New book celebrates Glasgow's rich history of live music and legendary venues

This new book from the founders of Glasgow City Music Tours, Fiona Shepherd, Alison Stroak and Jonathan Trew shows a concise history and summary of both venues and the musicians that made the city their home or birthplace.

All are seasoned reviewers, critics and concert goers so I can imagine how many drafts there were to bring this into a compact 129-page pocketbook. They examine the careers of the founding fathers like Alex Harvey (Scotland’s Tommy Steele), Lonnie Donegan (The King of Skiffle) or Simple Minds, Glasgow to the core with two tower-block Toryglen boys Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill who made their debut at Glasgow Apollo’s nightclub Satellite City in January 1978.

That venue too, just one of many discussed and missed by many. As Green’s Playhouse, it opened in 1927 as Europe’s largest single screen cinema with a 3500 capacity. It became a 1960’s concert venue then after a makeover in September 1973 became the Apollo opening with a Johnny Cash concert. The Glasgow Empire, the Arches and Kelvin Hall are fondly remembered venues while Barrowland, Glasgow Concert Hall, Hydro and King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut are still thriving, every Indie band that plays the latter just hope that they can have the meteoric rise that Oasis had after they played to just 69 people in 1993.

Glasgow’s pop stars are celebrated too in here with sections on Altered Images, Strawberry Switchblade and Eddi Reader who scored a Perfect smash hit number one with her band Fairground Attraction gaining an MBE, three Brit Awards and a multi-platinum album with First Of A Million Kisses.

The Indie scene was always huge though with Franz Ferdinand, Mogwai and Primal Scream while stadium acts range from Travis to Biffy Clyro with Deacon Blue and Lewis Capaldi coming close behind. Great gigs, shops and festivals are also briefly acknowledged in this comprehensive wee book.