The Miniature Music Press is the brainchild of Aimee-Jade Hayes of See Monkey Do Monkey Recordings,…read moreand musician and promoter Rowan Liggett. The first issue was released ten months ago, and has already established itself as the essential guide to music in Cardiff. Featuring page after page of no-nonsense listings, this free, A5 zine-sized, full-colour, music magazine ticks a lot of boxes. Featuring new releases, live reviews, and the latest music news, as well as offering free downloads with each issue, it's not surprising that The Miniature Music Press has already earned itself a readership of 30,000. And check out J/M Strange's regular feature at the back! Guaranteed to bend your head out of shape and provide you with some well-earned escapism of the most delicious kind! Each month sees an increase in size of the magazine. Issue 8, released in May, was 42 pages long, and the June issue has grown to 48. That's an increase of just under twenty percent (or there abouts... I've never been too pedantic when it comes to doing the math). Whichever way you look at it, with this kind of growth rate, we can expect it to be fatter than a telephone directory in a couple of years time. That's phat! Next months magazine will be the festival issue, featuring the best of what's on offer in the summer, including Croissant Neuf in Usk, Green Man in the Brecon Beacons, as well as some of the smaller gatherings and city-based summer-loving and frivolity... You can pick up a copy at pretty much any venue in town, as well as at loads of shops and pubs. Failing that, check them out on-line... www.theminiaturemusicpress.com/ www.seemonkeydomonkey.com/ www.thenorthstarcardiff.com www.save-the-vulcan.blogspot.com

The local music scene in Cardiff isn't exactly thumping right now and, unfortunately, it hasn't…read morebeen for a long time. There are the occasional flares of success that sprout up, but these are few and far between. However, that's not to say that it doesn't exist; it's there, but it's discreet. It's hidden. Playing dead until something fresh and amazing comes along to give it something to live for. And that's where the Miniature Music Press comes in. In its scant few pages are listings for each and every music event and happening going on in the next month. With regular interviews, editorial articles from the local Cardiff scenesters and comprehensive gig listings, MMS seems to be building a scene all around itself, getting the information out there on exciting new music coming out of the city in a way that hasn't been seen in years. Our city has a diverse and wonderful collection of bands and music aficionados. What it hasn't had in a long time, is a community. The Miniature Music Press looks like it may be the cure to this problem.

I love The Big Issue! I love everything it stands for and everything that it does! Not only does it…read morehelp unfortunate people get their lives back on track, but the magazine itself is a really useful resource, offering really insightful editorial, a healthy 'what's on' section and a plethora of jobs (usually for the caring trades and charities). When I'm in Cardiff I tend to buy my copy from Daniel, a Romanian father of two, who has been selling The Big Issue just outside Cardiff Central Station for the last two years. You'll find him quite close to the national Express offices and charity shops as you round the corner off Wood Street. These days he says that sales are significantly down, and only manages to sell about six or seven copies a day. With a wife and two children to feed, clothe and house, this is clearly not enough! He's resorted to borrowing from friends over the last few months. I used to know what proportion of the sale price the vendor retains. I think it's around a pound, with a cover price of £1.70. Sellers need to buy the magazines up front, and can return unsold issues with a refund. This avoids any abuse of the system, and helps the drug addicts invest in something a little more constructive. Head office 1-5 Wandsworth RoadVauxhall LondonSW8 2LN

Written by professional journalists and sold by homeless people, the Big Issue Cymru has excellent…read moreintentions. It aims to give the homeless a way of earning an income without simply begging, helping them save enough to get themselves into more stable housing situations, and then assimilate back into mainstream society. It also has a support and counselling arm, helping vendors with a whole host of physical and mental health issues. The publication itself is well-written, and while you might not be interested in every news story or feature, it does cover a good variety of social and environmental issues. I have one big problem with the Big Issue Cymru, though: why do I still see the same vendors on the streets of Cardiff now that were selling the magazine a decade ago? I know some of their faces from when I did work experience there, and I have bought the magazine from many of them over the years, yet still they are on the streets, selling the magazines, and not moving on into permanent housing and a brighter future. I wonder if after a while they start to feel safe being part of a community of Big Issue sellers, and their homeless status is normalised so that they get 'stuck' in that rut rather than moving on? And that surely goes against the aims of the venture. I hope that statistically the majority do move on from being Big Issue sellers, and that it's just a minority that get stuck in this way.

Women, beware. As the title may suggest, this is a publication for 'ladies' only, so don't go…read morethinking it's for the types who take a nice practical Regatta backpack into work, or for those who wear comfy trainers for a trip to town. Oh no! This is for the pampered kind of babe who wants their pore size to be reduced by 80% within a month, who want a new clutch bag every weekend, or wouldn't be able to survive a day without her Lancôme moisturising lip-gloss. Consequently, Ladies First is all style but sadly no substance. It's a good quality magazine, and a nice, colourful little thing to carry around with you and open up in the odd queue. However, it won't change your life and it won't entertain you for longer than it takes to make up a vanilla latte. URBAN CHALLENGE: Rip up the magazine and refashion it into a holdall. Now that's what I call stylish.

full of local news and sports. comes out weekly. good price.read more

The pound shop in Queen street Cardiff is wondrous place . How can they make a profit on the things…read morethey sell ? It is a treasure trove of mostly everything you could want from cosmetics to tools for the workshop. You name it and it is a good guess that they have it somewhere in the store , All of which are one ( sometimes two) for a pound It is a large store and almost always overcrowded . Watch your pockets and handbags otherwise your purchase may not be such a bargain ! The tills at the pay station ring continuously. As an example of cost saving I priced a halogen bulb for my reading lamp in a well known Cardiff electrical shop ( no I will not give the name ! ) the price quoted was £2. 50 for one. I thought this was too expensive as it was not a top of the range lamp. In the pound store I purchased an identical bulb for an amazing four on a card for a pound . And I guess they sell the cheapest sugar than any supermarket. There are other bargains to sizeable to detail. If you are looking for a good buy this is the store to visit.

Quench is a magazine created by students for the student population. This is a fantastic…read morepublication that demonstrates what talented students with a passion can do. The design is superb and some of the illustrators are fantastic. The content is varied with music, arts, film and a truck load more, something for everyone. I thoroughly recommend students to get involved with this magazine as it can be an amazing platform to show what you can do. This year it is run by a lovely lady called Dom Kehat and she will ensure you feel welcome and give you a hand in writing whatever you have a passion for. The highlight of the student year is very much the student media awards held at the HIlton, where you could be lucky enough to be recognized for the superb work that you do with a pretty glass award. Quench has been awarded best magazine in the past by the Guardian student media awards, so get involved and see if you can help this fantastic publication win it again.

I agree that Buzz is a great magazine for finding out what's what in Cardiff. My only real problem…read moreis that is quite difficult to come by. Lucky then they have a website with all the same information, plus they have a twitter feed so you can keep really up to date on whats going on. Its not a cheap looking magazine, whoever makes it really puts a lot of effort into it. I wish Cardiff had those magazine boxes on the streets that they have in London so I could get it easier.

Buzz Magazine is quite an achievement considering that it is practically run by volunteers and, as…read morefar as I'm aware, pretty much on a shoestring. It is a 'What's On' for South Wales, but somewhat unsurprisingly, for this Cardiff based magazine, Cardiff listings tend to dominate the publication. Of course, the fact that South Wales doesn't have another city anywhere near the scale of Cardiff is another reason why it features so prominently. I have been consistently amazed by Buzz. Their listings are accurate, their features are well researched and well written, and their website is packed full of info and regularly updated. I don't know how they do it! The best thing about Buzz is that it's free. You can pick up a copy from loads of places around the city of Cardiff, but it's not so easy to find places that stock it further afield. Art Centres tend to be a sure bet. I even found a copy at the Art Centre in Pontardawe. Impressive!