The Cathouse

I was a guy who use to go to the «Rat Trap» then I started going to the Cathouse. After living in Liverpool for 3 years, I moved back to Glasgow, and can’t believe how much better this place is. For a period, the DJ’s music was pants. Must be a new one as it’s now back to being a metal music place. Thumbs up.

A lot of people I know dislike the venue, manly due to poor sound at gigs and the huge number of seemingly underage patrons on a weekend. Given that the last time I was in there for a club night, I was barely 18 myself and the Cathouse was located elsewhere (erm, this was over 20 years ago), I’ll just focus on its suitability for gigs.
I’ve been to a small number there and hopefully will get to more. It’s not bad, in my opinion, and whether half-​empty or packed out the sound’s never been that bad for me. Staff are friendly and been prices aren’t ridiculous, at least for a midweek gig.
If I recall correctly, they also advertise a «nominated driver» scheme offering free soft drinks if you’re sensibly not drinking booze before offering your mates a lift home. This is something *far* more places need to do.
As with quite a few venues in Glasgow, though, disabled access is inconvenient as it’s up several flights of stairs.

Since the days of «Will you pull my pal», the days of buying the bouncer a bag of sweets so you could skip the que and the blue painted walls which you leaned on and stained you new fish net top from Osiris I have frequented what has come to be know at «the Catty»
When I finally turned 18 and wer old enough to get in to more pubs and the days of «cider at Clydeside were gone» I still loved a night out at the Cathouse, prefaring to frequent Thursday and Sunday because I’m not a huge fan of overly crowded places. As I grew up, went to college and moved away the Cathouse was but a distant memory and yet on every odd Saturday night we’d find ourselves rolling in after a night of convincing ourselves we weren’t going to the Cathouse again!
I had a draft for a while saved about what my thoughts were on the Cathouse and how badly we had been treated the past few times we had been there however thought I’d give it another go and see how it went putting it down to it just being a bad day for some of the staff however the place was appalling. The toilets were horrific, the staff took ages to serve us and when they did they were rude, I witnessed some of the stewards just being plain nasty to some of customers and it was just plain dirty and grimmy and not in a «it adds character way». The places wasn’t that busy so there was no excuse.
On the plus side it’s cheap, it’s familiar and some of the staff, have been there a long time. You can go in your jeans and t-​shirt you rolled out of the pub in and you get in, as long as your willing to ignore the judgemental teenagers you’ll have a good night. The DJ is also good, again he’s been there for years and the music not changed much although hearing Rhianna on what we once called «the punk floor» is pretty disaapointing, but hey times change.
Despite all this we’ll be back, no matter how many times we say we won’t.

Ahh Cathouse, how l love thee & hate thee in equal measures. I spent my young teenage life here every Saturday, simply dreaming of one day finding out why the «overs» was so much better.
The answer to this question, it turns out, is alcohol. Alcohol makes the Cathouse overs better than the unders, or ”Voodoo” as I’m sure it was called. Can you imagine my disappointment in finding out that the one thing that made the overs better was the one thing that all the unders done before the Cathouse anyway (we were all young once, no judging!)
The music in the «Catty» is split between 2 floors. For those of you that remember Cathouse before it was refurbished there was the metal floor and the emo floor. On very few occasions were the inhabitants of each allowed to meet without fear of judgement unless it was on the stairs on the way out.
Cathouse done an excellent job in bringing nightlife to Under 18’s, giving them the full experience by having bouncer’s on the door and a bag/​pocket search on the way in. The music was loud, angry and out of this world.
Unfortunately life keeps ticking by and there comes a time where Slayer’s ”Raining Blood” becomes just another song on your iPod & «Paradise City“‘ is a song you listen to when you are in the mood for the «classics» and that’s where the Cathouse lets itself down.
The drinks are good although in my opinion marginally overpriced, the music is alright if you want to hear a jumbled up version of a Kerrang! Top 100 (all you rock music fans know exactly what I mean). Sadly, if you’re looking for new and unheard music then this isn’t your place. I have to admit that l haven’t been in a very long time but from what friends have told me, the music is much the same.
If you are in Glasgow and have never been then l would suggest you try it for yourself. It’s just a shame that the music is repetitive for those that have been before because this club holds a lot of beautiful memories for a lot of people.

This is where I ended up at the weekend. It is also the place I tend to go when on a night out in Glesga, the big toon. Bouncers don’t seem to like my face, and I know people that work in the Cathouse. So it evades all the problems and a dent in my ego.
Once passed the bouncers the stairs do throw up problems and test your ability to function. You might think this is the toughest point. Just wait until the end of the night. You have consumed some more drinks and you make your way down. Stairs become more like a slip and slide, a lot less fun though. Maybe a laugh when you slide tackle the person in front of you.
The place is like a maze to me. Being a short fellow getting to the bar is no real problem. I just walk under everyone. Also knowing people that work there helps.
The music played in there these days is less rock. More music to please the masses. Emo, Rap, Rock, Pop and everything. You do get some of the nu-​metal classics from the late 90’s/ early 2000’s. Overall I enjoy the music.
Price wise I don’t really have a clue. I just order and throw the contents of my pockets at the staff. Hoping that fluff with pay my debts to them. Staff are friendly enough, cannot complain.
Myself and the Cathouse get a long. It accepts me into it’s arms. Doesn’t judge me. The perks of knowing staff may make me a little bias, but I am fine with that.

gelöscht

I’m a man of a certain age now. There’s no denying that simple fact. It doesn’t, however, mean, that I have to act that age. As such, one of my «guilty» pleasures is the odd trip into the Cathouse.
I’ve been there a couple times in the last month on a Thursday night. Both times, I’ve been (or felt like) considerably the oldest person there. Oddly, though — I never once felt out of place. There was no glares and stares, or disgusted looks. Quite simply, I fit in.
Maybe there’s something to be said for the acceptance of rock fans? Who knows.
Entry is up a HUGE flight of stairs that also acts as an unoficial sobriety test, so if you’re of limited mobility or in a wheelchair, then it’s an instant no go. Entry fees can be avoided with promo wristbands, available on their website at 3 for £1.50 (the bands also grant you cheap drink deals on certain items, well worth looking out for) or some nights entry is free if you check their facebook page and tag yourself on the photo. All a good idea.
The staff have never been anything but pleasant and fair to me, even when I’ve been… shall I say… the worse for wear. I’ve never had a problem with bouncers, or bar staff, and contrary to what I’ve read, I have to say the music choice is usually excellent. The DJs will tell you then and there if they can’t play something, and are chatty types as well.
I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s my first choice to drop into these days — age is a terrible, terrible thing, kids — but it’s always a nice wee change for the system.
Also, I attended a gig there last week, the sound I thought was excellent and not too loud, so take that for what you will.
I have awarded 4 stars. If you’re under 25 and like rock music, you can probably up it to 5 stars., just because.

I hadn’t been to the ‘Catty’ since my days of the unders on a Saturday early evening when I had a bit of a… problem…with the bouncers shall we say and didn’t go back for quite a while.
After three years of drunkenly wandering around Glasgow saying «I want to go to Catty as an adult!» on Thursday evening I finally did.
I remember the catty well when I was just a young ‘un and it was exciting. It kind of kickstarted my life as I know it now, drinking before we went in, I had my first kiss in the Cathouse-it’s a place that holds a lot of special memories for me especially.
So imagine my dismay when I get there and it’s not the place it once was. I remember on a Saturday, it would be packed to the rafters, people spilling out of both rooms. On Thursday, it all seemed a bit souless, and I felt a bit… old.
In addition to that, the music was terrible, save for a few classics like Helena by MCR and Panic at the Disco, and Queen! The sound quality was gash and the drinks were really overpriced. £3 for a vodka lemonade when other places in Glasgow are doing a £1 a drink on Thursdays? No wonder the place was empty. The dancefloor was sticky too.
I think the Cathouse really has to evaluate the way it does Thursdays. Generally, they are pretty terrible but I don’t suppose the management care, they’re sitting on a goldmine as long as people keep buying overpriced drinks and listening to crap emo music.

Love it always get a laugh in here with mates, musics great but can get a little repetitive

Ah, the Cathouse… The place where I’m most often found on a Saturday night when I can go out for some mischief. From what I’m reading, it must truly be the marmite of night clubs. From the time I attended the unders (wow, that’s over 10 years ago, how wrong is that?) to the odd weekends I turn up there now, this place has always held a special place in my heart.
The main reason I love it is that I’m always guaranteed a good night there! If you know how, you can almost always get in for free, or at the very least half price. Drinks are pretty cheap, and certainly a good deal better priced than a number of other establishments. The music is great (so long as you’re on the first floor, not the emo-​pop 2^nd floor), and I almost never leave the dance floor! I’ve brought many people to the Catty that have had no great love of rock music, and they have had a blast none-​the-​less. The atmosphere is just fun! Most importantly, there is very rarely any trouble there from patrons, and if there is it is handled efficiently.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to change it up and go to other places, but the Cathouse is by far my staple club in Glasgow. Give it a try, and with the right people you can’t go wrong with this place. ^^

Unlike the others reviews about this establishment, I think it is a cracking place with a great positive feel about it. I visited it last Thursday night and stayed on the top floor with a really good DJ called Colin. I’m not, in any way, a ‘Heavy Metal’ or even ‘Heavy Rock’ fan, but, he played loads of tracks by loads of artists that I have never heard of before, and, I really enjoyed hearing them. All the punters were either dancing or sitting down but were singing along to ALL the words, not just the chorus’ .
I like to see punters enjoying themselves because it makes the place feel happy. There are drinks promotions that try to cater for every taste. The average age of the punters is about twenty, (but only because there was a forty-​year-​old there bumping up the standard deviatian a bit).
The DJ took requests from everyone at the gate, and if he didn’t have it, or couldn’t play it, he told them straight away. He played as many of the requests as possible and never repeated a tune all night.
The bar staff were very attentive and the dance floor was full most of the night.

Cheap drink, good music (most of the time) and always a laugh.

Both times I went it was terrible and I vowed not to go back and so far have stated true to my word. The first time I went the metal floor played the same song 6 times in a row, the emo floor was packed and the music not to my liking, and again played the same songs multiple times. The second time I went the power died for half an hour and the staff were so dim they couldn’t write down what they were serving and couldn’t keep track of it so simply resigned to not selling alcohol for an hour.
Frankly your better just hopping to the other side of Central station and going to Solid Rock, far better atmosphere, better alcohol, better music and better clientèle.
The Cathouse prides itself on being an «alt» venue, what I see there now is overweight 50 year olds thinking they’re cool because they still have dreads from when they were 15 and scowl a lot, and girls who are 16 and think they’re spectacular because the bouncers don’t care who gets in.
Avoid the place, really, for the sake of a good night and just hit Walkabout, Rufus T firefly’s or Solid Rock.

Not been here clubbing but I’ve been to several gigs. Frankly, it’s the one venue in Glasgow that I resent seeing bands play at. The staff are often rude to your face, the bouncers a bit too violent for no reason, and when you finally muscle through all that to get to the gig itself, you get assaulted with what has to be one of the worst sound systems you’ll ever encounter. It’s horrific. Either they have someone completely inexperienced at the mixing desk or it’s time to invest in some serious improvements. I’ve taken to wearing earplugs at any Cathouse gig because I know the sound will be atrocious. Often, they seem to just turn up the volume louder to disguise the fact that the bass is way off, the drums louder than everything else and the vocals buried somewhere underground.
In saying that, it’s spacious and a good gig is always a good gig, no matter where it’s held.

long time ago the Cathouse was the (only) place to go if you were into metal/​goth/​punk. As someone who frequented the old catty on Brown Street I have seen it change over the years, some people get wiser with age but unfortunately not the Cathouse. My last visit was terrible, charged a fortune on the door, the drinks were over priced, the music (omg) Lady Gaga? and to top it off there was a group of guys taking photos of the «girls» on the dance floor. Full of sleazy guys and 50yr old women in daisy dukes. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone.

I have some fond memories of the Cathouse. I used to spend every Saturday here between the ages of 13 and 15 at «the unders». It was the same old story every week really; one bacardi breezer at a friends house (we had to sober up before we got there though, of course), head into Central Station on the 6 o’clock train, hang about Central for a while with a McDonalds Happy Meal and then head to Cathouse. They always played the same music which always included the predictable Guns N Roses, Marilyn Manson, Glassjaw, Sum41, Blink182 with a bit of Christina Aguilera thrown in to be whitty, change the record mate. The playlist was so predictable that it got a bit tedious after a while so we decided to head to Trash unders once we’d grown out of our ‘mosher’ phase.
Last year a friend of mine had his birthday night out here and I was curious to see if it had changed, it hadn’t. Well, apart from changing the floors around and a little bit of refurbishment, on the whole it’s not changed much in over 10 years. They also charge quite a bit at the door too and I felt every so slightly robbed but it was a birthday night out so I decided not to moan. I couldn’t believe that they still played the same old playlist apart from a few newbies. Although I like rock music I even get sick of my favourite songs after a while but it’s seriously just the same old stuff churned out night after night. I remember requesting a couple of songs but the DJ said that even though he had it he wouldn’t play it because nobody would know what it was. Jeesh. To be fair, there aren’t many clubs like The Cathouse in Glasgow so I guess it wins by default and they cheekily charge high entry and pricey drinks just because they can.
I guess the up side is the fact that they sell hotdogs, that made me laugh so much when I saw the little hot dog stand. Just make sure you don’t get extra onions if you’re looking to get lucky.

Used to come here regularly, must have been around 100 times.
Sort of tuned out metal music recently though with nothing much happening for me in that scene aside from nostalgia and I can’t be bothered with that anymore. Too many good places in Glasgow with new exciting music and live acts to waste away the night in here listening to bands who were happening in the 80’s.
It’s biggest strength is it’s biggest weakness: it’s always the same.
Even with different club nights on, it’s always the same sort of music with the same crowd which is reassuring in a way in that you know what sort of night you’re in for but I would rather go new places and see what misadventures I get into.
I did break my personal best for a cheeky winch in here measured in milliseconds when I overheard a girl saying she gets training in M & S to guess a womans cup size and I lunged in taking a fly chance to ask if I could guess her cup size which she was overly up for and stood in various poses to make things easier for me before I guessed it EXACTLY. As impressed as I, things kicked off.
If that doesn’t sum the place up, I don’t know what will.

Looks like the Cathouse is loved and loathed by ‘weegies in equal share!
I used to go here for the Under 18s night when I was about 14 – 15, and it was a smashing time. As far as I can gather from the website, it’s much the same as it was back then. Lots of heavy metal upstairs, punk, pop-​punk, hardcore and ska downstairs. It’s a great place for the alternative kids to hang out, pair off, and headbang the night away.
For the over 18s, it’s a little different. Lots of classic rock, metal, grunge, punk, all cranked up to 11.
It has all been refurbished in the last 5 or so years, and is a lot less grimy than it used to be. It’s also a much more pleasant atmosphere since the smoking ban came in. The set-​up is great, with the pay point at the top of the stairs, the coat check around the corner, and then on up the spiral staircase to two levels. Downstairs is big, with a bar, big dance-​floor, and stage, and more seating around the side. Upstairs is smaller and more intimate, with lower ceilings and plenty of seating space.
Honestly, you’ll know whether this is your cup of tea by the music alone.

Often ridiculed by people who’ve never set foot inside, The Catty is a perfectly decent club, which continues to stand the test of time.
Best known for providing raucous Friday nights, the two-​level operation is easily found at the foot of Union Street .
If, for whatever reason, you fail to spot the sign, then just listen out for Teenage Dirtbag. «Don’t say maybeee.. .»
Attracting some of the city’s more ‘unique’ partygoers, the venue has also played host to big name such as Pearl Jam and Fall Out Boy.

Doesn’t matter if it’s rock, goth, emo, the Cathouse is dark, broody and LOUD. A great place to go see live bands of all reputations, to mosh it up on the dancefloor or just to hide away in a corner and have a night out with mates, drinks and good tunes. Plenty of stairs to negotiate to get in though, and if you’re going to see a band live, try and book your tickets before hand, as the on-​the-​door markup is usually a bit pricey.

I have been here many times to see a variety of live gigs. I love the atmosphere and the décor is quite funky. They have a good little bit for smokers to go out to, though it isnt undercover, it is a decent sized smoking area. The staff are always friendly. I have always had a great night out whenever I have been here. The drinks are pretty on par with usual prices around.
The cloakroom isn’t always open so sometimes have to carry a jacket and bag around, which is the only bad point about the place.