Club scene: Fatboy Slim prepares for his King Tut’s Tent set

With most of the city decamped to Strathallan Castle to inquire about the Slam Tent’s whereabouts, Glasgow’s clubbing calendar feels a little bit emptier this weekend. There are still big parties closer to home, though, for those unwilling to sacrifice their dignity, hygiene and a fortnight’s wages for four day’s worth of hazy memories.

The Sub Club is no stranger to hosting the biggest names in underground electronic music, but tonight’s T in the Park warmup has a notably more mainstream feel to it. UK dance legend Fatboy Slim prepares for his King Tut’s Tent set tomorrow night with a rather more intimate gig at the beloved Jamaica Street basement. This will be one of those nights that will go down in the venue’s history: it sold out in moments, and should be an amazing journey through Norman Cook’s glittering career. He might come across like your uncool, Hawaiian shirt-wearing uncle than a superstar DJ these days, but his contribution to British dance is undeniable and, now in his 50s, he can be considered a true veteran. We ought to praise him.

Of course, the lineup at this year’s Slam Tent is crazy: the boys McMillan and Meikle have curated a festival’s worth of talent on their stage alone. Berlin techno titan Ben Klock is tomorrow’s highlight, with sets from Subbie favourite Telford and Bristol’s Eats Everything also looking tasty. On Saturday, Jackmaster goes back to back with Joy Orbison for an enjoyable journey through some house and disco bangers. The notorious Glasgow DJ popped up six times at last weekend’s Glastonbury, so “up for it” doesn’t even begin to describe how he approaches his festival sets. Düsseldorf’s Loco Dice headlines on Sunday, but it’s Surgeon’s collaboration with Lady Starlight that could yield the most interesting results - with Londoner Maya Jane Coles also guaranteed to make an impression on the cavernous blue tent.

Back in Glasgow, a Slam Tent afterparty tomorrow promises “a very special guest (or guests)” at the Sub Club - that’ll be whoever Slam can cajole into making the journey, then. And on Saturday, Telford holds down the Subculture fort with the Amsterdam-based house DJ Hunee making his Sub Club debut. Chaotic just isn’t quite the word, is it?

• Fatboy Slim, tonight, Sub Club, 11pm - 3am, sold out

• Slam Tent, Strathallan Castle, today - Sunday, £91 day ticket / £194 weekend

• Return to Mono - Slam Tent Afterparty, tomorrow, Sub Club, 11pm - 3am, £6/£8

• Hunee, Saturday, Sub Club, 11pm - 3am, £10

Loch Lomond Boat Party

Also causing ripples out of town this weekend is the annual Loch Lomond Boat Party. It sets off from Balloch on the Maid of the Loch with a cargo of bands and DJs, some of whom you might even have heard of. Frogbeats is one of the more recognisable acts on board - we’ve seen them spinning dub and hip-hop around town and they’re good - very good. Club 69 resident Raymond, sub:Merged’s dekkstrum and Medhat, and acid house founding father Mr Egg are also involved, along with some truly obscure underground techno names that promise to make this a journey of discovery.

• Loch Lomond Boat Party, Saturday, Maid of the Loch, Balloch, 3pm - 1am, £30

Ultimate Power

We’ve all spent at least one night in The Garage air-grabbing our hearts out to the cheesiest songs thrown up by the ‘80s. Now fans of Meat Loaf, Aerosmith and Poison can rejoice, as Bristol club night Ultimate Power heads north for a one-off Glaswegian appearance. The premise is simple: power ballads. ALL NIGHT LONG. Billing itself as “the world’s greatest power ballad club night” - a hotly-contested field, for sure - in fact, The Guardian called it “less a club night, more a religious experience,” so who are we to argue? It promises to be hilarious and not particularly serious, so don’t complain to us if someone makes fun of your mullet and leather jacket combo while you’re thrashing out another Bon Jovi solo on the air guitar.

• Ultimate Power, Saturday, O2 ABC, 11pm - 3am, £5

Night Moves

09/07/2015

The Last Weekend in the Old Flying Duck

Losing your favourite drinking den is one of the worst feelings. It’s the suddenness of it all; the horrible realisation that a place that means something to you is gone forever. I imagine many of us have experienced it recently, what with everything that’s happened at The Arches. And it must be bewildering for the old boys that are continually seeing their pubs disappear, only to be replaced by trendy bars that charge twice as much for a pint.

The Flying Duck hasn't closed down, thankfully, but the news that it was undergoing an extensive renovation made me a little sad. As a student at Caledonian it was the closest thing we had to a union, so I spent an inordinate amount of time in its quirky kitchen bar. Its weird artwork, board game selection and free toast policy were all major pull factors. Its oddly-shaped club felt less like a club than anywhere I’ve been, but it was impossible to leave before closing time. In short, it was bizarre and brilliant.

And now it’s gone. Well, the venue remains, but it’s been revamped, refreshed and the rooms have been reversed. In fact, it looks better than it ever has, the music still slays, and the club’s idiosyncratic nights are still on. It relaunched last week with a huge party: David Barbarossa and the Night of the Jaguar DJs brought the beats, with London producer Bass Clef playing vibrant electronica. It was raucous and very much like the vibe in the old club: it seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Night Moves -

The Last Weekend in the Old Flying Duck

Q: What pub would you miss most if it disappeared tomorrow?

1. Nicole O’Reilly, 22, Maryhill, Mono. But I like this place, too.

2. Spenny Gemmell, 22, Partick

Rachel Carpenter, 29, Newcastle, both said “The Halt Bar - and it’s gone already.”

3. Jim Murphy, 25, Possil, The Flying Duck

Stephen Shaw, 23, Castlemilk, The Clansman

4. Darragh Horne, 24, Paisley

Favourite Club? The Berkeley Suite

Favourite Bar? The Arlington

Favourite DJ? Nicholas Jaar

Favourite Band? Sixto Rodriguez

First Club? Club 69

What You Drinking? McEwan

Describe Your Dancing? Ugly and frenetic

5. Paula Ferrier, 24, Paisley, Flat 0/1

6. Liza Hunter, 24, Falkirk, Slouch

Diana Hoeniges, 24, Frankfurt, The Rock, in Hyndland

7. Barry McLees, 21, Coatbridge, Howlin’ Wolf

8. Robbie Swan, 25, Lenzie, This one

Ceive Fulton, 18, Milton of Campsie, The Flying Duck.