Going Out Glasgow

by Jay Richardson, freelance feature writer for The List

With its magnificent Victorian architecture, post-industrial ambition and increasingly continental outlook, Glasgow carries the swagger of a city built on warmth, humour and many, many drinking establishments. Exceptionally receptive to international trends and cultural innovation, evermore forthright with its poses of affluence, Scotland’s dynamic heart beats ever quicker with exciting days and nights out.

As anywhere, café cosmopolitanism has steadily wafted in, with style conscious Westenders drawn to Tinderbox on Byres Road, the contemporary cool of Where the Monkey Sleeps pepping up Dennistoun and the city centre, while the bohemian nook and kook of Tchaiovna rivals the Willow Tea Rooms as tea haven of choice. But it is bars and pubs that define Glasgow, from traditional boozers like the snug, stately Scotia Bar, via the old-meets-new ease of the Lismore, the many-faceted art/music melange of Mono, the unbeatable main drag of Ashton Lane’s cobbles, right down and dirty through Nice ‘N’ Sleazy to the exclusive Conran-designed Zinc in Princes Square.

Not surprisingly it’s Princes Square - alongside the designer outlets of the chic and breezily mercantile Merchant City - that have done so much to cement Glasgow’s position as a shopper’s magnet and forefront centre for fashion.

Yes, Glaswegians like looking good, particularly in their heading-out threads, a reputation for socialising theirs to uphold and cuisine from around the world to sample. Alongside a mushrooming Chinese presence, catering to the budget buffet vogue with seven restaurants on Sauchiehall Street alone, at the other end of the price scale is some altogether fine Scottish dining, an emphasis on quality meat and fish exemplified by local favourites like the long established Buttery and the compact yet superb Dining Room. Gourmets will note the sizeable Italian community’s many decent pizzerias, well-run family concerns and genuine class.

But perhaps it’s as the nation’s curry capital that the city’s culinary reputation truly rests, affordable food with distinctive character the norm for understated gems like Shish Mahal and The Wee Curry Shop in Garnethill.

Certain aspects of Glasgow speak for themselves, like having one of the highest cinema seat-to-population ratios in the British Isles. Reflecting both the chill winter weather and the populace’s informed passion for movies, celluloid lovers should check out the ever lovely Glasgow Film Theatre, its old-fashioned ambience housing the best in arthouse and European fare, the more offbeat and retrospective Gilmorehill G12, or simply the gargantuan, 18-screen UGC on Renfrew Street.

Other aspects of Glasgow though, intrigue the national press and beyond, with London’s inksmiths justifiably preoccupied with the city’s clubbing scene, a haven for house music attracting a mighty calibre of DJ from America and elsewhere, nights like Optimo at the Sub Club the highlight of many a night owl’s week. Blanket and Bamboo welcome a keen R ‘n’ B crowd, while those in search of indie, funk, metal or northern soul won’t have to look too far beyond idiosyncratic venues like the Art School, Buff Club, Cathouse, Woodside Social or Riverside.

Franz Ferdinand, Snow Patrol and Belle and Sebastian’s reputations precede them, but Glasgow has always had an unusually tight network of band co-operation, a few far-sighted individuals propelling the scene and great venues like the Barrowlands, King Tut’s, The 13th Note, Royal Concert Hall and The Arches. The latter, like the Centre for Contemporary Arts on Sauchiehall Street, welcomes all forms of creativity, incorporating live music, modern art, club nights and cutting-edge theatre under one rumbling roof, a great alternative to the famous name productions of the King’s, the broad church of the Tron or the ambitious innovation of the south side’s Tramway, its commitment to visual artists second to none. Glasgow School of Art meanwhile, continues to attract the best artists from around the world; a hotbed of talent whose legacy is reflected in David Bowie’s patronage (www.bowieart.com) and the Gallery of Modern Art’s recent organisational improvements, now far, far edgier than before. Equally impressive, the Modern Institute’s stable includes Beck’s Futures prize- winner Toby Paterson and international stars like Martin Boyce and Richard Wright.

If it’s laughs you’re after though, try the cheap and cheerful Stand on Woodlands Road, a central hub for the increasingly prestigious annual Comedy Festival. Just one of a number of big festivals such as the folk-and-more of Celtic Connections, the street jamboree of the West End Festival, the eclectic Jazz Festival and the even more eclectic array of world musicians that comprises Triptych, it combines with smaller treats like the Bard in the Botanics season of Shakespeare in the park and this year’s Machinista electronic art and music shows, to ensure Glasgow struts with year round charm.