The Athletic Vaults, Mossend, Bellshill

Unfortunately, the Athletic Vaults closed down last Saturday with a well attended farewell party. It has been sold to new owners who intend to convert it into a shop. The Monday night folk music club will be relocating to the nearby Derby Inn and will continue, also on Monday nights, there.

Rumours that the Vaults might be on the verge of closing down for conversion into a supermarket took me back for what I feared might be a final visit. It’s still going strong at present, however. The Monday night Folk Club is still in full swing and seems to be attracting an ever younger crowd, both of musicians and spectators. It tends to be quiet at other times, except for weekends, but let’s hope it won’t be joining the growing list of ex-pubs. Good to see a pub which still sells Tartan Special and McEwan’s Export, as these have become increasingly rare in the West of Scotland.

The Pubsgalore rating system doesn’t allow contributors to differentiate between days of the week, unfortunately. Most of the time, The Athletic Vaults is a pleasant, but ordinary, Lanarkshire local. On the generally least popular evening for drinking (Monday), however, it becomes a lively showcase for local musical talent. The “Acoustic Roots Club,” which has now been going strong for four years, takes place every Monday evening, except in July. For the town which spawned Sheena Easton and Teenage Fanclub, it features a surprisingly impressive variety of virtuosity. Entry is free and new performers are always welcome. The definition of acoustic is pleasingly liberal and performances range from traditional Scottish folk songs to deranged Oasis cover versions. The only down side is that the piano is out of tune. My marking is an average, therefore. It would be higher if every day was like Monday.