These are good times to be a South Sider. Heading south out of the city used to be a slightly depressing procession: just a few short years ago you would have passed shuttered-up shops, shabby pubs and endless kebab shops and takeaways. Things are very different now.
Take The Laurieston for example: this vintage Gorbals establishment, that feels like someone stuck a pub in a time capsule, has a new lease of life as a hipster hub given its proximity to the studios and illicit warehouse parties of the former industrial district that gave it its name. Heraghty’s, a traditional Celtic boozer in the heart of Pollokshaws, has its own clique of art schoolers and was name checked by Night School Records boss Michael Kaspiaris as an essential part of an ideal night out in the city (as was Ranjit’s Kitchen, less than a hundred metres down the road).
A ten-minute walk in the direction of the suburbs will lead you to The Glad Café, a multi-purpose space that was set up as a Glaswegian answer to Dalston’s culturally-significant Café Oto, has been described as “the hippest joint in Glasgow” and has been cited as a prime reason to move to the area.
Inside it’s minimal and welcoming, with a busy schedule of gigs and occupying the compact venue tucked away in the back room. It’s not all just music, drinks and coffee though. Tonight it hosts a short storytelling night themed around secrets, there’s a Valentine’s supper club tomorrow, and artist Louise Dautheribes McKerl launches her Curious Wonders exhibition here in a fortnight. And – I’m properly gushing now – its other projects, the Glad Rags Thrift Store and The Glad Foundation, give back to the community through free music lessons and other charitable work. It’s the sort of place that West Enders wish they had.
What fashion trend has passed its sell-by date?
1. John McBride, 33, Dublin, “1990s band t-shirts: Pearl Jam were never cool.”
Ruth Cockshott, 29, Battlefield, “Cropped flares. They look weird.”
2. Jonny Penny, 25, Shawlands, “Ugg boots. They look like slippers.”
Amy Strachan, 28, Shawlands, “Sweatbands: they’re probably quite smelly.”
3. Irene Lally, 49, Langside, “Anything with fur: animals shouldn’t be exploited for fashion.”
4. Liz Ely, 27, Paisley, “Cold shoulder tops – what’s the point?”
Nyla Ahmed, 23, Maryhill, “Sandals. When would I ever wear them when I live in Scotland?”
5. Carolina Varanda, 25, Mount Florida, “Chokers. There’s too much of a ‘90s resurgence going on.”
6. Ian Thirkill, 31, Leeds, “Skinny t-shirts. They were baggy in the nineties, then skinny, then baggy. Now they're skinny again.”
7. Frances Douse, 27, Shawlands, “Flares – when I see them, I'm reminded of being six.”
Phil Ross, 30, Shawlands, “Tattoos. They’re supposed to be about individuality, but everyone has them.”
8. Kirstin McKinnon, 21, Glasgow
Favourite Club? Bamboo
Favourite Bar? Mango
Favourite DJ? Calvin Harris
Favourite Band? Admiral Fallow
What you Drinking? Hot Chocolate
First Club? The Shed
Describe Your Dancing? Embarrassing, but fun.
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