Student Venues: Small Gig Venues

Some of the best gigs take place in the smallest rooms. Here are some of our favourite venues – shuffle forward so we can all get in...

Article by Nadia Younes and Peter Simpson | 13 Sep 2018

Broadcast
427 Sauchiehall St, Glasgow
Juggling both established acts and underground local talent like only a Glasgow music venue could, Broadcast usually has a pretty eclectic line-up. Shows take place downstairs and the charm of Broadcast’s upper floor lies a lovely bar with food from Fatboys Street Kitchen.

Conroy's Basement
51-53 Meadowside, Dundee
One of Dundee's most important DIY venues, Conroy's plays host to a wide range of up-and-comers from across the UK punk and metal scenes and beyond. It's also the main place to catch shows from Dundee grassroots promoters and record label Make-That-A-Take.

Henry's Cellar Bar
16A Morrison St, Edinburgh
One of the city's few low-cost hire venues, Henry's attracts a diverse bunch of musicians that you wouldn’t see in conventional haunts. It's got an awesome community vibe where you can talk to strangers without feeling creepy, the fairy light-festooned stage is just lovely, and it’s directly below Lebowski’s – perfect for post-gig White Russians with your new pals.

The Hug and Pint
171 Great Western Rd, Glasgow
In June 2015, The Hug and Pint began its mission of bringing tremendous music to Glasgow, one beery hug at a time. A top-notch spot for chilling, collaborating and performing, it's a great place to catch brilliant bands on their way up to some of the city's bigger venues. The vegan menu in the above bar is also bloody bangin'!

King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
272A St Vincent St, Glasgow
Another niche-defying institution, King Tut’s has its fingers in lots of pies: a cosy basement bar with comfort food from Funny Bird downstairs and upstairs you’ll find one of the best intimate gig venues in the country. A firmly established step on the 'Become Dead Famous in Music' career path, expect bands who play here to go on to grander spaces in the near future. It's where Oasis were discovered and signed dontchaknow.

Leith Depot
140 Leith Walk, Edinburgh
At time of writing, the Depot is still fighting the good fight against some property developer bullshit – get down there and support it while you can. The gig room upstairs is small but well-formed, and the programming is an always-exciting and ever-changing blend of underground sounds from all over.

Stereo
22-28 Renfield Ln, Glasgow
Another of Glasgow’s masters of all trades, Stereo’s a vegan cafe, bar and music venue. You can also expect some of the bigger promoters, DIY outfits and curious independents all to appear. Often the host of gig after-parties, which some of Glasgow’s finest DJs have been known to crash.

Saint Luke's
17 Bain St, Glasgow
One of the city's newer gig venues, the converted church round the corner from the Barrowlands is an excellent addition to Glasgow's live music scene. Even when the main hall isn't rocking, The Winged Ox kitchen next door serves up an eclectic mix of hearty grub and great drinks seven nights a week.

http://theskinny.co.uk/music