# The Lexington (aka The Lex)  - Queen Street



## unicks (Mar 28, 2008)

Hello all,

I found some older threads on Urban75 about the bar "The Lexington" on Queen Street Cardiff.

My Dad was the owner of the Lex from 1979-1985, I used to go there as a kid, but I was only 9 when he left the place.
He has fond memories of the Lex and lots of stories, I've finally got my Dad to sit down at the computer and teach him how to use the web, and facebook, (I've set up my dad on Facebook and he has created a group for the lex).

With a friend I'm creating a short documentary about the place and some of the memories and stories, when it is completed it'll be online.

I can't find any photos online of the Lexington (which was near Halfords and the Captiol Cinema) we've searched the old photo albums and he doesn't have any in there to scan, does anyone have any? Maybe I can find some in the Cardiff Yesterday books.

Anyhow, this is a bit of a blast from the past, so I was wondering if any of you remember the place.

cheers


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## editor (Mar 28, 2008)

Ah yes. I played there many times. It was downstairs, yes?


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## unicks (Mar 28, 2008)

Yep, it was downstairs, with a Burger restaurant upstairs, there were Coca Cola lampshades and ancient repro Coca Cola adverts on the walls upstairs (my sister still has these). It was a few doors up from the Laskeys Electrical shop (where I bought my first Dragon 32 btw!), this was on the same side and nearby the Capitol Cinema.


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## Brockway (Mar 28, 2008)

It had a great punk jukebox. Small, sweaty, underground establishment. Punks, goths, flat-tops, Bowie-types and the occasional skinhead who wandered in from the Casa Gill around the corner. The crowd would move _en masse_ from there to Nero's which was the alternative nightclub on Greyfriars Road. Only caught the arse-end of its existence unfortunately and don't have any photos.

Your best bet would be to put out your appeal on the Cardiff City Mad message board. There are at least 2 people on there who were regulars. 

Couple of other things I remember about the Lexington. Occasionally a bloke dressed as dracula would come in, talk to nobody, and just stand against a wall (no it wasn't me). And also the journalist/writer Rod Liddle used to go there. At the time he used to write gig reviews for the _South Wales Echo_.

Hope this helps.


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## editor (Mar 28, 2008)

I might have a couple of pics but I fear we're all looking well uncool in them!


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## Scattered (May 9, 2008)

I interviewed Karl Hyde from Underworld yesterday, he told me that the band first met working in the kitchens at The Lexington! He said the owner was called Rob, a former musician himself, and would let them off if they turned up late for work after playing a gig somewhere cross-country!
Interview will be in the June issue of Buzz magazine.


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## Socrates (May 18, 2008)

The Lex, ah fond memories of ye.


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## 2 Hardcore (May 25, 2008)

Oooh I spent many a jolly evening in the downstairs bar, on the Schlitz  There was a good jukebox as I recall, quite a bit of Bob Dylan alongside all the punk tunes.


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## Zeppo (May 25, 2008)

I have great memories of the Lex 1976 -79. All the members of punk bands in South Wales congregated in the Lex. From memory - The Straights, Spitfire Boys and Tax Exiles were the bands plus any other assorted punks went to the Lex as it was the cool place to be.

Happy days.


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## editor (May 25, 2008)

The singer from the Tax Exiles - Johnny - is doing well as a poet now.

Here he is on the cover of a punk fanzine I used to run with a few chums:







http://www.urban75.org/music/up-yours-cardiff.html


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## Brockway (May 25, 2008)

Can you remember which month issue one came out? I remember reading an article in either the SWE or the WM about it showing some fella (not you) holding a copy of the fanzine. If I knew roughly the date I might be able to dig it out.


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## Gary Lewis (Feb 3, 2013)

Did the documentary of the lexington ever get made?.....I'm currently making a documentary about Grassroots in cardiff and it's influence it had on the punk/post punk scene of the late 70's/ Early 80"s. If anyone would like to contribute anything then please get in touch with me at Rubberheadrecordings@hotmail.co.uk


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## jacqui donvan (Oct 19, 2013)

Gary Lewis said:


> Did the documentary of the lexington ever get made?.....I'm currently making a documentary about Grassroots in cardiff and it's influence it had on the punk/post punk scene of the late 70's/ Early 80"s. If anyone would like to contribute anything then please get in touch with me at Rubberheadrecordings@hotmail.co.uk


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## jacqui donvan (Oct 19, 2013)

hi my name was jacqui jones when i used to go down the lex which was 99% of my mispent youth as they say i am eager to know anything about the lex documentary or the facebook address of the x owner which im pressuming was jerry or maybe his partner who i hink was called don


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## jacqui donvan (Oct 19, 2013)

unicks said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I found some older threads on Urban75 about the bar "The Lexington" on Queen Street Cardiff.
> 
> ...


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## jacqui donvan (Oct 19, 2013)

who was your dad


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## ddraig (Oct 19, 2013)

hi jacqui
the original post is from 2008 so not sure you'll get a response
could be worth a unicks to see if they get an email


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