Rebecca Baird: Seeing LiveHouse made me believe the hype

Dreaming in Dundee can be a dangerous game.

It’s a city used to blue-sky ideas being announced, over-promised and under-delivered.

From the Eden Project, which has now been pushed back to 2030, to rumoured e-sports arenas which are yet to materialise, disappointment can sometimes become Dundee’s default.

And when new venue LiveHouse didn’t open in December as promised, part of me feared it was just another pipe dream.

I’m so happy I was wrong.

Even empty, LiveHouse has atmosphere

Last week, I got to step inside the renovated building for the first time to interview the man behind the operation, well-known Dundee venue owner Gus Robb.

As I walked in through the doors off the Nethergate, workers were clanking about putting the finishing touches on the place.

But although it was empty, there was already a palpable atmosphere about the place.

The small staircases leading to different areas of the same room give it the feeling a wee warren, where loads can be going on at once.

I can picture crowds of folk carrying drinks, dancing with pals, buzzing back and forth from the main stage.

And while the huge, high ceiling makes the space feel grand and impressive, the mezzanine cutting the room in half means that there’s still a sense of sheltered intimacy on the ground.

Stage will be adored by short music fans

The stage, adorned with lit-up letters spelling LIVEHOUSE, is the showstopper.

And (excitingly for those on the shorter side, like me) it’s decently tall, meaning you’ll be able to see the acts on it from the back of the room.

Walking on the stage itself, I discovered it’s bigger than it looks.

Letters have been added to the former Mecca Bingo tower by giant aerial ladder. Image: LiveHouse

If I was an act that liked to moved around, like The Last Dinner Party, or Grammy-winner Chappell Roan, I’d find more than enough room here.

But it’s not so big it’ll dwarf those who like a seat and spotlight. The beauty of this building is that it could hold intimate gigs and massive events equally well.

Gus showed me where video screens will go at the side of the stage, and detailed his plans to me for the different phases of development as time goes on (more on that in the full interview).

Speaking to Gus instilled confidence

Hearing him talk about his vast network of music world contacts, it’s clear that this is a man who knows what he’s doing.

There’s no contrived soundbites or sweeping “maybes” in his outlining of LiveHouse’s future, only level-headed, step-by-step plans.

The LiveHouse stage was the showstopper for Rebecca Baird when Gus Robb, pictured, let her have a look around. Image: Supplied.

But his quiet confidence – and the fact he’s fronted up his own money to help fund the venture – signalled to me that the prolonged silence around LiveHouse until now has been a strategic business move, rather than an avoidance tactic.

Intrigue is, after all, a very powerful way to get folk in the door.

He even made a point of telling me he’d “always rather downplay things and then over-deliver”.

If that’s the case, job done.

It’s time to get excited about LiveHouse

When I left LiveHouse in the late afternoon, I was blindsided by the fact it was still light outside.

Benefitting from its origins as a cinema, the place is a world of its own – a dark-walled, windowless vortex where punters will be able to completely immerse themselves in music.

And like everyone else I know who’s had a peek inside, I came away feeling a real buzz and sense of anticipation.