Music

La Bodega is one of my favourite finds, recommended to me by a fellow foodie, I just knew it would be something special and it didn’t disappoint.

It calls itself Glasgow’s ‘little hidden gem’ and it certainly is that. The tapas bar is located five minutes from Glasgow’s West End in an old industrial style unit, somewhere you are more than likely to miss if you didn’t know it was there!

Above the restaurant is a dance studio which means the place is usually filled with a mix of people – those wanting to relax with a drink after a hard class or simply enjoying some tapas before a night of dancing.

The tables are set around a dance floor and stage which comes to life with music and dance at weekends. The evidence of this can be seen hanging on the walls in the restaurant – photographs of their various events such as Salsa Sabrosa and the Tango Salon.

The food is exactly as described on the menu, delicious Spanish home cooking. The pork goulash and honey and chorizo salad were the highlights of my meal. For most people it is a bit out of the way, but if you can I would definitely recommend you find your way here…don’t forget your dancing shoes!

If you are looking for a good night out in Glasgow, this is one of the best places to go.

The ABC is a laid back alternative to some of the more lively places on the Glasgow club scene. Whether you enjoy indie, dance or rock and roll the ABC seems to do the impossible and cater for everyone’s music tastes.

In the last few years, the ABC has been able to carve itself out as a major music venue and is now one of the best places in Glasgow to see live bands, second to the infamous Barrowlands. Resident DJ’s play tunes until 03:00 on their themed club nights Thursday to Saturday and the rest of the week you will find the latest indie bands selling out the two main rooms, ABC1 and ABC2.

The ABC was originally opened as a cinema in 1929 and if you take a closer look, you can still see some of the old features today despite renovations through the years. The tiered floor and balcony in the ABC1 would have held hundreds of seats and the cinema boards above the main entrance would have once shown which films were playing. Nowadays the high ceiling of the main room is home to the world’s largest rotating mirrored disco ball and below is the biggest dance floor of anywhere in Glasgow.

The queue’s can be long to get inside so I’d suggest registering online and getting yourself on the guest list to skip the queue!

There is nowhere better to enjoy a show in Glasgow than at the Kings Theatre.

The Kings is one of Glasgow’s oldest theatres and it holds fond memories for me as it was the place where I saw my first pantomime as a child – Cinderella. I remember being amazed by the size of the place, probably because I was so small, and enthralled by the fairytale story being acted out on stage. Pantos are still a big part of the theatre calendar today with many of the theatres in Glasgow competing to put on the best show.

As well as Christmas pantos, The Kings has had many famous faces perform on its stage since it first opened in 1904. Actors such as Laurence Olivier and Katharine Hepburn have previously graced the stage in productions of Shakespeare, but nowadays you are more likely to find stand up comedians and the latest shows from London’s West End.

Are you fed up with hearing the same overplayed songs and artists that you find in some places in Glasgow? Take a wee visit here and you might just discover your new favourite band that you’ve never even heard of before…

King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, more commonly known as ‘King Tut’s’ is an alternative music venue and bar on St Vincent Street in Glasgow’s city centre.

Previously named as ‘Best Live Venue’ by Radio 1, the venue hosts a range of gigs from up and coming bands to intimate, exclusive sets from well known names. It was opened back in 1990 as a place to showcase new talent and this is exactly the reason I love this place – you always find something different here.

The venue only holds 300 so when it is busy, the atmosphere is electric. It’s exciting to think that you may be witnessing the start of someone’s career on stage. Many big bands have played King Tut’s at the start of their careers – Oasis, The Verve and Radiohead all performed in the space of a few weeks back in the early 90′s.

Stereo is an vegetarian cafe/bar, music venue and nightclub and generally a pretty cool place to hang out. Close enough to the city centre, just one street away from Central Station but the almost hidden entrance makes this venue seem almost exclusive. I was surprised to learn that the building was designed by Charles Rennie MacKintosh, but lay derelict before Stereo took over the space in 1997.

After dark the basement venue lends itself to show small/relatively unknown musical acts or you may end up at the semi-regular dubstep night.

Stereo is one of those kind of places that’s a certainty – open till 3 and can pitch up at anytime. Who or what you’ll see when you get there is a bit more hard to predict, it’s usually always a great mix though, from metal bands to proper folkies, the music is always different. The thing I love most Stereo is that on the stairs downstairs, there are posters for bands covering every inch of the walls (and some parts of the ceiling), making it impossible to tell what colour the walls actually are.

You’ll find exclusively vegetarian and vegan fare upstairs in the relaxed cafe. There are always a couple of soups of the day to sample, while the main course specials might include hearty sandwiches made with homemade flat bread. Prices are quite reasonable but take advantage of the Meat Free Mondays offer, where you can try 5 Tapas for £5.