Rufus T Firefly

Pub 103: Rufus T Firefly

Guest spot from wiktor jurek this week as im currently at the fringe and im pished.

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Some nights start with a plan, and others begin at the glee comedy club, watching a comedian named Reverend Obediah Steppenwolf the Third do the Lord's work by inciting a civil war in the crowd. We can thank the raging absentees for their leftover pizza.

We decided to lean into the chaos, sparking a tour of pubs you'd normally cross the street to avoid.

(Shout-out to intermezzo, review bound to come at some point - get on it, Alex!)

That's how we found ourselves on, of all places, Hope Street, pushing through the door of Rufus T. Firefly. Drury Street, (Glasgow's other rock pub) might be down the road for those looking for a grungier vibe, but the two have carved out their niches.

Rufus isn't a pub; it's a liminal space. A holding pen where goths and rockers hover between peace and moshpits, a waiting room for the damned. The air is thick with the promise that, whether you want to or not, you will be moshing to Nickelback at catty in the following hours.

We’d barely found a sticky patch of table before being adopted by an Alex Turner wannabe who proceeded to give us some truly unsolicited life advice, all whilst dissecting our outfits for their clear lack of black. It was the most aggressively friendly encounter I’ve ever had. Naturally, we saw him two hours later, front and centre on the second floor of the Catty.

The system works.

This is the sort of pub where it's capacity is directly linked to the Glasgow gig guide. If you see a sea of Anthrax t-shirts drifting through Central Station in the afternoon, chances are this place is going to be absolutely mobbed by 7pm. Plan accordingly.

Look, if you’re after a quiet pint and a chat, this isn't it. But if you’ve just been thoroughly ragebaited by a comedian and you need to find some friends before stepping through the dark gates of Glasgow's gothic underbelly, you won’t be disappointed.

[6/10]

(Photos 2024)