We're gearing up to celebrate two decades of creativity, collaboration, and cultural evolution — through art, music, fashion, whisky, and innovation.
2025 marks 20 years of SWG3 being at the heart of Scotland’s creative landscape —a place where music, art, and culture have converged, evolved, and thrived.
From our origins as a disused warehouse to a dynamic hub of artistic expression, we have been a catalyst for ideas, a home for boundary-pushing talent, and a stage for unforgettable moments. To celebrate this milestone, we're embarking on a journey of creative collaborations, special projects, and landmark events that honour its past while looking firmly to the future.
A series of projects will unfold throughout the year, each reflecting a different facet of our creative DNA.
Acclaimed visual artist Sandy Smith — who is now based in New York, but was once among the first to rent a studio at SWG3 returns with a sculpture which will be permanently installed in the community garden. The work which is titled Please Don’t Break My Heart is a reimagining of his seminal work, which reads All The Time I Was Making This I Was Thinking Of You, and it pays tribute to our artistic roots while bridging the past and present.
This artwork also inspires a collaboration with Folk Clothing, resulting in a limited-edition collection that embodies the intersection of art and fashion that has long been part of our identity.
On top of this, a partnership with The Clydeside Distillery and renowned artist Jim Lambie will see the release of a unique, limited-edition single malt whisky, which is matured in first-fill bourbon barrels from 2018 and finished for six months in a Pedro Ximénez sherry butt – and it pays tribute to one of our most notable friends and a longstanding figure in our history. Before becoming the distinctive space for live music, clubs, and more that it is today, our ground floor was a wedding car garage. In 2006, as the space transitioned into a gallery, and Jim Lambie was invited to create work for the Comme des Garçons Guerrilla Store +44 141. Using a white Daimler Limousine from the garage as his canvas, he adorned it with his signature style layering psychedelic vinyl tape across its surface. The vehicle was displayed as part of the project before the space later evolved into the Gallery and then the TV Studio in 2015. Now, the artwork will be revisited for the whisky’s packaging, with the bottle and tubing adorned in the Paisley Pattern.
Our story will also be captured in print, with a commemorative 20 Years of SWG3 book curated by resident designer Phoebe Wilson and poet Leyla Josephine. Weaving together key moments, personal reflections, and unseen and unheard memories, it will offer a vivid tapestry of the artists, musicians, and communities who have shaped the venue.
Our pioneering BODYHEAT system, an innovative renewable thermal heating and cooling system, will be celebrated through a series of signature events. Integrating cutting-edge low-carbon technology, BODYHEAT captures warmth from the movement of audiences, repurposing it through heat pumps and geothermal storage to sustainably heat and cool the venue. First introduced in 2021 with a show from Honey Dijon, the system has been a driving force in our sustainability efforts. In 2025, a specially curated lineup of performances will highlight its impact, reinforcing the venue’s commitment to innovation, club culture, and a greener future.
Reaching 20 years is a special moment for SWG3. The space has evolved in ways we could never have fully imagined, but at its heart, it has always been about creativity, collaboration, and community. This year is about reflecting on that journey, celebrating the people who have been part of it, and looking ahead to what’s next.
Andrew Fleming-Brown, SWG3 Founder and Director.
Further details on each project, along with additional announcements, will be unveiled throughout the year, and can be viewed here.
