Brewdog has confirmed on twitter that its scouts are out in Cardiff for a venue. I'd imagine that Fire Island will be on their radar

Shame fire island shut on the day Bruce Springsteen played the stadium. They might have made some cash...

Talk going round of a Womanby Street music festival august bank holiday weekend, bringing all the bars together to raise profile. could be good if well done.

Beatbox's other two bars, Buffalo and Ten Feet Tall, are both successful music venues with 4am licences. Fire Island seemed like quite a different venue - concentrating on the food and drink offering, perhaps because it failed to get a late licence.

To be honest, I think the place was actually a bit too trendy to attract the casual drinkers that could have made it a success. Without the late licence it wasn't going to get the crowd that made their other sites successful. Of course I could have it all wrong and it was simple mismanagement that got them into trouble. Really hope somebody can make a go of the venues though.

Now the venue is clean and tidy, and structurally sound, it will be a lot easier for someone else to take it on. I just hope it is someone good. Remember that awful wales themed rugby pub plan?

According to todays Echo, it seems the licensing committee are erring on the side of not adopting a late night levy on bars, which I think is very good news.

Seems that the Labour administration are a bit more liberal and sensible on the night time economy than the Lib Dems.

A friend of mine says that Fire Island is to be bought by Tiny Rebel, the brewery in Newport. They were one of the only places to have them on tap, too.

I heard that rumour too. Apparently they are backed by a very wealthy person?

I think the principle of the bar works fine, and is helped by City Arms and the other bars. The problem, reading between the lines, is the age old problem of servicing the debt.

That might suggest that Fire Island did less well than Beatbox Bars hoped, but that doesn't mean that with another group, with less or no debt that it wouldn't be very viable.

On the same subject to, it seems that Craig Bellamy is to buy 10 feet tall. No news on Buffalo though

Really?! Wonder what he has in mind...

On a related note...Isn't the old Library now called the Blues or something similar, with reference to the City?

Interesting. Anybody know of he has any interesting plans for it? On a related note. What's happened to the Alice in Wonderland themed club in Life/Liquid? Seems to have gone ever so quiet on that front

Looks like The Waen Brewery is to open a bar in Barack Lane this September.

http://www.thewaenbrewery.co.uk/

Fire Island could reopen with new owners in 'weeks'

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/cardiff-nightspot-fire-island-set-5714256

Apparently Fire Island has been officially taken over by Tiny Rebel. Looking forward to seeing what they do with it!

Do they have any other bars?

A little more info on beat box bars administration:

"A company which owned three city centre nightspots went into administration with debts totalling £1.37m, according to its statement of affairs.

Welsh Government body Finance Wales is owed £243,974, while Cardiff council is owed £46,682, the document lodged with Companies House shows.

The paper also states HM Revenue and Customs is owed £328,706 – the highest amount of debt on the list of Beatbox Bars Ltd’s 100 creditors.

The Cardiff firm – which ran Fire Island, Ten Feet Tall and Buffalo – went into administration last month, citing financial difficulties after a downturn in trade last winter."

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/city-bar-owner-went-administration-5737663

That doesn't sound like just a 'downturn in trade'... it sounds like systematic underperformance or mismanagement. £1.37 million in debt from 3 bars is quite a lot. Don't know for certain, but looks like they weren't paying VAT, duties, NI contributions, etc, for quite an extended period of time.

Still have no idea why they got funding from Finance Wales. A bar is NOT the kind of risky but potentially high-return venture that publically-subsidised finance should be made available for.

Was the W.G. grant not repair the bulding too? I may have mad that up or seen it on here. Real life and this forum and fantasyb seem to have become fluid in the long summer recess

The bars themselves don't pay duties as its paid for at the point of purchase from the brewery. So the debt to HMRC will be VAT, PAYE and NICS. Pubs are looking to pay around 10% turnover in taxes paid. Seems like they would have missed a few quarters payments at the very least

It all smells a bit odd.

Presumably the company's assets of £140,175 don't include the freehold of the building. Surely if the intention was to bring the building back into use Finance Wales could have dealt with the freeholder and had a charge on the building?

The old Fire Island will now be called 'Urban tap house'. I think this is a rubbish name.

http://tinyrebel.co.uk/blog/2013/08/27/urban-tap-house/

over 100 beers from around the world apparently. but at what price!

Personally like the 'tap house' bit, although I admit it's a bit faddy (a bit like 'bar and kitchen' a few yrs back) ...It's the 'urban' which I don't like... 'westgate' or even just 'central' would work better IMHO

Tap House is an archaism for a pub, from back in the day when everything came out of wooden barrels - perfectly appropriate for a beer specialist. And the Urban bit is a reference to one of their core products - Urban IPA. As well as describing what the place is. I think it's a fine and fitting name.

An another thi9ng,,let'zzzzzz bringg back the gin housesssssssszzzzzzzzzzssssssssssssssssssss while we're hic, at it.

Anyone know what's happening to the former Rocking Chair building in Canton?

It seems to be having a revamp. Lovely restored sash windows.

There is an application in for the building that previously housed the Square nightclub (which I believe is called the Philharmonic Hall). It's by the people who run Le Monde.

The application makes reference to renovating the stage area so that it can be developed into a multi purpose venue including live music acts, comedy, daytime conferencing facilities, a restaurant and a nightclub. The application also seeks to amend the premises licence to 3.00am Sun to Thurs and 3.30am on weekends.

A letter supporting the application is at pains to point out that it will be a venue aimed at older people (presumably over 25) and higher end punters (so no 2 for 1 WKD offers and a free Jagerbomb for hen parties then).

The concept seems to be like a modern version of the old fashioned cabaret night - have some dinner, watch a singer and/or comedian and finish it off with some drinking and dancing. I hope the council see sense. The building is lovely despite the way it's been left to rot since the Square went under. I'd like to see it occupied and used again.

What's the betting that PC Knacker automatically opposes this, as usual?

I hope this is approved. The bottom end of St Mary's street looks dreadful presently, with most of the units on the West hand side boarded up. The saturation zone is, at least in part, to blame for this mess.

The police will opposite it citing a 'concentration of venues', the continuing high levels of crime, but the substantial fall since the policy was enacted. Instead of effective policing they want empty buildings and fewer punters making their job easier.

It appears as though there os some building work going on inside liquid/life at the moment. The doors have been replaced by building site entrances and hard hats must be worn notices are in place.

Good news for the craft beer/ale drinkers:

Urban Tap House is opening on 25th September

and Brewdog have confirmed they've put an offer in on a site in Cardiff:

Hi @RyanJones62. We've made an offer on a site in Cardiff so we might have a craft beer outpost there soon Fingers crossed, mate.

— BrewDog (@brewdog) September 18, 2013