118 - Glasgow Barrowlands with Alison Irvine

118 - Glasgow Barrowlands with Alison Irvine

Author: Rock n Roll Book Club May 31, 2026 Duration: 45:12

Join us for a deep dive into an iconic gig venue, the legendary Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom. 


The building was first opened by Maggie McIver on Christmas Eve 1934 & hosts dances for the East End of Glasgow for decades, however once the big band era passes the venue begins to decline & loses popularity following the infamous Bible John murders in the late 1960s. 


After a brief period as a Roller Disco the venue is revived following Simple Minds filming their Waterfront video in 1983. 


In 1985 the famous neon sign goes up on the exterior of the building & the venue is still family ran to this day. 


We hear about what makes the venue so famous from its legendary acoustics, to the ceiling stars & original features & also the famous Barrowlands atmosphere. 


Some of the famous performances at the Barrowlands include The Pogues debuting Fairytale of New York with Joe Strummer on guitar, Noel Gallagher finishing an Oasis gig solo after Liam Gallagher walks off stage, debuting Whatever on acoustic guitar. 


Unknown local acts Lewis Capaldi & Rianne Downeyt play early gigs at the venue while Scottish band The Saw Doctors hold the record for the most appearances at the Barrowlands. 


Others to play the venue include Bob Dylan, David Bowie & dozens more. 



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Hosted, Produced & Edited by Simon Cardwell

Music by Andy Maxwell


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The Music Maps Podcast from the Rock n Roll Book Club isn't your typical music show. It's an audio expedition where geography is the guide. Every episode starts with a specific location-a city, a venue, a forgotten roadside attraction-and uses that place as a launchpad to explore the sounds, stories, and scenes connected to it. You might find yourself deep in the blues clubs of Chicago one week and tracing the underground punk threads of a small European town the next. The conversations are wide-ranging, connecting the dots between iconic artists and obscure movements, all anchored to a point on the map. Listening to this podcast feels like adding a new, richly detailed pin to a global atlas of musical influence. It’s about the context behind the chords and the cultural soil from which genres grow. The result is a continuously evolving, deeply human portrait of how music and place are inextricably linked, one fascinating destination at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Music Maps Podcast
Podcast Episodes
93 - The Beach Boys with Peter Doggett (Hawthorne, California) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:44
The story of the Beach Boys begins in Hawthorne, California in the late 1950s as the band come together led by Brian Wilson, originally as The Pendletones & Dennis Wilson suggests they focus on surfing themed material. T…
92 - Pamela Des Barres [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:51
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90 - Ride with Steve Queralt (Oxford) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:29
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Duration: 1:18:56
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88 - R.E.M. Twin Tone Records, Big Star & more with Peter Jesperson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:07
We are joined by Peter Jesperson as he tells us about his time spent with R.E.M. & his role in Twin Tone Records in the twin cities of Minneapolis/St.Paul. We also squeeze in a couple of stories about his time around Ale…
87 - The Wild Swans with Paul Simpson (Liverpool) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:53
This week we get to talk about one of the best music books of recent years Revolutionary Spirit by Paul Simpson. Paul was born in Liverpool but grew up in Lancashire alongside future members of Echo & the Bunnymen - Les…
86 - Donovan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:34
It is truly a pleasure to welcome Donovan to Music Maps - a true legend of the 60s. His book The Hurdy Gurdy Man is available on Penguin.We start with his early life in Glasgow in the 1950s & the family relocate to Hatfi…
85 - The Everly Brothers with Barry Mazor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:43
This week we travel back to the 1950's & 60's to hear all about one of the most influential acts of all time The Everly Brothers with biographer Barry Mazor. Don & Phil's Dad Ike was a musician & the brothers are already…