A LEGENDARY comedy club is set to move to a new venue after 25 years.
The Stand Comedy Club has announced it is moving to The Lansdowne Church, currently Websters Theatre, on Great Western Road and have signed a 25 year lease.
It has been located at its current spot around 100 yards away on Woodlands Road for a quarter of a century.
The Lansdowne is a prominent landmark in the West End and is located across the road from Kelvinbridge subway station.
Mike Jones, The Stand's director, says its hoped the move will help the comedy club realise its "future ambition".
He said: "After 25 fantastic years in our current venue, it’s the right time for The Stand to make a new move that will allow us to grow into the future.
"We’re very excited to be moving to The Lansdowne Church which is such an iconic building in the city and will enable us to meet our future ambition, expand our programme into new areas and become a greater community hub in the West End of Glasgow."
The Lansdowne will offer a higher audience capacity, full disabled access and a permanent separate bar to The Stand itself.
While the move is exciting, bosses also say it will be an "emotional and nostalgic one" as The Stand's current venue has played a role in the development of stand-up in Scotland with household names such as Frankie Boyle, Kevin Bridges and Susie McCabe all cutting their teeth on that stage.
Fraser Milroy, venue manager, said: "There is undoubtedly a lot of love for this room – there’s is a lot of history here and comics and our audiences alike will tell you it has a reputation of being one of the best rooms to perform comedy – not just in Scotland and the UK but around the world.
"What makes it great is not the bricks and mortar but the alchemy of the staff, the acts and the audiences.
"We will be taking all that history, love and expertise into the new venue with us.
"The people of Glasgow have a strong connection with this club – we want them to have that same ownership and pride when we move."
Last year, The Stand sold its famous stage backdrop which comics had performed in front of since it opened in 2000 until 2022.
The backdrop featured a painting of a young boy dressed as a cowboy holding a gun to his head.
It was replaced by a painting of an unarmed young cowboy with money raised from the online auction going towards its charitable organisation which encourages primary school children to write and perform comedy.
The Stand is set to reveal more about the move as work commences over the summer months.
