Scottish Hydro Arena Begins To Take Shape

How the finished venue might look in it's surroundings.

For the best part of a year, the Hydro Arena has looked just like an ugly construction site, but the structure is finally beginning to take shape.  Each time you pass by along the Clydeside expressway, another piece of the structure appears to be in place and it won't be long before the building completes the waterfront skyline.  You can now even see the stairs and have a guess at where the seating will be located in the building.

It is planned to be finished by 2012 and is estimated to be costing around £125million.  It is a worthy investment however as at the moment the SECC are currently losing around 70 days out of the year and the new venue is estimated to bring £131million into the Scottish economy each year.  Since Hall 4 is currently being used for exhibitions, concerts and other events, it takes a long time to rearrange the hall for various events so the plan is that the Hydro arena can be used as an alternative to keep losses to a minimum.  The venue will have a 12,000 seater capacity and will host live music, sports, comedians and many other events including Netball and Gymnastics in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.  

Looks like there'll be plenty room to sit, but not to stand.

Music fans will be pleased to hear that the building has been planned from the inside out just like the Clyde Auditorium meaning the acoustics will be of the highest standard and visitors should have a decent view of the stage no matter where they are sitting.  With it being such a large venue however, it is hard to imagine that the furthest away seats will ever come close to the view you would get from down the front.  As Michael McIntyre said in his 'Hello Wembley' show at Wembley Arena, if you're right up the back of an arena you might as well save your money and wait for the DVD.  It also means that larger acts who haven't visited Glasgow on tour before will now be able to as the SECC say that in the past they have had to turn away acts such as Beyoncé and Barbra Streisand as their venue size simply wasn't large enough for the artist's demands.  

59% of Scotland's population is estimated to attend live music events every year which is the highest proportion of any area in the UK so Scotland is certain to welcome the new venue with open arms.

Best Glasgow Venue?

With so many great venues across Glasgow, a question that always comes up is... which one is best?  Is it the small bar style venue like King Tut's Wah Wah Hut or the huge arena that is the SECC? I'll run through a few of them in reverse order and give you my opinion at the end.

Proclaimers crowd in Hall 4 at the SECC.

Fifth: the SECC.  It has hosted many great artists across it's 5 halls since it opened in 1985 from Oasis to Lady Gaga to Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston and is the go to venue for hugely popular artists since it is the biggest venue Glasgow has to offer at present with a maximum capacity of 12,500.  But big doesn't mean better as the SECC is essentially just a big tin shed which provides no atmosphere itself - but the crowds tend to create their own atmosphere and the shows are often big and eccentric meaning you still know you're getting a good show if you're going to the SECC.

Fourth: the ABC.  The ABC, despite being a very old building, is a fairly new venue to the city as it only opened in 2005 after being used as a cinema since 1929.  The venue was taken over by AMG in 2009 and was re branded as the O2 ABC and since then has become one of Glasgow's most popular venues with artists such as Florence + the Machine, Tinie Tempah, Paolo Nutini and Example taking to the stage.  The venue has a capacity of 1362 and is a much loved venue due to it's large stage yet small building, overlooking balcony and without a doubt the biggest disco ball that ever existed.

Third: the Barrowland Ballroom.  Located in a not so nice area of Glasgow with a notably tacky exterior, the Barra's as it's called is surprisingly a favourite amongst the Glaswegians.  It is situated amongst the famous street market also known as 'the Barra's' and even although I've never been, I've heard its got character with it's starry ceiling, mirrored walls and bouncy floor.  It is one of the longest, if not the longest, running venue in Glasgow and began as a dancehall in 1934.  It has hosted a lot of great tours from a lot of great artists including Biffy Clyro, Katy Perry and Ocean Colour Scene and will continue to do so with Ed Sheeran playing three consecutive sold out shows in November.  After Metallica played the venue back in 1996, they said that because of the size and nature of the venue, it made it the best gig they had ever played.  The Barrowlands is arguably the best venue in Glasgow as it appears to be a favourite amongst both attendees and bands themselves, but since I've yet to go, it isn't mine.

Second: King Tut's Wah Wah Hut.  Possibly the most famous venue in Glasgow which was titled 'Best Live Venue in the UK' by Radio 1 in 2002 and has been responsible for the fame of many of the great bands which we know of today.  Impressively, Oasis gained their first record deal after playing here in 1993 and went on to sell 70 million records worldwide.  With a tiny capacity of 300, King Tut's has a lot of character in a really small space making it very intimate and is a top contender for the best venue in Glasgow.  

Finally, and most importantly our winner: O2 Academy Glasgow.  This is without a doubt my personal favourite Glasgow venue.  It also began as a cinema until its £3million renovation in 2003 when it opened as a 2500 capacity music venue.  Being the second biggest venue in Glasgow, it does host a lot of popular artists such as The Killers in 2006 whose gig sold out in a record 3 minutes.  It has a lot of character inside and still has the cinema theatre style interior it once had. But at the same time it is very intimate yet has a large stage with excellent lighting, several bars and a large balcony.  

This is just personal opinion, and you might have another favourite yourself, but if you do please vote on the poll below or post a comment and we can argue it out!

Which of the 5 venues do you think is best?