The heart-breaking announcement that Glasgow's iconic 02 ABC will be demolished has sent us into a state of nostalgia as we re-count one-too-many drunken nights and countless life-affirming gigs...
The C-listed building has had many guises, originally opening as a cinema in 1929; the iconic structure has been home to an ice rink, a dance hall and even circus before it was established as the music and club venue that we knew and loved.
A Brief Gigstory
Situated perfectly at the summit of Sauchiehall Street, renovations to the building began in 2003, however it wasn’t until the Summer of 2005 when the ABC opened its doors for the first time as a 1,300-capacity venue. Canadian pop-punk Rockers Sum 41 were the first band to grace the stage, with various bands and artists proceeding them. Big hitters such as the The Artic Monkeys, Paulo Nutini, Public Enemy, Frightened Rabbit, Kendrick Lamar, Sam Smith and Danish indie superstars Alphabeat have all played under that famous giant disco ball.
I myself have fond memories of great gigs in this venue, one that instantly springs to mind is The Cribs back in February 2009. This was the first tour with special guest member Johnny Marr; undoubtedly adding to the anticipation that night, the ABC crowd were electric.
A raucous rendition of ‘Men’s Needs’ lives long in the memory as well as the debut of the new polished but not for everyone Marr inspired songs from 4th album ‘Ignore the Ignorant’.
When we think of the ABC a multitude of gigs spring to mind – almost too many to mention, however a few gigs stick in the memory.
I can recall seeing Foals during the album ‘Total Life Forever’ tour, cementing for me that ‘Two Steps Twice’ is one of the best set finishers I’ve ever witnessed.
Due to the venues location tour buses had to park outside the front doors on Sauchiehall Street. On that night myself and a fellow Mockiter David, were passing the venue few hours after the gig was over and managed an impromptu chat with lead man Yannis Philippakis as he drank a late-night cup of Earl Grey and puffed on a fag.
The reminiscing continues as I recall fighting the snow of a particular grim winter during December 2010 to catch Frank Turner strum his stuff, and being told by a disgruntled ‘fannie’ to shut up during a set by Bellshill indie stalwarts Teenage Fanclub.
I was there, witnessing the first night of Glasgow’s own Chvrches when they sold out 2 consecutive nights in a row in 2013. The last Stag and Dagger festival to call the venue a home was one to cherish; Glasvegas played their self-titled debut album in its entirety during the 2018 festival. I also managed to ruin one my favourite t-shirts as Sheafs front man Lawrence used my shoulders and transport to the mosh pit.
One gig, or lack of, remains clear in the memory. After purchasing last minute tickets to see Pete Doherty, I managed to convince to couple mates embark on a trip on the Citylink from Edinburgh to Glasgow on a cold and wet Wednesday night. We joked on the bus ‘I hope Pete doesn’t cancel’ and laughed as we drank our warm tenants.
We marched down Buchanan street with the grand plan of pre-drinks in the delightful Campus, however as we approached the ABC, we looked up at the iconic white old cinema style façade and we were met with the immortal words ‘Pete Doherty – Cancelled’. A sad night indeed.
A quick fact check, reveals Dundee’s very own The View, hold the accolade of ‘Band that’s played the ABC most’; well it’s a joint accolade also held by The Dammed, an impressive 7 times both bands have entertained the Sauchiehall Street crowds.
The main hall was host to most gigs, however the more intimate ABC2 would hold smaller gigs. Memorably Slaves held a last-minute gig when there Green Day support slot at Bellahouston Park was cancelled due to high winds. The Tunbridge Wells punks were supported by Baby Strange that night, sadly I missed out on tickets that but video evidence would suggest it was carnage.
Club Nights & Drunk Nights
The venues vibrant location meant that it was more than just a gig venue, in fact it was a rather popular nightspot for revellers looking to find their late-night indie fix. Thursday was the student friendly Jelly Baby, Friday gave us indie kid favourite Propaganda and Saturdays Love Music was aimed at a more ‘mature’ crowd.
The ABC was equipped with 2 dance floors and 4 bars to help keep everyone suitably drunk. The appeal was not only the good tunes, it was also the bargain priced beverages. One of me and my mates various drunken Glasgow soirees involved us taking advantage of said low cost drinks. A Thursday night out inevitably ended up at Jelly Baby...
Unfortunately for us, the £1 Jaeger promo was too good a deal to turn down and thus ended up in the now infamous (to us at least) Jaeger Challenge. The premise was simple; whoever drinks the most shots of Jaeger wins. I am proud to say I came in at 2nd place, with an honourable 21 shots consumed. The winners accolade went to my good friend G, an impressive liver smashing, 23 shots.
However, this feat wasn’t without consequence as later that night G had an unfortunate scuffle with a table and managed to chip his front tooth as he stumbled over trying to chat up a wall.
He wasn’t the only casualty of night, another friend Alan, decided to play it safe by heading home early. However, this may have been misjudged as he mis-read the flight of stairs on his way out and took a wee topple right down to the bottom, ‘losing’ his bank card in the process. The next day after phoning the bank to cancel his card he found it nestled in his back pocket.
The Jaeger challenge was retired that very morning, never to see the light of day again....
The night the music died
Almost 13 years to day from when the ABC opened its doors as music venue, the last band to grace the stage concluded their set. That night Johnny Rotten took to the stage with Public Image Limited, two days later a devastating fire ripped through the Glasgow Art School taking down the ABC in its wake.
Reports state the famous dome collapsed in on itself at 5am that night, initially we all hoped that the venue could be saved, a petition penned to save the venue surpassed 10,000 signatures in February 2019. However, Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the body which cares for and promotes Scotland's historic buildings, has had to remove its objection of plans to demolish the ABC.
Unfortunately, the damage is much more severe than first thought, the building is in danger of collapsing and with the damage to the dome coupled with our delightful Scottish weather means the building has been overrun by vermin and sewage.
By all means a sad and unworthy end to what can only be described as an institute within the Glasgow and Scottish music scene.
Gig memories will live long, hangovers from club nights will not be forgotten and a wonderful venue will be sorely missed for many years to come. Who knows what will become of the space when the building has been demolished, a resurrection maybe? - S. Ryan
