Barrowlands closing down?

[ladylabobo]

I was at a gig in the barras last night (slipknot incase anyone is interested) and the band mentioned that the venue was closing down.

I've tried to google it without much success but when i mentioned it on lj a few people seemed to have heard about this before.

Surely they cant shut the barras down for gigs, its one of the best venues in the UK.

Does anyone have any info on this?

[Sharon]

Apparently this is the case...what with the carling academy and teh abc on sAuchiehall st due to open teh barrowlands is now just looking dated....

[Ally Doll]

No way! The Barrowlands is a fantastic venue, they'd be mad to close it! It trades on its atmosphere anyway, not its looks...

[Sharon]

I suspect the looks are really the last thing to be considered here ... shiny new venues...shiny new facilities and equipment... etc etc etc... i suppose its not a museum or theme park and has to be able to compete... be sad tho....

[ladylabobo]

but its been such a local institution as a music hall for over 70 years - surely that counts for something?

I mean people always ask what your first barrowlands gig was not your first secc gig.

I'm glad i managed to take my 13y/o brother to a gig there before it shuts, he needed to experience the atmosphere.

Its tragic!

[JayKay]

Would be a bloody tragedy if it closed as a gig venue, but with the ABC and the academy there could well be too many venues in competition for a similar audience size and its location hardly does it any favours. Still, it's not likley to be converted into luxury apartments anytime soon though.

I guess things change and gig goers want a more pleasant experience these days but i prefer the scuzziness of the barras to the antiseptic dullness of the rock n roll theme pub.

I remember the same arguments when the apollo closed...nothing could possibly replace it...music in Glasgow is doomed...no bands will want to play in scotland again...the SECC is a shit alternative (etc) All of it proved a bit alarmist, apart from the bit about the SECC being shit.

[yourebarred]

this cannot happen, arghhhh. bands with any credibility should book into the barras for three nights instead of playing the secc. its been done before.

[HollowHorn]

It's not just the Ballroom that’s earmarked, from what I hear; the "Barras Market" itself will not be long from closure. I would guess a combination of prime development land and the plethora of pirate traders.

[Apollo]

Now that they've tarted up the Green a bit, are laying new beds around the People's Palace, have installed the Doulton fountain, replaced the Mad Buyer with flats, are sticking a bunch of luxury flats on Templeton's factory building, it's only a matter of time before The Barras gets declared unwanted and swept away by the planners.

Look around the edges, they're already flattening and tidying every piece of spare ground or quietly eliminating any buildings deemed to have become too tired to remain.

[Flyingscot]

More luxurary apartments will be appearing on the southside as I'd heard First have sold Larkfield Depot on Victoria Road for housing and will re-locate to as yet undecided location soon.

Nice flats till you reasise your within touching distance of the new M74 or M6 and the West Coast Main Line....

[HollowHorn]

Nice flats till you reasise your within touching distance of the new M74 or M6 and the West Coast Main Line....

What do you mean FS? I thought the whole point was to be within touching distance of these facilities? In these days of cheap flights and improving motorways, the commuter can travel further with minimum fuss and expenditure of precious time. Is it possible that most of the occupants will only live there at weekends?

[caine]

nice flats? are you joking? modern flats are cardboard pieces of crap that wont last 20 years with out looking dated and falling apart.

some one should develop new tenaments, worthy of standing their ground for a 100 years instead of these pathetic luxurary (read: poor build quality and expensive) flats.

[Vinny the Mackem]

nice flats? are you joking? modern flats are cardboard pieces of crap that wont last 20 years with out looking dated and falling apart.

Case in point are the new flats on corner of London Road/Moir Street. Lucky if they've been opened a year. On the London Road side the walls have rust running down the entire length of the walls. My piss would be boiling if I'd bought one of those, only for it to look so shabby within months.

[Flyingscot]

Nice flats till you reasise your within touching distance of the new M74 or M6 and the West Coast Main Line....

What do you mean FS? I thought the whole point was to be within touching distance of these facilities? In these days of cheap flights and improving motorways, the commuter can travel further with minimum fuss and expenditure of precious time. Is it possible that most of the occupants will only live there at weekends?

It's nice to be close but it's possible to be too close. Right next to a busy rail line with a motorway flyover next door no thanks!

The Luxuary Flats in Paisley at the corner of Broomlands Street right where Goudies Garage was have had damp from day 1. Check out the residents with for sale signs....

[a]

back on subject the barrowlands is always in lists of best venues in brittain and in lists of bands favorite venues. whatever it has going against it has a big reputation and alot of loyalty to trade on.

but its in a good position and the council would no doubt delight in shutting the market down.

they could surely keep the venue and still put up the flats.