Clyde Auditorium – The Armadillo

Crunchy on the outside, smooth on the inside. People of a certain age will get that reference, others will just think I’m insane… which to be fair, I’m used to anyway!
The Armadillo — I refuse to call it anything else — is a fine building. It’s modern, it’s spacious, it’s well run and it’s staffed by helpful people, It’s signposted well inside for easy location of your seats, and everything just feels smooth about it.
The acoustics for most of the venue are superb. I’ve been to a few gigs in here and for the most part, had clear, sharp sound. I was here a few days ago to see the mighty THUNDER~~~!!! and I was sitting on the ground floor, right at the back under the balcony and it was just a bit muffled. Not enough to ruin the feel of the gig, but enough to notice from time to time.
Therein lies my problem with the Armadillo… it’s a NICE venue, but it just doesn’t scream «ROCK SHOW!» to me. Every show I’ve seen here, I’ve thought how much better it would be if the ground floor was standing rather than seated, like they do at the Hydro or even the Academy.
Still, that’s not the fault of the venue so I won’t take it out on them in the review.
The gig was good, the venue was fine. It didn’t add to the feel of the show, the way somewhere like The Barras would, but it also didn’t ruin it. The Armadillo is a fine venue, but I’d say more suited to comedy or quieter music shows than a rock show party crowd. Them’s is the breaks, though.

I’ve been in the Clyde Auditorium a few times but this most recent venture was thanks to a last minute ticket for Billy Connolly. I’d tried to get tickets on line but they sold out in minutes. Sadly, (but good for me), my cousin couldn’t get a babysitter so sold me her tickets!
The venue itself is housed in the famous Armadillo shape, is right next to the SECC and the Hydro and on entering the building you don’t need to produce tickets (which you do in the Hydro). This prevents a build up of people at the door which is good, and the main foyer has a few ticket outlets, a bar area towards the back and a few vending machines.
Our seats in the stalls were easily accessed from this point, passing some toilets on the way. I was expecting to have to show inside our bags on the way in as you do in a lot of venues these days, but this wasn’t required so meant we walked right in and found our seats pretty quickly. The seats were relatively comfy, and despite being in row Y (quite near the back), we still had a good view of the stage.
So how was Billy? Well he may not be on top form health wise, but he still knows how to pull the crowd. Despite a few moments where he seemed to lose track of his jokes/​tales, there were some fantastic laugh out loud moments and I love his genuine and Scottish humour. I suspect it might be his last show for a while, but if he comes to Glasgow again I hope its in the Armadillo and will be sure to get off the mark quick to get seats!

I’ve previously been here for a gig (Flight of the Conchords! Amazing!) and visited on Friday for the Commonwealth Games weightlifting. I really wasn’t sure how it would translate to a sports venue but it ended up being perfect.
The downside of the Armadillo is the location — I just think it’s a little inaccessible (made worse by the Games restrictions of having one main entrance to the SECC precinct from Finnieston Street rather than being able to use the bridge from the Exhibition Centre station over).
The venue is a strange shape — I mean, just look at it) but it works well as the pointy end (the head) is the entrance, and the stage area is nuzzled in the Armadillo’s bottom area (ahem). You can get to the seats down either side and there are 4 levels of seating — if you’re on level 3 or 4 you might prefer to get the lift rather than take the stairs. Depends on how lazy you’re feeling! We were seated on level 3 and the view to the stage area was great, unobstructed by heads in front of us and a good view of screens either side on the walls and the stage.
I didn’t buy any food or drinks while we were here but I believe there was a shop open (although the one I walked past was closed). The toilets are back on level one which could be a little inconvenient to go during a show as it was a little bit of a treck.
Other than that, the Armadillo is a great venue for music or sport, and I would definitely head back for a gig without hesitation.

When Bob Dylan came to town, the Armadillo was his stage! Visually, from the outside, the Clyde Auditorium is stunning. It had been a while since I’d been here for a gig and I’d forgotten just how beautiful it is. It’s pretty standard on the inside in that it very much feels like a concert hall. In this sense, it’s quite a contrast from the outside and lacks the atmosphere of older, lived in venues like the Old Fruitmarket or Barrowlands. It simply serves the purpose of being a venue.
Saying that, it is the perfect size to capture an element of intimacy despite it’s 3000 person capacity. The Armadillo is perfect to musicians who, whilst could fill bigger venues, are better suited to more intimate venues. (3 nights at the Clyde Auditorium were far better for Dylan as opposed to one at the Hydro!) The stage is huge and the sound carries well. The staff are very insistent about getting you in your seats quickly before the show and enforce a strict ‘no flash photography’ rule. It was a bit distracting to have a member of staff keep coming over to tell the people in front of us to stop taking pictures. More distracting than them actually taking the pictures! And drinks prices are just as you’d expect for a venue of it’s kind. (Overpriced!)
Regardless, the Clyde Auditorium still makes for a good venue and is a wonder to look at.

I’ve toured all over the world and can say with ultimate conviction that the Clyde Auditorium is the biggest shithole I’ve ever had the displeasure to visit.
Aside from having 240 pounds stolen out of my bag, the ‘staff’ is a nightmare to deal with. If you care about what the people on the other side of the stage are dealing with, I would suggest you support a real theatre in Glasgow.

A distinctive exterior that holds a really nice auditorium inside with frequent events on throughout the calendar along with its SECC neighbour and soon-​to-​be neighbour being built right next to it.
Been here for a few events including comedy and music with my lasting memory of the place being Brainiac: Live.
I was on the wrong side of the mean age of the collective there, but had a great night nonetheless.
It has high ceilings inside which inevitably impacts on the acoustics. The seating is also decent.
It’s just a bit of a pain to get to, as is SECC. Boo.

My first first to the theatre bit of the SECC was disappointing. It might be comfortable, it might be clean, but it feels like a pretend theatre in a bunker, with a desperately drab imitation of a real theatre’s elegance, as if put together by Ikea. It has a bit that looks like the Stalls, another like the Circle, but all the lines are so straight, and the big massive speakers are a reminder that this is never going to be the place for a tight two-​hander. I was watching Beauty and the Beast. I guess it’s my own fault.
I really love performance, but it wasn’t until I came here that I realised that I love theatres themselves. The shows can be well staged here– it is big and the sound system is better than most rock venues– but it lacks the romance.
Mind you, the National Theatre are putting on a show about The Wall of Death next month. I can’t wait!

Don’t get me wrong, I like little classic theatres but lets face it, they’re not very comfortable.
The Armadillo provides big comfy seats with an excellent view of the stage no matter where you’re located.
It’s usually big acts that play here so expect to pay the price for tickets. At least, for the cost, regardless of whether the act is terrible, you know you’re coming to watch a show in somewhere you can reply on to perform its purpose!

The Armadillo is a great building that doubles up as a tourist attraction and brilliant theatre style venue that plays host to acts and events including panto, musicals and small and intimate gigs.
The auditorium has a great atmosphere, with stewards in suits with torches waiting to seat you, which gives the place a real sense of occasion that you would find at any other theatre. Visitors can be seated in the rows at ground level, or can opt to be seated in the raised aisles above for a more cinematic experience.
An altogether more classy venue than the SECC and perfect for an evening out, to enjoy a small and intimate gig in this big lovely building with its atmospheric theatre setting.

The Armadillo is like the cute wee sister of the SECC sitting in its shadow but with everyone oohing and aahing over its beauty. The building, sitting by the clyde, is stunning and easily recognisable.
As a venue, it is perfect. Small, modern and classy, it hosts some of the most intimate concerts I have ever been to and is suitable for a variety of shows such as theatre, comedy and all types of music.
I love it when an act I want to see chooses the Armadillo as the venue — it becomes part of the experience.

The Armadillo plays host to hundreds of acts every year. The ‘theatre’ hall of the SECC, it’s a lovely, classy venue.
From pop acts, like the Sugababes, McFly, and Busted (RIP — I may have been one of their biggest fans… I saw them here twice… good, no, GREAT times… sad face) to comedy kings like Bill Bailey and Michael MacIntyre.
It’s a great venue.

We’ve been to a couple of shows now at the Armadillo, with seats in ‘The Gods’ and in the dress circle.
I wouldn’t bother with seats in the upmost tier — although the view is good, it’s really far away from the stage.
Being tall, we always notice where there’s decent legroom, and here there is. Very comfortable!

The Clyde Auditorium, known as The Armadillo is right next to the SECC is a concert venue, and probably one of the most recognisable buildings on Glasgow. It has a capacity of 3000, and is used as a venue mainly for musicians and comedians, although I think some conferences and speakers do come here too.
I’ve never actually been inside, but it’s an iconic Glaswegian feature that should be missed by nobody. It’s probably quite near the top of most tourists’ lists anyway.

A great venue to see a show, live music, comedy or whatever else it has on offer. Brilliant acoustics and seating layout which every seat is a good seat!
As others have said it is nicknamed the armadillo as it looks like one so is quite easy to spot! Don’t be fooled by thinking it is the same as the SECC however as a lot of people to seem to think. It is the large building to the left of the armadillo!

the clyde auditorium — known as the armadillo due to its design/​outward shape — is located on the river clyde — just west of the city centre — has a huge car park — c.3k capacity — but takes forever to get out after concert — easily reached by public transport (train station onsite — bus routes nearby — used to be a nightmare by public transport but better now) — please be warned however that their are long tailbacks on the motorway whenever there is a big event on so ensure you have plenty of time or you’ll miss the start !
it is a purpose built venue which has a seated capacity of up to 3k and is part of the SECC complex
great music/​rock venue — saw deep purple here not long after it opened and man the joint was jumpin :) — happy face — the smoke was most definitely on the water (river clyde on the doorstep)

A fantastic place to see a music or comedy gig, this Glasgow landmark is much nicer than its sister venue next door (SECC). It has benefited from being purpose built rather than be treated as just another large hall. The acoustics are great, the seating is brilliant with lots of legroom, and the views of the stage are stunning. Having said that I’ve only been at shows where I’ve been in the front stalls, so I’m not sure what it’s like further back, or ‘up in the Gods’.
A big venue with 3000 capacity (I think) but shows there still feel intimate enough to make it definitely worth going to — a stunnign place both inside and out.

I love seeing a show in here! Its nickname is the armadillo, so if you’re lost and you can’t find it then you really do have a bad sense of direction because you can’t miss it!
The seats are very roomy and comfortable and the view from all seats i’ve ever been in (stalls) is always really good. The staff seem to be pretty quick so you’re never waiting around too long.

Great for comedy shows and more mellow sounds is a nice looking building aswell, drinks prices seem to be notably higher than the secc though which isnt too great. tickets to shows here often sell out quicker due to is smaller capacity though, great acoustics in the building

The Clyde Auditorium (also known as the Armadillo due to its shape) is a great venue for all types of shows. Have been to comedy shows here and they have always been great, but music events here are great, the armadillo is purpose built for music and the acoustics are great. It resembles the Sydney Opera House in its look from the outside, I think its an amazing building and a great venue for all events!