In this section you will find some of the comments kindly sent to us by the people who graced the Apollo stage.

Watch out for contributions from Chris de Burgh, The Groundhogs, Martha and the Muffins, Gary Numan, Sham 69 (Sham-Pistols), Krokus, OMD, Stiff Little Fingers, Wishbone Ash, Graham Parker, SAHB, ABC, Gordon Giltrap, Y&T, Secret Affair, Ralph McTell, Joan Armatrading, Howard Jones, Tom Paxton,The Jam, The Anti Nowhere League, Shakin' Stevens, DEVO, Ultravox, Howard Jones, Hazel O'Connor, Steeleye Span, Tom Robinson, Fagin, 10cc, Heavy Pettin', The Clancy Brothers, Big Country and Whitesnake.

More to come including.... Magnum, Spider, Rab Noakes and Shakin' Stevens.

If you played at the Green's Playhouse the Apollo or at Satellite City please email Band Memories.

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Dave Parson of Sham 69 "..The first time we played Glasgow I think we were playing a club above the Apollo (does that make sense) I remember sitting in the venue watching Black Sabbath set up and sound check, and just from that you could tell that there was something magical about the place. We played there a few times the most memorable being when we bought Paul Cook and Steve Jones (Sex Pistols) on for the second half, the atmosphere was electric - I remember looking out and seeing the balcony lituraly bouncing up and down. Of all the gigs Iv'e played ,the Apollo ranks as one of ,if not the best in the world - great memories.."

Tom Robinson of TRB "..In 1975 played there supporting Barclay James Harvest with acoustic (Ray Davies - produced) trio Cafe Society. I was suporting guitarst and backing singer in that group. Advancing age and many misspent years in rock bands have robbed me of most of my brain and memory cells, but to the best of my recollection Glasgow was a very different city in those days for a bunch of young nervous and inexperienced Englishmen making their first trip north of the border. When we stopped our transit van somewhere in the Gorbals to ask for directions, every building we came to appeared to be a shuttered, wire-meshed pub, and we couldn't understand a word anyone said. At the venue we went out onto the lip of that terrifyingly high stage with our little acoustic guitars above what appeared to be a bearpit and the audience subsided a little, weighing us up. Since they'd paid to see BJH not 'some soft sassenach folk group' it honestly felt like they were deciding whether to boo or bottle us off. An early dodgy moment came when one of our singers, Hereward Kaye, tried to find some common ground with the "lads" in the audience by referring to The Football - in his nervousness forgetting he was no longer in England. That didn't go down too well. He swung things back our way almost immediately when a roadie crawled out in front of him on the stage to fiddle around fixing a broken cable at the foot of his mike stand - instantly quipping in a Frank Spencer voice "Someone's done a whoopsie on the floo-wah" and the audience roared with laughter. From then on, the crowd suddenly - almost as one person - seemed to go "nah, they're alright" and warmed to us. It ended up being one of the best nights of the tour. Three years later I was back with TRB headlining in our own right and it was THE best night of the tour - just the wildest, warmest audience a band could ever want. Hell, we even got laid afterwards.."

Gary Numan "..It was the first major concert venue I ever played, September 1979. I remember being amazed as the people in the front rows of the stalls downstairs had to run backwards away from the stage when we came on. The stage was so high that they couldn't see anything if they stayed in their seats. It's the only venue I've ever played, anywhere in the world, where the fans run away from you.."

Tony (TS) McPhee of The Groundhogs "..My fondest memories of the venue was, when it was Green's playhouse,when we supported the Stones in March 1971 to a packed house (3,000?) (although I didn't make the 'early' show, I missed my train!) and then came back on our own tour in December and had the same amount of people! I do remember the 'dressing rooms' under the stage and the fluorescing piles of rat poison but mainly the boiler which, although it kept the area warm I felt was in imminent danger of blowing up!! When Stray supported us on one tour we had our own JBL PA and the speakers were around 8 foot tall, bins,mids & top (see inside cover of 'Hogwash')and, because the stage was 'raked' they seemed to be at a dangerous angle(it wouldn't be allowed today!!!) and when I heard a loud BANG when I was in the under-stage area I was SURE the speakers had fallen over so I was quite releived when our roadies came down with my Mellotron which seemed to have all BLACK keys. It wasn't the speakers falling over, with all the carnage that would cause,that made the BANG, it was Stray's Roadies setting off a 'Thunderflash' in a dust-bin that caused all the decades of dust and what seemed like SOOT to rain down on my keyboard disguising the white keys!!! Good luck with the site we need to keep the memories alive of a classic venue..."

David Meniketti of Y&T "..Great memories to be sure. It's a nice touch to have the set lists of the bands that played there, as well. If there is anything I can add to your site I'll surely send it your way.."

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