Vintage Venue

A regular look at unsung haunts near you

No 52: The Arches, Glasgow

Hidden away beneath the imposing structure that is Glasgow’s Victorian-built Central Station is a network of dark tunnels, situated in the brick arches of the viaduct leading into the railway station.

In 1990 the area was used as a venue for a European City Of Culture event. One Andy Arnold then sought to develop the space as a theatre, and in order to fund this he staged nightclub events, something which would be a regular feature on the Glasgow club scene for more than 20 years. Some club nights were promoted by outside companies, others were in-house productions.

The entrance was in Midland Street below the railway lines, a dark gloomy spot. Once in, you found some 84,000 square feet of space across two floors.

Slam ran every Friday between 1992 and 1998, hosted by local techno producers of the same name, but with regular guests such as Underworld and Daft Punk. Slam then created Pressure, a monthly event where house and techno were played across two rooms.

The venue was a nurturing ground for emerging talent, playwright-performers, artists and musicians. But it also played host to gigs by some major artists, and among those to have played there are KT Tunstall, Fatboy Slim, The Ting Tings, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Calvin Harris, Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes, Vashti Bunyan and Belle & Sebastian. A very varied mix.

The place could seat 300 or so, much more for standing-only concerts. In March 2012, US singer-songwriter, Gretchen Peters, played a set with her band, promoting her then-new album Hello Cruel World. She was accompanied by Americana artist, Lynne Hanson, whose soulful voice has been likened to that of Mary Chapin Carpenter. But the enthusiastic crowd had packed into the small auditorium to hear Gretchen, and they gave her a great reception. She played new songs but also some of her best-known compositions including The Aviator’s Song, The Secret Of Life, On A Bus To St Cloud and When You Are Old. The sound quality in the Arches was pretty good, though in quiet moments you could hear the low rumbling of trains passing overhead.

The Arches closed in 2015 after its licensing hours were curtailed, and the place went into administration. In February 2018 it reopened as a food market.

If you know of an unsung music venue or defunct record shop, send 300-400 words, with a venue pic or scanned memorabilia, to rc.content@metropolis.co.uk