POLICE were called to a rap gig where female audience members stripped off on stage and a steward was assaulted.

The scenes were witnessed by hundreds of music fans attending Glasgow's Arches to see American hip-hop superstar The RZA (pronounced Rizza).

Onlookers said the Wu-Tang Clan legend - real nam e Robert Diggs - ranted to the crowd that Scots law and venue rules banned him from smoking or boozing.

And after disappearing for around 20 minutes, he returned and asked for six women to come up on stage.

The distasteful scenes which followed were like "a Carry On movie but sleazier", according to one audience member.

The eyewitness said: "The RZA had been all serious and full of attitude throughout his performance - like you'd expect of a hip-hop star - but after he summoned the girls on stage he was grinning like a wee kid. It was bizarre.

"He was holding what looked like a pint of red wine and he had his own shirt off, while his backing group chanted at the girls to take their tops off.

"They were all screaming Get them off' into their mikes and at least one of the guys was smoking.

"One of the girls took her bra off and she was telling her friend to do the same, so she did. They seemed drunk and the other four girls looked disgusted.

"I couldn't believe what was happening. It was like Carry On Hip-Hop'. You hear about this kind of thing at rap gigs but I didn't expect it to actually happen.

"It had been good up to this point but it turned into a bit of a shambles and the police arrived as everyone was leaving."

Today the Arches said the women who took their tops off were "ejected" from the premises after coming off stage.

The spokeswoman said the behaviour on stage was "unacceptable", but sources at the Argyle Street venue said the management decided not to intervene when the women were on stage in case it sparked trouble.

The spokeswoman said passing police were asked to help when a man was restrained by security after spitting on a steward.

Police confirmed officers attended the Arches and arrested a man for assault and breach of the peace.

The gig took place on Saturday night as part of the Triptych music and film festival in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Before Saturday's event, Diggs also appeared at the Glasgow Film Theatre for a Q&A session after a special screening of cult movie Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. He wrote the soundtrack for the film.