TJ's was a music venue and nightclub located on Clarence Place in Newport, South Wales. It opened in 1985 and shortly became a live music venue.

Venue: TJ's
Town: Newport, GB

TJ's was a music venue and nightclub located on Clarence Place in Newport, South Wales. It opened in 1985 and shortly became a live music venue. It was an integral part of the so-called toilet circuit and the Newport music scene, particularly catering to fans of rock music. The club was given the moniker "The Legendary TJ's by Radio 1 DJ John Peel. TJ's closed on the death of owner John Sicolo, but his grandson Ashley opened a venue named El Sieco's on nearby Market Street, which paid tribute to the sounds and interior features from the original venue. El Sieco's permanently closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. John Sicolo started the venue with his then wife Vivienne in 1971 as a restaurant named "Cedar's Rest" before becoming a burger bar named "The Pittsburg Diner". Sicolo bought the premises in 1973 and extended into an adjoining property to form the nightclub "El Sieco's", during which time a variety of musical artists, including local folk acts, performed at the premises. Some sources have suggested the venue was named using the initials of founder John Sicolo's two most important people, his sister Jeanette Sicolo, and partner Trilby Tucker, forming Trilby and Jeanette. However others have indicated the name is a combination of Sicolo's and Tucker's, as it was Tucker was apparently the person who established TJ's as a live music venue on the premises in 1985, naming it Trilby and John's. A further proposed connection exists which claims it was his daughter, Janet Sicolo, who worked with Sicolo's partner, Tucker, to save the club from bankruptcy in the 1980s, and as a result the name was changed from Sieco's to TJ's, meaning Trilby and Janet. Trilby reportedly owned TJ's until her death in 1993 however media reports indicate John would then survive her ownership in the 2000s. On 3 May 1994, the then up-and-coming Manchester band Oasis performed at TJ's following a small venue tour of the UK. The band were in South Wales frequently that year, r