Mono, Stereo, and The Glad Cafe: Championing underground music, arts, and culture
Article by Annie Barber
Glasgow is widely regarded as one of the UK’s pre-eminent arts and culture hubs. With Glasgow School of Art having played an important role in the careers of David Shrigley, Peter Howson, Sharleen Spiteri, and Peter Capaldi; Oasis getting discovered by Creation Records’ Alan McGee at King Tut’s; and numerous celebrated bands originating from the city, like The Fratellis, Primal Scream, and The Blue Nile, Glasgow has nurtured and produced some of the most recognisable names in the arts.
Now, in an era where the music and other arts industries are favouring commercialisation and profit over genuine talent and hard work, small venues and community-based collectives are more important than ever. Three of Glasgow’s most exciting venues, Mono, Stereo, and The Glad Cafe are committed to promoting local talent, and therefore play an integral role in enhancing the city’s arts and culture sector. All of them also happen to be vegan restaurants too; exciting events and good food — what more could you want?
Situated in Kings Court in the Merchant City, Mono is a bar, restaurant, and venue, with a record store inside. As a cafe and bar, it serves a completely vegan menu and an array of beverages, such as craft and local beers. Music and the arts are central to Mono’s identity, with the venue regularly hosting multimedia exhibitions and gigs that showcase the city’s talented artists. In 2012, Franz Ferdinand played a surprise show here, and The Pastels’ lead singer Stephen McRobbie, alongside Dep Downie, cofounded Monorail, the record store situated within the venue. Mono has provided a much needed space for local artists to promote their art since its inception in 2002, and Monorail enhances the space by offering an array of independent music on vinyl, CD, tape, and more. Both play an important part in Glasgow’s rich arts and culture scene. Upcoming shows will see the likes of Missouri’s hardcore band LOCKED SHUT, London’s multi-genre band Hanging Stars with Glasgow’s own Radhika, and Norwich-based country rock band Brown Horse take to Mono’s stage.
Just a stone’s throw from Central Station and inside a Charles Rennie-McIntosh building is restaurant, club, and music venue Stereo. Boasting another impressive completely plant-based menu and unique cocktails, Stereo is a favourite dinner and lunch spot for locals. However, it is far from just being a bar and restaurant; Stereo hosts an array of events in its basement venue, including club nights, cabarets, fundraisers, community gatherings, and live music. It has been central to the success of queer club nights like Ponyboy and Scandal, as well as hosted CHVRCHES’ first Glasgow headline show, and Young Fathers before they won the Mercury Prize in 2014. Since it first opened in 2007, the venue has been integral to the city’s creative landscape, having frequently platformed underground artists and created a safe space for marginalised communities. Over the next few months, Stereo will be hosting Scandal with American rapper Cortisa Star as a headliner, New York indie rock band Frog, and Invernesian Scottish post-traditional band Cala.
Nestled in Shawlands on the Southside is The Glad Cafe, a not-for-profit venue and cafe established by The Glad Foundation in 2012. Offering a (yes, you guessed it) fully vegan menu and a £5 Work Fae The Glad deal where remote workers can swap their home office for the comfort of the cafe (plus a pastry and unlimited filter coffee), the space is a community hub. Alongside the food and drink on offer, the events space hosts live music, film screenings, and comedy nights on a regular basis. Teenage Fanclub’s lead singer Norman Blake and legendary singer-songwriter Tommy Sands have previously put on performances at the venue. The Glad Cafe has consistently shown itself to be committed to nurturing Scotland’s emerging artists, as well as platforming underground international acts. Additionally, the space has hosted events intended to promote the work of marginalised communities, such as Neuk Presents: Made in Glasgow, an all-day celebration of Glasgow’s neurodivergent artists that took place in July. The Glad Foundation offers a space for locals to gather and attend a variety of exciting events at The Glad Cafe, plus a sustainable and ethical clothes shop at Glad Rags Thrift just next door, both of which are staples of the Southside community. Scottish indie-folk singer-songwriter Adam Ross, Virginia’s dream pop trio Drook, and Sydney’s R.M.F.C. (AKA Rock Music Fan Club) will be coming to The Glad Cafe in the coming weeks.
Of course, you can’t discuss venues like Mono, Stereo, and The Glad Cafe without mentioning Pop Mutations, a not-for-profit events promotion collective which platforms local emerging and small international artists. Pop Mutations puts on events and multi-venue festivals across the city, including Pop Mutations x Tiny Changes, which returns this November. In support of small venues and gender equity, the weekend long celebration includes intimate shows from artists such as Kathryn Joseph, Ross Plain, The Pastels, and Billy Nomates performing across the venues mentioned above, as well as The Old Hairdresser’s. The company has played an integral role in uplifting independent and underground artists, and in doing so, has created a strong sense of community within Glasgow’s arts and culture sector.
Mono, Stereo, and The Glad Cafe are all amazing grassroots arts and music venues. Collectively, they offer safe spaces for the people of Glasgow, a much needed platform for rising artists, and a burgeoning cultural network. Together, all three spaces have played a significant role in supporting Glasgow’s independent arts and culture scene, while fortifying the city’s strong community spirit.
Discover more about each space below.
Mono https://www.monocafebar.com/
Stereo https://www.stereocafebar.com/
The Glad Cafe https://www.thegladcafe.co.uk/