The Arches

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SquareTheCircle
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The Arches

Post by SquareTheCircle »

I’v not been on in a while because it turns out that 3 children is the tipping point. But this is a call to arms.

The Arches nightclub in Glasgow is having its late night licence revoked. Many of you will know it as pretty much a top 10 nightclub in the world. Top 5 maybe. You would no doubt agree that this cannot happen.

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatr ... ttish-arts
https://www.change.org/p/glasgow-city-c ... ub-licence

This has followed months of harassment of the venue by Police Scotland, regarding apparent failures to act upon instances of drug misuse in the club, as well as some alcohol related offences. The Arches has attempted to address the concerns of the police on numerous occasions, but has been repeatedly threatened with the loss of its licence despite attempts to resolve the issues raised. The Arches makes more effort than any club in the city to keep people safe - with dedicated first aid rooms, well trained stewarding staff and robust policies to ensure the safety of clubbers.
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Thumper
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Re: The Arches

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The whole thing is a massive shakedown. I have to admit, I've never really liked the Arches as a club - either the venue itself or the nights it has on - but the fact is that they have done everything (and then some) that has been asked of them. The polis demanded that they be called out for everything no matter how small - someone passes out outside the venue - Polis have to be called. Some guy is found with half a pill or a teenth - Polis have to be called. From what I can gather they've had to call the Polis out about 250 times in the last few years and each and every time they did, Dibble demanded to be paid for their time. They were given a choice: Either call the police out every single time something small happened (and pay them) or have a team of six coppers permanently on site for every event (and pay for them).

Security at the Arches was always noticeably tighter than other Glasgow venues going way, way back. Rumour is that there is a property developer that wants the space. Don't know how true that is, but given the shady practices of a couple of well known restaurant and nightclub owning gangsters, sorry, entrepreneurs with ties to the council, I wouldn't be surprised.

The big tragedy with this is that the rest of the Arches - the theatre and arts side of the operation - relies on the money from the club nights to keep going. All of that is going to be screwed. It's just the start. I've a couple of friends who work for them and there is just a feeling from them of massive frustration that everything has been done exactly as demanded and they're still going to get shafted. It's shit, especially considering that there are plenty of places around the city far dodgier than the Arches have ever been.

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Lost to the Void
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Re: The Arches

Post by Lost to the Void »

It will be pressure from spacia, the company that handles rail track property.
They have been systematically fucking off all clubs in old railway arches all over the land.
Get more money from poncey offices.
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winston
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Re: The Arches

Post by winston »

it's interesting what you say about other people wanting the space, it makes sense given the shady dealings in glasgow and how corrupt the old time council people are.

i've not been to the arches in probably 7 or 8 years, but it is a blow if it goes. there is nowhere else that i can think of that is a similar size that isn't a chart house & drink deals type place.

i suppose drink & drugs offences are the go to choice when the police and licensing board want to hassle clubs. however i would imagine that there are worse places for drinking and fighting trouble in glasgow, and unless you are having everyone empty their pockets on the way in, you aren't going to rid the place of drugs (i guess they never figured out there was always a guy selling pills in the toilet). when i did go, i would often see people getting nabbed into the side room and often saw people getting grabbed at the door. i also saw a fair few people getting dragged off the dancefloor too after getting a bit too fucked up.

the crowd who went changed over the time i was going (2000-2007) but then glasgow changed over that time too, or else it was just me getting old. different nights had different crowds too, so i wonder what type of music was drawing the most police action.

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SquareTheCircle
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Re: The Arches

Post by SquareTheCircle »

There was that orgy circa 2007 but I think the straw that broke the back was the underage girl who died from a bad E just recently. The economy could be a factor also. The cops gotta make cuts so boom time to move outa town.

I'v not been there in a while myself and music history is littered with these disappointments. But its sad and not to be encouraged.
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StandardModel
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Re: The Arches

Post by StandardModel »

It's happening all over, my mate had a place in Sheffield, an old steelworks, that had to close because of pressure from the council. Was an unreal space, such a shame it they fucked it over....
Really hoping Corsica Studios in London isn't next....

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ashley BORG
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Re: The Arches

Post by ashley BORG »

StandardModel wrote:It's happening all over, my mate had a place in Sheffield, an old steelworks, that had to close because of pressure from the council. Was an unreal space, such a shame it they fucked it over....
Really hoping Corsica Studios in London isn't next....

I reckon it will Mark. Elephant and Castle is the gem in the London regeneration map. Located under a station and shopping centre which will eventually be spruced up.

This is a what pisses me off about British culture, we don't truly celebrate or support grass roots. Unless something feeds in to central government it's gonna get squeezed. Plenty of drug and sexual offences happening in those high society places, but you can guarantee those places with their sky high rents and celebrity associations are going nowhere.
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Thumper
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Re: The Arches

Post by Thumper »

winston wrote:it's interesting what you say about other people wanting the space, it makes sense given the shady dealings in glasgow and how corrupt the old time council people are.

i've not been to the arches in probably 7 or 8 years, but it is a blow if it goes. there is nowhere else that i can think of that is a similar size that isn't a chart house & drink deals type place.

i suppose drink & drugs offences are the go to choice when the police and licensing board want to hassle clubs. however i would imagine that there are worse places for drinking and fighting trouble in glasgow, and unless you are having everyone empty their pockets on the way in, you aren't going to rid the place of drugs (i guess they never figured out there was always a guy selling pills in the toilet). when i did go, i would often see people getting nabbed into the side room and often saw people getting grabbed at the door. i also saw a fair few people getting dragged off the dancefloor too after getting a bit too fucked up.

the crowd who went changed over the time i was going (2000-2007) but then glasgow changed over that time too, or else it was just me getting old. different nights had different crowds too, so i wonder what type of music was drawing the most police action.
Well, on the night that girl was found passed out in the vicinity of the venue (not even inside, which makes it even more ridiculous) it was some promotional thing with one of the DJ's from Radio Clyde - nothing to do with the usual club nights. You can make what you want of that and the Police response.

There ARE worse places in Glasgow - it's that sort of city. You have places like Reds (if that is even still going) which was a big time favourite of small time gangsters and other assorted arseholes where all sorts of shit happened that never seemed to get touched. And there are plenty of pubs where wearing the wrong bloody colour will still get you beaten up (maybe not stabbed anymore - I guess that's progress)

What happens next? I imagine places like La Cheetah (which is a great venue with some very sound bouncers) or the Subby will be keeping both eyes open. In the short term, given that everyone knows that the Arches did everything they possibly could (and all those Police call outs they were forced to make account for something like .05% of the quarter of a million people who have passed through the doors over the last couple of years) you're going to see clubs being very wary of getting the emergency services involved in anything at all, knowing it's an invitation to getting sucked into a protection racket.

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Lost to the Void
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Re: The Arches

Post by Lost to the Void »

Our culture is being erased.

But you have to admit, we need more coffee shops.
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winston
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Re: The Arches

Post by winston »

Lost to the Void wrote:Our culture is being erased.

But you have to admit, we need more coffee shops.
this is kind of the crux of it. make everything generic and controllable so people like the same things, the same routine. make it all similar so no one tries to break out and cause any trouble and upset the equilibrium. like a Brave New 1984 mashup.

we need better coffee shops. the coffee is by and large generic, but the snacks need to be better instead of just defrosted and heated nonsense. they should be more continental like, and less american like.
Thumper wrote: Well, on the night that girl was found passed out in the vicinity of the venue (not even inside, which makes it even more ridiculous) it was some promotional thing with one of the DJ's from Radio Clyde - nothing to do with the usual club nights. You can make what you want of that and the Police response.
that is quite interesting. on another night it would have went unnoticed by the press, but because it happened related to Radio Clyde, then Radio Clyde had to make a statement, so the press picked up on it and then the council had to make a statement, and the police had to make a statement and on and on it snowballed, until everyone just had to do what was necessary to cover their own backs.

yet another unintended consequence of the easy spread of information which now dominates our world. everything is so based on image and how others portray you, that saving face is priority number one. Reputation rules all.

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Re: The Arches

Post by Mslwte »

Doesn't this sort of thing happening just drive the scene back underground?
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SquareTheCircle
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Re: The Arches

Post by SquareTheCircle »

Mslwte wrote:Doesn't this sort of thing happening just drive the scene back underground?

One can only hope :twisted:
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Thumper
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Re: The Arches

Post by Thumper »

Mslwte wrote:Doesn't this sort of thing happening just drive the scene back underground?

If you mean back into the hands of gangsters and some of the really dodgy cunts who were around in the early 90s, probably yes. Mind you, there are a couple of wee places doing stuff on the sly.


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