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A well-known venue in Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf, famous for hosting performances by Tom Jones, Catatonia, Stereophonics, and Victoria Beckham, has been placed on the market. The Pop Factory, originally a soft drinks factory, was transformed into a music venue and TV studio in 2000. Its official launch featured Sir Tom Jones breaking a bottle of dandelion and burdock against the building’s walls, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the site.
Over the years, the venue became synonymous with various music television productions, including the show The Pop Factory, which provided early opportunities for presenters such as Steve Jones. The facility was acquired by the Valleys Kids charity in 2012, but now the charity has decided to sell the building as it shifts focus to other projects. Local artists, organizations, and residents have formed a collective named The Pop Factory Ltd, aiming to purchase the site and transition it into community ownership.
The building’s origins date back to the 1890s when it operated as Welsh Hills Mineral Waters before closing in 1987. It was close to falling into disrepair before Avanti Media revived it in 2000 as a multimedia complex. The Pop Factory became a hub for music shows broadcast across BBC, ITV, and S4C, and a venue for notable live performances by a variety of artists, including Queens of the Stone Age and Cerys Matthews.
Bethan Elfyn, a presenter for Radio Wales who began her career at the Pop Factory, described it as “a wonderful, energetic, fun place for young people to work, not just locally.” She reflected on the challenges and excitement of attracting big names to the venue despite its location in the Valleys. Josh Evans, a sound engineer involved in the campaign to save the venue, emphasized its importance, saying, “I started going there when I was a teenager… that really inspired me to pick up a guitar.” He and others hope to secure support and funding to maintain the Pop Factory as a creative hub where artists can perform, learn, and inspire others
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