A GLASGOW pub told of their ‘fantastic’ night after singer Paul Heaton put a generous tab on for his 60th birthday.

Punters partied the night away and raised a glass on Monday, May 9, in honour of The Beautiful South singer – who paid for rounds at 60 establishments across the UK.

Glasgow Times:

Manager Grant Montgomery said: “We had a fantastic night. It was really lovely seeing people coming together.

“It was such a special thing and such a generous thing to do for his birthday. It’s quite a charitable thing that I’ve never seen happen before, it’s really cool.

“All of our patrons were up dancing, and it was a real community – it was like a village getting together for a wee ceilidh. Our bar already has that vibe, but it was like that with bells on.”

Glasgow Times: Grant Montgomery, manager of the Old Toll Bar. Grant Montgomery, manager of the Old Toll Bar.

The bar was contacted by Paul’s PA who asked if they would be interested in taking part in his generous idea and Grant was more than up for it: “We were like, 100% let’s make it happen.”

Grant says that he can understand why The Old Toll Bar was chosen. The pub has featured in various music and film projects over the years, including the 2013 film Filth starring Drumchapel’s James McAvoy.

Glasgow Times:

Grant said: “We’ve had a lot of different artists here over the years. Simple Minds have worked behind the bar so I guess it’s a music-orientated bar.

“The bar is 147-years-old, and I think generation after generation, music has been a big part of it.

“Also, Glasgow as a city is an epicentre of culture when it comes to music, we really feel it and embrace it.

“The Beautiful South have played in Glasgow many times. Paul might’ve played across the bridge and came over here, or maybe his hotel was close by. But this place has so many tales so I can imagine it was sentimental.”

Glasgow Times:

On the night, the Old Toll doubled its average Monday crowd with waves of people coming in all day and saying, ‘hello, we’re here for a pint on Paul’.

Grant and the team were delighted to see punters raise a glass in unity after such a difficult couple of years.

Glasgow Times:

Grant said: “It was good for those who had not yet breached their four walls after lockdown and become comfortable at home.

“But they came on behalf of Paul being someone they loved as a musician and I think that gesture made them cross that line that was their doorstep, and step into a social environment.

“I think all of us want that and that fear was taken away from that pint we poured or cocktail we shook made that happen.

“Paul said ‘I just wanna bring people together’ and that’s what he did, and he made it happen in a wee classic Victorian pub. He made it the Beautiful Southside.”