O2 ABC

The ABC holds a special place in my heart. My earliest memory of it was when it was a cinema, spending many Sunday afternoons here with my wee brother (and I’ll never stop slagging him off for crying at Free Willy here).
Fast forward a few years (OK, a decade or so), and it’s transformed into one of Glasgow’s go to music venues.
I’ve seen loads of bands here over the years (often as part of the Celtic Connections festival), and pretty much love it.
The main stage is on the second floor. It has a bar, an ATM, and a big fecking glitterball! What’s not to love?!
As one of Glasgow’s mid sized venues, this is a great place to catch bands about to hit it biG. Or, at least grab a night at one of their famous club nights.
As per Eilidh G’s tip, main acts tend to start at 8.30 sharp.

I love this venue for a gig. Firstly its location is a winner, located mid way along Sauchiehall Street means you have a great choice of pre gig restaurants and bars. secondly the venue appears to attract a good range of old and new bands alike. The stage is low so you get up close and there’s limited, if your lucky seats and raised platforms.

I’ve been here a few times to see bands and to partake in the dance party they have on saturdays, so I’ve experienced O2 ABC in a few different contexts.
Most recently, my boyfriend bought us tickets to see Alkaline Trio which I was over the moon about. We got there early enough to see the two opening bands Paws and Lagwagon but we were really excited to see Alkaline Trio.
Getting in to the venue was a quick scan of the tickets and a quick pat down (if you’re a guy) and a quick look in the bag (if you’re a female) and a walk up a few flight of stairs to the main area of the concert hall. There is a wee bar before you get to the stage area, which we passed to get a good spot for the concert. The bar area is in the back of the stage area when you get there, so we were able to get drinks at ease.
Honestly, the sound isn’t the best here. The first two bands sounded like a bunch of noise but that could be down to their sound people not really doing a great job. Alkaline Trio sounded so much better, but they have been doing this for many many moons. All in all, it was a fab time and I wouldn’t be apposed to seeing more bands play here.

I love the ABC at least 42,000 times more than its sister venue the Academy. The ABC is in a great location in the city centre on Sauchiehall Street — a decent pre-​gig dinner can be found less than 5 minutes walk away which is super handy.
It’s also a pretty good venue to be able to see the stage — there’s a few raised parts which you can grab if you’re there early enough, or stand to the left of the stage near the merch for a not-​bad view. Although, at Sleater-​Kinney last night there was a tonne of tall guys so that didn’t quite work out. Can we have a separate standing area for tall people, please?
I don’t tend to drink at gigs so I can’t say much for the bar, although there is a tiny one tucked away by the merch stand which is probably quicker to get a drink from rather than the main bar. The loos tend to be nice and clean (there is a cleaner on duty, she also sells sweeties and perfume/​deodorant which is pretty odd) and there is so many you probably won’t need to queue.
The main space (ABC) is up quite a few sets of stairs and upon leaving, you might find yourself out on the incredibly steep Scott Street which again could be an accessibility issue. Otherwise, I quite like this for seeing gigs and am always excited for a night here (as opposed to my feelings about going to the Academy).
AND — most importantly — it has a massive glitter ball. It’s worth going for that alone.

I have been here a couple of club nights but mainly for gigs, so I’m going to review the gigs side of things.
This building used to be an old cinema and is set over 3 floors. The main entrance then up to the first floor which is known as the abc2, this is the smaller of the two venues. It is wider than it is deep and had a raised area at the back so you are pretty much guaranteed a good view. This is the place to see up and coming bands in a smaller scale, I was lucky enough to see bastille here when the were starting out.
Next up to the 2^nd floor is the main stage, I really like the set up in here as I’ve always had room to dance about and still have a great view. The bar is situated along the back of the room with a raised area so again you can stand at the back and see. Would highly recommend going to see a gig hear, you usually get new up and coming bands or old school bands doing a wee tour.
But the most important thing is the giant glitter ball, it is HUGE!!! Apparently it’s the biggest one in Europe. What’s not to like.

When I go here it’s mainly to see bands. The main room is good for bands as you can get up close & if you don’t like the crush even the sides are fine for short folk like me. As others have said the bar area is at the back & raised so that’s another option for folk. The 2^nd room is good too with its mix of seats and dance floor.
There are a lot of stairs to climb to get to both venues however if you use a wheelchair or have walking difficulties you can call the venue & they have arrangements to get you in. I presume that means a lift but I’ve never asked.
my only gripe is why oh why go to a gig just to take photos of yourself or record the this through your tablet? What happened to enjoying the moment? I know there’s not a lot staff can do about it but please just take one picture then get down to the beat of the band. Rant over.

*This is a review of the ABC as a gig venue, rather than as a club.*
A definite improvement on it’s sister venue The Academy. While I don’t love the ABC it’s a pretty decent place to go see a band. Most importantly, the sound is always half decent to great, and I’ve always managed to see the stage without a huge problem no matter where I stand. The fact that it’s wider than it is deeper really helps this, and you can stand to the sides and still get a good view and feel like you’re part of the crowd. Unlike the Academy, they never overfill it, so you can walk about without much problem, and the queues at the bar are never massive.
It generates a pretty good atmosphere — anywhere with a massive glitter ball that doesn’t encourage fun would be seriously failing — and there are a few seating sections if you want to relax. While it’s no Barras (and to be honest, nowhere can compete with that) it’s still a pretty enjoyable place to see a band.

Loving Propaganda on Friday and Love Music on Saturday! Good music, reasonable prices :)

Can’t believe I’ve not reviewed this venue before now. Especially seeing as I got engaged here a couple of years ago, under the largest glitter ball in Europe (and apparently the largest rotating one in the world).
Never been for a club night, but for gigs it’s good. Capacity is 1300 for the main hall, but even at a sold-​out gig there’s plenty of space to move around and find a good view. Sound quality is usually one of the best in the city.
There are actually two venues inside. The main one, and ABC2 which is much smaller. I’d guess nearer 400 capacity. Last time I was there they offered free wi-​fi as the mobile signal in that room is virtually non-​existent.
Staff are lovely, and — as a hint — if you’re buying tickets for a gig here then go to the box office (10am — 6pm I think) and pay cash. There are no booking fees if you do this. They also sell tickets for the Academy.
On the downside, the bar is freaking expensive (just like the Academy) so I’d fill up over the road pre-​gig at Wetherspoons or something.

‘Have you see the HUGE mirrorball?! It’s the biggest in Europe…’ so they say. It is big. But whenever I’ve been here it never seems to be switched, err… why? You’ve got this big sparkly baw (LOOK AT THEM SHINE! LOOK AT THEM SHINE! as Mr. Susan would say) and you don’t have it on most of the time? Great *sigh* I was at a gig here recently and the singer on stage said ‘Wow, look at that mirrorball! It would be good if it was working though…’ so for ONE song they put it on. Wow. Thanks. It must cost them a hunner pound a minute to run the thing. Sheesh.
I have to say I’m not a fan of ‘big’ venues; I class O2 ABC (another thing ~ why is the O2 before the ABC bit? There are quite a few O2 venues so saying the actual venue name first is more handy surely?) as a reasonably big venue. It’s not Hydro/​SECC size but the ABC1 is pretty big (The ABC1 capacity is 1362, the ABC2 is 350) I used to come to quite a few gigs/​clubs here at the ABC2 and much prefer it as a venue.
The last few gigs I’ve been here for (ABC1) have been sold out. Doors are usually pretty early for gigs here (due to the club nights starting at 11pm) and I have to say if the ticket says doors are at 7pm then it means the first band will most probably be on around 7:30/45pm so beware if you are at all interested in catching the support acts. A few times I’ve rocked up (haha!) & actually only caught the last song of the support band and once we even missed the start of the main bands set! Ooft. So there’s no ‘being fashionably late’ when you come here unless you like paying to see only half of a bands gig.
I find the price of drinks in all the O2 venues pretty ridculous. Although having said that they did have a Kraken rum & Pepsi deal for £3.50 although the amount you get is akin to a thimble. The beer choice isn’t great & usually hugely overpriced (and also tastes watered down or it could just be coz it’s rubbish lager).
As a music venue layout-​wise it’s not the worst. Theres a raised platform at the back, near the bar and also another higher up mezzanine bit which is sometimes open but mostly not. The stage is quite high so it means usually wherever you stand you get an okay view. Sound-​wise it’s alright; not the best but pretty good for a large venue.
The toilets are located at the back of the room & are usually in okay state & they have enough of them to not be waiting too long. Likewise there is a cloakroom also near the back but having never used it I can’t comment on the price.
I do prefer the ABC to the Academy O2 venue ~ I don’t know why but I like the feel of the ABC more and it’s handier for transport being in town. Also when you get papped out at 9:45pm (Yes! We did!) it’s very handy for post-​gig eats & taxis ~ always a bonus.
Door staff here have always been pretty nice; never had any problems with them and yes, they check your bag on the way in but they’re not pure rummaging through it getting you to pull stuff out like some venues can be.
(When I visit the ABC2 again I will review that but as I haven’t been for a while I will refrain as it may well have changed since I was last there)

For gigs this place can be good. I’m not to keen on the clubs they hold and sometimes the staff can make out it’s an exclusive place when it’s not.

Review based on it being a gig venue, rather than the club. Been to see loads of gigs here and it’s a really good place to see a band. Loads of room to stand and easy to see the artist you have paid to listen to. Some other venues feel to crowded, but there is always plenty of room here.
I like that unlike some other venues there is never a huge wait to get inside. You get in quickly and without hassle and can make your way straight to the bar. One slight gripe would be the bar beer selection is pretty limited, don’t expect any particularly nice or different beer options here.
Final good point is the location. You ain’t stuck in the middle of no where when u come out. Plenty of decent providers of food and beer are all at hand for you to be able to carry on the night once you are kicked out the gig.

Sauchiehall Street is probably one of the best streets in Glasgow in terms of live music; you have regular gigs at Nice N Sleazy, Box, The Garage and here at the O2 ABC. Despite being a dirty corporate name, it still retains at least some of it’s soul.
Heading up the myriad of stairs after your entry, and into the main hall, you realise that it’s a lot bigger than you’d think looking at the entrance. I was there for a gig that was sold out, a total of 1,300 tickets and I have to say, while busy, it wasn’t uncomfortably busy like some places I’ve been to.
There’s one big bar at the back of the hall, and one small one upstairs on the balcony. If you can get a spot right at the front of the balcony, it’s an excellent view of the stage and proceedings below. There’s also a cloakroom off to the side (£1.50 per item) of the bar, and the merchandise stands are usually across at the far side of the door, to the left of the stage.
The staff here are quick, efficient and aren’t afraid to have a chat with you if it’s quiet. Have to say the choice of draft beers are a bit off, I could only see Carling and Tuborg, with a further selection of bottles and cans.
The atmosphere is usually pretty good, I’ve never been to a gig in here that’s had a quiet reception, and they also hold wrestling events in here, as the ABC has now become the spiritual home of the BBC featured ICW promotion.
The giant mirror ball hanging from the ceiling is fantastic, too. There’s certainly worse places in Glasgow to see a gig, for me, the ABC is much better than it’s «big brother» doon the road at the Academy.

Been here more than a few times for either a night out or a gig and I love it! Always a really good atmosphere at the gig with plenty of room to move around, big toilets so minimal queuing and prices that aren’t out of this world as far as venues in Glasgow are concerned.
I really like the old school vibe of the outside of the building too as well as the box office and within is the biggest disco ball in Europe which for some reason is always a talking point! The Polar Bar is a nice wee place to take a break from the acts or catch a drink before said act comes on.
Nice venue!

This 4-​star review is of the ABC purely as a gig venue. And a great venue it is too. The main room is perfect whether you want to get right up the front and jump around, or stand right back at the elevated bar area, leaning on the railing watching the action over the heads of the crowd.
Good size bars (limited beer unsurprisingly… Tuborg or Heineken I think) so it’s usually OK getting served. Good staf too, even the bouncers. Certainly compared to some other Glasgow venues I’ve been to.
Unlike the (awesome) Barrowlands, you’re right in the centre of town, so after the band’s encore, you can be drink-​in-​hand at Sleazy’s, CCA bar, or wherever within minutes!
A great venue, with the world’s biggest disco ball (that may be an exaggeration, but it is pretty massive!)

I’m a sucker for a wooden roof, the ABC has one such. You get the sense that those old beams have seen plenty of goings on — gigs, films and the like. Once upon a time there would have been plenty of smoke drifting their way, but no longer of course.
This was my first visit, to see Bonobo play. A few weeks earlier I’d seen the band play at a different venue, so can do a quick comparison: the ABC…
…had none of the bass that shakes your chest
…was much quicker to get out of
…wasn’t sold to bursting point, deliberately
…is in Glasgow, in the heart of Sauchiehall Street
…had average sight lines, though with everyone standing on a flat floor and quite a low stage the views weren’t always great
I would look forward to another gig here, I’m sure more can be made of the place than I saw.

Can’t really fault the ABC!
Student entry is £5, a bit more than I’d like to pay (though I don’t know what the average going rate is for cover charges, to be fair), but drinks are next to dirt cheap.
I’ve been twice, but both times they’ve had a good range of music playing, spanning from Bruce Springsteen to Black Keys to The Smiths. The dance floor is massive, which is great! And there’s enough seating at the peripherals if you’re one to socialize on the side.
The main bar can be quite busy, which is where the Polo Lounge comes in handy. While still bustling, the bar is usually less busy.

I’ve only ever been to this place to watch bands so can’t comment on the bar side of things (I’m not a student) As a live venue I really love it. It’s got a good feel and you can get up close to the action. What’s more I lost a rather expensive coat while leaping around to the Hives and had it returned to me the following morning complete with keys, wallet etc. so the staff get a significant nod from me.

The ABC is the go to club for my friends and I. It’s a far more laid back alternative to the boisterous Garage and does that rare job of catering to everyone. You don’t tend to get many dicks in here, everyone is a student or was a student, it isn’t obnoxious and there is a great vibe.
It’s changed quite a bit since other reviewers wrote about it, Saturday night is no longer anywhere as busy and that makes it the best night to go. And as Saturday night prices go, it’s very reasonably priced. If you’re a student, you can get in for free with a student card before 11.30 and drinks for a Saturday night are really cheap too, better than it’s rival the Garage. £1.50 for a sourz is pretty good value to me. You can also get a white russian for £3.50!
This is a place for students, however if you’re older, there’s a good vibe in the ABC2 upstairs where they play funk and soul music on a Saturday night.
If you’re not a fan of fresh clubbers, don’t go on a Thursday night «Jellybaby». It’s bad. If you’re not a fan of waiting 15 minutes at the bar, or an hour outside in the queue Jellybaby is not for you.

I used to like this place when I was an undergraduate. In fact, at one point it was the only club in which I felt vaguely comfortable. There were never any hipsters, WAG-​types or general arseholes dominating the club like other less salubrious establishments, rather just plainly-​dressed students mucking around with their chums. It wasn’t really a ‘club’, rather somewhere you could go to drink cider and listen to The Cure, both of which I was prone to as an 18 year old (in fact, I’m still prone to this seven years on).
Now. I’m still trying to work out whether it was just me getting a bit older or if it was students suddenly adopting ‘styles’ like something out of Hollyoaks (they never looked like that in my day! Honestly, I’m only 25 years old but my people were wearing ripped jeans and ironic t-​shirts, a concept both horrific and unheard of in today’s student unions… what happened, youth?! Why you look so hipster?!), but the ABC changed. Everyone looked barely on the cusp of puberty, and there was suddenly a lot of glitter and fake tan kicking around. And where once the DJ would play a slightly obscure record from an 80s band, they were suddenly spinning these bands’ most commercial hits. Ripped jeans were now made by Abercrombie and Fitch, and the two rooms were packed to the rafters, making moving or, indeed, breathing practically impossible.
I’ll take a break from moaning to say that the ABC is not a bad venue for a gig: it’s much better than its sister venue, the 02 Academy, as the acoustics are much clearer. I saw TV on the Radio here last year, and that was one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to. But we did have to consider where we’d stand before we arrived, so we could easily see, get to the bar and the loos without getting crushed, you can’t just go to a gig here without some pre-​thought! Back to the ranting about the club nights, though…
The bars are understaffed and that means only one thing: you’re far too sober far too long whilst in the company of, for want of a better word, complete bell ends. There are only a few select drinks deals which somewhat sours your mood further, especially after having paid 7 quid just to walk through a door on a Saturday (not having the luxury of a student card anymore… boo!).
The bouncers are arseholes, the toilets are smelly and too dark, the cloakroom is pricey (it only has one, despite the ABC having the capacity for the entire population of quite a large country) and takes ages to queue for.
The past few times I’ve been here for a club night I’ve stood in a corner (well, I’ve been squashed in the corner, you can’t move in here on a Saturday), practically weeping with horror. I think it IS just me getting older, but the people who populate this place can be genuinely awful. I’ll never get the image of the pissed rugby team shouting along to The Smiths, one of my favourite bands, with beer glasses in the air. That band saved my life as a depressed teenager, now they’re just ‘fucking epic’ to a bunch of meat-​headed twats. One reviewer aptly said that once you graduate from university, you graduate from the ABC and that seems to be spot on. I’m now doing my PhD at The Flying Duck, where I expect to pass with distinction…
I’m aware this ‘review’ makes me sound like a cynical old woman but hey! To quote the late, great Bill Hicks like the pseud I am, ‘I don’t mean to sound bitter, cold or cruel, but I am, so that’s how it comes out.’ So fuck you, trendies! I hope you all choke on the fumes of each other’s sweat whilst you’re packed in like battery-​farmed chickens.

Le club ABC, est ouvert en tant que tel le Jeudi, Vendredi, Samedi et Dimanche soirle reste du temps, ABC est un lieu de concert.
L’immense salle décorée de la plus large Disco-​ball d’Europe force l’étonnement !
Souvent associé aux musiques Pop & Rock très traditionnelles à la culture Ecossaise, il existe une deuxième salle qui propose une alternative plus que décente (electro & techno principalement)
Fréquenté par une large majorité d’étudiant, il est préferrable de s’y rendre au sein d’un groupe d’amis.
Le prix des boissons est légèrement plus élevé que la normale, néanmoins pas besoin de boire: les nombreux groupes d’amis s’éclatant sur des ‘tunes’ peu connus en France vous obligeront à faire de même :)