GLAM

This place is conveniently sited amongst a cosmopolitan hive of activity, Glam appears to be adapting well to its lively surroundings. The exterior is nothing to write home about, its mountainous steel staircase can be a bit demanding to navigate after a few too many mojitos. However, once you have reached the peak, a spacious and contemporary first floor awaits. Expect walls adorned with floods of vibrant fuchsia pink, accompanied by clean, sophisticated black surfaces and a bar that boasts an impressive boudoir feel. Choose from the ultra modern high white stools or the comfortable leather seating to sit back and relax with a drink of your preference, before heading down the catwalk style walkway to show off your moves on the dance floor.
When you have satisfied your dancing urges, be sure to venture upstairs to more exclusive surroundings, encompassing the secretive VIP area with its black one way mirrors and concealed hideaway. Also on the second floor, discover the tranquil lounge area. Here you can indulge in the cool contrast of delicate blue and aqua green, enhancing the effortless floating white voile curtains. Be sure to take advantage of the waitress service that is offered for those who reserve a private bay area. Perfect for entertaining clients or a frivolous night out with friends.

After a few weeks of university i realised i havn’t ventured out into cardiff on a tuesday night, after a phone call or two I’d gathered up a group of willing guinea pigs for this night out experiment. The psoter we had advertised a special student night at Glam, a club a coiple of doors down from Oceana. We made our way in to be greeted by an empty dancefloor, completely empty. Reasoning that we had got there early (keen) we proceeded to order a drink, the prices of which were pretty middle of the road (unless you buy a fancy cocktail, then they’re quite steep) and sit down for a few games and a chat. The seating area in Glam is a number of soft sofas and stools, plenty of space for a medium size room and we parked ourselves around one of the tables, kicking off with a game of twenty one (I’m sure you students are aware of this delightful game!). I must admit that it didn’t look good, after an hour only a babble of people had followed us in and the place was hardly packed to the rafters. However after another hour or so the room had filled up to over half full and a number of people who had either gained some dutch courage or just loved a dance were throwing some shapes on the dancefloor, the size of which takes up most of the room. All in all I would encourage anyone who likes a bit of elbow space on the dancefloor to venture into Glam on a Tuesday night; a few deals on drinks are available and the music is very up to date.

Relatively unknown to large sections of Cardiff’s loyal clubbers and bar-​goers, Glam is located quite discretely on the same stretch as Oceana, Lloyds and Varsity. Having to walk up several flights of stairs before you’re even in the venue is a bit of a negative already. Finally arriving at the top of the stairs and walking on through the doors, you’ll either instantly love or loath the place. Garish and extremely loud music, matched with a musky and smokey atmosphere, the club is usually packed full of the younger generations dancing and socialising around the bar areas.
Whilst it would be wrong to advocate an over indulgence in alcohol, those coming here sober are likely to have the worst time of their lives. With the music almost deafening everyone in the venue (hence the ear muffs worn by bar staff), it would seem like something of a nightmare for someone who hasn’t had sufficient amounts to drink. For some, I can imagine this provides a great opportunity to dance and get up to various drunken activities. All in all though, this wont be many people’s cup of tea.

The first, last and only time I ever went to Glam, I found the experience horrific.
The night started when I remembered I had recently been given some vouchers for this shambles of a bar. That seemed like good enough excuse as any to try it out.
That evening we were promised a wild night of dubstep. Agreeing that this seemed exciting enough, we paid £5 to get into their club-​night and headed up the bland staircase to the empty bar.
The decorations were tacky, and seemed predominately from Ikea which seems like quite the cop-​out for a venue such as this. This was not helped by the ridiculous abundance of mirrors, arguably used to give the impression of more people.
This night was made slightly worse by the discovery we couldn’t use cheap booze to numb the pain, apparently because it was ‘a Friday’, a condition which was certainly not specified on the voucher.
The staff seemed haughty and refused to give us a refund, so we had to go and speak to the manager. Eventually we got our entry fee back, but I certainly won’t be going again and I seriously advise you not to either. Glam? I think not.
URBAN CHALLENGE: Try and persuade a friend that their reflection is someone else

Don’t assume that the chaos that surrounds Greyfriars Road more nights than not seeps into every building on the street. For one, the New Theatre stands proudly against the tide of vomiting revellers. And Glam, though sharing the same basic aims as surrounding clubbing peers, is another that proudly pitches itself a cut above the rest. Taking black and pink as its base colours, miraculously combined into a livery that doesn’t resemble a young girl’s bedroom, there’s an effortless class to the décor that matches smooth house/​urban sounds emanating from the DJ booth. Got cash to splash? Buying into the VIP lounge appears an unnecessary and scarcely worthwhile extra from evidence inside Glam, meanwhile, until you consider the package also includes chauffeur-​driven Mercedes travel from anywhere in the city. Beats a taxi, that.

The only thing that I want to add to Jamie’s review is that if you have been to Oceana on Wednesday, or are headed there on a Friday, you will probably be grabbed by someone working for Glam. If you’re a little ambivalent about where you want to spend your night, let them talk you into going to Glam. Not only will you have a really good night, they will probably give you a voucher or ticket or leaflet to get a little bit more money off (you know, ‘£3 before 11′ or something). It seems to be where students and older people mix freely. The prices are brilliant, especially at weekends when everywhere else seems to charge you twice as much. The only problem I’d say is that I prefer a bit more of a dancefloor.

‘Saturday night is alright’ Elton John once sang. I tend to disagree with him and say friday night is better. Two days to recover from hangovers (you wait kids, two day hangovers are what you have to look forward to as you get older).
But as a former student there wasn’t many great places to go on said night that was cheaper and cater to the University-​ites…
Step in Glam, ‘The Premier nightspot in Cardiff, with the loudest sound system’ Their Friday nights are designed just for students, though they have events on most sat, sun, mon and thursday too that cater to the general public.
Entry is £4 (less if your an NUS member I think) before 11pm and apparently offer gifts at the door etc. I have never encountered this, but apparently it’s true.
Alot of the drinks available such as StrongBow, Carling, Jaegermeister etc etc all seem to be around the £2 mark.
The interior of this place is incredibly lush with modern décor. My favourite is the VIP area that is awash with coloured leather couches and walls.
Music is your general young persons radio fodder which is always good for a boogie. They don’t really do any cheesy music as you get in most student nights, which pleases me immensely.
Defiantly worth checking out if you want a weekend experience without the weekend prices.