Venue Profile: The Warehouse

3 Jun 2008 in Moray

The Warehouse in Lossiemouth

Director’s Statement: Laura Greig

THE WAREHOUSE, Lossiemouth’s live venue, has flourished considerably since opening almost three years ago. The Warehouse was born out of a desire by proprietor Derek Laing to have somewhere to stage plays and musicals he had written. The Warehouse opened successfully with the musical Two Women of Tahiti. That seems so long ago now.

The Warehouse has now been developed into a popular live venue which stages regular live music, theatre and comedy from professional artists and theatre companies.

A large portion of the music we stage is traditional and folk music, and we’ve had some of the top names in that genre perform here. Word has spread about the acoustics and atmosphere of the venue and artists are now considering The Warehouse as a ‘must’ for their tour. Perhaps it is the original stone walls and wooden joists that give the venue its unique feel, or perhaps it is the wonderful audience we attract. Most likely it is a mix of both of these factors.

We have also staged other types of music such as blues, rock, indie, jazz and bluegrass, and we will continue to offer a colourful selection throughout the year.

It has taken two and a half years to build up a good core audience but we can now say that The Warehouse is one of the most popular venues in the north east of Scotland with both artists and audience alike. People now know about us and they keep coming back which is even better.

We have recently opened a bar within the building and it is proving very popular with customers. We really wanted to create something different from anywhere else in the area. We took a long time to decide how it should look and we are very happy with the result. We are now aiming to develop a programme of events specific for the space in the bar area, such as poetry groups, acoustic nights, open mic nights, film screenings, story telling and just a lovely place for people to enjoy.

We feel The Warehouse really is a special facility for Moray, we only stage the best of live entertainment so people can trust that when they purchase a ticket they won’t be disappointed.

Laura Greig
Events Coordinator

Laura Greig faces the questions:

NORTHINGS: When was the venue established?

LAURA: The Warehouse opened in September 2005

NORTHINGS: What famous names have taken to the stage?

LAURA: Aly Bain, Fred Morrison, Duncan Chisholm, Charlie McKerron, Old Blind Dogs, Dougie MacLean, Session A9, Tannahill Weavers.

NORTHINGS: What are your big ideas for the future of the venue?

LAURA: We have recently opened a bar upstairs in the venue which we would love to develop into somewhere different from people to enjoy. A coffee house / licensed bar with live entertainment, films, poetry, story telling, etc. A relaxing space for people to come, read a book or socialise with friends. The space itself is flexible enough to compliment many different types of events.

We currently hold weekly master classes in the Bodhran and we plan to hold master classes in other instruments such as the wooden flute, whistle, guitar and bagpipes, just to name a few.

We are also planning to take our in-house production of The New Tales of Para Handy on tour around Scotland within the next year. The show was written and produced by Derek Laing of The Warehouse, and is currently available on DVD.

NORTHINGS: Does the venue have a ghost?

LAURA: One person told us several times that they saw a ghost. Other people have smelt pipe tobacco when there has been no smoking on the premises. Given that the building is more than one hundred years old there may well be unsettled spirits living in the building.

NORTHNGS: What was your worst disaster?

LAURA: The toilets blocked twice within the first week of opening. Thankfully they have never blocked since. Touch Wood.

NORTHINGS: And what was your biggest triumph?

LAURA: Our biggest triumph is establishing a successful venue which has made Lossiemouth a popular choice for professional artists to come too. The town in general has and will continue to benefit from the publicity associated with tours from the likes of Aly Bain, Session A9 and Dougie MacLean.

NORTHINGS: If you could have any artist in the world for a one-off special, who would it be, and why?

LAURA: Bob Dylan. From the beginning of his career, Dylan established his own individual style but managed somehow to cover most genres of music at the same time. His lyrics are raw, meaningful and honest. He is a singer, songwriter, author, musician, artist and poet. He has shown longevity like very few others. His latest album, Modern Times, released in 2006, entered the US album charts at number one, Bob was 65 years old at the time.

NORTHINGS: Why should people look forward to visiting your venue?

LAURA: The Warehouse has a great ambience which is created by the original stone walls, wooden joists and the friendly welcome. There is a really good vibe within the venue that both the audience and artists alike have commented favourably upon.

Then there are the artists themselves. They are always polite, very professional and very, very talented. It is amazing how much talent this country has. We’d like to show you.