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Glasgow's Arches club goes into administration and is set to close Glasgow's Arches club goes into administration and is set to close
(about 1 hour later)
One of Glasgow’s best loved venues looks likely to have to close. The Arches is to go into administration, following the decision of the city’s licensing authorities to force it to close at midnight following police complaints about disorder, including drug use, at the venue. Club nights generated the majority of the Arches’ revenue, and without them the business is “untenable”, according to the club’s management.One of Glasgow’s best loved venues looks likely to have to close. The Arches is to go into administration, following the decision of the city’s licensing authorities to force it to close at midnight following police complaints about disorder, including drug use, at the venue. Club nights generated the majority of the Arches’ revenue, and without them the business is “untenable”, according to the club’s management.
As well as a nightclub, The Arches has put on gigs, theatre performances and operates a restaurant and cafe. All its forthcoming events have been suspended. Related: The closure of the Arches in Glasgow will be felt around the world
The Arches –  a non-profit venue – had been a major venue for electronic music in particular, with Daft Punk playing their first UK show there in 1997. As well as a nightclub, The Arches has put on gigs, theatre performances and operates a restaurant and cafe. All its forthcoming events have been suspended.
The Arches – a non-profit venue – had been a major venue for electronic music in particular, with Daft Punk playing their first UK show there in 1997.
Gordon Kennedy, chairman of The Arches board of directors, said: “This decision has been taken with deep regret as it will have a major impact on our staff, business partners, customers and on Glasgow’s reputation for night-time economy.Gordon Kennedy, chairman of The Arches board of directors, said: “This decision has been taken with deep regret as it will have a major impact on our staff, business partners, customers and on Glasgow’s reputation for night-time economy.
“Our hope is that the administrators, working with partners and stakeholders, can salvage some of the activities for which The Arches is renowned.“Our hope is that the administrators, working with partners and stakeholders, can salvage some of the activities for which The Arches is renowned.
Related: The gig venue guide: the Arches, GlasgowRelated: The gig venue guide: the Arches, Glasgow
“The board sincerely thanks our staff, customers, supporters, performers and partners for their support over the years. This is a very sad day for The Arches and for the city of Glasgow.“The board sincerely thanks our staff, customers, supporters, performers and partners for their support over the years. This is a very sad day for The Arches and for the city of Glasgow.
“We were disappointed and surprised at the outcome of the licensing board. The Arches has a zero-tolerance approach to drugs and has co-operated with the police over many years.”“We were disappointed and surprised at the outcome of the licensing board. The Arches has a zero-tolerance approach to drugs and has co-operated with the police over many years.”
Patrick Harvie, Scottish Green MSP for Glasgow, said: “I’m so sorry for the staff of The Arches and for the entirely avoidable loss to the city’s cultural and social life. This is a venue which gave so much to Glasgow’s arts community and to our reputation for great nightlife. Patrick Harvie, Scottish Green MSP for Glasgow, said: “I’m so sorry for the staff of The Arches and for the entirely avoidable loss to the city’s cultural and social life. This is a venue which gave so much to Glasgow’s arts community and to our reputation for great nightlife.
“It’s also a venue which put consistent effort into addressing public safety issues, and was rightly recognised for having done so. The failure of our society’s drugs laws cannot be laid at their door, and moving drug use from this venue to one less used to dealing with these issues will do nothing for public safety.“It’s also a venue which put consistent effort into addressing public safety issues, and was rightly recognised for having done so. The failure of our society’s drugs laws cannot be laid at their door, and moving drug use from this venue to one less used to dealing with these issues will do nothing for public safety.
“I’m disappointed that the City Council decided to force The Arches into this position, and I’m surprised that despite the wave of public support not one other Glasgow MSP saw fit to support my call for a rethink. It remains open to Glasgow, to the Scottish Government, and to the arts community to try and find a new life for this important venue.”“I’m disappointed that the City Council decided to force The Arches into this position, and I’m surprised that despite the wave of public support not one other Glasgow MSP saw fit to support my call for a rethink. It remains open to Glasgow, to the Scottish Government, and to the arts community to try and find a new life for this important venue.”
A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: “We have been working with the Arches and other funders for some time to develop a sustainable model to provide a long term financial solution for the Arches to continue to operate. We remain committed to trying to identify opportunities for their work to go on.”
At the end of May, over 400 names from across the Scottish arts world signed an open letter in protest at the suspension of the venue’s late licence. Signatories included Scotland’s Makar or national poet Liz Lochhead, Andy Arnold, the artistic director of The Tron theatre, Alan McGee, manager and founder of Creation Records, theatre director Cora Bissett, actors Ashley Jensen and Kate Dickie, the writer Irvine Welsh and musician Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai.
Braithwaite described the closure as a “real loss for Glasgow culture”. Speaking to the Guardian, he said that the behaviour of the licensing authority raised serious questions. “It raises a lot of questions about how the authorities are married up to cultural centres in the city. The Arches was subsidised by the government and yet strangled by the authorities.”
Braithwaite added: “The tragic part is that a lot of these [drug problems] came to light because the venue was trying to be open and progressive in how they were dealing with them. People aren’t going to stop taking drugs because one techno venue has closed. It’s a very backward approach and comes from a real lack of understanding.”