History of legendary Glasgow club The Arches celebrated in new book

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A new book celebrates legendary Glasgow club The Arches.

Announced last November, Brickwork: A Biography of The Arches is an oral history by two of the club’s former employees, novelist Kirstin Innes and comedian David Bratchpiece. 

Comprising over sixty original interviews with former directors, clubbers, bartenders, staff, audience and acts including Siam and Carl Cox discussing artists such as Daft Punk, Banksy and more, the book will also feature pictures of acts including Ben E King, Craig Ferguson and Ruth Negga performing at the venue.

First opened in 1991, the nightclub has hosted some of the biggest names in dance over the years, including Underworld, Jeff Mills, Carl Cox, Judge Jules, Felix da Housecat and Erol Alkan. Following licensing issues caused by a drug-related death, 400 figures from the Scottish music and cultural scene, including Irvine Welsh, co-signed a letter asking the Scottish government to allow the nightclub, arts venue and theatre to continue to trade. It closed its doors in the summer of 2015.

“I worked at The Arches in my early twenties as the press and publicity manager,” said co-author Innes. “It’s not an exaggeration to say that the venue made me who I am, and collecting these stories together is my way of saying thank you. I’m delighted to be writing this book with David, an Arches stalwart in so many ways, who has a wealth of knowledge about the venue.”

“I was a regular customer of The Arches from its early days, during which time I quickly fell in love with the venue,” added Bratchpiece. “Later I would go on to start working in the cloakroom there, and little did I know that 15 years later I would still be there, as a manager. I always felt its impact on Scottish culture deserved to be documented, and I’m honoured to be playing a part in that.”

Published on 4th November, Brickwork: A Biography of the Arches is available now in print and digital formats. Grab your copy here.