Everyone who lives in Cardiff has their own hidden gem, a venue that is special to you and undervalued by others. Mine is the Glee Club. It may not be a secret place, but itÔÇÖs a place some students may not have heard of, never mind attended a gig there.

The Glee Club chain is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month, with their debut venue opening in Birmingham as the first dedicated comedy club outside of London. Cardiff was second in 2001, and in recent times, Oxford and Nottingham have joined the party.

Many students may best know the Glee Club from the legal battle ÔÇô they took on the Glee show. ThatÔÇÖs right, the American show that cost $3m per episode to make and generates $2m per half hour of adverts, was taken on by the small, British independent business ÔÇô and David beat Goliath (it was ruled the TV show diluted and tarnished the comedy club).

Situated in Cardiff Bay, you could easily walk past the whole venue unless you were looking for it. But go through the modest double door, up the stairs, and youÔÇÖll find a vibrant room, with dazzling lights, around 440 seats and 8-foot tall letters spelling ÔÇÿGleeÔÇÖ on the stage.

┬áThe jokes have changed, and the comedians (and audience) might have to deal with the uncouth checking their phones and illumining their faces every five minutes, but essentially, comedy is the same as it always was. Stand up, and making people laugh. ItÔÇÖs no easy task. Anyone can practice until they improve their singing, or playing an instrument. But how do you make yourself funny? ItÔÇÖs often harder in a smaller room, especially when itÔÇÖs not at capacity and the small crowd are gathered near the stage. A trip to the Glee Club provides several hours of escapism, a sanctuary of laughter and amusement, something no other type of entertainment provides.

Comedy has become big business in the UK. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have a combined total wealth of over $100m, whilst top of the UK-based pops is Peter Kay, who earns around ┬ú45,000 a day ÔÇô the same as the best earning footballers. Michael McIntyre, John Bishop, Jack Dee et al, are also raking in a fair wedge, with roughly the top 15 UK comedians all earning a seven figure sum year. Where the rich lists differs to footballers though, is that even average footballers earn ┬ú10k a week ÔÇô get down to number 20 on the comedy list, and earning drops to ÔÇÿonlyÔÇÖ a quarter of a million, and itÔÇÖs a steep drop thereafter. Most comedians have to travel the length and breadth of the country to make ends meet, plying their trade in places like the Glee Club. Small comedy venues are the lifeblood of the comedy circuit, a place to learn the ropes with many highs and lows among the way. ItÔÇÖs not a coincidence (and as the posters rightly boast) that over 90% of comedians you see on ÔÇÿLive At The ApolloÔÇÖ honed their skills at the Glee Club.

Some may think that the Motorpoint is the only place to see the huge comedy stars. Not true. At the Glee Club IÔÇÖve seen Lee Evans, Michael McIntyre, Kevin Bridges, to name but a few. Almost everyone has a tale of when they were 16 or 17, and nervous about getting into some nightclub or pub with an age 18 limit. My story is of a 17-year-old me, petrified that I wouldnÔÇÖt get into the Glee Club to see John Bishop. IÔÇÖm guessing the bouncers knew I was underage by the way I was cowering behind my parents, clutching my ginger friendÔÇÖs driving licence (IÔÇÖm not ginger). But disaster was avoided, and my love of live comedy was born.

┬áAlthough mainly a comedy venue, the club is also a music and ÔÇ£Evening With…ÔÇØ venue. At the time of writing, WWE Hall of Famer ÔÇ£RowdyÔÇØ Roddy Piper is coming this month, and in the past I have seen Howard Marks speak ÔÇô a man born 20 minutes from Cardiff, but through cannabis smuggling became infamous throughout the world, with links to the CIA, IRA, MI6 and the mafia. That was an interesting night. The Club┬áis nothing if not varied. The roll call of musicians is equally as impressive as the comedians, including Mumford & Sons, Adele and Ben Howard.

There really is no excuse for students not to give the Glee Club ago. Student tickets are often only ┬ú5, cheaper than entry to a nightclub on a Saturday night. With a standard comedy night featuring three or four comedians, including a comp├¿re, there is often at least one comedian that you may know from radio or television. Nevertheless, IÔÇÖve often found the best performer on any given evening is one youÔÇÖve never heard of before. Humour is quite a subjective thing, but with several comedians on in one night,┬áyouÔÇÖre guaranteed a night of laughter.

┬áSeeing a top comedian at a packed concert hall is great, but given the choice, IÔÇÖd choose the Glee Club every time. The smaller the venue, the more intimate is becomes. You can see every movement, hear every word. If you sit near the stage, you can catch the eye of the performer, and it feels like he or she is telling jokes or singing to you personally. As the website puts it, ÔÇ£the atmosphere isintimate and ambient…the venue is designed to encourage a sublime connection between artist and audience, creating a memorable gig experience.ÔÇØ CouldnÔÇÖt have put it better myself.