The Queen Margaret Union

The Queen Margaret Union (QMU) is one of two student unions at the University of Glasgow, the second being the Glasgow University Union (GUU). It was founded in 1890, by members of the Queen Margaret College, an institution that only existed because, until 1892, women were not permitted to study at Scottish Universities. It was in 1892 that the college merged with the University of Glasgow but the QMU continued to act as the «woman’s union», whilst the GUU catered to the men at the university. It wasn’t until 1958 that both unions fully admitted both men and women — 17 years after the Sex Discrimination Act was passed.
But enough of the lecture, that’s not what students go to the QMU for. The first time I visited the QMU was 8 years ago as a fresh faced first year undergraduate. I signed up as a member and went upstairs to Jim’s Bar with my new flat mates where we (astonishingly) managed to win the Big Wednesday Night Pub Quiz. This quiz still runs weekly in Jim’s bar — one of the three bars in the union. The other two are Champions bar, which has pool tables, and Kudos, which mostly acts as a venue for bands and other entertainment. All of the bars are wonderfully cheap.
The QMU also has plenty of places to eat, starting on the ground floor with Café 22 which serves tea and coffee and small hot and cold meals and snacks. On the second floor there’s the Food Factory — which is more or less a cafeteria and Scran, which has more of a bistro theme to it. There’s also a general store/​news agents on the ground floor, if you just want to get a chocolate bar and a magazine (or a lab coat and a pack of pens, if that’s the way your afternoon is going) and be on your way.
The top floor has committee rooms which student societies regularly book for meetings. It also contains the offices and meeting rooms of the QMU committee, a TV room and a laundry room.
The QMU looks after its members and its students. It’s a cheap place to get food and drink, to hang out with mates, to see a gig or to buy a calculator for that exam you forgot about. Its where you can pick up the QMUnicate Magazine, the fortnightly magazine that prints campus news, reviews and stories. If you sign up to one of Glasgow’s many student societies, there’s a good chance that they’ll have their meetings and socials here from time to time. Hell, you can even pick up free condoms here, no questions asked.
If you’re not a student and you want to visit the bars or Kudos in the evenings, you’ll need someone to sign you in. If you’re a student and a member you normally get reduced entry and your QMU card can be used to collect loyalty points on food and drink during term time. Membership is free, so it’s well worth signing up. It has everything the new student needs and, even though I never really expect to end up there again, there always seems to be another excuse to go back.

I’ve been to two gigs here and, after the first, I was on the point of boycotting it completely. It was a very cold winter night, my wife was — at the time — very obviously pregnant and it took us about an hour of queuing to get in. They have that ludicrous university union policy of having to sign every non-​student in. Which they did at the door, one person at a time with the single pen they had available.
Once we were in, there was a nice cheap bar (neither of us were drinking though!) and a cosy venue… and atrocious sound once the bands were on. We were there for Theory of a Deadman, a band with great song lyrics and you simply couldn’t hear any of them. It was just a mush.
Two years later and I was guestlisted for Sabaton, Tyr and Korpiklaani. Well, at least it would be free to make up for the garbage sound.
But hang on. Now they had staff walking up the queue prior to the doors opening to get people signed in. Still a daft policy, but handled far better. Door staff and security were lovely (and were on our first visit, to be fair), and the bar still cheap — though again I wasn’t drinking this time as I was working.
And the sound was perfect. I guess the first time must have been the band of the sound engineer’s fault. Whatever, this time it was far, far better. Question is, were Sabaton lucky or were ToaDM unlucky? Is the sound usually good, or usually pants? don’t know!
Parking nearby isn’t too hard, but don’t park on the circle that runs past the front door unless you have a permit. There’s plenty of on-​street parking at the end of the road, which is free after 6pm.

It’s been about ¹⁵⁄₁₆ years since I attended a gig in here (an NME tour headline by the almighty Andrew WK, fact fans) and being brutally honest, it hadn’t changed one single bit.
It’s still tiny, it’s still cramped, it’s still insanely cheap at the bar (£2 for a Tennants? OK, it’s Tennants, but still — £2???) and it’s not a place I would instantly jump for joy at the thought of going.
I turned up late, and ticketless — my contact on the Book of Face that said she had a spare ticket had gone dark, and I thought my journey there would have had a sorry ending. Luckily, there were a couple of ticket touts outside selling spares. One quick instigated bidding war later, and I had a £12 face value ticket for a fiver. Result!
Making my way in, I headed upstairs to the larger open bar rather than risk the cramped bar inside the floor area. I got a pint, and headed in to catch the end of the second support band. The view from the upper balcony, if you can get in early enough to get a seat, is great. As it was, I was stumbling around at the back, so decided to use the sneaky back stairway and go downstairs.
Fighting my way across to the other side of the floor — people can be quite vicious about maintaining their spot, even if you apologise profusely as you go — I noted the queue for the downstairs bar was horrific — I gave it a wide berth and found a vantage point.
The sound quality was great no matter where I positioned myself, I just felt vaguely cramped and uncomfortable all night. Granted, this could have been due to the insane popularity of the headline act, The Temperance Movement, but it just felt like there was perhaps too many tickets sold for such a small space.
Of course, I’m not a thin person. This may not help matters either.
In any case, the QMU is a nice wee venue, walking distance from Hillhead Underground, and the mighty Ashton Lane and all the pubs and eating places that entails. The faults more or less cancel out the positives, so I’ll sit firmly in the middle with this review.

Until just the other day, I’d never stepped foot in to this place. I only really stopped by for a quiet place to eat lunch one day with a friend but really found this place to be quite intreging. I don’t know why, but it really reminded me of places I used to frequent when I was in to a crazy night out or when enjoying bands I love. I might need to pop in one night to check out a band or attend one of the many happenings I’m sure this place offers. For now, it’s only been used as a place to eat in between classes!

Visited here for only the second time this week to see Franz Ferdinand. It’s a pretty good gig venue but has a few downsides. I know it’s a student union but this means if you’re not a student you have to sign in, meaning the queue to get in can take a while.
Once you’re inside it is very student-​y and the toilets aren’t the nicest, they are pretty basic. The gig space is really good, nice and big with pretty good visibility of the stage from most spots. We initially stood near the bar but I hate standing where lots of people try to walk through, so moved to the lower mezzanine part. Unless you want to be down the front in the scrum, this is the best place to stand in my opinion. We got a front rail near the sound booth which means we were a bit above the crowd and had a perfect view of the whole stage. Ideal!
So, why 4 stars? If you’re on the right hand part of the venue and the gig is sold out, you don’t have much chance of getting over to the bar/​toilets without a lot of pushing. I mean, I shove people for fun at roller derby but I find that people at gigs don’t tend to take well to being hip checked out the way. So it’s a lot of hassle.
Apart from that, it’s in a good location right near the Hillhead underground as well as the carpark behind Ashton Lane. And, Franz Ferdinand were bloody amazing so that helps.

Even though I’m not at uni anymore, I still love the QM.
So many good memories… so many nights I was too drunk to remember. It’s a good old student uni knees up!
Glasgow uni is the only uni in Scotland I can think of where on matriculating, you have to choose between two unions. The Tale of Two Unions can be explained simple — GUU is all about its rugby, R&B and big ball nights, QMU caters to the rockier, grungier crowd. (Both throw some indie anthems out there nowadays).
If you are at uni and fancy a really cringe-​tastically fun night out, Cheesy Pop will wet your appetite. Running since 1994, it is arguably as much of a mainstream music institution as the Garage, and an all rounder’s good night. It runs the happy ground between all musical tastes, paying particular homage to 80s and 90s classics. When I was in uni, Summer of 69 was DJ Toast’s particular favourite, but these times they are a-​changin’ and he may have moved on to 90s classics to suit the kids. Toast is a cheery chap and always happy to take requests.
Rev is one of the biggest rock nights in the city, and it is best sampled on Fresher’s Week when there is usually a high profile band playing before the club night. With your Fresher’s Pass you can access these events for free. Rev’s eclectic mix of everything from Rancid, Rammstein and Paramore makes it one of the only rock nights you can crack out the dancing at during the week.
Jim’s Bar, situated on the first floor, has one of those jukeboxes that seemingly has every song every written on it since the 50s. It also offers up cheap booze, including a wider range of beers and spirits than you’d think, and in more recent years Jim’s has been selling Kopperberg. Its prices are targeted at poor students which sits well with me, and during the weekdays you don’t have to sign in or be a student to pop in for a drink. There are pool tables next door, and some TVs showing sports events.
Aside from neon themed nights and boozing sessions, the QM as a union has a variety of committees that anyone can join. Not enough students utilise (or even realise) this, and working at the QM, although it is unpaid, is rewarding in other ways. You can a lot of work experience through these committees, it looks great on a CV and you may even discover that your secret talent lies in areas you wouldn’t have previously imagined. I was a Fresher’s Helper a few years back for the QM and it enhanced my confidence and skills, not to mention the fact you make potential life long friends through events like this. It sounds very saccarine but it’s true! The social committee gives you experience in what it takes to successfully run a business while the QMUnicate magazine meetings will sharpen up your journalistic skills. There’s even a knitting club!
As someone who still feels like they didn’t take advantage of these endless opportunities at the time I’d highly recommend them. But as someone who enjoyed the QM experience loyally throughout university, it’s a strong community that genuinely cares about its members. It’s expcetionally laid back and I always felt at home there.
Nowadays, I need signed in unfortunately but speaking of, if you can rustle up a student friend (or if you apply for a lifelong membership) you can gain access to all these fun club nights. As a venue it’s intimate and got great acoustics, and as a union it holds a special place in my heart.

The first time I was made aware of the choice Glasgow University students have to make union-​wise (i.e. QM vs GUU) I was pretty non-​plussed. Looking at the two buildings, it seems obvious which one any student would choose to affiliate with. Why? Because the GUU is a beautiful piece of architecture and the QM is, well, really quite ugly.
But then I learnt more about the matter. Even though the GUU is gorgeous, I can’t quite help thinking that the QM is possibly a bit cooler. It’s a great live music venue — and does actually manage to tie down some really great musicians.
The QM also plays host to a comedy night, which admittedly can be flinchingly bad as often as it’s really funny. Don’t let that put you off though — if it is that bad there are plenty of bars in the union to provide you with the alcohol you may need to get through it.
Food’s not bad here — it’s canteen style only but it’s cheap and they do some pretty sexy nachos. Yum.

The ‘Queue Emm’.
Glasgow Universitys student union, this place also doubles as a great music venue which is laughably loud from the outside it’s enough to make any loose body parts you may have shake around a little bit.
Last gig I went to in here was none other than Gary Numan, in what was an amazing gig with awesome lighting.
Little known slice of trivia: merchandise is cheaper at smaller venues, or should I say, merchandise is more expensive at larger venues like the SECC. I’d rather go see a band in a smaller venue anyday of the week and the times I have in here the atmosphere has been electric, followed by a cheeky purchase of a band tee at a humble ten pounds sterling or thereabouts.
The club nights in here are great too and my lasting memory was of a guy vomiting from upstairs just as you walk in down a girls back who was standing texting on her phone.
Sort of sums the place up sufficiently.

Whilst not quite the size of the massive Strathclyde Union, the QMU is housed on two floors and as well as the main hall there is a large upstairs bar and games room with half a dozen or so pool tables, which mercifully have plenty of room around them to aim. There’s a great jukebox also.
I’ve never seen the QM absolutely heaving, probably due to most of the party animals preferring the other, larger Glasgow University students union. But I would definitely reccommend Tuesdays at the for ‘Revolution’ — the ‘rock night’. At £1 for most drinks, if you’re a skint student you can’t argue with that. The only dissappointing aspect is that the darn place is only open til 2am.

I always have fond memopries of the QMU, not necessarily of the South Park quoting Metallica fans who populated the bar, or the irony-​overloaded club nights, or it’s position as a meeting point for the slightly laughable placard waving «stop the war» /​«hands off our halls» brigade.
It was the ridiculously cheap sandwiches that did it. It took several years to get used to their unique, cardboard-​like taste, but I still miss them.

The Queen Margaret Union is part of the University of Glasgow student union. Last time I went, you didn’t have to be a member, but apparently that has changed!
What I can tell you about, though, are the gigs. It doesn’t make an amazing music venue in terms of structure and acoustics, but there are usually some good banks with small followings who find their way here and put on a great show. As Catriona mentioned, they have a pretty impressive list of bands they’ve hosted — usually when they’re on their way up. Depending on how big they are at the time, some shows do sell out, but not all that frequently.
It’s a short walk from Hillhead subway station, and a fun place to drink and hang out before and after a show. I wouldn’t put it up there as one of my favourites, but it’s a decent venue and if you’re favourite band is playing here — why not?!

Catriona pretty much summed up the QM — as one of the two Glasgow uni unions, you have to be a member to get in, which yes, can be a pain, but in all seriousness it’s worth the hassle.
As a music venue, the QM has played host to loads and loads and loads of bands — everyone from Nirvana, to RHCP, to B*Witched (don’t lie, you know all the words to ‘C’est la vie’, and ‘Blame it on the Weatherman’, and if you don’t then you haven’t lived!).
As club nights go, Friday nights are Cheesy Pop nights. Classic tunes, cheap drinks and DJ Toast. What’s not to love?! You really can’t beat a Friday night at Cheesy.
Revolution on a Tuesday is the same, but backwards (rockier/​harder music, darker clothes and much more stomping). Both are excellent nights out, and worth a try.
Otherwise, the games room, Jim’s bar, Lacuna and the food factory are other places to chill out, and enjoy some cheap student drinkage or food.
Brilliant.

The Queen Margaret Union is one of the two student unions at the University of Glasgow. As such you will have to be a member to get in or know someone with the coveted QMU membership card. I have been many times and I must say that if you lower your expectations you will have a great time. It is by no means one of the cities great night spots but what it does, it does very well! What does it do you ask?
Well…
It is a music venue first and foremost and obviously gigs are open to the public. They pull in some impressive acts and I had a fanatic time here when Mr Scruff came to play. According to the website: «The QMU is a legendary gig venue. In years past we’ve played host to Queen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Franz Ferdinand, Biffy Clyro, Snow Patrol, Tenacious D, The Fratellis, and The Proclaimers among countless others. We still have Kurt Cobain’s footprint as our most prized possession in our safe from when Nirvana played in 1991.»
You have to respect that list!
Friday is Cheesy Pop, a night of cheesy tunes, very drunk students and lots and lots of people enjoying themselves. Tuesday is Revolution — Rock, Metal and Emo night. It is basically the same as the latter but with different clothes and angry music.
Drinks are well priced and it offers late night drinking in the West End so best give it a try if the night gets cut short and you do not fancy the crazy city centre — just make sure you have a pass!

One of the student unions of Glasgow University, you have to be a student to get in although non-​students can be signed in by students on the night. Although if you are attending a gig here this is wavered but you would be advised to take ID as the door staff can be quite strict.
The beauty of it being a student union means the bar prices are cheap and the nice medium size of the venue makes for great gigs with some great bands having played here in their early careers before going on to bigger and better things. A nice, friendly, young crowd can always be found at the QMU.

Cant beat a bit of cheesy pop at the qmu, the 12 hour cheesy pops being the best, great crowd of students all up for a laugh, most staff working there are students aswell so there nice and friendly, drinks can be really really cheap on certain nights. overall a great place for a fun night out with friends