A former Valleys pub where Stereophonics played some of their very early gigs has gone on the market. First opened in 1869, The Ivy Bush on Kingsbury Place in Cwmaman, Rhondda Cynon Taf, was where Kelly Jones, Richard Jones and the late Stuart Cable first found their feet performing in the late 1980s.
Having closed its doors as a boozer around the turn of the millennium it was converted into a family home in the early noughties and is currently up for grabs to the tune of £325k. Billed as an "exceptional five bedroom converted public house," by the estate agent behind the sale, it's been "sensitively and expertly renovated" to also include "multiple reception rooms, two outbuildings and a sun filled garden, offering a huge amount character." It's certainly unrecognisable from its heyday as a bustling watering hole that served as one of the main social hubs for the village of Cwm and beyond.
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And for 'Phonics fans it's still regarded as a key landmark in the band's evolution, its three founding members having gigged there in their formative years as Tragic Love Company. Indeed, when The Ivy Bush's one-time landlord Graham Davies passed away in late 2020 Kelly Jones posted a tribute to him on the group's official Facebook page.
It read, "Graham Davies was the first to listen to and critique my lyrics. We'd go there on Thursday nights after rehearsal with enough money for two pints and play Positively Fourth Street by Bob Dylan on the jukebox.
"He gave me that on vinyl when the pub closed and it's now on my own juke box at home. Not seen him in years. But he was a taste maker and a friend," Kelly added.
Another person who ran The Ivy Bush at one point, known locally as Cliff Chips, was even namechecked in the lyrics to the Stereophonics' 1997 song Goldfish Bowl, which featured on their debut album Word Gets Around.
He appeared in the line, 'Cliff Chips lines up his dominoes /Kingfisher lead singer calms his nerves.' And the 'Kingfisher lead singer' namechecked is, of course, a reference to Kelly's dad Oscar.
Real name Arwyn Jones, he was a promising club performer in the '60s and '70s and used to front a band called The Kingfishers. For more information about the sale, visit Penhill Jones Property here. And for more news from the Cynon valley, you can subscribe to our dedicated newsletter here.
