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The Barrowland Ballroom (also known as ''Barrowland'' and ''The Barras'') is an
entertainment venue Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communicat ...
,
dance hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing, but usually refers to a specific type of twentieth-century venue, with dance clubs (nightclubs) becoming more popular towards the end of the century. The palais de danse was a term ap ...
and
music venue A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from a small coffeehouse for folk music shows, an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Ty ...
located in the Calton district in
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. A prominent feature of the music scene in Glasgow, the venue has appeared in various elements of popular culture, notably tracks by
Amy Macdonald Amy Elizabeth Macdonald (born 25 August 1987) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. In 2007, she released her debut studio album, ''This Is the Life (Amy Macdonald album), This Is the Life'', which produced the singles "Mr. Rock & Roll" and "This ...
and
Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977, becoming best known internationally for their song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 ...
.


History

The original building opened in 1934 in a mercantile area east of Glasgow's city centre, built by Maggie McIver, the "Barras Queen". The area and the ballroom are named after the Glasgow Barrowland market. The building was completely rebuilt after being largely destroyed by fire in 1958, and reopened on 24 December 1960. The Barrowland building includes large street-level halls used for the weekend markets, with a large weatherproof hall above. The front of the building is decorated with a large animated
neon sign In the signage industry, neon signs are electric signs lighted by long luminous gas-discharge tubes that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in Decem ...
. Since 2020, Barrowland Ballroom has been the venue for the annual Scottish Music Awards.


Uses and rooms

From 1983 onwards the ballroom became a concert venue with a capacity of 1,900 standing, known for its
acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...
and its sprung dance floor.
Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977, becoming best known internationally for their song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 ...
relaunched the venue by filming the video for their 1983 single, " Waterfront", at Barrowlands. Adjacent to the ballroom itself is the Barrowland Park, where there is a path displaying the names of many artists who have played at the venue. Northern Irish punk band
Stiff Little Fingers Stiff Little Fingers are a Northern Irish punk rock band from Belfast. They formed in 1977 at the height of the Troubles, which informed much of their songwriting. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star (named after the Deep P ...
have played sold-out concerts at the venue every St Patrick's Day since 1992, and recorded their ''Best Served Loud'' album there in 2016 to celebrate 25 years at Barrowland. The Barrowland 2 is part of the Barrowland Ballroom and is used both as a bar when larger shows are playing in the main hall and as a venue to host smaller gigs. While it occasionally plays host to smaller or acoustic gigs from more established acts, its usual function is as a venue for small local Glasgow bands. The promoters also host an event showcasing unsigned local acts in the main ballroom every year.


Bible John

Between 1968 and 1969, three young women (Patricia Docker, Jemima MacDonald and Helen Puttock) were found brutally murdered after nights out at the Barrowland. All three murders were attributed to a man dubbed "
Bible John Bible John is the moniker given to an unidentified serial killer who is believed to have murdered three young women between 1968 and 1969 in Glasgow, Scotland. The victims of Bible John were all brunettes between the ages of 25 and 32, all of ...
" by police after he was heard referring to the
Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
to one of his victims. Similarities between the murders led police to believe that they were the work of the same man. The man made contact with all three women at the Barrowland Ballroom, before escorting them home and raping and strangling them within yards of their doorsteps. All three women were menstruating and their handbags were stolen. An investigation failed to find Bible John, and the murders remain unsolved. On the night of the murder of Helen Puttock, Puttock's sister Jeannie Langford was with her and spoke to her sister's suspected killer. Jeannie described Bible John as: "25–35 years old, reddish/fair hair, wore a blue suit and matching trousers with white shirt. Spoke very politely and was very religious". In 2007, following the murder of Angelica Kluk, speculation arose that serial killer
Peter Tobin Peter Britton Tobin (27 August 1946 – 8 October 2022) was a Scottish convicted serial killer and sex offender who served a whole life order at HM Prison Edinburgh for three murders committed between 1991 and 2006. Police also investigated T ...
was Bible John, due to similarities in ''
modus operandi A (often shortened to M.O. or MO) is an individual's habits of working, particularly in the context of business or criminal investigations, but also generally. It is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as . Term The term is often used in ...
''. Tobin frequented the Barrowland, and moved to Brighton in late 1968 before the last two murders were committed.


Cultural impact

The Barrowland features heavily in the 2015 movie ''
The Legend of Barney Thomson ''The Legend of Barney Thomson'', known in the United States as ''Barney Thomson'', is a 2015 British comedy thriller film based on the 1999 novel ''The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson'' by Douglas Lindsay. It is the directorial debut of Robert ...
'', directed by
Robert Carlyle Robert Carlyle (born 14 April 1961) is a Scottish actor. His film work includes: '' Trainspotting'' (1996), '' The Full Monty'' (1997), '' Ravenous'' and ''The World Is Not Enough'' (both 1999), '' There's Only One Jimmy Grimble'' (2000), '' ...
. It features in part of the opening scene of the 2014 movie ''
God Help the Girl ''God Help the Girl'' is a 2009 album by Stuart Murdoch of the band Belle and Sebastian with female vocalists such as Catherine Ireton. God Help the Girl is also the name of the band and the accompanying film released in 2014. The songs are ...
'' from writer/director Stuart Murdoch (lead singer of indie pop group
Belle & Sebastian Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released twelve studio albums. They are often compared with acts such as the Smiths and Nick Drake. The band took their name from ...
) Scottish singer
Amy Macdonald Amy Elizabeth Macdonald (born 25 August 1987) is a Scottish singer-songwriter. In 2007, she released her debut studio album, ''This Is the Life (Amy Macdonald album), This Is the Life'', which produced the singles "Mr. Rock & Roll" and "This ...
has a song about the ballroom, titled ''Barrowland Ballroom'' on her 2007 album '' This Is The Life''. The edifice appears in a number of scenes in ''
The Field of Blood (TV series) ''The Field of Blood'' is a Scottish crime drama television series, broadcast between 8 May 2011 and 9 August 2013, adapting the novels of Denise Mina. Jayd Johnson stars as the protagonist, Paddy Meehan, working for a Glasgow newspaper in th ...
'', a British crime drama television series. The Barrowland is where young girls are picked up before being murdered in the novel ''The Quaker'' by Liam McIlvanney.
Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977, becoming best known internationally for their song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 ...
named a track after the venue on their 2018 studio album, ''Walk Between Worlds''. Track 6 on the album was named "Barrowland Star" due to their close affinity with the venue. It features in "Fearful Lightning", an episode of the television series ''
Taggart ''Taggart'' is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries ''Killer'' from 6 until 20 Septe ...
''. In April 2021, a mural inspired by Douglas Stuart's
Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...
-winning novel '' Shuggie Bain'' was unveiled on the wall of the Barrowland Ballroom, featuring a boy dancing in the street, together with a quote from the book: "You'll not remember the city, you were too wee, but there's dancing. All kinds of dancing." The artwork and lettering was created by the Cobolt Collective – comprising
Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; ) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and design. These are all awa ...
2015 graduates Erin Bradley-Scott, Chelsea Frew and Kat Loudon – and is .


References


External links

*
Photographs of the Barras

DANCING AT BARROWLANDS (c.1961)
(archive film from the National Library of Scotland: SCOTTISH SCREEN ARCHIVE) {{Use British English, date=April 2017 1934 establishments in Scotland Ballrooms in the United Kingdom Bridgeton–Calton–Dalmarnock Culture in Glasgow Dance in Scotland Music venues in Glasgow Wrestling venues in the United Kingdom