No. 8: King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow
Capacity: 300
Year: 1990
Bronto Skylift at King Tut’s (by Michael Gallacher)
They say…Tom McRae (singer-songwriter who released the live album ‘Tom at Tut’s’ in 2011): “Everything about King Tut’s is special. I don’t know if it’s in the bricks and mortar by now, or the people who run it, or the Glaswegian audience’s sense of humour and occasion, but you feel it the minute you walk in the door. Giants bestrode that stage, on their way up and on their way down, and plenty of us who never made it past the lower steps of fame’s crooked ladder are just happy to keep coming back.”
“As a performer you can’t hide from the crowd, and as part of the audience you feel like you’re in the band. That’s how a gig should be, not watching midgets on a jumbotron in a stadium – no offence to Bono, I believe he’s slightly over 5ft – but you should be able to taste each others’ sweat. Some of the most memorable shows I’ve ever played have been at Tut’s – it’s always an achievement to get the special King Tut’s Whisky for selling it out, several nights in a row…I dream one day of getting my picture on the wall, or possibly being listed in the many, many names of people who have played there over the years. But until then I’ll keep coming back – if they’ll have me, partly for the excellent chilli, but mostly for the totally unique experience that is the amazing King Tut’s.”
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Watch it for yourself: Check out Manic Street Preachers return to King Tut’s in 2010 as part of the venue’s 20th birthday celebrations
Interview by Finlay Matheson
