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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Lee Dalgetty

Snaps of iconic Glasgow nightclub Archaos during its heyday

Archaos was once one of the hottest, and most chaotic, clubs in Glasgow - before it closed in 2007 to the disappointment of folks throughout the country.

Drawing in the ‘average joe’ alongside big celebs such as Charlie Sheen and Rangers star Gazza, the spot was a glistening diamond in Glasgow’s nightlife crown. Spread out over three levels, there was something for everyone at the Queen Street club.

Perhaps one of their most memorable nights was the infamous s**g tag student night - where students were given a sticker with a number on it, with a booth where others could pop up a message for someone they fancied and attach the number. A night that outraged parents and advertisers, the concept is alarming today, though was a hoot at the time.

READ MORE - The lost Glasgow clubs of the 00s that are still missed today

One of the clubs promoters, Richard Starret, spoke to Glasgow Live in 2019 about s**g tag stating: “We started off in Archaos and were going there for a year before we started another one in Edinburgh.

“We had nights in Aberdeen, Dundee and one offs in places like Stirling and Perth. People came in, paid, got a sticker with a number and inside was the booth with a board and message cards, pink for girls, blue for boys.

“People then wrote a message which went up on the board. You used to get people up genuinely scanning the board, asking the girls: has there been a message for me yet?

“Needless to say, there was a lot of fun to be had with it.”

Aside from questionable club nights, several iconic events took place in the walls of Archaos - such as Top of the Pops in 1999. The long-standing British institution came to Glasgow, to be filmed outside of London for the first time for over thirty years.

Dozens of music fans gathered at Archaos, where they were treated to an array of ‘90s talent presented by Scotland’s very own Gail Porter. Performers such as Texas, Travis and Hepburn took to the stage at the groundbreaking event.

While there are many nights that Archaos are remembered for, we’re pretty sure Charlie Sheen doesn’t remember his time at the club. In 1997, he made headlines after dancing the night away at the venue before getting a taxi to Easterhouse with a sex worker and supposedly purchasing £1,000 worth of Class A drugs.

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The taxi driver that transported them told the Daily Record at the time: “The girl got in, and Sheen said he wanted some ‘Charlie’. She said she could get it, but had to make a phone call.

“Then her pimp came across and they went to a phone box.”

After 12 years of trading, the club eventually shut down in 2007 among the tide of rising competition - and the city never recovered.

A wide variety of stories can be told of Archaos, but each individual has their own tale from the legendary spot. No matter how you might remember it, we all know it’s sorely missed.

Check out our gallery below to turn back time.

READ NEXT:

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Nine things Glasgow folk loved to do in the 90s they can't do any longer

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Nine legendary Glasgow nightclubs we'd love to see make a return

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