Go West: the legacy of Dundee club night Locarno

Ten years and over 100 shows later, founder of infamous Dundee club night Locarno, Scott Davidson (aka Red) tells us about the club night’s enduring legacy and why he’s taking it to Glasgow

Feature by Jamie Wilde | 15 Sep 2022
  • Locarno

Head through the gate. Hold out your hand for a mark of felt tip pen. Make the trip inside and discover colourful oil wheel projections. Feel the wall of body heat against your skin and listen to the sounds of The Doors blasting from the sound system to a room full of 500 people. Only at Locarno can this euphoric scene be pulled off.

The long-standing Dundee club night – founded 10 years ago by local DJ and visual artist Scott Davidson, aka Red – is embedded in the folklore of the city’s underground music scene. Locarno’s monthly club nights at The Reading Rooms, and later at King's, saw hundreds of young people itching to get their fix of 50s and 60s soul and rock‘n’roll music. It was a club night unlike any other. But now, almost one year after Locarno held its final show in Dundee, a Glasgow resurrection is looming.

“There were a few reasons for taking Locarno through to Glasgow,” says Red. “The experienced guys from Hometown Promotion Soundsystem in Glasgow, who have their set-up in King's through here, said that they thought Locarno was one of the best things they’d ever seen. That gave me a real confidence boost. Another reason was through Locarno’s 10th anniversary posters, which so many people from Glasgow ordered. It made me realise that there was something to tap into outside of Dundee. So, I thought, let’s do it.”

Chatting to Red in his studio space, colourful prints adorn the walls and neatly stacked 45s sit underneath the record player in the centre of the room. He chats about Locarno’s history – taking us through its early inspiration from a rock’n’roll club night called Ice Cream Social in Vancouver to becoming a staple in Dundee nightlife – with complete enthusiasm.

“Locarno’s success is down to the fact that there’s nothing else really like it,” says Red, matter-of-factly. “The majority of club nights in Dundee revolve around dance, techno and different types of electronic music, but when you go to Locarno, you can sing to 50s and 60s soul, rock‘n’roll and psychedelia like The Rolling Stones or The Doors. Having that alternative audience interaction is what makes it special. People love it; it’s high-powered music and that’s what we like.”

Despite its huge success, in October last year, after more than 100 shows and following the sobering loss of The Reading Rooms, Red was burnt out and decided to call it a day with Locarno. But then a new research opportunity in his day job with mutual friend Jonathan Dawson, the general manager of SWG3, presented Red with the opportunity to run a club night at the Glasgow venue.

With the Locarno dance hall legacy stretching back to the 1920s on Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street, it felt like the right place to revive the party. “There were Locarno dance halls all around the country in the 50s and 60s, but Glasgow’s was one of the most popular,” Red explains. “It’s where The Garage is now and these dance halls were where the gradual transition from live band to disc jockey happened. They offered the first type of dance music for youth where you could listen to a record playing, so in a sense Locarno was part of the birth of what we now know as DJing, which I think is a really cool connection to bring back through to Glasgow with our club night.”

For those taking their first steps on to the Locarno dancefloor, "an alternative clubbing experience" is what Red says attendees can expect. “I can’t think of any places in Glasgow where young people can come to a club that plays 60s music all night,” adds Red. “We’re not looking to be gatekeepers to older music like you might get with other types of Northern Soul nights. We’re open for anybody to come and see what they make of it. Music is variety, and variety is the fun part.”

A high-energy, inclusive night for open-minded music lovers is what has always been at the club night’s core, and is what gives Locarno its enduring appeal. “Locarno has always been a fun night,” says Red, smiling. “We'd love to encourage young people to DJ rock‘n’roll or soul music and to come away from the night telling their friends about how they'd experienced a club night totally different from what they’d ever been to before. If I could describe Locarno in a sentence, I’d say it’s like Wayne Cochran on acid.”


Locarno, The Poetry Club, SWG3, Glasgow, 23 Sep, tickets via swg3.tv