Newport nightclubs - what's new and closed in the city?

Newport city centre on a Friday night is a sight not quickly forgotten, but the cityscape has become unrecognisable from the nonstop party it was from the late 1970s to the early 2000s.

The city used to be home to some legendary nightclubs, and many will remember the hangovers if not the nights themselves, which might have included electric blue pitchers from Lloyds or foam parties at Delilah’s.

Here are some of Newport's nighclubs from the past with some still thriving under a new name.

The Stowaway

The Stowaway or Zanzibar nightclub enjoyed its heyday in the late 1970s when punk legends including Sex Pistols and The Pretenders performed on stage.

Located in a Grade II listed building, the venue was abandoned in 2010 and severely damaged by a fire in 2018.

The tragedy made the hope to return Stowaway to its former glory impossible. Instead, plans came forward in 2018 to convert the space into flats.

Yet another Newport icon has been lost but anyone lucky enough to see the likes of Johnny Rotten there will have seen something very special.

 The Stowaway line up

TJs

Possibly the city's most famous venue, TJs is another Newport icon that has been lost in the last 15 years.

At TJs musicians could be trying to break into the music scene or about to tour the country and they would all be given the same chance.

It hosted around 50,000 bands, including Oasis and Manic Street Preachers in the mid 1990s. The club brought international acclaim to Newport and caused The New York Times to call it the ‘Seattle of the UK’.

Sadly it all came to an end in 2010 when owner John Sicolo died and the club shut down.

TJs nightclub

Delilah’s

Delilah’s was another popular spot for live music events in the 2010s and years earlier as the local watering hole Yates’ wine bar.

It completed the stretch of nightclubs on Cambrian Road in another Grade II listed building on the corner of High Street.

From 2010 Delilah’s was one of the busiest clubs, especially on foam nights.

It closed in 2014 and was left empty until redevelopment began last year.

It’s a welcome change on this list for a site be revived but the original Delilah’s remains truly missed.

Delilah’s, previously Yates wine bar in 2021

Fire and Ice

This club is infamous further afield than the streets of Newport.

The capacity meant young people from around South Wales managed to enjoy reasonably-priced drinks and all types of music most weekends.

Fire and Ice changed hands frequently and was branded under various different names, but for some reason Newport cannot seem to keep this nightclub open.

It was perfectly placed between the Queens Hotel and the Pen and Wig pub meaning lots of traffic walked by, but it wasn’t enough to fill the huge space.

Fire and Ice in 2011

V3

V3 was the club of the late 1990s and 2000s. It hosted the biggest DJs including Farley “Jackmaster” Funk and Lisa Lashes.

However, the club might have been more famous for the 65ft fibreglass dragon near the DJ booth.

Pugin the dragon had green eyes and a smoke machine in its nose to breathe onto the dancefloor.

If you were one of the 500 people at V3 and always thought you saw a dragon then rest assured - it was real.

The club was popular for a few years but eventually even the dragon couldn’t keep people going there. It eventually closed in the late 2000s.

65ft dragon at V3 (Image: Dean Nightingale)

Reflex

The former nightclub Reflex was home to everything 80s.

In the middle of High Street, it had everything from a light up dancefloor to neon pink signage and even a few cocktails.

Since the 80s and its revival has long gone, Reflex closed in the 2000s. Afterwards the venue moved on to cater to new trends.

In the 2010s the newest drinking craze was gin. In 2016, Hogarth’s gin palace opened, and it seems to have withstood the crises that meant many of its neighbours failed. Hogarth’s remains open today and boasts a collection of over 120 different kinds of gin.

Reflex in 2008

Breeze

Another popular nighclub that's changed hands and is now the location for Vibez Superclub.

The venue was also called Rat & Parrot and is located on Cambrian Road. Any visitors to the old venue will remember the darkened second floor which was only open on rare occasions - especially when you could get four Jagerbombs for £5.

Breeze nightclub in 2008