Iconic Glasgow: The Apollo
From 1973 to 1985 a ramshackle old cinema put Glasgow at the centre of the music scene. The Apollo on Renfield street became an icon of the era. On the eve of the latest production of the Apollo musical I Was There, writer and author of Apollo memories Martin Kietly looks back at what made the venue so special.
The converted cinema became an important stop on any world tour. The adverts said “They’ve all played and they’ve all come back” and it was true – from ABBA to Frank Zappa, Johnny Cash to the Style Council, no British tour was complete without a visit to the Apollo.
The big attraction was the ‘Glasgow choir’, the fans who treated every show like a religious experience. If they liked you, they loved you, and ordered you to remain on stage. If they hated you they turned their backs and ordered you off.
The special relationship was highly-valued – Rick Wakeman explained that Yes would play a longer show in Glasgow, because the honest reaction helped them refine their performance.
That honesty is why Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne launched his solo career at the Apollo. He declared that if he couldn’t please the Glasgow choir, he didn’t deserve a future in music. The moment he kissed the stage is fondly remembered.
Some venues have a vibe about them – a feeling, and often a smell, that confirms you’re in a temple of music. The Apollo had that and more, including purple glitter from the walls that stuck to you for months.
Performers remembered the dangerously high stage that sloped towards the audience. Leo Sayer isn’t the only one to recall running on to start his show and nearly tumbling into the crowd 16 feet below.
The bouncing balcony summed up the Apollo experience for many musicians – from the stage you could see 1,000s of fans jumping in time to the music, and the balcony moving in terrifying time with them. Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott once went up to experience it for himself, and was so scared he came straight downstairs again.
The lane outside the venue was a great place to meet the stars – from Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant through Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott to Motorhead’s Lemmy. Some big names loved the place so much that they’d stand about for hours to share the experience with fans who agreed with them.
Dressed in evening suits with faces like stone, the bouncers were everyone’s evil arch-enemy. Stories abound of needless violence delivered with far too much pleasure. But head bouncer Danny Hendry always maintained that the stories were exaggerated. It’s true that there were dramatic incidents, including the drawn-out battle between The Stranglers and the security staff that contributed to punk music being banned in Glasgow for a time.
But Danny argued: “In a room full of 4000 Glaswegians you’re always going to get a couple of bams” – and that’s what he was there to control.
The Apollo is long gone, but the legacy refuses to die. My book Apollo Memories, which includes 100s of anecdotes from bands and fans, just keeps selling. It was joined last year by a novella, Apollo Ambition, which tells the story of a fictional, magical night at the venue.
There have been TV and radio specials, magazine articles and more – but the important task of passing the memories on to the younger generations has been taken on by Tommy McGrory’s award-winning musical I Was There, starring some of the best young artists in the country, and returning to Glasgow’s Clyde Auditorium on 07 October. It’s the closest you’ll now get to the Apollo experience so get your ticket… and keep the stub.
Apollo Memories and Apollo Ambition can be purchased via www.martinkielty.com