The Barrowland Ballroom: A Gig Venue Like No Other

It has an atmosphere all of its own. Walking to a gig there, even from 500 feet away you get a sense of anticipation that’s not apparent at other venues. The steady stream of people heading up the Gallowgate drifting into and falling out of the pubs that dot the way. The giant neon sign flashes the name of the place. The queue forming in the street. The excited chatter. Then as you get to the open doors and look up to the staircase before heading for the ballroom itself. The venue has a lot of history, and not only as a music venue. Maggie McIver set up ‘barrows’ for traders in an old fruit market in Glasgow’s Gallowgate in 1921, establishing the Barras Market, which still runs today. Maggie then bought the land and buildings on which Barrowland was eventually erected. The buildings were taken down in 1926 and the marketplace was then roofed over. <a href="https://medium.com/the-riff/the-barrowland-ballroom-a-gig-venue-like-no-other-692c059b694b">Read More</a>