Musicbox

In a band and remotely serious about what you’re doing? Then getting a steady space to rehearse is among the most important things to nail down. And Music Box, which made its name as a longstanding staple of suburban Canton, is head and shoulders above Cardiff’s rehearsal studio competition. With recording and equipment storage facilities too, it’s run and staffed by local musicians with experience in more bands than the average festival line-​up. The vibe is friendly and unpretentious, and there are price options to suit everyone from novices to superstar names. Super Furry Animals broadcast a live performance of their Dark Days/​Light Years album from Music Box in 2009 and it’s hard to give a higher recommendation than endorsement from one of Wales’s greatest living bands.

I’ve ended up rehearsing in most of the rehearsal studios in Cardiff at one point or another in my life, and I can safely say Musicbox is the pick of the bunch.
Time was, before it went bankrupt and suddenly closed down, Clearline was the place to go; it had big enough rooms for all kinds of bands, equipment to rent if you needed it for the evening and opening times that suited the slightly nocturnal among us. And Musicbox is just like Clearline except, you know, moreso…
Sessions are booked in three hour blocks, with blocks going for £30 for the session. They open from 10am to midnight for their main practice spaces, which consist of six colour coded rooms each big enough to fit a thirteen piece band in with enough room for spectators.
Musicbox is the tops, and the big Welsh bands seem to agree. My Chemical Romance, Los Campesinos and lostprophets are semi-​regular visitors to the place and you’ll often see them unloading their gear as you’re entering.

For bands in Cardiff looking for rehearsal space, equipment hire, affordable but high quality recording facilities, or storage space for their own equipment, Musicbox offers a comprehensive range of services and facilities. Bands such as Lost Prophets and Los Campesinos rehearse there regularly, apparently.
They’re probably best known for the six band practice rooms (with air con) available from as little as £5 per hour during off peak periods (10am-​6pm) with a single person discount, and up to £11 per hour during peak period (6pm until midnight). Bands can also book out rooms for a whole day from about £110 — although they have a special all-​day Saturday deal for £50 at the moment. The smaller Cardiff Rehearsal Rooms in Roath are cheaper (with 3 hour sessions from £20) but have fewer rooms.
Musicbox also offers high quality recording facilities and have experienced engineers and producers on hand to help bands get the best sound — plus their equipment hire is useful if some of your kit gets broken just before a gig!
Word gets around quickly on Cardiff’s local music scene, so reputation is everything with a business like this — and Musicbox seems to have built up a good one, and offers genuinely good value for money.