A 24-year chapter in Glasgow nightlife will be explored in an upcoming book on dance club The Arches. Brickwork: A Biography Of The Arches is set for publication November 2021 by way of independent publisher Salamander Street.
Two former employees of The Arches have written the book: Kirstin Innes and David Bratchpiece. The former went on to become a journalist and author of titles like Fishnet and Scabby Queen, and the latter is a comedian. They say the narrative is “sitting somewhere between oral history, retrospective and memoir,” built largely on interviews with staff and regulars.
“I worked at The Arches in my early 20s as the press and publicity manager,” said Innes in a statement. “It’s not an exaggeration to say that the venue made me who I am, and collecting these stories together is my way of saying thank you.”
“I was a regular customer of The Arches from its early days, during which time I quickly fell in love with the venue,” said Bratchpiece. “Later I would go on to start working in the cloakroom there, and little did I know that 15 years later I would still be there, as a manager. I always felt its impact on Scottish culture deserved to be documented, and I’m honored to be playing a part in that.”
The Arches opened their doors to the public in 1991. Over the years they billed a wide range of electronic music talent, including Jeff Mills, Daft Punk, and Carl Cox, as well as theatre performances from the likes of Cora Bissett, Kieran Hurley, and Rob Drummond. The club was forced to close in 2015 due to licensing issues shortly after a drug-related death on the premises.
Salamander Street will likely announce a concrete date as the time of publication nears.
Image credit: The Arches
