
Brickwork: A Biography of The Arches
Salamander Street Limited (Publisher)
Published on 4. November 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
200 pages
978-1-913630-98-0 (ISBN)
Description
Nightclub, theatre, creative hub, party place, and one of the most important venues in Scotland, Britain and Europe: for almost 25 years, The Arches was the beating heart of Glasgow.
In 1991, former punk-turned-theatre director Andy Arnold walked into the disused red brick Victorian railway arches underneath Glasgow's Central Station and immediately saw the potential of the space. Not even he could have imagined its future, as simultaneously one of the biggest and most famous nightclubs in the world and a major player on the European theatre scene. Until its closure following a drug-related death in 2015, The Arches carved its own, indefinable path, playing a vital role in the lives of many Scottish artists along the way. Some of those stars of the future began their careers taking tickets, hanging coats and serving drinks there.
For the first time, the people who made the venue get to tell their story. Piecing together accounts from directors, DJs, performers, clubbers, artists, bar tenders, actors, audiences and staff, Brickwork writes the biography of a space that was always more than its bricks and mortar.
In 1991, former punk-turned-theatre director Andy Arnold walked into the disused red brick Victorian railway arches underneath Glasgow's Central Station and immediately saw the potential of the space. Not even he could have imagined its future, as simultaneously one of the biggest and most famous nightclubs in the world and a major player on the European theatre scene. Until its closure following a drug-related death in 2015, The Arches carved its own, indefinable path, playing a vital role in the lives of many Scottish artists along the way. Some of those stars of the future began their careers taking tickets, hanging coats and serving drinks there.
For the first time, the people who made the venue get to tell their story. Piecing together accounts from directors, DJs, performers, clubbers, artists, bar tenders, actors, audiences and staff, Brickwork writes the biography of a space that was always more than its bricks and mortar.
Reviews / Votes
"A brilliant blow-by-blow account that really shows what made Glasgow's much-missed clubbing establishment click, tick and boom." Ralph Moore, Mixmag 'Everyone's heard of The Arches in Glasgow, even a Londoner like me, but what I didn't know was what an important venue it really was - not simply as a club, but as an artistic space, theatre, and cultural hub - and how much love, passion and integrity went into its success and longevity. This story, told by its impassioned staff, punters, and supporters is not just an absorbing read, but an inspiring tale of artistic, financial, and creative endeavour that comes from giving a space like this to the right people.' Chris LiberatorMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Illustrations
No
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
457 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-913630-98-0 (9781913630980)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Kirstin Innes | David Bratchpiece
Brickwork: A Biography of The Arches
E-Book
11/2021
1st Edition
Salamander Street Limited
€7.49
Available for download
Persons
Kirstin Innes is an award-winning novelist and journalist, and a former Arches employee. Her first novel, Fishnet, won The Guardian's Not The Booker Prize; her second, Scabby Queen, was published by 4th Estate to critical acclaim in 2020 and longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize.
As a journalist she's written for The List, Herald, Independent, Sunday Post, Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday, and twice won the Allen Wright Award for Arts Journalism.
'Gripping and moving. A literary triumph.' Nicola Sturgeon
'Scabby Queen is vibrant, vital, relevant, brilliant, ambitious and so truthful.' Jenni Fagan
David Bratchpiece, a long-time Arches employee, is a comedian, writer and occasional actor who has performed stand-up all over the UK as well as at the Edinburgh Fringe and Glasgow International Comedy Festivals. His short plays have been shown at the Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh and Tron Theatre in Glasgow and he has previously written for BBC Radio, Empire, Mixmag and The List. Brickwork will be his first book.
As a journalist she's written for The List, Herald, Independent, Sunday Post, Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday, and twice won the Allen Wright Award for Arts Journalism.
'Gripping and moving. A literary triumph.' Nicola Sturgeon
'Scabby Queen is vibrant, vital, relevant, brilliant, ambitious and so truthful.' Jenni Fagan
David Bratchpiece, a long-time Arches employee, is a comedian, writer and occasional actor who has performed stand-up all over the UK as well as at the Edinburgh Fringe and Glasgow International Comedy Festivals. His short plays have been shown at the Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh and Tron Theatre in Glasgow and he has previously written for BBC Radio, Empire, Mixmag and The List. Brickwork will be his first book.
Content
Authors' note
Glasgow's Glasgow's Glasgow
CHAPTER 1: 1990-1991 'Fuck it, let's just keep going.'
CHAPTER 2: 1991-1993 'And then on Friday night we went through to The Arches...'
CHAPTER 3: 1993-1999 'Here we fucking GO!'
CHAPTER 4: 2000-2008 Drop the Pressure
CHAPTER 5: 2008-2013 It's All Allowed
CHAPTER 6: 2013-2015 'How can you have a day without a night?'
Bits and Pieces: Some Favourite Memories from the people who made the Arches
Dramatis Personae
Appendix
Glasgow's Glasgow's Glasgow
CHAPTER 1: 1990-1991 'Fuck it, let's just keep going.'
CHAPTER 2: 1991-1993 'And then on Friday night we went through to The Arches...'
CHAPTER 3: 1993-1999 'Here we fucking GO!'
CHAPTER 4: 2000-2008 Drop the Pressure
CHAPTER 5: 2008-2013 It's All Allowed
CHAPTER 6: 2013-2015 'How can you have a day without a night?'
Bits and Pieces: Some Favourite Memories from the people who made the Arches
Dramatis Personae
Appendix