Glasgow hits all right notes

Dec 30 2007 by Roger Domeneghetti, Sunday Sun

ETTRICK SCOTT takes a trip to Glasgow to take in the city’s vibrant music scene

I’VE got many fond memories of my first night out in Glasgow. The year was 2002 and I saw the best gig of my life . . . a band called The Hives, garage-punk rockers from Sweden.

What made the gig even more special was the fact that it took place in the perfect venue . . . the famous Barrowlands Ballroom.

Barrowlands holds nearly 2000 and is standing only. It also has very a tightly-sprung dancefloor, which is ideal for frenzied pogo-dancing in the jam-packed crowd, leading to scenes of whole audiences leaping about like ecstatic, spawning salmon.

Sadly, The Hives never went on to fully achieve the greatness that they deserved, but it was the start of my love affair with Glasgow . . . a city that I will happily visit at any time, often with the flimsiest of excuses for going there.

This time around, I was in Glasgow to attend the Tartan Clef awards, a celebration of Scottish music and artists sponsored by the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy charity, held in the city’s historic Old Fruitmarket venue.

There were some great acts playing live on the night, but my highlight would have to be a reformed Skids, performing a radically-changed, haunting version of Into the Valley.

As well as attending the Tartan Clef, I took the time on this trip to visit some of the city’s smaller music venues and clubs, and came away from them all highly impressed by what I had seen.

My first stop was The Goat . . . a bar-cum-restaurant that’s seen as a launchpad venue for many new Scottish acts.

They specialise in acoustic performances, which is probably just as well given the size of the venue, which holds a mere 100 standing, although there is a small seated area on a balcony overlooking the stage area.

Reluctantly leaving the cozy vibes of the Goat behind, I headed off to King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, another tiny venue, but one with a vital part to play in the history of British rock as it’s the venue where a then unknown Oasis were discovered and promptly signed by Alan McGee.

Legend has it that Oasis weren’t even meant to be playing but badgered the management into letting them play.

Whatever the truth is, there’s no denying that King Tut’s is a very special bar and venue indeed, loved equally by fans and musicians.

Although the upstairs gig room’s capacity is a mere 300, artists who have played there on their way up include the likes of Pulp, Supergrass and Ash. In fact, one two-week period in the early 1990s saw gigs by the Verve, Radiohead and the aforementioned Oasis . . . not bad, eh?

In keeping with the general rock ’n’ roll theme of this visit, I dined at the Red Onion restaurant, which is owned — and cheffed — by John Quigley, who travelled the world as a private chef cooking for stars such as Bryan Adams and Tina Turner, before returning to open the Red Onion in his hometown.

John describes the Red Onion’s style as “casual gourmet dining”, and that’s pretty much spot-on. It means that the food is beautifully cooked and presented but you won’t feel self-conscious going there dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, because it’s really laid-back. Top marks all round.

My night-clubbing days are long behind me but, as my visit to Glasgow coincided with the 10th birthday of Optimo — a highly-respected and raved-about club night at the Glasgow School of Art — I decided to make a special exception and stay up well past my bedtime.

Optimo is held over two floors of a red brick, Victorian college building, which lends it the feel of a school disco, albeit one filled with boozed-up art students frantically dancing to thumping electro-clash remixes.

Everybody seemed to be having a great time, I have to say. The only problem was that everybody also seemed to be a good 15 or 20 years younger than me, which was slightly disconcerting . . . I made my excuses and left for my hotel.

I stayed at the City Inn, a new hotel right on the banks of the Clyde, and even that seemed to have a rock ‘n’ roll theme about it . . . Take That were in town at the same time I was, playing at the SECC, and I returned to find the hotel bar thronged with excitable groups of flushed-looking, twenty-something women, fresh from a night spent revisiting their childhood crushes.

The next morning, I set off for Kelvingrove Museum, one of Glasgow’s most magnificent attractions.

The newly-refurbished building houses major works by Dali, Rembrandt, Monet and many more, but I was there for . . . Kylie.

The lower-ground floor of the museum is currently hosting an exhibition of all things Kylie-related, with a host of costumes from performances and videos . . . including those infamous gold hotpants.

The outfits are displayed on special, Kylie-shaped mannequins, which bring home to the visitor just how petite Ms Minogue really is, which is really very small indeed.

Music and travel are two of my life’s main passions and I arrived home from Glasgow with the satisfying feeling of having covered both bases . . . I spent a great couple of days listening to all manner of tunes in a beautiful city full of friendly people.

Glasgow totally rocks!

VISIT the Tenement House on Buccleuch Street in Garnethill, a time capsule that gives a good idea how tough life was in 19th century Glasgow.

FOOTBALL fans can visit the Celtic Visitor Centre, where you can learn about the club’s history.

PAY homage to Kylie at the Kelvingrove Museum. The exhibition runs until January 13.

STEP on board the Tall Ship moored at Glasgow Harbour, one of only five tall ships built on the Clyde that are still afloat today.

GET exhilarated at the Xscape Park in Braehead, where you can snowboard, go rockclimbing and abseiling or just visit the cinema.

ETTRICK travelled to Glasgow courtesy of GNER, now operated by National Express. Ticket prices start from £9.25 one-way if booked online. For details, go to www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com or telephone 0845-722 5225.

HE stayed at the City Inn, Finnieston Quay. Room rates start at £79 per night for a twin room. For details, email glasgow.reservations@cityinn.com or telephone 0141-240 1002.

ETTRICK travelled to Glasgow as a guest of Visit Scotland. For more information on making the most of your stay in Glasgow as well as fantastic accommodation deals, log onto www.visitscotland.com/citybreaks or call 0845-225 5121.