Aside from its iconic neon frontage, excellent acoustics and sprung dance floor, the Barrowland Ballroom is also renowned for its high-voltage gigs, with bands such as Franz Ferdinand, Manic Street Preachers and Mogwai all counting the venue among their favourite places to play.
Among the many world-famous artists to have played at the 1,900 capacity venue in Glasgow’s east end include Oasis, Depeche Mode, REM, U2, Bob Dylan, David Bowie and Simple Minds - who sought to evoke what it means to play in the Barrowland on 2018 single ‘Barrowland Star’.
Now the legendary venue has added another string to its bow after being ranked as one of the most successful ‘club’ venues in Europe by Pollstar magazine, the leading trade publication for the global live entertainment industry.
Pollstar’s annual ‘Magna Charta’ industry report highlights the European live entertainment industry during the past year and includes charts that rank the top tours, venues and promoters.
All five categories – amphitheatres, arenas, clubs, stadiums and theatres – are ranked by their overall gross and the number of tickets sold over a 12-month timeframe that began on February 1, 2023, and continued through the end of January this year.
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Of the venues, the arena charts highlight the Top 100 facilities, while clubs, stadiums and theatres each feature the Top 50. The amphitheatre charts list the Top 25 venues.
Leading the Magna Charta’s club category in the Pollstar 2024 report is Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, Belgium, with 218,534 tickets sold in the reporting period, grossing $6,808,653.
The Barrowland Ballroom was ranked as the second best club in Europe, with 75,049 tickets sold in the reporting period, grossing $3,070,401.
Glasgow’s legendary live music venue King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, also known as King Tut's, was named in eighth position in the prestigious list, with 41,352 tickets sold, grossing $706,826.
Manchester Academy - in 10th position - was the only other UK venue to make the top 10, which included two venues in Milan and four German venues - two in Berlin, one in Cologne and one in Hamburg.
Glasgow multi-disciplinary arts space SWG3 joined The Barrowland and King Tuts in the top 50 clubs in Europe list, with Galvanizers in 14th place and SWG3 in 29th place.
The global significance of the city’s music scene was further demonstrated by the OVO Hydro being named in the Pollstar 2024 industry report in seventh position in the list of the top 100 arenas in Europe, with 758,978 tickets sold in the reporting period, grossing $60,400,624.
Kelvingrove Bandstand and Amphitheatre was also ranked in third position in Pollstar’s list of the top 25 amphitheatres in Europe, with 28,170 tickets sold, grossing $1,498,992.
Meanwhile, The SEC Armadillo and O2 Academy Glasgow ranked highly in the list of top 50 theatres in Europe, in sixth position and ninth position respectively, while Bellahouston Park ranked in 41st place in the top 50 ‘stadiums’ in Europe category.
Responding to the multitude of Glasgow venues featuring in the Pollstar industry report ranking, Glasgow’s Lord Provost, Jacqueline McLaren, hailed the city’s status as a music mecca.
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She told The Herald: “Everyone who lives in Glasgow or who has visited knows it lives up to its reputation as a UNESCO City of Music. As well as being a city teeming with talented musicians, it’s also a place appreciated for consistently encouraging and promoting live music.
“Since the pandemic, people are keen to catch their favourite artists live. We’re proud to offer a range of fantastic venues from the legendary Barrowland, to intimate places like St Luke’s as well as the OVO Hydro’s stadium style facilities.
“Glaswegians love their music and our audiences are considered among the most discerning and enthusiastic in the world.”
Three other venues in Scotland featured in the 2024 industry report, with Edinburgh’s Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium ranked in 23rd position in the list of Europe’s top 50 stadiums, while the Usher Hall in the capital ranked 30th in the list of top 50 theatres in Europe and Aberdeen’s P&J Live arena ranked as the 37th best rated in Europe.
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