Large cities around the world often have their own micro-environment, filled with diverse stories concerning fashion, culture, music and, inevitably, their own nightlife. 

This time, PolyFizz takes you over the bridge to explore the wonders of Cardiff that aren’t usually listed on TripAdvisor, but are definitely part of the local student guide. 

We replaced a tour around Cardiff Castle and a stroll between unique eateries for questionable bars and clubs in the area, to discover whether the Welsh can party as well as they say they can.

​

Picture this: it’s the second weekend of March and, along with storm Ciara, the Six Nations tournament is in full swing. But alas, there was another storm brewing! Now formally known as ‘lockdown’, the first seeds of social distancing were being reaped, resulting in the cancellation of the Wales x Scotland game. 

So how do rugby supporters react in Cardiff? The only way they know how to: by following through with their plans and going out to celebrate as if their preferred nation had not only won the game, but the whole championship — oh how naive and ludicrous we all were. 

​

Like every good night out, we skipped off the train and darted to the closest Wetherspoons, where we were greeted by rowdy crowds who were eagerly watching a small group of men playing the bagpipes — just what you expect to see at 7pm on a Saturday night in Wales. Apart from this light piece of entertainment, it was a standard trip to ‘Spoons: it took us the same amount of time to find a table as it did for us to drink our first pint, the chairs didn’t match the heights of the tables and there was the regular group of people wandering around in search of bottles of ketchup that were few are far between. Yet it was the familiar deals on pitchers and the option of people sending you drinks via the groundbreaking Wetherspoons app (thank you kind stranger who was willing to send various drinks to our table), that ensured we had a jolly good time. 

​

Rate: 3.8/5

Pros: Extremely — and we can’t express this enough — cheap drinks; also fun and rowdy crowds.

Cons: We’re all still confused as to the lack of background music at Wetherspoons which often makes it feel slightly awkward; also fun and rowdy crowds.

​

We then got in the mood to dance to some music that didn’t involve rugby-inspired chants and so we moved on to Kongs. an underground bar hidden away in the middle of St Mary’s Street. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this particular area, we’d like you to imagine a very long street where one end is the setting of some of the most deadliest crimes in Cardiff’s history, while the other end is home to charming and lavish bars, such as Rum & Fizz and Gin & Juice — giving the location a Russian roulette edge to it.

Kongs combines a strong industrial aesthetic with DJs, table tennis, photo-booths and retro arcade games— pretty much the adult version of Disneyland. Despite the slightly overpriced drinks, the bar offers a fresh perspective on a night out, whilst keeping it cool with a suitable mix of funky hip hop tunes with groovy R&B beats — a bit of something for everyone (if by ‘everyone’ we mean skaters and delusional students who think they can afford it).

​

Rate: 4.5/5

Pros: Lots of entertainment that inevitably distracts sleazy people from trying to chat you up;
Cons: We didn’t feel cool enough to be there.

 

Now we get to the good bit; Live Lounge, which is often compared to Marmite due to its infamous mixed reviews, is like no other place in a 50 mile radius (which is probably a good thing). Despite dubbing itself as “Cardiff's Most Vibrant Nightspot” ‘Livey’ is a small double-storied venue that can’t decide whether it wants to accept its reputation of being a bit beaten around the edges, or to attempt to become an up-market bar. Either way, the mixture of wooden tables and chairs, pizzas on spinning counters and an Instagramable “Pink Floyd: The Wall” backdrop somehow works to their advantage.

While the live performances from aspiring musicians were meant to originally attract civilised late-20s with a good income, who enjoy a couple of tamed drinks on a Saturday evening, the bar’s ‘power hour’ deals appeal to a much different audience — after all, what tacky 18-year-old could say no to £1.80 VKs?

However, despite the wide range in ages (turns out older men can’t resist the thought of £1 shots either), the indie rock music that the unknown band were belting out from the (tiny but still significant to them) stage that night got everyone pumping — very groupie-esque.

 

Rate: 4.9/5

Pros: Large and cramped crowds that can conceal your bad dancing; also no one will judge you for being ‘double parked’ the whole night;

Cons: You will most definitely leave with “Mr Brightside” stuck in your head for the next 3-5 working days.

 

After a ridiculous amount of intense cardio in the form of dad dancing, PolyFizz decided to call it a night and dashed for the train — only after grabbing the standard post-night-out Maccies and dodging various fights that were beginning to break out. 

Overall, the crowds of rugby fans added an exciting element to the night, whilst confirming that their Welsh sportsperson stamina can also be applied to their ability to party.

 

We’ll let the photographs do the rest of the talking for us…