IT has been said that, in music, “you haven’t made it” unless you’ve played King Tut’s, and if you think about all the bands who have graced the stage of the city centre venue, it’s true.
More than 30 years ago, DF Concerts boss Stuart Clumpas envisioned a unique gig spot where bands could be promoted at club level and perform nightly gigs at reasonable hours.
King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut opened its doors in February 1990 in place of the Saints and Sinners pub on St Vincent Street.
Up-and-coming groups soon began flocking to the venue to get their sound out there to local audiences.
In July 1990, London-based group Blur performed to a crowd of around 40 people at King Tut’s. Just one year later, their debut single had charted and fans were being rejected from the doors of the same venue because the space was fit to burst.
This tale is a familiar one for groups at King Tut’s, as groups such as Biffy Clyro, Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand, Travis, and The White Stripes have graced the stage in their early days.
Perhaps the most famous origin story of this venue is that of Oasis. In 1993, the lads rented a van and made the journey to Glasgow from Manchester to perform.
When they arrived, they were allegedly refused entry as they were not on the setlist. Accounts vary on how they got to perform, but the favourite version is that they ‘bullied’ their way on stage.
They were spotted by Creation Records co-founder Alan McGee, who was there to watch one of his own bands, and some might say, the rest is history.
The band have always treasured the place where he discovered them, as former frontman Liam Gallagher used King Tut’s as the location for the music video for Come Back To Me, from his 2017 debut solo album As You Were.
The venue has stood out for many of the artists who played there. The Manic Street Preachers, who delivered their first Scottish gig there in 1991, said they always appreciated the way they were looked after by the team, saying they were “the first venue to treat us properly and give us hot food”.
Pete Doherty famously invited the audience onto the stage with him and Carl Barat at The Libertines’ 2003 gig, and Pete has kept coming back.
Also establishing himself as a King Tut’s regular was Paisley singer-songwriter Paolo Nutini, who made his onstage debut aged just 17 and once said he’d rather play multiple nights there than headline a massive venue.
The Killers also felt the same way about King Tut’s. The American rockers headlined TRNSMT in the summer of 2018, delighting crowds of 50,000 people at Glasgow Green with their hits Mr Brightside, Human and more.
But after the concert ended, they headed up St Vincent Street to play a more intimate show to just 300 fans at the venue they say is “dear to our hearts”.
One of the more recent performances at King Tut’s ended up being a record-breaking one. Glasgow indie band The View returned to St Vincent Street in 2017 with a run of six shows to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the release of their debut album, and sold out all of them in less than 20 minutes.
More than 30 years after it welcomed a few dozen gig-goers in to see unknown bands, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut is still going strong as one of the most popular destinations for live music in Glasgow – and there’s so much choice in a city with such a bustling music scene.
What is your favourite gig or memory of King Tut’s? Email letters@glasgowtimes.co.uk
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