‘It was carnage – in the best way!’ Manic Street Preachers, Sleaford Mods, KT Tunstall and more pick their favourite small gig venues

‘It was magical’ ... Soul Glo perform at the Windmill, Brixton. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

James Dean Bradfield, Manic Street Preachers, on the Tramshed, Cardiff

I love the bit in John Niven’s book O Brother where he goes back to where he saw the Clash at the Magnum Leisure Centre in Irvine and only the foundations of the building are left, so he reimagines the gig by standing on the footprint. He writes about how concerts can have such a powerful effect when you’re young that years later you feel the vibrations, even after the building has been knocked down.