald parody, Sinderella, and to a lesser extent its sequel, Sinderella Comes Again. (Until Sat 3 Jan) Damian Clark + Paul McCaffrey + Paul Thorne + John Gordillo Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7.15pm, £17 adv.

Info 0871 4720400. (Finishes today) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Jack & The Beanstalk Parc & Dare, Treorchy. 2pm, £15/£11.

Info 0800 0147111. (Until Sun 28) Jason Manford Princess Royal Theatre, Port Talbot. 8pm, £22.50. Info 01639 763214.

Miracle On 34th Street Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 2 + 7.30pm, £6-£12. Info 01970 623232. (Until Tue 23) Miracle On 34th Street Dolman Theatre, Newport. 5pm, £12/£10. Info 01633 263670.

(Until Sun 21) Peter Pan The Met, Abertillery.

2.30pm, £5. Info 01495 355800.

Presented by Abertillery and Llanhilleth Town Council. On tomorrow also.

Puss In Boots Theatr Soar, Merthyr Tydfil. 1pm, £8.50/£7.

Info 01685 722176. (Finishes today) Rhodri Rhys + Prince Abdi + Dave Johns Jongleurs, Cardiff. 7pm, from £20. Info 08700 111960.

Sleeping Beauty Blake Theatre, Monmouth. 2pm, £13/£7. Info 01600 719401.

Fame Factory Spotlight present a panto with characters including Dame Nelly Noggin and Julian Fairy. Bit dubious about that last one.

Snow White Pontardawe Arts Centre. 2 + 7pm, £10/£8. Info 01792 863722. (Until Sun 21) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 7pm, £11.50-£24.

Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Frozen Scream Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 8pm, £17/£16. Info 029 2063 6464. (Finishes today) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £15.50-£80.

Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Nutcracker St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 2 + 5.30pm, £7.25-£34.50. Info 029 2087

8444. Presented by Russian State Ballet & Orchestra Of Siberia. (Until Wed 24) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am + 1.30pm, £8. Info 029 2064 6900.

(Until Sat 3 Jan)

SUNDAY 21

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 1 + 5pm, £15/£14.

Info 01656 815995. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Blood On The Snow NoFit State, off Newport Road, Cardiff.

7pm, £8-£12. Info 029 2030 4400. (Until Tue 23) Cinderella Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen. 10am + 7pm, £14/£12. Info 0845 2263510.

(Finishes today) Cinderella Memorial Hall Theatre, Barry. 2.30pm, £12/£10. Info 01446 738622.

(Finishes today) Cinderella Miners’ Institute, Blackwood. 2 + 5.30pm, £14/£11. Info 01495 227206.

(Until Wed 31) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1 + 5pm, £10.50-£29.

Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Cinderella Torch Theatre, Milford Haven. 2 + 6pm, £12£16.50. Info 01646 695267.

(Until Sat 3 Jan) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 1.30 + 5pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Festive Fruits! Whitchurch Rugby Club, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £13 adv. Info www. cardiffcabaretclub.com.

Burlesque show presented by Cardiff Cabaret Club, featuring Bonita Boudoir, Barry Island, Dixie and Vixie and Kitty Katasphropy, hostess FooFooLaBelle, live music from Gaudy Orde and “the award winning Titsalina Bumsquash.”

Jack & The Beanstalk Congress Theatre, Cwmbran. 2 + 5.30pm, £14/£10. Info 01633 868239. (Until Fri 26) Jack & The Beanstalk Parc & Dare, Treorchy. 2pm, £15/£11.

Info 0800 0147111. (Until Sun 28) Live Cabaret Market Street Club, Barry. 8.30pm. Info 01446 733863.

Miracle On 34th Street Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 2 + 7.30pm, £6-£12. Info 01970 623232. (Until Tue 23) Miracle On 34th Street Dolman Theatre, Newport. 2 + 7.15pm, £12/£10. Info 01633 263670. (Finishes today) Peter Pan The Met, Abertillery.

7pm, £5. Info 01495 355800.

Snow White Pontardawe Arts Centre. 2pm, £10/£8. Info 01792 863722. (Finsihes today) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 6pm, £11.50-£24.

Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Nutcracker St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 2 + 5.30pm, £7.25-£34.50. Info 029 2087 8444. (Until Wed 24)

MONDAY 22

Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 2 + 7pm, £15£25. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Blood On The Snow NoFit State, off Newport Road, Cardiff.

7pm, £8-£12. Info 029 2030 4400. (Until Tue 23) Cinderella Miners’ Institute, Blackwood. 2 + 5.30pm, £14/£11. Info 01495 227206.

(Until Wed 31) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1.30 + 7pm, £10.50BUZZ 83

stage £29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Cinderella Torch Theatre, Milford Haven. 2 + 6pm, £12£16.50. Info 01646 695267.

(Until Sat 3 Jan) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 1.30 + 5pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Jack & The Beanstalk Congress Theatre, Cwmbran. 2 + 5.30pm, £14/£10. Info 01633 868239. (Until Fri 26) Jack & The Beanstalk Parc & Dare, Treorchy. 2pm, £15/£11.

Info 0800 0147111. (Until Sun 28) Miracle On 34th Street Aberystwyth Arts Centre.

7.30pm, £6-£12. Info 01970 623232. (Until Tue 23) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 7pm, £11.50-£24.

Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Nutcracker St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 2 + 7pm, £7.25£34.50. Info 029 2087 8444.

(Until Wed 24) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am + 1.30pm, £8. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 3 Jan)

TUESDAY 23

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 1 + 5pm, £15/£14.

Info 01656 815995. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 2 + 7pm, £15£25. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Blood On The Snow NoFit State, off Newport Road, Cardiff.

7pm, £8-£12. Info 029 2030 4400. (Finishes today) Cinderella Miners’ Institute, Blackwood. 2 + 5.30pm, £14/£11. Info 01495 227206.

(Until Wed 31) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Cinderella Torch Theatre, Milford Haven. 2 + 6pm, £12£16.50. Info 01646 695267.

(Until Sat 3 Jan) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 1.30 + 5pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Jack & The Beanstalk Congress Theatre, Cwmbran. 2 + 5.30pm, £14/£10. Info 01633 868239. (Until Fri 26) Jack & The Beanstalk Parc & Dare, Treorchy. 2pm, £15/£11.

Info 0800 0147111. (Until Sun 28) Miracle On 34th Street Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 2pm, £6-£12. Info 01970 623232.

(Finishes today) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 7pm, £11.50-£24.

Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £15.50-£80.

Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Nutcracker St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 2pm, £7.25-£32.50.

Info 029 2087 8444. (Until Wed 24) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am, £8. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 3 Jan)

WEDNESDAY 24

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 11am + 3pm, £15/£14. Info 01656 815995.

(Until Sun 4 Jan) Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 5pm, £15-£25.

Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Cinderella Miners’ Institute, Blackwood. 11am + 2.30pm, BUZZ 84

£15/£12. Info 01495 227206.

(Until Wed 31) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1 + 5pm, £10.50-£29.

Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Cinderella Torch Theatre, Milford Haven. 12 + 3pm, £12-£16.50. Info 01646 695267.

(Until Sat 3 Jan) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 1.30 + 5pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Jack & The Beanstalk Congress Theatre, Cwmbran.

11am + 3pm, £14/£10. Info 01633 868239. (Until Fri 26) Jack & The Beanstalk Parc & Dare, Treorchy. 2pm, £15/£11.

Info 0800 0147111. (Until Sun 28) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2pm, £11.50-£24.

Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Nutcracker St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 2pm, £7.25-£32.50.

Info 029 2087 8444. (Finishes today) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 1.30pm, £8.

Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 3 Jan)

FRIDAY 26

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 2pm, £15/£14. Info 01656 815995. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Cinderella Miners’ Institute, Blackwood. 2pm, £15/£12. Info 01495 227206. (Until Wed 31) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 1.30 + 5pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Jack & The Beanstalk Congress Theatre, Cwmbran. £14/£10. Info 01633 868239.

(Finishes today) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 6pm, £11.50-£24.

Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan)

SATURDAY 27

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 1 + 5pm, £15/£14.

Info 01656 815995. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 2 + 7pm, £15£25. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Cinderella Miners’ Institute, Blackwood. 2 + 5.30pm, £14/£11. Info 01495 227206.

(Until Wed 31) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Cinderella Torch Theatre, Milford Haven. 4pm, £12£16.50. Info 01646 695267.

(Until Sat 3 Jan) Coppélia St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 2 + 5.30pm, £7.25£34.50. Info 029 2087 8444.

Another Russian State Ballet show. (Until Mon 29) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 1.30 + 5pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Jack & The Beanstalk Parc & Dare, Treorchy. 2pm, £15/£11.

Info 0800 0147111. (Until Sun 28) Jonnie Price + Mike Bubbins + Archie Maddocks

Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7.15pm, £17 adv. Info 0871 4720400.

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 6pm, £11.50-£24.

Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £15.50-£80.

Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am + 1.30pm, £8. Info 029 2064 6900.

(Until Sat 3 Jan)

SUNDAY 28

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 1 + 5pm, £15/£14.

Info 01656 815995. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Cinderella Miners’ Institute, Blackwood. 2 + 5.30pm, £14/£11. Info 01495 227206.

(Until Wed 31) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1 + 5pm, £10.50-£29.

Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Cinderella Torch Theatre, Milford Haven. 2 + 6pm, £12£16.50. Info 01646 695267.

(Until Sat 3 Jan) Coppélia St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 2 + 5.30pm, £7.25£34.50. Info 029 2087 8444.

(Until Mon 29) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 1.30 + 5pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Jack & The Beanstalk Parc & Dare, Treorchy. 2pm, £15/£11.

Info 0800 0147111. (Finishes today) Live Cabaret Market Street Club, Barry. 8.30pm. Info 01446 733863.

Robin Hood & The Babes In The Wood Savoy Theatre, Monmouth. 1 + 5pm, £12/£8 kids. Info 01600 772467. Panto.

(Until Thurs 1 Jan) Robinson Crusoe Miners Theatre, Ammanford. 1 + 3.30pm, £8.50/£6.50. Info 0845 2263510. Panto.

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 6pm, £11.50-£24.

Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan)

MONDAY 29

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 1 + 5pm, £15/£14.

Info 01656 815995. Earlier performance is sold out. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 2pm, £15-£25.

Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Cinderella Miners’ Institute, Blackwood. 2 + 5.30pm, £14/£11. Info 01495 227206.

(Until Wed 31) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Cinderella Torch Theatre, Milford Haven. 2 + 6pm, £12£16.50. Info 01646 695267.

(Until Sat 3 Jan) Coppélia St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 2pm, £7.25-£32.50. Info 029 2087 8444. (Finsihes today) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 1.30 + 5pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Robin Hood & The Babes In The Wood Savoy Theatre, Monmouth. 2 + 7pm, £12/£8 kids. Info 01600 772467. (Until Thurs 1 Jan) Robinson Crusoe Queens Hall, Narberth. 1.30 + 5.30pm, £10/£8. Info 01834 869323.

Snow White And The Seven

Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 6pm, £11.50-£24.

Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am + 1.30pm, £8. Info 029 2064 6900.

(Until Sat 3 Jan)

Cymru, Cardiff. 11am, £8. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 3 Jan) Windsor + Allyson Smith + Junior Simpson Jongleurs, Cardiff. 7pm, from £25. Info 08700 111960.

TUESDAY 30

Robin Hood & The Babes In The Wood Savoy Theatre, Monmouth. 4pm, £12/£8 kids.

Info 01600 772467. (Finishes today) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £15.50-£80.

Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11)

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 1 + 5pm, £14. Info 01656 815995. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 2 + 7pm, £15£25. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Wed 31) Cinderella Miners’ Institute, Blackwood. 2 + 5.30pm, £14/£11. Info 01495 227206.

(Until Wed 31) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Cinderella Torch Theatre, Milford Haven. 2 + 6pm, £12£16.50. Info 01646 695267.

(Until Sat 3 Jan) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 1.30 + 5pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Robin Hood & The Babes In The Wood Savoy Theatre, Monmouth. 2 + 7pm, £12/£8 kids. Info 01600 772467. (Until Thurs 1 Jan) Santa In Love Wyeside Arts Centre, Builth Wells. 2pm, £9/£8. Info 01982 552555.

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 7pm, £11.50-£24.

Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) Swan Lake St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 2 + 7pm, £7.25-£34.50.

Info 029 2087 8444. Final of three Russian State Ballet performances here this month. On tomorrow also, then Fri 2 and Sat 3 Jan. The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £15.50-£80.

Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am, £8. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 3 Jan)

WEDNESDAY 31

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 2pm, £14. Info 01656 815995. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Arabian Nights Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 5pm, £15-£25.

Info 029 2064 6900. (Finishes today) Cinderella Miners’ Institute, Blackwood. 11am, £15/£12. Info 01495 227206. (Finishes today) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1 + 5pm, £10.50-£29.

Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 1.30 + 5pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757. (Until Sun 4 Jan) Mark Olver + Mike Bubbins + Andrew Stanley + Sol Bernstein Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7pm, £35 adv. Info 0871 4720400.

Robin Hood & The Babes In The Wood Savoy Theatre, Monmouth. 4pm, £12/£8 kids.

Info 01600 772467. (Until Thurs 1 Jan) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2pm, £11.50-£24.

Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11 Jan) Swan Lake St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 2 + 7pm, £7.25-£32.50.

Info 029 2087 8444.

The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11 Jan) The Ugly Duckling Sherman

THURSDAY 1 JANUARY

FRIDAY 2 JANUARY

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 2pm, £14. Info 01656 815995. (Until Sun 4) Aladdin 2015 Gwyn Hall,

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 6pm, £11.50£24. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11) Swan Lake St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 2 + 5.30pm, £7.25£34.50. Info 029 2087 8444.

The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £15.50-£80.

Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am + 1.30pm, £8. Info 029 2064 6900.

(Finishes today)

SUNDAY 4 JANUARY

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 1 + 5pm, £14. Info 01656 815995. (Finishes today) Aladdin 2015 Gwyn Hall, Neath. 2pm, £12/£10. Info 0300 3656677. (Until Sun 11)

Cutting through the pantostrewn wasteland that is the early January theatre listings, the Riverfront in Newport have a drama named Hoods on Mon 12 Jan. It's by Australia's Midnight Youth Theatre Company and sets three children in a gloomy car park, for maximum grit no doubt. Entry is free but you'll need to reserve your seat in advance.

Neath. 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0300 3656677. Panto. Not sure how relevant the ‘2015’ is to the production. Maybe Aladdin will be a ‘health goth’. (Until Sun 11) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18) Cinderella Torch Theatre, Milford Haven. 2 + 6pm, £12£16.50. Info 01646 695267.

(Until Sat 3) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 1.30 + 5pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757. (Until Sun 4) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 6pm, £11.50£24. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11) Swan Lake St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 2 + 5.30pm, £7.25£34.50. Info 029 2087 8444. On tomorrow also.

The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11) The Ugly Duckling Sherman Cymru, Cardiff. 11am, £8. Info 029 2064 6900. (Until Sat 3)

SATURDAY 3 JANUARY

Aladdin Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl. 1 + 5pm, £14. Info 01656 815995. (Until Sun 4) Aladdin 2015 Gwyn Hall, Neath. 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0300 3656677. (Until Sun 11) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18) Cinderella Torch Theatre, Milford Haven. 2 + 6pm, £12£16.50. Info 01646 695267.

(Finishes today) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 1.30 + 5pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757. (Until Sun 4) Mark Olver + Laura Lexx Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7.15pm, £17.50/£5 NUS. Info 0871 4720400.

Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1 + 5pm, £10.50-£29.

Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18 Jan) Dick Whittington The Riverfront, Newport. 1.30 + 5pm, £10.50-£18. Info 01633 656757. (Finishes today) Live Cabaret Market Street Club, Barry. 8.30pm. Info 01446 733863.

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2pm, £11.50-£24. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11)

MONDAY 5 JANUARY

Aladdin 2015 Gwyn Hall, Neath. 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0300 3656677. (Until Sun 11)

TUESDAY 6 JANUARY

Aladdin 2015 Gwyn Hall, Neath. 10am + 1pm, £12/£10.

Info 0300 3656677. (Until Sun 11) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 7pm, £11.50£24. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11)

WEDNESDAY 7 JANUARY

Aladdin 2015 Gwyn Hall, Neath. 1 + 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0300 3656677. (Until Sun 11) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 7pm, £11.50£24. Info 01792 475715. (Until

stage Sun 11) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11)

THURSDAY 8 JANUARY

Aladdin 2015 Gwyn Hall, Neath. 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0300 3656677. (Until Sun 11) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18) Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0845 2263510. Panto, presented by the Friendship Theatre Group. (Until Sun 25) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 7pm, £11.50£24. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £15.50-£80.

Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11)

FRIDAY 9 JANUARY

Aladdin 2015 Gwyn Hall, Neath. 1 + 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0300 3656677. (Until Sun 11) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18) Lloyd Griffith + Mick Ferry + Andrew Ryan + Marlon Davis Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7.15pm, £15/£5 NUS. Info 0871 4720400. On tomorrow also.

Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sun 25) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 7.30pm, £10-£15. Info 01970 623232. Another one of these. Starring some people whose names I do not recognise. (Until Thurs 22) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 7pm, £11.50£24. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11) University Of South Wales Performing Arts Showcase The Riverfront, Newport. 5pm, £7.50/£5.50. Info 01633 656757.

SATURDAY 10 JANUARY

Aladdin 2015 Gwyn Hall, Neath. 2 + 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0300 3656677. (Until Sun 11) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18) Lloyd Griffith + Mick Ferry + Andrew Ryan + Marlon Davis Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7.15pm, £17.50/£5 NUS. Info 0871 4720400.

Robin Morgan + Matt Rees + Rudi Lickwood Jongleurs, Cardiff. 7pm, from £15. Info 08700 111960. Already sold out!

“The headline act briefly wrote for Buzz magazine five years or so ago, you say? I’ll take tickets for all my friends!”

Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sun 25) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £10£15. Info 01970 623232. (Until Thurs 22) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2 + 7pm, £11.50£24. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sun 11) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £15.50-£80.

Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sun 11)

SUNDAY 11 JANUARY

Aladdin 2015 Gwyn Hall, Neath. 2pm, £12/£10. Info 0300 3656677. (Finishes today) Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1 + 5pm, £10.50-£29.

Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18) Live Cabaret Market Street Club, Barry. 8.30pm. Info 01446 733863.

Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 1pm, £12/£10. Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sun 25) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 1 + 4.30pm, £10-£15.

Info 01970 623232. (Until Thurs 22) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Grand Theatre, Swansea. 1 + 5pm, £11.50-£24.

Info 01792 475715. (Finishes today) The Lion King Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30pm, £15.50-£80. Info 029 2063 6464. (Finishes today) The Merry Wives Of Windsor Wyeside Arts Centre, Builth Wells. 3pm, £10/£5 kids. Info 01982 552555. Shakespeare, as performed by Willow Theatre.

MONDAY 12 JANUARY

Caterpillar Comedy Gwdihw, Cardiff. 8pm, free. Info 029 2039 7933.

Hoods The Riverfront, Newport. 7pm, free. Info 01633 656757. Drama presented by the Midnight Youth Theatre Company. Book in advance please.

TUESDAY 13 JANUARY

Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18) Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sun 25)

WEDNESDAY 14 JANUARY

Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18) Circus Of Horrors Grand Theatre, Swansea. 7.30pm, £18.50-£26.50. Info 01792 475715.

Death Trap Dolman Theatre, Newport. 7.15pm, £12.50/£8.50.

Info 01633 263670. Performance of Ira Levin’s theatrical thriller.

(Until Sat 17) Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sun 25) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 7.30pm, £10-£15. Info 01970 623232. (Until Thurs 22) Top Hat Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £18-£50. Info 029 2063 6464.

West End hit, based on Hollywood’s golden age (by which I assume they mean the early 90s) and the Fred Astaire/ Ginger Rogers syncresis, arrives in Cardiff. (Until Sat 24)

THURSDAY 15 JANUARY

Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18) Death Trap Dolman Theatre, Newport. 7.15pm, £12.50/£8.50.

Info 01633 263670. (Until Sat 17) Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sun 25) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 7.30pm, £10-£15. Info 01970 623232. (Until Thurs 22) Top Hat Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 +

7.30pm, £18-£50. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sat 24)

FRIDAY 16 JANUARY

Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18) Death Trap Dolman Theatre, Newport. 7.15pm, £12.50/£8.50.

Info 01633 263670. (Until Sat 17) Dynes A Hanner The Duke Of Clarence, Canton, Cardiff.

8pm, £5 adv. Info clwbydiwc@ gmail.com. Welsh language play, presented by Clwb Y Diwc and featuring Rhian Morgan and Llio Silyn.

Lloyd Langford Wyeside Arts Centre, Builth Wells.

8pm, £8/£6.50 adv. Info 01982 552555. Welsh comedian with a new show, Old Fashioned.

Mark Maier + Danny McLoughlin + Daniel Sloss Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7.15pm, £15/£5 NUS. Info 0871 4720400.

On tomorrow also.

Patagonia Memorial Hall Theatre, Barry. 10am + 1pm.

Info 01446 738622. Kids’ show based on the story of the first Welsh settlers to land in Patagonia, 150 years ago this year (as in 2015).

Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sun 25) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 7.30pm, £10-£15. Info 01970 623232. (Until Thurs 22) Top Hat Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £20-£55. Info 029 2063 6464.

(Until Sat 24)

SATURDAY 17 JANUARY

Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7pm, £10.50£29. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sun 18) Death Trap Dolman Theatre, Newport. 2.30 + 7.15pm, £12.50/£8.50. Info 01633 263670. (Finishes today) Jethro Grand Theatre, Swansea. 7.30pm, £20/£18. Info 01792 475715. Many have called him “the Dapper Laughs it’s OK to like,” indeed the phrase ‘proper moist’ even sounds like a Jethroism.

Luisa Omielan + Micky P Kerr + John Scott Jongleurs, Cardiff. 7pm, from £15. Info 08700 111960.

Mark Maier + Danny McLoughlin + Daniel Sloss Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7.15pm, £17.50/£5 NUS. Info 0871 4720400. On tomorrow also.

Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 2 + 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sun 25) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 11am, 2.30pm + 7.30pm, £10-£15. Info 01970 623232. (Until Thurs 22) Top Hat Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £20-£55. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sat 24)

SUNDAY 18 JANUARY

Cinderella New Theatre, Cardiff. 1 + 5pm, £10.50-£29.

Info 029 2087 8889. (Finishes today) Live Cabaret Market Street Club, Barry. 8.30pm. Info 01446 733863.

Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 1pm, £12/£10. Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sun 25) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 1 + 4.30pm, £10-£15.

Info 01970 623232. (Until Thurs 22) Top Hat Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30pm, £20-£55. Info 029 2063 6464.

(Until Sat 24)

MONDAY 19 JANUARY

Piste Off Comedy Club Face 11, Cathays, Cardiff. 8pm, free.

Info 029 2022 8221.

TUESDAY 20 JANUARY

Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sun 25) Top Hat Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £18-£50. Info 029 2063 6464.

(Until Sat 24)

WEDNESDAY 21 JANUARY

Children Of Eden Dolman Theatre, Newport. 7.15pm, £11.

Info 01633 263670. Musical based on Bible stories. (Until Sat 24) Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sun 25) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 7.30pm, £10-£15. Info 01970 623232. (Until Thurs 22) Top Hat Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £18-£50. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sat 24)

THURSDAY 22 JANUARY

Children Of Eden Dolman Theatre, Newport. 7.15pm, £11. Info 01633 263670. (Until Sat 24) Ghost Grand Theatre, Swansea.

7pm, £10-£14. Info 01792 475715. The musical of the film of the spiritual phenomena, performed by the Harry Secombe Trust. (Until Sat 24) Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sun 25) Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs Aberystwyth Arts Centre. 7.30pm, £10-£15. Info 01970 623232. (Finishes today) Top Hat Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £18-£50. Info 029 2063 6464. (Until Sat 24)

FRIDAY 23 JANUARY

Children Of Eden Dolman Theatre, Newport. 7.15pm, £11. Info 01633 263670. (Until Sat 24) Ghost Grand Theatre, Swansea.

7pm, £10-£14. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sat 24) I Slept With Dylan Thomas Torch Theatre, Milford Haven.

7.30pm, £9/£8. Info 01646 695267. Comedy devised by Dave Ainsworth, celebrating the legacy of Welsh literary icon Dylan Thomas – born 101 years ago this year.

Rob Hughes + Owen O’Neill + Paul McCaffrey + Carl Hutchinson Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7.15pm, £15/£5 NUS. Info 0871 4720400. On tomorrow also.

Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 7pm, £12/£10. Info 0845 2263510. (Until Sun 25) Top Hat Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £20-£55. Info 029 2063 6464.

(Until Sat 24)

SATURDAY 24 JANUARY

Children Of Eden Dolman Theatre, Newport. 7.15pm, £11.

Info 01633 263670. (Finishes today) Ghost Grand Theatre, Swansea.

2 + 7pm, £10-£14. Info 01792 475715. (Finishes today) Rob Hughes + Owen O’Neill + Paul McCaffrey + Carl Hutchinson Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7.15pm, £17.50/£5 NUS. Info 0871 4720400.

Sean Percival + Tom Price Jongleurs, Cardiff. 7pm, from £15. Info 08700 111960.

Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 2 + 7pm, £12/£10. Info

0845 2263510. (Until Sun 25) Snow White & The Orb Of Destiny Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon. 4pm, £10/£9. Info 01874 611622. Presented by Westenders. (Until Sat 31) Top Hat Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £20-£55. Info 029 2063 6464. (Finishes today) Vampires Rock St David’s Hall, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £23.50/£21.50. Info 029 2087 8444. Rock opera type thing.

SUNDAY 25 JANUARY

Live Cabaret Market Street Club, Barry. 8.30pm. Info 01446 733863.

Sleeping Beauty Y Ffwrnes, Llanelli. 1pm, £12/£10. Info 0845 2263510. (Finishes today) Ross Noble Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. 7.30pm, £25. Info 029 2063 6464.

Touring his Tangentleman set.

Snow White & The Orb Of Destiny Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon. 4pm, £10/£9. Info 01874 611622. (Until Sat 31)

MONDAY 26 JANUARY

Jesus Christ Superstar New Theatre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £18£40. Info 029 2087 8889. What is there to say about this infamous musical? Seriously, help me out. (Until Sat 31) Stephen K Amos Grand Theatre Arts Wing, Swansea.

8pm, £17.50. Info 01792 475715. Standup comedian.

The Full Monty Grand Theatre, Swansea. 7.30pm, £12-£30. Info 01792 475715.

Pre-millennial celebration of proletarian genitalia hits the stage again, adapted by Simon Beaufoy. (Until Sat 31)

TUESDAY 27 JANUARY

Jesus Christ Superstar New Theatre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £18£40. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sat 31) Jim Davidson Savoy Theatre, Monmouth. 7.30pm, £22.50.

Info 01600 772467.

Snow White & The Orb Of Destiny Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon. 7pm, £10/£9. Info 01874 611622. (Until Sat 31) The Full Monty Grand Theatre, Swansea. 7.30pm, £12£30. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sat 31)

WEDNESDAY 28 JANUARY

Comedy Club Grand Theatre Arts Wing, Swansea. 8pm, £11.

Info 01792 475715.

Jesus Christ Superstar New Theatre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £18£40. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sat 31) Snow White & The Orb Of Destiny Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon. 7pm, £10/£9. Info 01874 611622. (Until Sat 31) The Full Monty Grand Theatre, Swansea. 7.30pm, £12£30. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sat 31) The Only Way Is Downton Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £14/£12. Info 029 2039 1391.

Luke Kempner does his impersonations comedy routine.

Woyzeck Blake Theatre, Monmouth. 7pm, £10-£12.

Info 01600 719401. Splendid’s adaptation of Büchner’s gothic theatrical classic.

THURSDAY 29 JANUARY

Clint Edwards + Paul Thorne + Matt Rees Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7pm, £10/£5 NUS. Info 0871 4720400.

Comedy Carousel night.

Jesus Christ Superstar New Theatre, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £14-£40. Info 029 2087

8889. (Until Sat 31) Joke Thieves Princess Royal Theatre, Port Talbot. 8pm, £25. Info 01639 763214. See Roundup.

Make Or Break The Riverfront, Newport. 7.30pm, £6/£4.50. Info 01633 656757.

Urban drama type thing featuring Newport youths. On tomorrow also.

Snow White & The Orb Of Destiny Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon. 7pm, £10/£9. Info 01874 611622. (Until Sat 31) The Full Monty Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £12-£30. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sat 31)

FRIDAY 30 JANUARY

Ablutions Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama, Cardiff.

7.45pm, £13/£11. Info 029 2039 1391. Modern, dark drama adapted from the novel of the same name.

Cardiff Cabaret Club: Unplugged 4 10 Feet Tall, Cardiff. 7.30-10pm, £8 adv.

Info 029 2022 8883. Burlesque night featuring Lou Leigh Blue, Screaming Keaton, Daisy Dalore and others.

Comedy Shed The Riverfront, Newport. 7.45pm, £12. Info 01633 656757. With standups TBC. Eric Lampaert + Matt Richardson + Paul Thorne + Matt Rees Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7.15pm, £15/£5 NUS. Info 0871 4720400. On tomorrow also.

Jesus Christ Superstar New Theatre, Cardiff. 7.30pm, £23£45. Info 029 2087 8889. (Until Sat 31) Make Or Break The Riverfront, Newport. 7.30pm, £6/£4.50. Info 01633 656757.

Mother Goose St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan.

7.30pm, £8/£6. Info 01446 779100. Panto presented by Stage Door 1 Youth Theatre.

(Until Sun 1 Feb) Snow White & The Orb Of Destiny Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon. 7pm, £10/£9. Info 01874 611622. (Until Sat 31) The Full Monty Grand Theatre, Swansea. 7.30pm, £12£30. Info 01792 475715. (Until Sat 31)

SATURDAY 31 JANUARY

Edge Of The World Grand Theatre Arts Wing, Swansea.

12.30pm, £6/£4.50. Info 01792 475715. Lunchtime theatre presented by Fluellen.

Eric Lampaert + Matt Richardson + Paul Thorne + Matt Rees Glee Club, Cardiff Bay. 7.15pm, £17.50/£5 NUS. Info 0871 4720400.

Jesus Christ Superstar New Theatre, Cardiff. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £18-£45. Info 029 2087 8889. (Finsihes today) John Lynn + James Sherwood + Rob Collins Jongleurs, Cardiff. 7pm, from £15. Info 08700 111960.

Mother Goose St Donats Arts Centre, Vale Of Glamorgan. 2 + 7.30pm, £8/£6. Info 01446 779100.

Snow White & The Orb Of Destiny Theatr Brychieniog, Brecon. 2 + 7pm, £10/£9. Info 01874 611622. (Finishes today) The Full Monty Grand Theatre, Swansea. 2.30 + 7.30pm, £12-£30. Info 01792 475715. (Finishes today) Welsh Gold Acapela, Pentyrch, Cardiff. 8pm, £10. Info 029 2089 0862. Poetry, music and drama featuring renditions of work by several of Wales’ finest.

BUZZ 85

competitions FREE DINNER FOR TWO, BREWERY TOUR AND MINI KEG AT ZERODEGREES Esteemed microbrewers Zeroedegrees have teamed up with us to offer 10 lucky readers a meal for two worth up to £30, a brewery tour and two five-litre mini kegs filled with Zerodegrees' own craft ales.

The award-winning craft brewing institution, whose Cardiff branch is found on Westgate Street, has many dining areas – including two terraces and two mezzanine levels with views of the working brewery and open kitchen.

The lucky winners will be taken on a guided tour of the microbrewery, dine from the modern European menu and will be able to take one of Zerodegrees' mini kegs home.

A fantastic prize, which you’ll need to take up before Tue 31 Mar – if you fancy winning it just answer the question below.

Q: Modern kegs are usually used to store beer, but what did a keg traditionally transport?

GIG TICKETS OF YOUR CHOICE

Music lovers, open yer ears. The lovely people at musohaunt Clwb Ifor Bach are giving Buzz readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to any upcoming gig their wee heart desires. Just email competitions@ buzzmag.co.uk, with ‘WELSH CLUB’ in the subject header and your name and number by Sun 1 Feb.

TICKETS TO ROSS NOBLE: TANGENTLEMEN

Ross Noble, known for his distinct hairstyle and hilarious comedy skills, is embracing both in his pretty punny new tour Tangentlemen. We have a pair of tickets to his show at the Wales Millennium Centre on Sun 25 Jan. If you fancy a free pair of tickets to see Noble strut his comical stuff on stage, just answer the questions below before Wed 14 Jan. Q: What northeastern town is Ross Noble from?

BAR 44 SPANISH CHRISTMAS HAMPER

The much loved tapas restaurant Bar 44 have released a range of gourmet food and drink hampers for the festive season – all, of course, with a Spanish flair. The guys at Bar 44 are kindly giving away a free hamper, worth £50, as a prize. If you fancy winning it, just answer the question below before Mon 15 Dec. Q: Bar 44 do Tapas y Copas – but what does that mean in English?

TICKETS TO FROZEN SCREAM

CC Gilbert’s forgotten murder mystery tale gets a new lease of life as it is put in the hands of renowned author Sarah Waters, and brought to the stage this December.

We have a pair of tickets to the 9pm show on Fri 19 Dec – if you fancy winning these tickets, just answer the question below before Fri 12 Dec. Q: There is thought to be a curse surround The Frozen Scream that started with the novel’s publisher Braithwaite Judd, but what happened to him?

PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE HOUDINI DAX AT BUZZ PRESENTS... AT KUKU CLUB

This January, at our very own live music and club night, we present beat-pop trio Houdini Dax. With songs like Good Old Fashioned Maniac and a new single being revealed, it’s bound to be an interesting night! We have a free pair of tickets to give away to the show – if you want to get your hands on one of them, just answer the question below before Wed 21 Jan. Q: Houdini is known for a trick in which he escaped out of what type of food container?

ICE SKATING FOR TWO AT WINTER WONDERLAND

Grab your scarf and your sense of Christmas spirit: it’s that time of year again and Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland is back in town. We have a free skate for two to give away at their Christmassy ice rink for a night of your choice (not including Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve). Just answer the question below before Fri 12 Dec. Q: The Edinburgh Skating Club is known as the first organized figure skating club, but what year does the club claim it was established?

TICKETS TO JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

“Jesus Christ, Superstar / Carries a handbag and wears a bra” – OK, they aren’t the real lyrics to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s biblical musical, that’s the school playground version. If you fancy hearing the actual words from the award-winning show, we have two pairs of tickets to the 7.30pm show on Mon 26 Jan. Just answer the question below before Mon 12 Jan. Q: In the second film adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar, released in 2000, which famous comedian played the role of Herod?

Please email your answers, name, address, Twitter username (if you have one) and contact number to competitions@buzzmag.co.uk by Sun 1 Feb unless otherwise stated. T&Cs: WE DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR THESE COMPETITIONS TO BE REPLICATED OR SHARED ANYWHERE ONLINE. BUZZ 86