The Arches
Jump to times, articles, videos or comments (2)
From ground-breaking theatre to huge name DJs and hot new bands, The Arches in Glasgow breaks down any traditional notions of what an arts venue should be.
In 1991, former Arches Artistic Director Andy Arnold realised the potential of the cavernous space underneath Glasgow’s Central Station and received the keys to the space from British Rail. Twenty years on, the Arches has become one of Europe’s leading cultural venues, playing host to some of Britain’s biggest club nights and an eclectic range of gigs, as well as exciting new theatre and visual art exhibitions. People often drop in for lunch or a drink in the café bar and end up staying for the rest of the evening – catching a band, taking in some experimental theatre, or meeting up with friends before heading to the dance floor.
The Arches is unique amongst both Scotland’s bars and clubs and the country’s arts venues because of the unique way our programme is funded. We’re a not-for-profit organisation: our clubbing, bar, café, live music and corporate hospitality revenue is reinvested in our arts programme (constituting 88% of our funding) – allowing us to carry on producing intelligent, ground-breaking productions and offering emergent artists a supportive platform for risk-taking. We like to think that we make the arts accessible to new, younger audiences, but we never dumb down to patronise them.
The Arches patrons are Carl Cox and Liz Lochhead. Although theirs are not necessarily names that fit together, Cox and Lochhead were chosen because they represent the diversity of the Arches’ programming. Andy Arnold founded the venue as a theatre space in 1991, and discovered that putting on club nights was an excellent way to help support his artistic programme. This practice continues to this day; clubbing revenue generating income for the theatre, visual art and live music programme in the building.
Text supplied by third party.
Event times
There are 20 events at this location
Sorted by title / date & time
Angels Among Us
Written and directed by Lawrence Crawford Angels Among Us follows the Angels of Glasgow and the effect they have on the city, presented by the Arches Actors Symposium.
Sat 25 May
£4 / 0141 565 1000
-
19:00The Arches Angels Among Us
The Arches Community Choir
Weekly meetings of the 35-strong community choir who are known for tackling some rather unorthodox choral choices, from tunes by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to club anthems.
Thu 6 Jun
£3 / 0141 565 1000
Thu 13 Jun
£3 / 0141 565 1000
Thu 20 Jun
£3 / 0141 565 1000
Thu 27 Jun
£3 / 0141 565 1000
Beardyman
The first person to retain the UK Beatbox Champion title for two years in a row embarks on his Beardytron Beta tour.
Sun 2 Jun
City of Stars Launch
Glasgow launch of the City of Stars festival, a two-day arts festival and conference in Malawi. Scottish Album of the Year nominee Auntie Flo headlines this launch party with his Afrobeat-infused electronica, plus performances by Bhundu Boy Rise Kagona and Edinburgh Afro-tinged indie combo Bwani Junction, plus Malawian…
Thu 30 May
Free (rsvp to guestlist@lakeofstars.org to attend) / 0141 565 1000
Claudia Nova: Axis Mundi
Debut solo exhibition by Glasgow artist exploring the concept of the 'sky pillar', by which the heavens supposedly communicated with the earth.
Sat 25 May
Free / 0141 565 1000
- 11:00 – 00:00 The Arches Claudia Nova: Axis Mundi
Sun 26 May
Free / 0141 565 1000
- 12:00 – 23:00 The Arches Claudia Nova: Axis Mundi
Mon 27 May
Free / 0141 565 1000
- 11:00 – 23:00 The Arches Claudia Nova: Axis Mundi
Crossing the Lines
The Arches and Playwrights' Studio present a new night of text-based theatre performance.
Tue 11 Jun
Times to be confirmed / £3.50 / 0141 565 1000
Crystal Fighters
East London ensemble updating the folk music of the Basque region on synthesizers. As awkward a blend as it sounds.
Tue 26 Nov
£11.50 / 0141 565 1000
- 19:00 The Arches Crystal Fighters
Daniel Kitson: After The Beginning. Before The End
Offbeat humour and inventive storytelling from the multi-award winning stand-up.
Mon 17 Jun
0141 565 1000
Danny Brown
Humorous rapper from Detroit.
Sat 15 Jun
Deerhunter
Incorrigible Atlanta punks return with their fifth album Monomania.
Sun 13 Oct
£14 / 0141 565 1000
- 19:00 The Arches Deerhunter
Hugh Cornwell
Ex-frontman of punk stalwarts the Stranglers plays a mix of material from his solo and band career.
Fri 29 Nov
In Extremis
Ten short physical theatre pieces from students at Adam Smith.
Thu 20 Jun
£7 (£5) / 0141 565 1000
- 19:00 The Arches In Extremis
Fri 21 Jun
£7 (£5) / 0141 565 1000
- 19:00 The Arches In Extremis
Sat 22 Jun
£7 (£5) / 0141 565 1000
- 19:00 The Arches In Extremis
Local Natives
LA band, described as a cross between Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire and Fleet Foxes, who all live together, Monkees-style.
Mon 21 Oct
£14.50 / 0141 565 1000
- 19:00 The Arches Local Natives
A Night of Dangerous Theatre
A range of artists who hope to implement 'dangerous ideas' in Scottish education, and including those working in criminal justice and engaging people with disabilities, present this night of provocative performances that aim to inspire debate. Booking recommended. Part of Festival of Dangerous Ideas.
Fri 14 Jun
Free but ticketed / 0141 565 1000
- 18:00 – 21:00 The Arches A Night of Dangerous Theatre
On the Verge
Students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland perform devised pieces, new writing and solo works based on everything from classic texts to their own experiences of modern life.
Thu 27 Jun
£2.50 / 0141 565 1000
- 18:45 The Arches On the Verge
Fri 28 Jun
£2.50 / 0141 565 1000
- 18:45 The Arches On the Verge
Scarlet Shift
Indie rock trio from Glasgow.
Sat 1 Jun
£7 / 0141 565 1000
- 19:00 The Arches Scarlet Shift
Scott Ian
The Anthrax guitarist embarks on a solo spoken word tour, promising 'an evening of ridiculous truth'.
Wed 5 Jun
£15 / 0141 565 1000
- 19:00 The Arches Scott Ian
Scratch Night
Join well-known and up-and-coming performers as they get ten minutes each to try out new ideas in front of an audience and seek feedback. The theme for the next session is determined at each event.
Tue 4 Jun
£3.50 / 0141 565 1000
Featuring Eilidh Daniels, Jenna Watt and Juliette Burton.
- 19:00 The Arches Scratch Night
Trampled By Turtles
Country-punk outfit from Duluth, Minnesota.
Mon 3 Jun
£11 / 0141 565 1000
Vigo Thieves
Classic rock and electro pop influences from this Wishaw quartet.
Sat 7 Sep
£7.50 / 0141 565 1000
- 19:00 The Arches Vigo Thieves
Reviews & features
The Arches: 21 defining moments
18 Oct 2012
The cutting edge venue turns 21 this year - here are some of the stand-out moments in its history
1. Cafe Loco October 1991 First set up as an experiment by Arches founder Andy Arnold to bring theatre to clubbers, Cafe Loco showcased numerous emerging and experimental performers including early sightings of performance company Mischief La…
Underneath The Arches
8 Jan 2009
Glasgow’s Arches, as anyone who’s worked there will tell you, is the sort of place that doesn’t so much defy your expectations as consistently confound them. Audiences might marvel at the sort of building that can stage a theatre show, art exhibition…
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.
Produced by www.flixity.tv
Comments & ratings
-
2.
Catcher /The Smoking Sundays – 8 Oct 2008, 1:54pm
The Arches
Report
-
6 bands 6 quid cant really argue with that can you.Except sometimes a set flies past you and you cant really remember it.On to the mainstay of the Glasgow scene CATCHER.Well you cant argue that they rocked the joint and you cant argue that they have the songs.
35 Appearances at King Tuts.You wonder if they missed the boat somehow.But ironically they dont seem to care.tonight they finished with the anthem of Different City described by the singer as their entry for the Commonwealth games theme tune.Well Glasgow could do worse.Finally a racous version of white riot no doubt as a warm up for the Joe Strummer anniversary.gig in December.The Smoking Sundays from Livingstone are young ,very young.Their set is good and their following is very vocal.If they are not the finished article yet then believe me they have plenty of time on their side and to their credit they havent embarked on the talent show, beauty contest of the miserable X factor.
-
1.
Catcher /The Smoking Sundays – 6 Oct 2008, 12:16pm
The Arches
Report
-
6 bands 6 quid cant really argue with that can you.Except sometimes a set flies past you and you cant really remember it.On to the mainstay of the Glasgow scene CATCHER.Well you cant argue that they rocked the joint and you cant argue that they have the songs.
35 Appearances at King Tuts.You wonder if they missed the boat somehow.But ironically they dont seem to care.tonight they finished with the anthem of Different City described by the singer as their entry for the Commonwealth games theme tune.Well Glasgow could do worse.Finally a racous version of white riot no doubt as a warm up for the Joe Strummer anniversary.gig in December.The Smoking Sundays from Livingstone are young ,very young.Their set is good and their following is very vocal.If they are not the finished article yet then believe me they have plenty of time on their side and to their credit they havent embarked on the talent show, beauty contest of the miserable X factor.
Average rating /5 from 2 reviews of The Arches.
RSS feed of these comments
To post a comment you'll first need to sign in:
Not registered?
Sign up – it only takes a minute.
Forgotten your password?