© 2026 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Donate Today
Fall 2026 Drive Pop-Up

Tales From Glasgow's Most Storied Music Venues

Nicola Meighan plays tour guide this episode of <em>World Cafe</em>'s Sense of Place.
Alan Braidwood
/
Courtesy of the artist
Nicola Meighan plays tour guide this episode of World Cafe's Sense of Place.

Rumor has it David Bowie stole one of the famous decorative stars from the Barrowland Ballroom (a.k.a. Barrowlands) in Glasgow, Scotland. Guitar great John Martyn used to play in the corner by the fireplace of The Scotia, the city's oldest pub. And Glasgow's Grand Ole Opry is truly a country Western homage to its Nashville namesake.

Scottish music journalist and presenter Nicola Meighan bundled up on a chilly fall night to take us on a tour of Glasgow's music scene and tell stories about its most notable venues. We kicked it off at independent record shop Monorail Music and were treated to a surprise Scottish music celebrity sighting. Come along in the player.

Copyright 2021 XPN. To see more, visit XPN.

Talia Schlanger hosts World Cafe, which is distributed by NPR and produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. She got her start in broadcasting at the CBC, Canada's national public broadcaster. She hosted CBC Radio 2 Weekend Mornings on radio and was the on-camera host for two seasons of the television series CBC Music: Backstage, as well as several prime-time music TV specials for CBC, including the Quietest Concert Ever: On Fundy's Ocean Floor. Schlanger also guest hosted various flagship shows on CBC Radio One, including As It Happens, Day 6 and Because News. Schlanger also won a Canadian Screen Award as a producer for CBC Music Presents: The Beetle Roadtrip Sessions, a cross-country rock 'n' roll road trip.
Kimberly Junod is the senior producer of World Cafe.

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.