ANDREW BATCHELOR: Dundee bar keeping Groucho’s name

The V&A Dundee, the Discovery, the McManus.

These are some of the most recognisable landmarks for people who live in Dundee.

But for music lovers in the city, Groucho’s is on that list too.

For decades, Groucho’s was visited by Dundonians with a love for music. You could buy records, vinyl, cassettes and CDs.

It was undoubtedly one of the most iconic places in the city, being dubbed the “coolest record store in Britain”.

Groucho’s was owned by Alastair “Breeks” Brodie, who ran the record store for four decades .

I was sad when Breeks died in 2019. I would have loved to have met the man behind this iconic record store and hear his story.

The iconic record shop closed in 2020, and although the building remained empty, it was good to see some of the former employees carry on Breeks’ legacy by setting up a new independent shop on Union Street, Thirteen Records.

Every time I drove past the old place on the Nethergate, seeing the shutters closed all the time was heart-breaking, because it was a place that meant so much to Dundonians.

But when passing the Nethergate over the weekend, I saw the shutters opened and the windows visible.

That’s because Groucho’s is about to be reinvented with the name being kept at its heart. I am here for it.

Turning Groucho’s into a live music bar naturally fits and keeping the name is the icing on the cake for this new project.

It is being brought back to life by Jimmy Fyffe, owner of JF Kegs, who wanted to keep the heritage of Groucho’s at the heart of its re-invention.

Groucho’s is part of a welcome live music revival in Dundee

Live music needs a boost at the moment in Dundee, and we’re already seeing this with the re-opening of Clark’s on Lindsay Street which closed during the pandemic but reopened a couple of months ago.

We also have Duke’s Corner getting back into the field of live music, with their brand new “Live Transmission” nights and Church Dundee, another local music venue, is aiming to boost Sunday Sessions gigs too.

All this along with Groucho’s coming back as a live music bar could see live music making a serious revival in the city, and that is fantastic.

I am overjoyed to see Groucho’s reinvented with its music heritage at its heart – and I like to think Breeks would be looking down and proud.