So you guys know by now that I have a couple of jobs: an office-based full-time legal journalist job; and freelance journalism - usually, but increasingly not exclusively, arts journalism. It means that I am frequently in the situation where I'm finishing up in the office at 6pm and have to be at a gig for 8 - an awkward length of time during which I don't necessarily want to be sitting at my desk catching up on email, but there's really no point in going home just to come back into the city again.
So it's lucky I live in the greatest city (that isn't New York) in the world, right?
While I know there are places all over the world that will big up their late night shopping, food and drink options (and live music venues too, though if you've been reading this blog for any length of time I very much doubt you'll fight me on Glasgow's bona fides there) what this city has over most of them is simple: I don't mind being on my own. It's not always the case of course, but there are times I just can't get a +1 for a gig or can't find anybody who wants to go with me. So not only do I have those two hours to kill, I'm flying solo the whole time. This actually happened last week, when I was reviewing Joanna Newsom at the Royal Concert Hall for the Herald (with four empty seats right next to me, what). I knew I had this post in the works, so I thought to myself: how about I do a music lover's night out in Glasgow by herself?
First up: shopping. This is probably when it pays (bad choice of words) to be alone because you can browse for as long as you like and there's nobody to stop you spending money. Over 220 Glasgow shops are open until 7pm every weekday - many until 8pm on Thursdays - giving you plenty of opportunities to kill time after work. The city's "Style Mile" around Argyle St, Buchanan St and the Merchant City has the best collection of designer and high street stores in the one place outside of London (speaking with my used-to-work-for-a-major-international-brand, in a store which made visiting colleagues' eyes pop out of their heads, hat on here): I like Princes Square when I'm feeling fancy and Debenhams for a browse of the make-up counters. Oh, and Paperchase. Just in general.
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"Who, me? I'm just here to take some photos for my blo... is that the new Emma Pollock album on vinyl?"[/caption]
Of course, as this is a music lover's guide to Glasgow we ought to talk about the record shops. Monorail and Love Music are Glasgow's best independent music shops and they both hold a special place in my heart: the former for selling me a Sleater-Kinney vinyl boxset with a signed bonus 7" in it, and the latter for the number of times I've found Ryan Adams Record Store Day exclusives there a week after the event. Fopp's great for a reliable stock of new releases, simply-priced classics and quoting me on the recommendation cards and there is of course HMV - if you don't mind heading to the basement to shop for your music as if physical formats were some kind of dirty little secret.
Moving on to food and, almost without thinking about it, Paesano Pizza on Miller Street has become my favourite haunt for pre-gig eats: I've been there three times in the last fortnight, both in company and alone. People are conditioned to think of eating as much as a social activity as one that we need for our survival, so there's something deliciously subversive about dining alone. I'm as guilty of grabbing a quick bite as the next person and Glasgow has some brilliant alternatives to big fast food businesses: I tend to favour Pinto for freshly-made burritos, customised to the fussy girl's tastes; or Via Italia by Central Station for delicious Italian street food. But if you're in no mood to hurry your meal but don't quite have the guts for the full sit-down dinner experience solo, Paesano is the perfect middle ground.
Paesano keeps the menu simple, so you always know exactly what you're getting: fluffy Italian pizza baked in traditional wood-fired ovens, and most of the fresh ingredients imported from Italy (not something that I'm usually a fan of because food miles, but it certainly adds to the authenticity of the experience). You'll feel comfortable enough to stay for a second course and you definitely should: the cake selection changes weekly, or you can have soft-serve ice cream in a cone or bowl. If there's anything better than people-watching guys in suits tackling a Mr Whippy with a 99 flake, I don't want to hear about it.
Since I'm not a huge drinker, the pre-gig drinks part of the whole live music experience isn't one that I tend to partake in when I'm going alone - besides, the last thing my editors need is a review riddled with sloppy, drunk typos. But most of my favourite venues in Glasgow boast excellent bars where you can pre-game before the band - Bloc, King Tut's, Stereo - and those that don't usually have somewhere decent to drink nearby. My pals tend to favour the Variety Bar before shows at the O2 ABC, and MacSorley's if we're heading out to the Academy (wait, is it closed? or just closed as a music venue? I'm so confused).
So that's a quick tour of my favourite pre-gig haunts in Glasgow: have I missed your favourites? Let me know in the comments!
DISCLAIMER: this post is a collaboration with People Make Glasgow, but all opinions are my own and unbiased. See my full disclosure policy.
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