Glasgow O2 (formerly Carling) Academy

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ABC

ABC

ABC 1 : capacity 1250
The ABC, which in a previous life was a cinema, was reopened a couple of years ago after a complete refurbishment. Compaired to some of city's older venues it feels like a very slickly run operation and has attracted an steady and impressive line up of bookings.
tips: use the Polar Bar. Even if it looks full, if you're early enough it's just the queue for the main bar, go across to the left side of the auditorium and stroll to the front of the stage. If not then there's some seats at the right or leaning space at the bottom of the steps in front of the main bar. If you're lucky enough to have a pass you can sometimes use the Mezz bar up top for a great view. It's obligatory for any bands from out of town to make reference to Europe's largest mirrorball TM which dangles over the crowd and you'll know when a band are playing their hit as it'll rotate and splash light on everyone.
There's a bit of a lack of Ale in here - stick to the guiness or the bottled beers.
Gigs include King Creosote, Camera Obscura, Jarvis Cocker, Gossip
ABC 2 : capacity 350
ABC 2 was initialy very very loud but has been re jigged and works better now. But it has a wide stage and lights and seats/ tables at the back. Better when it's not too full. Local bands tend to invite their parents as this will be their debut "proper" show.
Gigs include: James Yorkston, Deerhoof, Black Lips

King Tuts Wah Wah Hut

King Tuts is a great venue, with an intimate capacity of 300, good stage visability and decent sound - it can be loud though, so don't stand in the bass bins at the sides of the stage - I was deaf for about a fortnight after a particularly noisy mid 1990s Mansun gig. I like to stand up at the back, up the stairs near the sounddesk. If you're a shortarse the seating around the edges can come in handy for getting an unobstructed view of the stage. I like to stand on the raised area at the back and see over everybody. Getting to the front during the support band isn't that tricky and they don't always put the barriers up depending on whether they expect a mosh pit.

Dodge the Draft - stick with the Red Stripe and avoid the draft lager and squishy plastic cups - it's tight squeeze in here you don't want spillages. It's also worthwhile popping back downstairs to the downstairs bar once the show has started as upstairs can get a bit rammed, especially inbetween the bands.

The Arches

The Arches is Glasgow's self-styled standard bearer for edgy chic and places itself at the cultural heart of the city. Situated in a network of Grade A listed Victorian tunnels beneath the city's Central railway station, the labyrinth of bars and art spaces boasts some of the biggest and longest running club nights in town and an eclectic line up of live music alongside cutting edge theatre and arts programming.
But what's it like for the punters?
There are two entrances and several different configurations to the performance space. The capacity runs to up to 3000, but the average music show is likely to be around 1000. Relatively recently the larger of the two stages has been moved and this does seem to be to the detriment of punter enjoyment. Unless you arrive as soon as the doors open, your drinks already in hand from the foyer bar, there's not much chance of seeing the stage if you're under 6 feet tall. Also the nature of the brick tunnel means that the sound, while loud and balanced, can sound like it's coming from the bottom of a very deep well. This makes for a sludgy mix of talking and echo if you're near the back (the bad view seems to encourage more talking, as it's difficult to concentrate on a band you can't see and the problem is exacerbated).
Still the venue is excellently managed with a great website telling you everything you need to know from location map to stage specs. The programme is innovative, even by Glasgow standards, and the atmosphere is definately more dance club than rock show, the trendy urbanite crowd outnumber the indie kids most nights.
Recent gigs include Beirut, British Sea Power, Yann Tierson.

Barrowland Ballroom

The Barrowland Ballroom, or Barras is one of Glasgow's longest established and most atmospheric music venues. Situated on the East End edge of the centre of town, the ballroom itself is above the Barrowland market hall. This vintage venue has a capacity of 1900 with a wooden sprung dance floor and a wide stage affording a great view from almost all parts of the room.

There are two bars, one down one side of the main stage which can can get very busy during the show, and another down stairs off the foyer area. This also doubles as Barrowland 2, a 350 capacity stage for smaller (mostly local) bands.
The foyer area also offers a cloak room, dedicated merch desk, snack bar and toilets with attendants. There's an old fashioned character to the place, which in comparison to some of the city's newer venues gives it a slightly dilapidated charm, as illustrated in this Flickr set.

The venue is a short walk down the Gallowgate from the main city centre transport links and bars like 13th Note and Mono if you don't fancy the Old Men's pubs in the East End.

I've had some of my greatest times at the Barras seeing bands including Radiohead, Tricky, PJ Harvey, Spiritualized, The Beta Band and most recently Maximo Park - who had such a great show that they booked two more nights there rather than play one night at a bigger venue. Personally I love the springy floor, the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling, the generally excellent sound and the way the walls actually sweat condensation by the end of a show. Sadly since the advent of The ABC and Carling Academy - with their larger capacity and high profile, fewer bands seem to be playing the Barrowland, but the smaller capacity means that any gig of note plays to a sold out crowd, which adds to the unique atmosphere.

The Venue's own website is a bit idisyncratic. So I'd welcome suggestions for other info that I could add to my guide.

A Ticket To Music Tourism

The aim of this blog is to create a user's guide to popular music venues of the world and I'm looking for contributors. I'll start with some of Glasgow's many venues, as that's where I see most of my gigs.