Brickwork: A Biography of the Arches - by Kirstin Innes & David Bratchpiece (Paperback)

About the Book

The Arches was one of the reasons that in recent years Glasgow has become such a cultural destination. Between 2008 and 2015 it developed a whole new generation of playwright-performers, as well as playing host to some of the largest names in dance music. This is the story of a legendary venue, told through the people who were there.

Book Synopsis

Nightclub, theatre, creative hub, party place, and one of the most important venues in Scotland, Britain and Europe: for almost 25 years, The Arches was the beating heart of Glasgow.

In 1991, former punk-turned-theatre director Andy Arnold walked into the disused red brick Victorian railway arches underneath Glasgow's Central Station and immediately saw the potential of the space. Not even he could have imagined its future, as simultaneously one of the biggest and most famous nightclubs in the world and a major player on the European theatre scene. Until its closure following a drug-related death in 2015, The Arches carved its own, indefinable path, playing a vital role in the lives of many Scottish artists along the way. Some of those stars of the future began their careers taking tickets, hanging coats and serving drinks there.

For the first time, the people who made the venue get to tell their story. Piecing together accounts from directors, DJs, performers, clubbers, artists, bar tenders, actors, audiences and staff, Brickwork writes the biography of a space that was always more than its bricks and mortar.

Review Quotes

"A brilliant blow-by-blow account that really shows what made Glasgow's much-missed clubbing establishment click, tick and boom." Ralph Moore, Mixmag

'Everyone's heard of The Arches in Glasgow, even a Londoner like me, but what I didn't know was what an important venue it really was - not simply as a club, but as an artistic space, theatre, and cultural hub - and how much love, passion and integrity went into its success and longevity. This story, told by its impassioned staff, punters, and supporters is not just an absorbing read, but an inspiring tale of artistic, financial, and creative endeavour that comes from giving a space like this to the right people.' Chris Liberator

About the Author

Kirstin Innes is an award-winning novelist and journalist, and a former Arches employee. Her first novel, Fishnet, won The Guardian's Not The Booker Prize; her second, Scabby Queen, was published by 4th Estate to critical acclaim in 2020 and longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize. As a journalist she's written for The List, Herald, Independent, Sunday Post, Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday, and twice won the Allen Wright Award for Arts Journalism.

'Gripping and moving. A literary triumph.' Nicola Sturgeon

'Scabby Queen is vibrant, vital, relevant, brilliant, ambitious and so truthful.' Jenni Fagan

David Bratchpiece, a long-time Arches employee, is a comedian, writer and occasional actor who has performed stand-up all over the UK as well as at the Edinburgh Fringe and Glasgow International Comedy Festivals. His short plays have been shown at the Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh and Tron Theatre in Glasgow and he has previously written for BBC Radio, Empire, Mixmag and The List. Brickwork will be his first book.