City Guides and Glasgow

Glasgow: Paolo Nutini's Top Spots

The solo star takes us around his Glasgow

10 Sep 2009

Becoming a global music star is hard work on the way up. When The Midgie tracks down Scots singer Paolo Nutini he’s just waking up in a hotel room in Indianapolis, midway through a punishing summer-long touring and promotion schedule of the States which…

Glasgow: Glasgay!

From politics to partying, the history of the LGBT festival

10 Sep 2009

There aren’t many arts festivals that could celebrate Maw Broon (one of the most traditional of Scots comic strip characters in Dundee’s DC Thomson stable, which also produces The Beano, The Dandy and Oor Wullie), take on board a diverse programme of…

Glasgow: Merchant City Festival

The celebration of cutting-edge Scottish arts, music and live performance

10 Sep 2009

The Merchant City is all of Glasgow in a few square blocks. At its most north-westerly point, as it merges into the city centre around George Square, it’s all about opulent buildings, trendy boutique shops and a range of desirable restaurants and delis.

Glasgow: Things To Do

Escaping the regular way of city life

10 Sep 2009

Akhe & Derevo, Arches Live, Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival, Winterfest

Glasgow: Bonfire Night

Fireworks on Glasgow Green

10 Sep 2009

Those of you who’ve seen the V For Vendetta film might be forgiven for thinking that the design of the lead character V was an original piece of work. In fact, the cape, stovepipe hat and bearded facemask look was borrowed by V’s creators, the…

Glasgow: Food From Home

Where to get your country's culinary treats

10 Sep 2009

Gjetost Cheese, Mithai sweets, Hershey's Kisses, Pierogi

West End Festival

1 Jun 2009

The West End of Glasgow is currently gearing up for its yearly festivities. David Pollock meets the festival’s founder and finds out what’s new for 2009.

Beer Gardens in Glasgow

1 Jun 2009

Summer is all about the great outdoors, so there’s nothing sweeter than enjoying a pint in the sunshine. Here’s our guide to the best beer gardens in Glasgow.

Days Out: Glasgow

1 Jun 2009

Escape the regular way of city life and head to one of these scenic destinations or unique outdoor events. Much more fun than chips on a park bench.

Travel around Glasgow

1 Mar 2009

Buses Bus services in Glasgow are owned by Stagecoach (www.stagecoashbus.com) and SPT (www.spt.co.uk). Yet the biggest provider is the First Group (www.firstgroup.com), with a fleet of around 1000 buses. Service and timetabling information can be…

5 things to see and do in Glasgow

1 Mar 2009

1 SNO!zone After the winter that Britain has just ‘enjoyed’, most of us will be glad to see the back of the snow. Not the staff and customers at Braehead’s massive indoor ski centre SNO!zone, though, one of the company’s three sites in the UK…

Aye Write!

1 Mar 2009

Now in its fourth year, Aye Write! 2009 promises to be the biggest and best instalment of the Glasgow-based literary festival yet, and - as the name boldly hints - one which continues to blend an appraisal of the wider written world with a strong spine…

St Patrick’s Day

1 Mar 2009

As the saying goes, ‘everybody wants to be Irish on St Patrick’s Day’. Although this green-clothed and shamrock-festooned celebration of all things associated with the Emerald Isle is meant to be a patriotic event, it’s indulged in vigorously the…

Hinterland

1 Mar 2009

Glasgow is widely acknowledged as one of the best places in the UK to hear live music, due in no small part to its consistent production of high-quality new bands. In Britain, only London and Manchester can challenge Glasgow’s heritage, so it’s about…

Live Music

1 Mar 2009

As you’ll know from reading the feature on Hinterland festival elsewhere in this mighty organ of Midgieness, it’s going to be an even more exciting spring than usual for Glasgow’s musical scene. But hold on, you’re travelling and you’re on a budget…

Hinterland - The best new Scottish bands at Hinterland

1 Mar 2009

Come On Gang! ‘Indie power-trio from Edinburgh, whose drummer Sarah Tanat-Jones provides surprisingly folksy vocals. www.myspace.com/comeongangmusic Copy Haho Louche young indie-rockers from Stonehaven (just outside Aberdeen) in the Sonic…

Franz Ferdinand Recommend

1 Mar 2009

The Doublet Bob Hardy: ‘This is what a real pub should be like, with lots of wee nooks you can sit in to hide away and while away the hours.’ 74 Park Road, Glasgow (C1), 0141 334 1982, Tue–Sat 11am–midnight, Sun 12.30pm–11pm, Mon 11am–11pm.

Free Glasgow: A One-Day Stand

1 Dec 2008

Although not generally looked upon as matching Edinburgh in terms of scenery or the finer arts, Glasgow is a youthful and vibrant city whose local music, clubs and pubbing scene is as vibrant as any outside London – if not more so, when you take into…

Biffy Clyro: 'Mon the Biffy

1 Dec 2008

Ben from Biffy Clyro takes us round Glasgow and explains the influence the city and his suburban hometown, Kilmarnock, had on the band’s music.

Paddy's Market: The End of an Era?

1 Dec 2008

It’s pretty far from being the most glamorous viewpoint from which to see Glasgow, but for anyone who wishes to view the city in all its bare-bones and often raw glory, Paddy’s Market is worth taking a walk on the wild side for. Set on Shipbank Lane…

Food: Currying flavour

1 Dec 2008

When the late foreign secretary Robin Cook called the chicken tikka masala ‘Britain’s true national dish’, it was the moment the curry arrived. Until then seen as an ethnic food which had been brought over by Indian immigrants during the 1960s, its…

Free Wi-Fi in Glasgow

1 Dec 2008

The Bank Cafe Bar • 443 Clarkston Road, 0141 637 8461 www.maclay.com, Sun–Thu 11am–11pm, Fri & Sat 11am–midnight. The Arches • 253 Argyle Street, 0141 565 1000, www.thearches.co.uk, cafe/bar open Mon–Sat 11am–midnight, Sun noon-–midnight.

Food Listings

1 Dec 2008

Mother India’s Café Mother India's Café, part of the well-known Mother India group of 'home-style' Indian restaurants doesn't take bookings, so be prepared to wait a few minutes for a table. But the delay is worth it. There’s a genuine buzz about the…

ABC: Going Down to Alphabet Street

1 Dec 2008

Glasgow enjoys an embarrassment of riches when it comes to live music venues. Of course the Barrowland, still enjoying the same atmosphere it held when it was a 1960s dancehall, is the most widely-famed, while the intimate Nice’n’Sleazy and King Tut’s…

Things to do

1 Dec 2008

Transmission Gallery 'Here we are at the Transmission party /I love your friends /they're all so arty', and this is the gallery that inspired the line from Franz Ferdinand's single 'Do You Want To?'. Transmission hosts shows by bright young modern…

Going out pics

1 Dec 2008

Sub Club The ‘Subbie’ is a stylish, atmospherically compact venue which plays host to some huge weekly nights, particularly Saturday’s first-class house residency Subculture and Sunday’s eclectic Optimo. The latter often features live bands, as does…

Alien Wars: The bitch is back

1 Dec 2008

When Alien Wars opened in London, the then prime minister Tony Blair showed up desperate for the chance to be frightened out of his wits by a man in a scary latex costume. He reportedly left the interactive event, based on the Alien movies, a terrified…

Sounds of the Suburbs

1 Dec 2008

Arab Strap Known for the dry wit of lustrously bearded singer (or mumbler) Aidan Moffat and the incessantly depressing tone of their music, they are from a small town called Falkirk, midway between Glasgow and Edinburgh. It’s famous for the Falkirk…

Belle and Sebastian Wish You Were Here

1 Oct 2008

Scotland’s favourite twee pop superstars invite you on a picture postcard tour of their home city, glorious Glasgow.

We Love Glasgow

1 Oct 2008

Roddy Woomble 'My favourite place in Glasgow’s a restaurant called No. Sixteen. It’s a little neighbourhood bistro of the kind you find more easily in European cities than in Scottish ones - an unpretentious place with incredible food. It’s a…

Travel in the city

Glasgow

1 Oct 2008

It’s got a subway network that travels round in a circle and the streets are laid out in a grid. With the best public transport in Scotland, Glasgow’s a cinch to get around. We tell you how to make the most of the city’s transport links. Buses…

Attractions hitlist

1 Oct 2008

KELVINGROVE Kelvingrove It’s touted as ‘Glasgow’s favourite building’ and there are few who would deny the 107-year-old Kelvingrove such status. Created mainly in the Spanish baroque style and long subjected to the myth that it was ‘built the…

Eating Histlist

1 Oct 2008

13th Note Café An institution among music fans due to its intimate basement venue and eclectic jukebox, the 13th Note is also popular for its vegetarian meals. Light snacks are served in the main bar area from noon to 5pm and a wider selection of…

Bars & Pubs Hitlist

1 Oct 2008

The Variety Bar Variety is the spice of life for the scenesters of Sauchiehall street - this is their bar.The interiors are dark and agreeably art deco in style, while a good range of beers and spirits regularly entice post-gig drinkers from the…

Clubbing Hitlist

1 Oct 2008

Sub Club Alongside the Arches,‘the Subbie’ is the other definitive fixture of Glasgow’s club scene. In many ways it’s the opposite of its much larger counterpart.The place is a sleek, atmospherically compact venue that plays host to some huge weekly…

Tennessee Williams at Glasgay!

1 Oct 2008

It’s been Scotland’s biggest and best queer event for fifteen years. Now Glasgay! is reaching out to the mainstream crowd, Jasper Hamill discovers, with the help of one of America’s greatest playwrights.

Cheap frills

1 Oct 2008

Experienced penny pincher David Pollock offers up his suggestions on how to make your money go further in the restaurants, pubs and bars of Glasgow city centre.

Nice‘n’Sleazy’s

1 Oct 2008

A long-standing Glasgow institution, Sleazy’s can boast great food, great bands and the best jukebox this side of New York reckons David Pollock.

Shopping Hitlist

1 Oct 2008

Situated in the east end of the city, the Barras market is a Glasgow institution.Where else on earth could you find vintage gowns jostling alongside happy hardcore CDs? The odd street hawker doing some wheeling-and-dealing only adds to the ambience…

King Tut's

1 Oct 2008

Fiona McKinlay recaps on why the Wah Wah Hut is consistently voted one of the very best venues in the UK. Whether it’s Razorlight, My Chemical Romance or Manic Street Preachers, practically every band that’s become something in the past eighteen years…

Your New Favourite Band

1 Oct 2008

Glasvegas were iconic before any of us had even heard of them. Discovered by Alan McGee (who was out with Dirty Pretty Things’ Carl Barat at the time) in Glasgow’s King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, the band must have known they were on the cusp of something…

The Arches

1 Oct 2008

From underground electro to avant garde theatre, the Arches offers a creative haven for every taste. David Pollock explains the appeal of this cavernous venue.

A brief history of Tennessee Williams

1 Oct 2008

The life of Tennessee Williams reads like one of his plays. Born in Columbus, Mississippi, his childhood was marred by an illness that paralysed his legs for two years, a period during which his mother gave him a typewriter and encouraged him to write.