SWG3

The place where Glasgow’s art, clubbing and live music scenes meet: Since 2009 SWG3, aka Studio Warehouse (G3 refers to the postcode), and the adjoining Poetry Club have become established as among the most vital independent multifunctional creative spaces in the city.

Situated in an old industrial warehouse at the end of a row of railway arches running parallel to the Clydeside Expressway, the location feels scuzzy and off-the-beaten track - yet you’re only ten minutes walk from Argyll Street and the heart of the West End.

A non-profit facility, the sprawling SWG3 is home to a community of more than 120 artists and musicians. Among them is Turner Prize nominee Jim Lambie, who designed and built the 120-capacity Poetry Club bar and performance space in just six weeks, initially for a collaborative event with New York punk legend Richard Hell.

Today The Poetry Club hosts regular music and spoken-word happenings, including intimate encounters with the likes of Primal Scream and Patti Smith, and regular club nights such as queer electro dance party Hot Mess and reggae sound system Argonaut Sounds.

The much larger SWG3 has the feel of a hip blank canvas – whitewashed cement walls, ceilings and pillars and exposed ventilation – and can host upwards of 1,000 people. It’s ideal for gigs by musicians including Future Islands, Savages, Death Grips and Haim, and club nights featuring DJs such as Optimo, Slam and Numbers.

SWG3 also hosts The Electric Frog – an electronic music festival bringing together respected live acts and DJs from around the world. Often held on bank holiday weekends, the party spills out of the venue into empty railway arches and a street marquee.