The Flying Duck

If you’ve been to the Flying Duck recently, you might have noticed everything has changed. But in a sense, nothing has changed. Not in a bad way, of course. Despite a pretty comprehensive refurbishment, it’s still the same vibrant, quirky, slightly wonky bar and club it always was. It’s just been flipped round - what was once the club area is now the bar, and what was once the bar area is now the venue. It seems simple, but for long-time Duck aficionados, this was a difficult one to take in. My whole life was turned upside down: I tried to ask for a beer and forgot where I was.

Now, having undergone a second refurbishment, the venue space (the new one, not the old one) has a new stage, a new soundsystem, and it’s ready to be unveiled at Tuesday night’s Born Again (Again) party. Midweeks at the Duck are generally pretty reserved, given over to life drawing (although the quite unique All the Young Nudes has since moved on) and acoustic nights. But this should be quite different. There’s lo-fi, dreamy pop from Glasgow’s Brother Michelle, experimental electronica and performance art from Merlin Nova. Afterwards, hang around for DJ sets from Subcity Radio’s 12th Isle – who spins house, ambient and psych sounds – and local collective Golden Teacher. Oh: it’s free entry too, which sweetens an already-pretty-pleasant deal. It’s all in keeping with the Duck’s ethos: a bit weird, a bit out-there, but totally down to earth and completely contemporary. I don’t know what we’d do without it.