A great night out (Horse Shoe Bar)

Member Name: star500

Product:	Horse Shoe Bar
Date:	16/01/01 (824 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good atmosphere, reasonable prices

Disadvantages: None, but don’t venture upstairs if you don’t like karaoke

I have been meaning to write a review of the Horseshoe Bar for a while but haven’t managed to because, after a night out in there, the details are usually a bit "hazy" to say the least.

The Horseshoe is situated in Drury Lane in Glasgow city centre. If you haven’t heard of it or didn’t know where it was, then you probably wouldn’t be able to find it as Drury Lane is a little side street situated just off Renfield Street. Most people walk right by it without even realising that it is there. But despite being hidden away in the tiny cobbled lane, the Horseshoe is one of the busiest pubs in Glasgow, especially on Friday and Saturday nights.

Years ago, the Horseshoe Bar was regarded by some as being "an old man’s pub" as the clientele were predominately men of a mature age just wanting to sit quietly and sip a few pints while propping up what is thought to be the longest bar in Europe.

However, this has all changed as it is now classed as being quite trendy and has a mix of business people, students, older pint-sippers and me! The new found appeal of the Horseshoe to a wider group may be due to the increase in popularity of karaoke or perhaps due to pop sensation Travis. Most Glaswegians will be able to tell you the legend of Travis:

"If it wasn’t for the Horseshoe Bar then there wouldn’t be a Travis!" they say mysteriously.

This is because a few years ago, the manager let Travis practice there when they were first starting out and had nowhere else to go. They then became famous due to all of their practice (and a few good songs too!) and Fran Healy & Co. kindly gave the manager a gold (or is it platinum?) disc which hangs proudly above the bar near to the entrance. On a good day you can see it shining across the street!

Anyway, the Horseshoe has two levels. The ground floor has the traditional horseshoe shaped bar - well at least I think
it is but to be honest, the place is always so popular and crowded that you can barely get to the bar never mind see what shape it is. Even by 6pm on a Friday night, the bar is full of people as a lot of workers go there for a quick drink to start off the weekend.

The second level (or "upstairs" as it is known to the punters) is like a function suite and is where the karaoke takes place each night. The bar itself is of a normal size and shape (no horseshoes up here!) and the whole area is seated apart from a 6ft square "stage" where the karaoke machine and compere lives.

Whenever I visit the Horseshoe on a Friday or Saturday, it is usually to the "upstairs" bar because that is where all of the talent is - Karaoke wise of course! Seriously, there is a really good atmosphere up there with a slightly younger crowd than the bar downstairs and you can even get a seat if you’re there early enough.

There are several signs at the bar which read "No standing at the bar" in big red letters. This is to help the bar staff see who is waiting to be served but I have been reliably informed that is has to be kept clear so that the bar staff can see the poor karaoke singers and know who to ridicule when they come up to buy a drink. Either that or it’s because I sit seductively in the corner and wink at the barmen!

Friday nights are usually one of the best nights to venture upstairs to the karaoke as you are guaranteed a laugh with the compere known affectionately as "that big bloke Raymie." Raymond is one of the best karaoke host in the Horseshoe at the moment, but only if you like his brand of humour. Don’t expect an easy time from him, or the audience, when you go up to sing as Raymie likes nothing better than having a good laugh. He is also a very good singer - well, someone has to be!

As I’ve said before, the Horseshoe is famed for giving Travis their ch
ance but it has also helped another star on his way - Gary Mullen. "Gary Mullen? Who’s he?" I hear you all ask. Well if I told you that he was the Freddie Mercury winner of Stars In Their Eyes then some of you might know who I’m talking about. After all, over 850,000 people voted for him and no, they weren’t all Horseshoe punters. Yes, Gary started off singing in the Horseshoe karaoke and was then persuaded to apply for the TV show.

In fact last week, on his first Friday night off in months, he decided to have a lad’s night out in the Horseshoe. He sat quietly in the corner, had a few drinks, cheered the other singers and not a soul (apart from his friends and the staff) knew who he was. The compere, Raymie, then decided to get him up to sing and the whole place erupted as he belted out songs such as "It’s A Kind Of Magic" and "Bohemian Rhapsody." He sang a few times over the course of the night as the crowd loved it and there was a constant stream of people to his table to congratulate him.

A very nice guy, a very nice pub and a cheeky compere - what else could you want? Well, I have to admit that my main reason for going there is to indulge in some alcoholic beverages and the Horseshoe is a place that doesn’t inflate it’s prices to "city centre level" on a Saturday night. You can buy four drinks and get change from a tenner and, at the moment, with doubles for £2 it is no wonder that people like myself get a little tipsy (or "blootered" to give it the technical term).

The seats are comfortable enough, the staff are friendly and you can still have a conversation while the latest chart hits are belted out by the singers at the karaoke. The walls are also adorned with various newspaper cuttings and pictures of people such as Travis and I’ve heard that there is great food served during the day for very reasonable prices.

So the
next time you are in the city centre, why not pay it a visit. Go upstairs, have a laugh at Raymie and the karaoke hopefuls and have a great night. You might even have a go yourself or meet a Stars In Their Eyes winner.

Anyone fancy a drink?

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