It’s all about the music, but you can’t walk far on Glasgow Music Tour without meeting many other aspects of this extraordinary city.  So today we’re starting an occasional series of Footnotes, snippets of tantalising glimpses that emerge as we move from one live music destination to another.  

Behind closed doors and in the gaps between buildings there are often hidden clues to the changing life of the city. Let’s take a stroll towards Sauchiehall Street from King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut on Glasgow Music Tour. 

Off we go. Down St Vincent Street towards the rumble of the motorway.  Glasgow is divided and connected by fast moving traffic which adds to the sense of a city constantly on the move.

No joke today?

As we turn right towards Bath Street, look out for the Griffin Pub, by the way, renowned for their sense of humour. There’s often a joke of the day on the sandwich board outside (inside they describe chips as the ‘Glasgow Salad’!)

Note the Art Deco splendour around you. And the venerable Variety Bar which gets pretty lively at weekends. Customers include a clutch of gnarly old timers and alternative art school types. If you have time, we advise our smartphone explorers to press pause on the app and pop inside.

This is a longish walk but our DJ guide Jim Gellatly keeps us entertained with all kinds of hidden truths. 

Download Glasgow Music Tour, a friendly audio walking companion: HERE 

Zig zag to Glasgow’s first skyscraper

Take the old Locarno, for instance. Scratch the surface of the Mint Casino and what do we find?

Romances began (and possibly ended) here in the days of the old Locarno ballroom.  But before that, more than 100 years ago, this was Glasgow’s first purpose built picture house, Charing Cross Electric Cinema.

There’s a lot of history inside these walls, and, as Jim reveals, maybe the echoing sounds of bands like The Damned, Ultravox and Captain Sensible. 

On up Sauchiehall Street towards the O2 ABC.  As we pass the row of fast food shops take a quick look up the lane at G2, another part of the Garage, which maybe helps to explain why this is Scotland’s largest nightclub.

Pause by the Beresford, a fine Art Deco building with a beautiful curved facade.  Look up. When the Beresford Hotel opened in 1938 it was the tallest building in the city. In fact it was known as ‘Glasgow’s skyscraper’.

Now there’s music in the Capitol bar on the ground floor. Walking on Jim points out many other music hubs on the way up the street.

Why don’t you join us as we zig-zag through past and present up one of the most musically diverse streets in Glasgow?

Download Glasgow Music Tour HERE for smartphones and tablet via Guidigo.com