Entertainment in Glasgow
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Utter Gutter @ the Riverside Club
Many straight clubs and bars have gay and lesbian nights, such as Utter Gutter @ The Riverside Club on the first Saturday monthly. Everyone’s welcome at this friendly night – one of Glasgow’s best.
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Cathouse
It's mostly rock, emo and metal at this long-standing indie, goth and alternative venue. There are two dance floors: upstairs is pretty intense with lots of metal and hard rock, downstairs is a little more tranquil.
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Blackfriars
Merchant City's most relaxed and atmospheric pub, Blackfriars' friendly staff and chilled-out house make it special. They take their cask ales seriously here, and there's a seating area with large windows that are great for people-watching.
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Moda
Blonde wood, fake tans and fluffy pink cocktails are the chief attributes of Moda, a place where beautiful folk strike a pose over daytime drinks, or recuperate before returning to the Polo Lounge next door or going downmarket at Delmonica’s.
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Vodka Wodka
Every vodka drinker's dream, Vodka Wodka has more varieties of the stealthy poison than you could possibly conquer in one sitting. Its brushed metal bar dishes out the liquid fire to students during the day and groups of mid-20s in the evening.
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Tunnel
Tunnel is a Glasgow classic with two spaces and a good variety of sounds. It's fairly dressy for Glasgow. Saturdays are great here, with hip-hop and RnB in one zone, and house in the other.
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Firewater
A large venue constantly mobbed, Firewater is a good honest servant of Sauchiehall St. It’s always lively and there are usually some pretty good bands plying their trade. Huge American pool tables, drink offers and club passes means it’s a good place to get connected.
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Art School
An impressive occasional venue in the Glasgow School of Art (would CRM have approved?), this is where the style-cats of the student world hang out in force. It's a welcoming place and the dance nights are legendary. Cheap booze and a good selection of DJs rounds off the happy picture.
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MacSorley's
There's nothing better than a good horseshoe-shaped bar in Glasgow, and here the elegantly moulded windows and ceiling add a touch of class to this happy place, which offers live music every night and some excellent, inventive pub food. DJs from the nearby Sub Club also play sets here.
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Drum & Monkey
Dark wood and marble columns frame this attractive drinking emporium, peppered with church pews and leather lounge chairs. Its cosy and relaxing vibe makes you want to curl up in an armchair with a pint for the afternoon. Its central location makes it popular with business folk after work.
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Corinthian
A breathtaking domed ceiling and majestic chandeliers make Corinthian an awesome venue. Originally a bank and later Glasgow's High Court, this regal building's main bar has to be seen to be believed. Cosy wraparound seating and space to spare are complemented by a snug wine bar and a plush club downstairs in old court cells.
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Brel
Perhaps the best on Ashton Lane, this bar can seem tightly packed, but there's a conservatory out the back so you can pretend you're sitting outside when it's raining, and when the sun does peek through there's a beer garden. They've got a huge range of Belgian beers, and they also do mussels and other Lowlands favourites.
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Arches
A one-stop culture/entertainment fix, Arches doubles as a theatre showing contemporary, avant-garde productions and there's also a club. The hotel-like entrance belies the deep interior, which make you feel as though you've discovered Hades' bohemian underworld. The crowd is mixed – hiking boots are as welcome as Versace.
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Waxy O’connors
If you’ve been trying to avoid those acid flashbacks, steer clear of Waxy O’Connors. This labyrinthine maze of six bars on three levels (you may not emerge for days), including the inspiringly named Murphy’s Bar, is an Escher drawing brought to life. Sadly, it’s also an Irish-themed bar, but even that doesn’t ruin the surreal fun.
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Horse Shoe
This legendary city pub and popular meeting place dates from the late 19th century and is largely unchanged. It's a picturesque spot, with the longest continuous bar in the UK, but its main attraction is what's served over it – real ale and good cheer. Upstairs in the lounge is some of the best value pub food (3-course lunch £4.25) in town.
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Nice 'n' Sleazy
On the rowdy Sauchiehall strip, students from the nearby School of Art make the buzz here reliably friendly. If you're over 35 you'll feel like a professor not a punter, but retro decor, a big selection of tap and bottled beers, 3am closing, and nightly alternative live music downstairs followed by a club at weekends make this a winner. There's also popular, cheap Tex-Mex food (dishes £5 to £7).
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The Butterfly & the Pig
A breath of fresh air along trendy Bath St, the piggery is a little offbeat, a little zany and makes you feel comfortable as soon as you plunge into its basement depths. The décor is an eclectic bunch with a retro feel and this adds to its familiarity. You get the feeling that servicing this place regularly would be rewarded with your favourite pint being poured just as you enter the doorway.
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Bar 10
A tiny city treasure that will cause the canny Glasgow drinker to give you a knowing glance if you mention its name. As laid-back as you could ask for in a hip city bar, the friendly, tuned-in staff complete the happy picture. It transforms from a quiet daytime bar to a happening weekend pub on Friday and Saturday nights. It also does decent, cheap paninis, salads, and the like during the day.
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Òran Mór
Now some may be a little uncomfortable with the thought of drinking in a church. But we say: the Lord giveth. Praise be and let's give thanks – a converted church, and an almighty one at that, is now a bar, restaurant and club venue. The bar feels like it's been here for years – all wood and thick, exposed stone giving it warmth and a celestial air. There's an excellent array of whiskies. The only thing missing is holy water on your way in.
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Uisge Beatha
If you enjoy a drink among dead things, you'll love Uisge Beatha (Gaelic for whisky, literally 'water of life'). This mishmash of church pews, stuffed animal heads and portraits of depressed nobility (the Maggie mannequin is our favourite) is patrolled by Andy Capp-like characters during the day and students at night. With 100 whiskies and four quirky rooms to choose from, this unique pub is one of Glasgow's best – an antidote to style bars.
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The Butterfly & The Pig
A breath of fresh air along trendy Bath St, the piggery is a little offbeat, a little zany and makes you feel comfortable as soon as you plunge into its basement depths. The decor is eclectic, with a retro feel, and this adds to its familiarity. You get the feeling that patronising this place regularly would be rewarded with your favourite pint being poured just as you enter the doorway. There's a sizeable menu of pub grub, and more refined fare in the tearoom upstairs.
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West
A cavernous room with an airy, industrial feel on the edge of Glasgow Green, this brewery churns out beers brewed in strict accordance with the Reinheitsgebot – a traditional German beer purity law. Which basically means it's bloody good. Excellent German dishes accompany the amber fluid, such as bratwurst sausages, sauerkraut and schnitzels. Migrate to the beer garden overlooking the People's Palace in summer. To get there, head to the People's Palace and you'll see it opposite, next to the bizarrely ornate facade of the former carpet factory.
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Artà
This extraordinary place is so baroque that when you hear a Mozart concerto over the sound system, it wouldn't surprise you to see the man himself at the other end of the bar. Set in a former cheese market, it really does have to be seen to be believed. As its door slides open, Artà's opulent, candle-lit interior is revealed with its floor-to-ceiling velvet and red curtains revealing a staircase to the tapas bar and restaurant above, in a show of decadence that the Romans would have appreciated. Despite the luxury, it's got a relaxed, chilled vibe and a mixed crowd. The big cocktails are great.
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Sharmanka Kinetic Gallery & Theatre
Great fun for kids and fruit for reflection for adults: check out a show at this extraordinary mechanical theatre. Originally from St Petersburg, it brings inanimate objects to life; sculptured pieces of old scrap and tiny carved figures perform humorous and tragic stories of the human spirit to haunting music. It’s joyful, ironic theatre: inspirational one moment and macabre the next, but always colourful, clever and thought-provoking. Full performances are at 7pm Thursday and Sunday, and there are shorter daily performances (£5 with two kids free) from Wednesday to Sunday (check by phone or online for times). The gallery is also open between performances.
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King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
One of the city’s premier live-music pub venues, the excellent King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut hosts bands every night of the week. Oasis were signed after playing here.
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