Since 1991, The Arches has been host to some of the country's biggest DJs and club nights. 22 years later, the club is still Glasgow's number one destination for all things electronic.
The Venue
There's certainly no mistaking it. The Arches is a cavernous underground space beneath Glasgow's Central Station and the decor has been kept pretty minimal in the main clubbing areas. Much of the original brickwork has been left untouched, serving as pillars to divide the space up into smaller areas. The decor gives the place an old school warehouse rave vibe, except without the police inevitably shutting it down - bonus. It's very dark inside and navigating can be slightly confusing, but do a bit of exploring and it won't take you long to find your bearings. There are a few seats scattered around if you need a break from dancing, but you won't catch many people sitting out on the action.
The crowd up front for DJ Pierre, supporting Felix Da Housecat at Changing Minds in The Arches
Clientele & Atmosphere
We visited The Arches to see Chicago house legend, Felix Da Housecat. House music is definitely popular in Glasgow, as the event, called Changing Minds, run in collaboration with the Mental Health Foundation, was completely sold out. The club was packed, but thankfully not to the extent that you couldn't move or get a drink. Felix Da Housecat is somewhat a veteran of the house scene, and as such, the crowd wasn't full of fresh faced 18-year-olds. Instead, it was mainly made up of people in their mid 20s and 30s who were there for a good time and great music. The beauty of ticketed club nights like this one, is that you know the place will be full of like-minded ravers who are there for the music and not because it was the first club they staggered into off the street.
The tunnels in the Arches make for acoustic gold, and epic clubbing surroundings
Food & Drink
As we visited The Arches on for Saturday night event, we didn't expect midweek student drinks promotions. Two bottles of Smirnoff Ice (don't judge me, bottles are easy to hold when you're dancing and I don't like beer, alright?) came to almost £8 and a spirit and mixer is around £3.50. As we were there at night, there was no food on offer, but their popular cafe bar is open during the day for lunch and evening meals.
Summary
There's no doubt about it - The Arches is a top class destination for dance music's finest DJs. Although they will be closed for July, they'll be back in August after a bit of a recamp and a re-tune, and I have a feeling this sensational Glasgow club will be even better than before.
