The Reform Club

142 West Regent Street. 22| 4847. Mon—Sat noon—midnight; Sun 3pm-midnight.

For no obvious reason. the Lounge became the Reform Club after its interior redesign at the hands of Graven Images. The space is so small that only so much could be done. btit in addition to a new sepia-inspired colour scheme. there is a bit more room to move about in. They also have the temerity to offer an absinthe cocktail by the pitcher. with lemonade and lime justifiably called the Black Out. DJs continue to entertain on student nights. Tuesday and Thursday. Happy hour: 5-8pm daily; all day Sun.

Spy Bar

—l53 Bath Street. 221 771 l. Mon—Sat noon—midnight; Sun 6pm—midnight. This capacious. uncluttered basement bar has been open forjust over a year. all glowing greens and sapphires with plenty of shadowy space set aside for furtive glances and clandestine encounters. The lunch trade can be brisk. but soon thereafter the lights are dimmed and the nightlife begins. Investigate further and

bar life

The lle

’DJing in bars definitely gives you the opportunity to play all the stuff that you wouldn’t get to play in the clubs, like funk and disco to more mellow house,’ says Craig Morrison. ’It really allows you to

play with different styles.’ As half of the

outstanding deep house DJs/producers Silicone Soul, Morrison and Graeme Reedie hold weekly resrdencies at Glasgow’s Spy Bar and Bargo, in addition to the ones held at clubs Pressure and Relief. The pair Will also be playing at Foundations, a new monthly showcase which kicks off soon at

Bacchus.

The clubbing enVironment is no longer the sole domain of the DJ, who is now perfectly at home in those stylish bars that owe their origin more to the modern and minimalist nightclub than the old

you'll find an intriguing if not necessarily subversive pre—club line-up (DJs every day bttt Monday) with the likes of Silicone Soul plumbing the depths of house on Saturday from 8pm and Kenny H's funkier foundations on Sunday from 9pm.

Happy hour: Sun 6pm—mirlnighr all drinks £1.50. Tue all day Iii'ofor one. Wed ()pni—mulnighl Ital/lpriee cocktails".

Strata

45 Queen Street. 22l l888. .‘vlon—Sun noon—midnight.

The baby of local boy-made-good Stephen Kenny (previously at The Big Blue). Queen Street's Strata combines cool interior (co-designed by One Foot Taller and Timorous Beasties) with decidely warm service. Kenny. a maniac with a mission. sets the tone insisting the tables were designed to withstand the weight of dancing feet. A challenge perhaps. bttt not one to be taken lightly given the potent pitchers of Jamaican Punch. Tennessee Tornado or the house speciality Stratosphere (original. raspberry or peach margaritas). With your head in the clouds. it might be

man’s spit-and-sawdust pub. Where once the

crowds endured any old sing—a-long 70$ compilation that the manager saw fit to put on, drinkers now expect the slickest of sounds offered up by serious contenders in the turnstable stakes. Although most clubbers still treat a stop-off in a bar as a precursor to dancefloor action later in the evening, there is a growing number who are happy

to make the bar their main port of call.

’A lot of people do Just that,’ agrees Morrison.

10 The List Bar Guide 1999

sensible to keep your feet on terra lirma. Happy hour: .llon Her! 5 mil/night. Thu—Sat 5»8p))i. Sun [3:30pm mil/night: r'or‘ls'lall pitchers [/JUS. shooters and eoektails by the glass £3.50.

Struvaigin

26 (iibson Street. 33-1 2665. .\Ion ~Thtt

l lam—I lpm; I‘ri—Sat l lam ~midnight‘. Sun l2:3()- I lpm.

In I‘rench. the word is llaiieur - one who wanders without particular direction observing life. In Scots. .srravaie means to roam idly and generally gad about in an aimless manner. If only such sublime Auld Alliance threads could be more established. even institutionalised. we would happily apply for the position of official Scottish Stravaiger. In the meantime. the bar at the Strayaigin is hereby official residence for all those who see more to life than deadlines. routines and habit. The wine list is not long btit thoughtfully selected. Better known for its aw ard-winning food in the restaurant downstairs. the smallish pub (with a balcony above the gantry ) doesn‘t ptish its style credentials but draws a diverse. arty and with-it West End crowd.

’With free entry, and the fact that most bars are

(Simone Baird)

open until 1am, they’re happy to sit and get as much entertainment as they w0uld in a club’

I Silicone Soul play Sat at Bargo and the Spy Bar, Fri at Pressure and Relief, and at Foundations at Bacchus on Sat 7 7 Dec. Their single ’Nosseratu’ is

out on Soma on Fri 28 Jan and their debut album,

A SOUI Thing, is out in Feb.

gantry:-

Strata. Spy Bar and Iron

Sublime

at the Hex. 198—200 Bath Street. 332 8338. Sun—Wed noon—midnight; Thu-Sat noon—lam.

The funky and popular bar is attached to the newly relaunched Mes (formerly Tex Mex) restaurant. The styling at Sublime is less contrived and more casual. a place where colourful slip covers are tossed over sofas. The kitchen has been praised in the past. so it might prove worthwhile to sample some of its fare while you swill down your fruity margaritas by the pitcherftil. DJs lira/er and Craig serve tip their housey mix on Friday and Saturday. while on Sunday the bar recently introduced a more eclectic sound.

Happy hour: 5-9-81)": daily; .Illllt'll b’U/—. se/eeterl lmlllerl beer [lb-l); lx'ronenhio'g. Stella U. 75; rum/giii/uhisky/vmlka with splash [1.20; margaritas til.

13th Note

50—60 King Street. 553 I638. Mon—Sun noorvmidnight.

The style counselling here comes not from the interior design work btit the ‘gently' alternative' throngs of students. artists and musicians who quickly fill the street-side booths and the stools at the bar. With the live music club downstairs and vegetarian restaurant to the rear. the l3th Note is your full-service hipster house on one of (ilasgow's more authentically artistic (Print Studio. Art Iixposure Gallery) and cosmopolitan ((‘afe ('ossachok. Le Bouchon) and eclectic (Adam Books. (ilas‘gow Piercing Studio) neighbourhoods.

Happy hour: Mort-'Ihu 5—8pm. Sun noon—8pm. l’inls for £1.50. shorts and (lash/or fl.

Iron

63 'I’rongate. 552 8587. Mon—Sat lflam—midnight; Sun ll).3(lam—l lpm. The Tron's Chisholm Street bar was designed by architects RMJM Scotland in collaboration with artists as part of the theatre complex's £5 million redevelopment. A repeated favourite of List readers. the bar got its money's worth as it successfully integrates contemporary design with the restaurant's Victorian setting. With its comfy Iiames & Jacobsen furniture and huge panels of glass above the street. the place virtually glows at night. And if that was not enough. profits are pumped back into the stage productions.

Happy hour: .IIorr-Sa! 5N 7pm. House (‘or'klalls‘ £2.75. seleelerl pints [/51]. house wine [6.95 a bottle. .I’Iumm ('uvee .\'apa Brut [I 4. 95.

Tun Ion

157 Hope Street. 572 l23l). Mon—Sat noon—midnight. Closed Sun.

Another interior done tip by' those modernist wizards from Graven Images. Tun Ton made a significant splash when it opened in l9‘)8 the white bucket