This is a lovely theatre in the West End of Glasgow. The decor is beautiful as it is a former…read morechurch, and the theatre attracts both musicians and theatre productions, from Rick Astley to Shakespeare! They also hold comedy nights and are affliated with the bar and restaurant which are attached to the theatre. I would recommend this as a venue, providing you are interested in the act!

This is Glasgow University's resident theatre and as such has seen more than it's fair share of…read moretypical student theatre productions. During my first and second year at Glasgow uni, I opted to study theatre studies, I really wish I hadn't bothered. Most of the productions here are the typical student fair in that they try to use the "shock" factor of stripping off and simulating sex on stage, how original. G12 also stages professional productions and I remember going to see an apocolyptic piece here which had more phallus's than you could shake a stick at and I remember a Neanderthal character running through the audience with his 'what not' on show. If 2012 really is the apocalypse then if this piece of theatre is anything to go on, I'd advise that you wear sun glasses at all times as the way these luvvies were shaking it, they could have taken a few eyes out. The sound section is pretty good and I got the opportunity to do the sound for a few amateur productions at G12 during my 2nd year. I guess most productions here certainly aren't boring and you never know, you might see some new, fresh talent. However, most productions are predictable and rather abstract in that you have to look at the "deeper meaning" and find out what that particular piece of theatre meant for you, making it probably one of the most pretentious theatres in Glasgow.

As E-Bot has been studying theatre, I often find myself taking in a few student and the odd…read moreprofessional productions at the G12. I'll say one thing for it, it's never boring. Amongst others, I've seen a guy with a rubber phallus strapped to his head, and someone smear themselves in paint before jumping onto a massive white sheet of paper. Utter madness. Brilliant.

I spent a few hours here on Monday night with some friends, being taught how to play a couple of…read morecarsd games. The CCA is somewhere that i periodically hear people talking about, but I've never quite made it there myself. But I'm glad I have now. In many respects it reminds me of The Arches (RIP) - there's a reception / box office thing as you go in, then the actual bar is all exposed brickwork. The CCA is basically the space inbetween 2 buildings. So you have the original external sandstone walls becoming the internal walls of the CCA - i love this kind of use of space. The roof is one giant skylight, which makes this place really light and airy. We couldn't eat as the kitchen was closed for work to be done on it - but it has a reputation of doing really good food, so we'll be trying it out soon. It's fairly moderate/bordering on expensively priced - the beer we had was £4.50 a pint. They also do a table service when it's quiet. Overall I enjoyed our evening here and would like to go back on the weekend or for one of their events.

Ah, the CCA. Often forgotten but perhaps that makes it one of Glasgow's better-kept secrets. It's…read morean interesting space as it's difficult to put a stamp on. They run a number of different events and activities, making it difficult to recommend unless you have something specific to tell people to visit. The space itself is brilliant, very modern in the front with a bar and café/restaurant, and an additional bar upstairs that very much fits the art scene feel. In the middle is one of those exterior interiors, with outdoor walls and bannisters. If you enjoy any type of arts and culture from literature, art, and performance art, to music, give their website a glance over and see what interests you. They have so many projects and exhibitions it's difficult to keep up, but you can usually find something really wonderful. Last time I was there I saw some interesting work in digital media and photography. Even if you just fancy a coffee and a nibble, it's a great change from your typical coffee shop or gastropub. Give it a shot, you won't be disappointed.

Oh no I didn't! Oh yes I did! Yup it was that time of year again, panto time!! Yaaaay!…read more To be honest I haven't been to a panto in a long time well the last one I actually starred in as a good fairy back in 2006 in Blantyre. It was a last minute thing when my friend text to say they had some spare tickets to see Snow White. Now this wasn't just going with friends, oh no, this was going with half the brownies and guides from High Blantyre. Yelp! So when heading down to Blantyre train station it had been taken over by lots of little girls in yellow hats. What a sight?! So we made it to Glasgow, alighting at Anderston station, which therefore makes it only a 10min walk up to The Kings. So with a bunch of excited girls, I think I may have reached their level by now. Our seats were in the Gods, the Gallery if you want to be technical. Eep! Not my favourite part of the theatre but it's the cheap seats of the theatre. So the entrance is at the side of the building. After several flights of what felt like never ending stairs we made it to the top. We then headed down the aisle steps to our seats at a 45 degree angle to keep yourself upright, as it's soooooo steep. The Kings is a beautiful theatre that's many many years old. I always enjoy going but I normally pay a little bit more to get a better seat, normally Upper or Grand Circle, sometimes Stalls depending on the prices. One day I'll be I'll in the box seats. The stage is large and the sets were amazing. The costumes were stunning, so much detail from the principles characters right down to the chorus and dancers. The actors did a fine job and I did have a wee sigh of how much I do miss performing in the ol' pantoland. I think sitting in with the kids made it even more fun. I didn't realise though that Darius was in it though. Meh! Not a fan and could they mention Pop Idol, Colourblind, or Pop Star to Opera Star anymore times?! Shoooosh! Gavin Mitchell did a great job, he tastefully mentioned Gerald Kelly in the show and they dedicated the show at then end and had a minute clapping. The toilets were a bit of a nightmare though, as it's an old building it doesn't have as many toilets. The gents toilets were out of order at first so they had made the ladies a temporary gents. Then out of the two ladies toilets one was broken. So little girls being little girls, (whiny voice) "I need the toilet.", one goes they all go. So the queue went up the stairwell backing up to the entrance to the Gods. So a poor member of staff had to keep filling up the cistern with a bucket of water to get the other toilet working. At least the staff tried. Over all it was a great day out and The Kings always guarentees to have great shows on. I'm just waiting for Wicked to come to Glasgow. Hurry up London, fly up that Wicked Witch of West to us.

Panto is impressive here It's an old and traditional theatre…read more Seats could be a little more comfortable and could do with a little more space

What a wee hidden gem of a place this is. I have driven past it dozens of times and thought is was…read morejust a workers' caff serving the many industrial units along South Street. It wasn't until I read the reviews on Yelp that I realised what I'd been missing, so we booked a table and made a special trip down there for lunch today. First impressions - we were the only people there and the chef came out of the kitchen to meet us, which didn't bode well I thought. The decor is unassuming and definitely a 'work in progress', but it is clear that they have already put a great deal of effort into getting the place functioning. The bar is near the entrance and there's a line of tables along the window wall, with a larger central area that looks like it could double as a dance floor, and finally there's a stage area at the far end. It all looks delightfully 'hand-knitted' and I loved it immediately. Once the owner returned from upstairs and realised that we were his booking, things picked up. In short order some music was played, menus appeared, and soon we were tucking in to the first of our tapas. As neither of us are carnivores, we picked fishy choices, olives, tortilla, and some papas arrugadas. The boquerones (anchovies) and olives were the first to arrive, and we both wolfed them down like the ravenous dogs we were. Delicious. Then came the tortilla and papas arrugadas. The tortilla is definitely something special, and I wished I'd ordered two portions, it was so tasty. The papas arrugadas turned out to be baby new potatoes with a separate dish of pepper sauce and another of coriander sauce. A fantastic combination of tastes, and the pepper sauce was just right - not too hot at all. Finally, the boquerones frito (whitebait) and the calamares a la romana appeared. The menu jokingly describes the whitebait as 'fishchips', but actually that's a great description of them. They're crispy and full of flavour - yum! I'm not generally a great fan of tapas as a primary meal choice, as I always feel that they're more of an appetizer option whilst sitting at the bar with a drink; but I might be won over by this place. The portions aren't huge, but with the 3 for £9 special offer, it's pretty good value. I will definitely return when the place is a bit more lively and they have some entertainment on. They may not be in a prime location, but it's definitely worth making the pilgrimage to this place. But let's not tell everyone about it - we don't want it to become too popular. Let's just keep it between ourselves, OK?

I have been meaning to visit La Bodega for a while . The combination of tapas , music and dancing…read moresounded very alluring . What can I say bar the fact that this was a real fun night , great staff , food and music . Linda Jaxson is a real character and was on stage with a new band . She entertained us the whole evening and the crowd really appreciated it . Staff were not flustered by the influx of clients and managed to keep everyone fed and watered throughout the night . There is a good entertainment programme here including salsa and tango classes so get your glad rags on and come down and dance.

What a fabulous way to enjoy some theatre - outside, in the sunshine and far away from any actual…read moretheatre. Bard in the Botanics is a simple idea - a play in a park, essentially. It's set up nicely with a closed off area on a banked part of the Botanics so you get a good view of the stage from where ever you're sitting. We were seeing the Comedy of Errors and the performance was brilliant. Added to it was an absolutely glorious summer night, so it was a pleasant experience to sit out and enjoy it. You can hire a wee stool but why not take along your own blanket and enjoy the picnic experience? You can also take your own food and drink (I don't think there's any to buy nearby anyway). They ensure the park toilets are kept open if you need to visit - beware of the mad dash during the intermission though! Bard in the Botanics is already on my list of things to do next summer!

I try to go to at least one performance of Bard in the Botanics every year and I've yet to be…read moredisappointed. My favourites have included King Lear, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream and, most recently, Coriolanus. Sometimes the plays are done the traditional way, sometimes the Bard in the Botanics team put a bit of a spin on things. So, for example, the version of A Midsummer Night's Dream that I saw a couple of years ago featured a lot of sequins and some show tunes - it was unexpected and very, very camp but it totally worked with the play. In this summer's edition of Coriolanus the main character becomes Caius Marsha rather than Caius Marcius in a clever gender-swapping of the role. The plays either take place outdoors in the Botanic Gardens, or in a marque, or in the Kibble Palace which has surprisingly good acoustics! Very occasionally a play gets rained off but I've only been unfortunate enough to have that happen once. My understanding is that the usual way of dealing with this is to either offer customers a ticket to a different showing or to give them their money back. It's rare though, and getting rained on happens less often than getting bitten by midges, so watch out for that! This year the plays haven't been limited to Shakespeare, with a production of Dr Faustus being billed alongside Coriolanus, Twelfth Night and Macbeth. So even if you've been traumatised by studying Shakespeare at school and can no longer bear the plays, there could still be something here for you.