GLASGOW
O utsiders (OK, East coast-ers) tend to point to the much-exaggerated Glaswegian fondness for designer labels and the large proportion of generic style bars as reasons why Edinburgh has more ‘soul’ than Glasgow. Alright, the shadow of the G1 group does loom large over the city’s drinking culture, but these establishments are easily avoided, and together the fantastic, ruggedly individualist bars we’ve pulled together on these pages make up a city-wide network of wonderful and thoroughly un-generic drinking dens. Remember, this is a city that houses not one but four shufflingly cool vegetarian-food-and-live-music-bars.
The city centre is a seething mass of contradictions. Sauchiehall Street alone harbours a bewildering combination of cosy student haunts, arch palaces of rock’n’roll cool, and all-you-can- drink, all-you-can-pull dens of hedonism, while down one in the grid system on Bath Street you’ll find aspirational ‘members clubs’ in the basements on one side of the pavement and well-heeled hipster bars on the other.
Drinking amid the excellent restaurants and boutiques of the Merchant City is a much more straightforward experience – you want classy cocktails and the city’s best dressed pleasure- seekers? No problem, but if it all gets a little bit glossy for you, the artist and muso enclave behind the Tron Theatre is only a couple of steps away. Over in the South Side, the pubs tend broadly towards either classic old man boozers or upmarket neighbourhood bars for young professionals seeking financial security across the river. The West End may have lost a lot of its former bohemian lure – no-one can imagine Belle and Sebastian forming in a bar on Ashton Lane these days – but in the streets away from Byres Road there are still a lot of proper little gems. (Kirstin Innes)
Nice ‘n’ Sleazy
BARGUIDE 2009
KING TUT’S WAH WAH HUT 272 St Vincent Street, 221 5279. www.kingtuts.co.uk Mon–Sat noon–1am; Sun, times vary. Basic pint: £2.75
Famed far and wide among people who’ve never even been to it as the venue in which Oasis were discovered, King Tut’s is still going strong, with the compact two-tier venue upstairs playing host to touring and local bands almost every night of the year. A little off the beaten track, passing trade is minimal, but pub food, a pool table and good music in the bar mean you can turn a gig into a full night out here. High point: a Glasgow legend
THE 13TH NOTE 50-60 King Street, 553 1800. www.13thnote.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–midnight. Basic pint: £2.95
On just about the coolest street in Glasgow, the Note is perhaps best known for its quality and affordable vegetarian meals. With an indie-cool clientele in the high-ceilinged upstairs bar and a certain rough-worn character, the fact that the atmospheric downstairs room puts on regular and wildly eclectic band nights shouldn’t be overlooked. High point: great vegetarian food
MUSIC BARS NICE ‘N’ SLEAZY
421 Sauchiehall Street, 333 0900. www.nicensleazy.com Mon–Sat 12.30pm–3am; Sun 1pm–3am. Basic pint: £2.70
Of all the great music bars in Glasgow, one reigns over the rest. Fighting off the very worst Sauchiehall Street throws up around it, it’s an outpost of drop-dead cool. Excusing the white stencilled writing, the black exterior gives it the imposing menace of 2001’s monolith, while some of the tattooed, eyeshadowed characters gathered to smoke on the pavement outside might appear equally sinister to non-muso civilians. It’s Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, and Glasgow loves it. How many ways? Let’s count them. There’s the food, the highlight of which is a plate of sloppy, hangover-curing nachos. Bar DJs make an appearance upstairs from Thursday to Friday, or the jukebox is the stuff of local legend if you want to make your own soundtrack: expect to hear things like Sonic Youth, Nirvana, local
heroes Mogwai and half the playlist of your average All Tomorrow’s Parties festival. The small downstairs venue hosts good gigs and late night club events spanning genres from indie- rock to techno, or you can just hang around in the bar and see every Glasgow band of the last decade and more walk in at some point. High point: all of it
CAPTAIN’S REST 185 Great Western Road, 332 7304. www.pclpresents.com Mon–Sun noon–midnight. Basic pint: £2.75
Since being captured by alternatively inclined Scottish promoters PCL as their in-house venue, the Captain’s Rest has been doing for Great Western Road what Sleazy’s does for Sauchiehall Street. The lights are low, the staff are not unfriendly (but just sullen enough to let you know you’re in an indie venue), there’s food on the menu and great underground music playing. The intimate basement venue is quite possibly Glasgow’s best small gig space. High point: the basement
STEREO 22-28 Renfield Lane, 222 2254. www.stereocafebar.com Sun–Thu noon–midnight; Fri & Sat noon–3am. Basic pint: £2.90
It’s hard to correctly categorise Stereo. It’s so good at almost everything, and it attracts the cream of Glasgow’s scenesters. Yet the very best bit is downstairs: an atmospheric concrete cube of a basement venue which holds regular gigs by touring and local alternative bands and eclectic, highly- regarded club nights. High point: multitasks well
SPECIAL MENTIONS Oran Mor has a great basement venue; Mono, for gigs and an iconic Glasgow record shop in Monorail.
19 Nov–3 Dec 2009 THE LIST 19