WELCOME TO THE INCREDIBLE PINUPS GLASGOW INDIE GUIDE

This is our personal guide to Glasgow listing the venues and places we like. As a result we might miss out stuff that some other people might tell you is vital. Them's the breaks! Enjoy your visit and feel free to drop us a line if you want more Glasgow banter. Read this Guide along with the Pinup Nights Indie Glasgow Guide Map Thing below!

View Larger Map

THE PUBS!

Nice n Sleazy - 421 Sauchiehall Street
Venture into Sleazys and you might find an eclectic mix of drug dealers and indie kids, as well as a very good jukebox. Downstairs there are often good bands and club nights (such as Bottle Rocket and The Hot Club, though the room is a tad too small to have a genuine riot), and Mr Gerry Lyons has his acoustic open mic night there on Mondays, which will no doubt be wistfully recalled in years to come. Sleazys is scuzzy but top class and if I had enough dough to open a pub myself I would design it along similar lines. www.nicensleazy.com

Variety Bar - 401 Sauchiehall Street
Possibly scuzzier than Sleazies, but due to the low lighting it's impossible to tell. It's dim and there's a fishtank. We're really not selling this place but it's good, trust us.

The 13th Note Cafe - 50 - 60 King Street, Glasgow
Note the Cafe bit (it's vegetarian). Crazy episodes with the staff aside (don't ever try to eat your own food in there, you might not get out alive!), this is as lovely an indie dive as Glasgow has to offer, while downstairs was the venue of Alex Kapranos' "99p nights" and is presided over to this day by all-round good bloke Brendan O'Hare (ex Teenage Fanclub and Mogwai). Too small for a club night, the tiny basement (basically a beer cellar with a bit of carpet) has still seen some amazing bills (such as Odeon Beat Club/Viva Stereo/My Latest Novel a few years back) and the recent gig involving Endor, Nacional and The Phantom Band was a cracker too. If you're about on the last day of the month you have to visit the bonkers "End Of The Month Club" for a good laugh... www.13thnote.co.uk

Stereo - 20 - 28 Renfield Lane
The odd ill-informed chap whose last purchase was a copy of Urban Hymns ("for the car") still sets out to the "Old" Stereo in the west end, despite it having shut down 2 years ago. "New" Stereo is slap bang in the middle of town beside Central Station, and has arguably lost a bit of atmosphere in the transition (odd furniture, industrial metal fittings). However it still serves vegetarian food, has amusingly confusing unisex toilets, and has recently seen performances downstairs from the likes of The Kills, The Von Bondies and The Teenagers. www.rottenrow.co.uk

The Admiral Bar - 72a Waterloo St
It's aspirational at The Admiral, where the menus ambitiously claim that it’s located "in the heart of the financial district". It's true that it’s near the off-ramp of the city's "artery" (the M8), and a lot of "transactions" are carried out in the vicinity (by practitioners of the oldest profession), but somebody should tell all this to the old drunks who are unaware of the trendy re-fit and keep wandering in for a pint. Nevertheless it’s downstairs in "The Hold" that the waves are made. Ryan from The Cribs infamously thought he'd killed someone when he whipped up a crowd-crushing frenzy, and there's also a stellar roster of club nights such as the fantastic all-girl Pretty Ugly, the moody krautrocking Kaput!, Polish night Patefon, and dance extravaganza Melting Pot. www.theadmiralbar.co.uk

Bar Bloc - 117 Bath Street
In a city centre street of bland style bars where DJ I-Pod punishes The Kids, Bloc is a beacon and hosts live bands - even though it's so small the audience might leave with their ears bleeding. The clientele at Bar Bloc tolerate great local indie acts such as The Parkers, Miss the Occupier, Juno! or We Were Promised Jetpacks, but you know what they really want is noisy emo. (Just don't call it "emo", or they'll run off to their room to sing that song about “hating my mom” whilst tattooing their forehead.) So, you can expect performances from mad Scandinavians, earnest acoustic sets, but also great electro and house from the Animal Farm chaps on the weekends. www.bloc.ru

Twisted Wheel – Queen Street
Decent bar that’s perhaps a bit out of the way, but has good gigs on in the basement sometimes, though if you’re thinking of going for a club night, be warned that it’s tiny!

Mono - 12 Kings Court, King Street
If you’re expecting the epicentre of the Glasgow indie scene you’ll probably be left a bit deflated by what is basically a friendly pub staffed by characters who are in bands. It produces its own not bad home brew ale stuff, more normal drinks, delicious organic orange juice and also has a full vegan restaurant that serves fare far tastier than the description suggests.

King Tuts - 272a St. Vincent Street
Famed as the place where Alan McGee signed Oasis, in its former incarnation in the 70s as "Saints and Sinners" it was a hotbed of riotous punk gigs. Great for bands, surprisingly tasty for a spot of lunch, but if you're just on the prowl to get mangled it might not hit the spot. www.kingtuts.co.uk

Brunswick Cellars - 239 Sauchiehall Street
Remember that game "run the gauntlet" on Gladiators? Well, as the middle part of Sauchiehall Street has pretty much been overrun by horrific ned pubs, but you can play your very own version to get to Sleazys after you've been here. There's nothing like a sprint to make you feel like you've earned your scoops.

CCA - Sauchiehall Street
Or, en route from the Cellars you can jump in here. Often a pretty quiet bar (it's part of the Centre of Contemporary Arts venue), but I like it. www.cca-glasgow.com

The Ivy – 157 North Street, Charing Cross
Kind of in the middle of nowhere, but some good gigs are put on here, and any time I’ve been in it’s been surprisingly busy! www.ivybar.co.uk

Captains Rest – Great Western Road
Formerly an old man’s boozer, it’s been acquired by promotions company PCL, and between them and some other good west end arty type promoters there are sometimes good gigs on.

Brel - 37 - 43 Ashton Lane, Glasgow
Once upon a time there was a lovely little lane in the west end with nice little pubs. It was the sort of place you could pop along to and get a jar whilst listening to Belle & Sebastian and thinking about that girl you really want to go out with who just laughs when you're trying to give her some silky chat. Anyway all that fey shit has well and truly been blown away by Glasgow's clubbing Mr Bigs, who have transformed Ashton Lane into a gaudy neon extravaganza that Disney would probably baulk at. Still, Brel maintains the old spirit of the place - lovely food, great range of beers and a nice bit of garden out the back to sit in during the 2 weekends in Glasgow is doesn't rain.

CLUBS

The Flying Duck - 142 Renfield Street
"The Thin White Duke, throwing darts in lover's eyes" sang David Bowie, but at The Flying Duck it's more likely to be hunks of half-chewed bread blinding the object of your affections. That's because they serve TOAST! The idea is to create a "house party vibe" and the venue is kitted out to resemble somebody's home, complete with kitchen. Sadly you're not permitted to free-pour your own horrific measures of booze, dance on the sofa or spew all over the bathroom. PINUP NIGHTS (us, hurrah!) runs here on the last Friday of the month, so do pop in – on other nights you’ll also find Gav from Camera Obscura and the Dolly Mixture girls. www.myspace.com/theflyingduck

The Arches - 253 Argyle St
The Arches are the vaults under Central Station and the venue is widely acknowledged as one of the finest clubbing environments in the UK thanks to mould-breaking nights such as Death Disco. The Arches also hosts gigs, and though the space is too big for local bands - an attempt at a Glasgow Club NME foundered here - last year saw terrific performances from, amongst others, MIA and Beirut. Again, check the listings. www.thearches.co.uk

The Art School - Renfrew Street
We recommend this place with the qualification that a lot of the clientele are arty f***s and they might piss you off with their desperate arty posturing! "ooh me, look at ME I'm arty!" "Ooh no, look at ME, I'm far artier"..etc. All the same there are quality club nights to be had such as Pangea and Mungo's HI FI, while the Vic Bar is always pleasant for a jar if open. You just might need to befriend somebody to sign you in www.theartschool.co.uk

The Sub Club – 22 Jamica Street
Home to terrific dance mash up nights Optimo and Subculture, this venue was recently voted one of the best clubs in the world! If you’re out to get off your head, this is the place to go! www.subclub.co.uk

The Classic Grand – 18 Jamiaca Street
Above the Sub Club there’s the Classic Grand, a slightly odd venue that tried to do indie nights, which seemed to all fail, before now hosting more techno stuff. Occasionally you get decent touring bands playing there www.classicgrand.com

The ABC - Sauchiehall Street
We're inclined to call this place the A Pee C as the DJing in the big main hall (a converted cinema theatre) can be so predictable as to be almost insulting - 3 "indie" type songs, 2 "soul" type songs, etc. "Cool" in the way that listening to your sister's MC Hammer CD when you were 10 was "cool", if you really want to endure some mass production/lowest common denominator music in order to pull a monster, increase your odds by going to the Gay-rage along the road. (Still, credit where it's due - the DJing/gigs in the much smaller APeeC 2 are sometimes fairly good!) www.abcglasgow.com

The Buff Club - Bath Lane
The Buff sets out its stall to play funk and soul, and is great for a night out. The best night there is probably the highly recommended Killer Kitsch on Tuesdays. www.thebuffclub.com

The Winchester - 49 Bell Street
It's Licence to Thrill at The Winchester where, provided you squint slightly, Manager Darren Hall resembles Daniel Craig! Plagued by licence problems upon first opening in 2007, the venue is now open until 3am and finding its stride as a suave destination in the increasingly fashionable Merchant City. Looking old-fashioned in a way that must have cost a lot of new-fashioned money, there's a deliciously dark ambience. The burlesque Club Noir have introduced their spin-off "Backstage" night here too. www.winchesterclubglasgow.com

Blackfriars - 36 Bell Street
Another Merchant City venue on the rise, for years great club nights (such as, ahem, PINUP NIGHTS!)slipped through Blackfriars fingers due to its small capacity, low ceiling and bizarre L-shape. Nobody would dance, possibly because the DJ couldn't see most of the people in the room, but more likely because people feared banging their head if they stood up. However it has now expanded and is reaping the rewards. Flagship night Tronic recently brought Phil Hartnoll to DJ, while every month you can expect rockabilly (both live and recorded) at All Tore Up and a little bit of everything from the terrific Team $pitfire and newcomers Fabbatoir.

Maggie May’s - 60 Trongate
Named after the famous Rod Stewart song or perhaps in prescient tribute to the type of ladies who frequent it, Maggie May’s attracts a slightly more mature crowd which nonetheless knows how to have fun. Glasgow cabaret acts such as Scunner and Glasgow Glam Bangers enjoy playing in the plush basement, Filthy Gorgeous have held a night here, the Craig brothers serve up a terrific Saturday night disco, and Nick who books the bands (part Russell Brand, part Noddy Holder) has to be seen to be believed. www.maggiemays.co.uk

Record Shops!

Fopp - 19 Union Street/358 Byres Road
You're probably familiar with Fopp, as it had loads of branches across the UK before…going bust HMV bought over a selection of the most profitable branches and kept them running. The chat about town is that the staff ain't as friendly as they used to be, but the big wall of albums at a fiver each is always tempting.

Missing Records - 48 Oswald Street
Mainly 2nd hand CDs here, run by fans of 60s music, there's a good range of older classics available and also lots of local music fanzines amongst the vinyl at the back.

Avalanche Records - 34 Dundas Street
It's not unknown to be subjected to a history lesson here if you attempt to purchase something a bit new and crass/blatantly derivative. Seriously, the owner is a lovely gentleman. A great selection of up to date indie stuff, also a bit of punk and hip hop etc.

Monorail - 12 Kings Court, King Street
Leaning mainly towards what we'd call leftfield guitar and electronica the staff are great and there's a good selection of music by local bands, a very informative notice board and fanzines too. www.monorailmusic.com

Mixed Up Records - 18 Otago Lane
A fairly bizarre shop with everything but the kitchen sink available. Excellent for a dig about if you have time going spare. www.mixeduprecords.com

Lost in Music - De Courcys Arcade, Creswell Lane (runs paralell to Byres Road)
Many a Saturday afternoon in the late 90s I made a pilgrimage to this shop as I built up a CD collection paid for by shifts at Sainsburys. I don't go as often anymore but it's still good for older 2nd hand CDs that you've always meant to pick up.

CONCERT VENUES!

Barrowlands - 244 Gallowgate
The legendary Barras ballroom with the sprung wooden floor. The best venue in town bar none, it holds around 2000, has stars on the ceiling, and unlike other venues I could mention, sells Diesel (snakebite, whatever you want to call it) straight up rather than making you mix it yourself like some kind of twisted episode of Blue Peter. www.glasgow-barrowland.com

Carling Academy - 121 Eglington Street
This venue is increasingly getting the gigs that used to be held at the Barras (it has a slightly larger capacity of 2500). Getting served at the tiny bar beside the door is a rage-inducing lottery, but that's a walk in the park compared to trying to listen to a band. Let's just say that if you're one of these fussy people who likes to hear the guitars, bass, drums, vocals, keyboards etc all at the same time, you might get a bit gumpy. And don't get us started on the Slippery Carling Academy Steps of Doom. www.glasgow-academy.co.uk

Glasgow Barfly - 260 Clyde Street
Formerly the 13th Note Club (associated with the Cafe described above), the place has hardly changed since, and appears to have gone drastically downhill lately. I saw the Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs first Glasgow gigs here, but I wouldn’t expect to see that sort of band here on a regular basis again anytime soon. Still, I enjoyed a terrific evening here when Pete Doherty played an acoustic set. "peeete...peeete...peeete". It was like someting out of Dawn of the Dead. www.barflyclub.com/glasgow

Oran Mor - 731 Great Western Road
In the west end (capacity 400), this place cost a packet and it shows. The downstairs venue is good for gigs – I’ve seen Tom Vek, Patrick Wolf, Ladytron and Brakes here, to name a few. It's also an upmarket restaurant and a bar - NOT suitable for getting wrecked in - though the auditorium above painted by famous Scottish writer and artist Alasdair Grey is amazing. Just mind that gigs start very sharp indeed and end 10-ish. www.oran-mor.co.uk

Glasgow SECC – Finnieston
The big arena venue for the big arena acts. It's a bit like an aircraft hangar and isn't exactly for the purists, as the sound is understandably rubbish. Still, I've seen Pulp and David Bowie do great gigs here, so it is possible, good workmen don't blame their tools etc etc. www.secc.co.uk

Help us along by sending anything you think needs added to pinup_nights@yahoo.co.uk. Cheers!