HOGMANAY08 GLASGOW HIGHLIGHTS
If the live gigs from Idlewild (pictured below), Bleachie and Paolo Nutini don’t grab you, we’ve got some other suggestions for how to get your Hogmanay kicks around town. Glasgow racks up its cool points (and not just the
temperature ones) with Glasgow On Ice in George Square. Don your newly acquired knitted garments from granny and head out to the ice rink to burn off any Christmas pudding bulge. Tickets cost £5-£6 and remember to head along the night afore the night afore though, as it’s closed on new year’s eve and new year’s day.
Or, if all those double toe loops and axel jumps
sound a little too Torvill and Dean, why not relax with some retail therapy at the Continental Festive Market in George Square where mulled wine, German sausage and gingerbread are all on offer, and face painting and ice sculptures can also be found. If the weans are driving you round the bend with
their non-stop Wii playing and you fear for their grip on reality, why not take yourself and them for some true loop-the-loop gut-churning fun at the Irn Bru Carnival. Running from Friday 19 December – Sunday 11 January, Europe’s biggest indoor funfair returns once again to the SECC. This year’s carnival will include more than 60 rides and stalls, suitable for kids (and adults) of all ages. It stays open until 9pm on the night afore, and, as if you’ve not got enough spinny-head to deal with on 1 January, the rides open again at noon.
On a more traditional musical note, there are
concert performances of carols and seasonal classics at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Get your New Year off to an uplifting start with Handel’s Messiah, with the RSNO Chorus on Friday 2 January or indulge in a rousing burst of polkas and waltzes at the Viennese Gala on Saturday 3 January. See the Concert Hall website (details below) for more information and ticket prices. For singing of a rather more sing-a-long style, and
an indoor, warm-and-dry Hogmanay option, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour
Dreamcoat at the SECC has two shows on 31 December, at 2pm and 5pm. Altogether now: ‘I close my eyes. . .’ www.gccs.org.uk, www.winterfestglasgow.com
www.irn-bru-carnival.com, www.glasgow concerthalls.com, www.secctickets.com
14 THE LIST 11 Dec 2008–8 Jan 2009
Floored genius
David Pollock and Henry Northmore take you through the Hogmanay dancefloor action in Glasgow and Edinburgh and suggest where to get the party started
‘I t’s on’ is the simple motto which Glasgow überclub Optimo are using to promote their famous Hogmanay special – it’s at the Fruitmarket again, and will see Twitch and Wilkes joined by Glasgow Italo- punks Den Haan and laptop-wielding Parisian show-offs, Nôze. Meanwhile, Optimo’s old New Year stomping ground will be trying something new this year, with the Art School New Year’s Eve Party in association with Mixed Bizness (featuring Fancy & Spook and Sleepless Crew) and Divine (with guest DJ Chris ‘Beans’ Geddes of Belle and Sebastian).
The massive Sub Club Grand NYE will be spread over three floors of the Sub Club and Classic Grand (hence the name), and will feature the talents of Steve Bug, Andrew Weatherall, Prins Thomas, Subculture’s Harri and Domenic, and more. Over at the ABC, their Hogmanay Extravaganza sees performances from Dananananakyroyd and We Were Promised Jetpacks, followed by sets from the ABC’s resident DJs. Elsewhere, the Melting Pot NYE Party at the Admiral brings us Jiscomusic’s Mark E and Deportivo Street Team in a disco house style, while the Flying Duck club will be hosting the Pinup Nights Hogmanay Ball, with an indie- centric line-up which includes DJs from Mogwai, The Twilight Sad and Errors, and an array of live bands. There’s more indie shenanigans with DJ sets from Snow Patrol and Belle & Sebastian at the Byblos New Year’s Eve Spectacular alongside house from Suzee X and Jason Bye. The Woodside Social Club will count down to ‘09 with a Superfly Motown special, and the Soundhaus present their Hogmanay Hoot, featuring guest spots from just about everyone who runs a club at the venue, whilst superclub
venue The Arches hosts the hard house sounds of Inside Out, featuring an array of guests including Agnelli & Nelson, Sean Tyas and Solarstone. Over in Edinburgh another institution is hosting their famous Hogmanay party as Vegas! once again take over Ocean Terminal cramming it with big band, swing and burlesque goodness for their Grand Hogmanay Ball. It is always a sell out, so remember to get your tickets early.
As you’d expect, Cabaret Voltaire are keeping it cool and classy with Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Official Aftershow featuring a DJ set from electro boffins Hot Chip (fresh from a set on the West End stage on Princes Street) alongside breaks, house and beyond from the Sugarbeat, Ultragroove and Shoot the Pump regulars. For house heads, go for Stereotype’s New Year’s Eve at the Liquid Rooms, showcasing the best Edinburgh has to offer; Strictly Frisky & Pukka Up join forces at Why Not?, Tokyoblu do their thing at Medina and for harder sounds try the Boombox NYE Party at Luna with Mark Sherry and Mallorca Lee.
For something a bit different, Studio 24 has a night of rock and metal on the cards with Retribution Headspin mashing together every great genre you can think of at the Bongo, while jazz and world beats collide at the Departure Lounge Hogmanay Special (The Caves) joined by special guests Orkestra del Sol, Gecko 3 and Mungo’s Hi-Fi, featuring MC Soom T. But for some credit-crunch-busting Hogmanay kicks there’s breaks, drum & bass, hip hop and funk for just a fiver at City Cafe New Year’s Eve or The Motherfunk Hogmanay Party at Voodoo Rooms and their hot funk and soul selection for an entry fee of absolutely nada.
See Club listings page 40 for full details.