While some of us like to bring in the New Year sitting at home, hitting the town is still an exciting choice for many – and not something we could do in recent years.

Glasgow’s nightlife is one of its greatest assets, but there are a few spots many of us wish could make a comeback in 2023 – even for one night only.

Today, we look at two of the city’s best nightclubs that are now part of its history.

Glasgow Times:

Cleopatra’s

Cleopatra’s was its formal name, but did anyone NOT call it Clatty Pat’s?

It was founded in 1984 by Tina Conway, who transformed the former Hubbard tearoom into the popular party space. She is said to have been far from impressed by the nickname when it first caught on but grew to love it as Clatty Pat’s became a Glasgow institution.

Glasgow Times: Cleopatra'sCleopatra's (Image: Archive image. Newsquest.)

In the 1980s and 90s, it was one of the very few clubbing options in the city’s West End and brought together the likes of students trailing out of the nearby university library, office staff looking for an after-hours drinking spot and even the odd footballer.

Once it closed, its replacement The Viper kept a new generation of students dancing with some aspects of old – a retro-themed tuck shop and arcade games – and new, with an iPad being used as a jukebox for selecting tunes.

The Viper closed suddenly in 2018 and the space has since been occupied by the Irish pub Kitty O’Shea’s.

Archaos

First opening on Queen Street in 1995, Archaos was one of the entertainment businesses owned by pub magnate Stefan King, who founded the G1 group.

Its main pull was students, and the club often hosted events for under-eighteens. One of Archaos’ most memorable features was the way the music was played – while most clubs have records mixed so they overlap into one another, the DJs at this club were known for simply playing one track after another.

Glasgow Times: Club-goers at ArchaosClub-goers at Archaos (Image: Newsquest)

Glasgow DJ and producer Hudson Mohawke once commented on the unusual method, telling Vice magazine that it “wasn’t the sort of club where the DJs were trying to mix, they’d just sling another track on like it was a school disco.”

He also remarked on the ‘weird’ layout of Achaos which he discovered on his first clubbing experience in Glasgow, with its dancefloor centred in the middle of the venue and surrounded by balconies.

Glasgow Times: Hudson Mohawke had his first club experience at ArchaosHudson Mohawke had his first club experience at Archaos (Image: Newsquest)

The city centre spot was even frequented by the odd celebrity, with Rangers hero Paul Gascoigne and American actor Charlie Sheen being pictured there in 1997.

The club has been closed since 2007, and in recent months proposals have been submitted to transform Archaos into student accommodation after investors deemed it one of the ‘few viable options’ for the space.