THE second weekend in July only means one thing in Glasgow – and that’s the return of TRNSMT Festival. The Glasgow Green festival welcomes thousands of music fans every year for three days of thrilling live performances from a mix of bonafide stars and breakthrough artists.
And this year was no different with a broad-ranging line-up that jumped from rock and indie, to dance, rap and pop with ease – bringing back some familiar faces alongside a new wave of artists ready to rise through the ranks.
Our weekend started with Sugababes on the Main Stage – as good a start as any. With the sun shining, the original line-up back in place and their sublime vocal harmonies out in force in a set full of nostalgic bangers like ‘Freak Like Me’, ‘Hole In The Head’, ‘Overload’ and ‘About You Now’, it was an ideal mid-afternoon slot.
Later on, a secret set from Travis provided one of the many weekend highlights. It’s testament to the festival organisers that TRNSMT continues to throw up some surprises. Following Craig David’s surprise set on the dodgems earlier in the day, the Scottish stars made an appearance at the newly minted Hangout, an enclosed and intimate pub garden just a stone’s throw from the River Stage. Delivering a short but sweet set of classics to a jubilant crowd who were in full voice, it was like a shot of serotonin to carry through the day.
It’s one of the less talked-about things at TRNSMT – there’s so much more to the festival than the Main Stage. This year, the Hangout hosted acoustic acts and ceilidh bands, the Jaigermeister Platz hosted a pop-up nightclub that offered something different from the teen-infested Boogie Bar, and the Reset Area provided some rest and relaxation with beanbags and a Radio 1 photobooth which fans could use throughout the weekend.
Of course, we’ve seen the likes of Liam Gallagher, Example, Dylan John Thomas and The Snuts on the Main Stage before, and but there is variety at TRNSMT for those who seek it out – particularly on the King Tuts and River Stages which played host to a myriad of exciting artists, covering a wide variety of genres.
On the River Stage, two such stand-outs were Heartworms and Brogeal. The former was effortlessy cool, delivering a tight set of dark, gothic post-punk to a sparse crowd, while the latter, in the midst of a busy year of touring, delivered a barn-storming set of folk-rock anthems with plenty of gusto and effortless cool. Think The Pogues but from Falkirk.
We managed to catch the end of an impassioned set of hazy rock from the brilliant Wunderhorse before The Last Dinner Party brought their theatrics to the King Tuts Stage. Very much the breakthrough band of 2024, they attracted a huge crowd, running through finely crafted songs like ‘The Feminine Urge’, ‘Sinner’ and massive blowout ‘Nothing Matters’ with melodrama, flamboyance, charisma and plenty of dancing.
Meanwhile, The Snuts played their biggest TRNSMT set to date over on the Main Stage. The West Lothian quartet have risen through the ranks of the festival – from the King Tuts stage to where they are now – and they had the adoring crowd in the palm of their hand for the duration of their hit-strewn set. Forever on the rise, they used the moment to announce their upcoming headline show at the OVO Hydro, their biggest Scottish show to date.
There were plenty of stellar performances to choose from but Friday night was all about Liam Gallagher. It didn’t take too long to work that out either – every third person was clad in Pretty Green, Oasis or Liam Gallagher merchandise and an accompanying bucket hat. So when the man himself appeared on stage, it was no surprise that he was met with waves of enthusiasm from his adoring audience.
“I’ll be sick of the f****** sight of you soon, won’t I?” he jested with them, having already played the city three times this year. After all, it was just a month ago that Gallagher played two sold-out shows at the OVO Hydro. The Oasis frontman was back though to lead another buoyant celebration of ‘Definitely Maybe’, the 1994 debut seminal album from Oasis. Appropriate then that he should start the set with ‘Rock N Roll Star’ with huge gusto, his energy matched by the crowd, before launching into the likes of ‘Columbia’, ‘Shakermaker’ and ‘Bring It On Down’.
With no room for any of his solo work, the crowd was treated to numerous Oasis deep cuts like ‘D’Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman’ and ‘Married with Children’, and while the atmosphere started to feel flat at times (perhaps they weren’t used to the more considered setlisting and various off-cuts), they were never faraway from a mass singalong – particularly with the usually Noel-led ‘Half the World Away’ and the stunning strings-adorned ‘Whatever’, which proved a set highlight.
A nostalgia fest from start to finish, he ended on a high with the immortal and utterly invincible ‘Live Forever’. It’s another triumphant headline slot from a legend who has become a hero to a whole new generation.
Saturday was a hard act to follow then but we got started with the Mary Wallopers on the Main Stage. A band who seized our attention at last year’s festival over at the King Tuts Stage, they took on the bigger platform with ease – and even if the crowd felt small, they were full of enthusiasm for the band’s raucous, hilarious and jubilant Irish folk anthems.
A late addition to the line-up, Soapbox took their moment on the River Stage and ran with it – delivering one of the most hard-hitting, crazed and captivating sets of the weekend. Tom Rowan was in typically formidable form – orchestrating one mosh pit after another, while joining in himself, against a backdrop of raw, relentless punk music. Not only do they put on a show, but the tunes are brilliant too – offering social commentary with no shortage of wit and humour, taking aim at anything from the state of public transport to Prince Andrew. Bigger slots await this band, watch this space.
Other highlights of Saturday included a devilishly tight set from Dead Pony on the King Tuts stage. Battling an unfortunate clash with indie heroes The Vaccines, the band took it in their stride and did exactly what they do best – delivering their hard rock bangers with a pulverising intensity and effortless charisma. Drawing mainly from their brilliant debut album ‘IGNORE THIS’, the likes ‘MK Nothing’ and ’23, Never Me’ and ‘MANA’ saw them at full throttle, while an inflatable pony added fun to the chaos.
Plasticine made a good impression on the River Stage, with ‘On My Own’ a definite set highlight, while Dylan John Thomas confirmed his now arena-headlining status with a set of celebratory singalongs in front of a massive crowd on the Main Stage – namely the skiffle-inspired ‘Jenna’ and fan favourite ‘Fever’. He may be placed in line to take the top spot one day.
One of the more unexpected picks for the weekend was undoubtedly Rick Astley – the English pop icon has had something of a renaissance in recent years thanks to his work with Blossoms and his cover-heavy set at Glastonbury. That’s exactly what he brought to TRNSMT – with the likes of CHIC, Sam Fender and AC/DC all getting a moment. There’s no denying it was all very upbeat and crowd-pleasing, before coming to a head with the defining 80s pop anthem ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’.
Meanwhile, Manchester indie legends Courteeners could very well have been headlining on the Saturday – such is the reverence with which they are held around these parts – and it didn’t take long for them to send the crowd into a frenzy. Running through live classics like ‘Are You In Love With A Notion?’ as well as crowd favourites from their 2008 classic ‘St Jude’, they were enjoying it every much as their dedicated fans – signing off with the signature ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ and ‘What Took You So Long?’, both faultlessly executed and met one of the biggest crowd responses of the weekend.
Over on the River Stage, Glasgow punks Gallus brought our day to a close in typically rip-roaring fashion. With a formidable live reputation, they tore through material from their acclaimed debut ‘We Don’t Like The People We’ve Become’ with ferocity, humour and a palpable infectious energy. Leading the charge was the band’s Barry Dolan, in typically frenetic form and orchestrating the chaos that unfolded before him, while the band lay down their pummelling rhythms and melodic guitar lines with sharp precision. There were guests too – the brilliant Tina Sandwich took to the stage for recent single ‘Wash Your Wounds’ while Dead Pony’s Anna Shields made an impromptu appearance for the rousing ‘Fruitflies’. For those who hadn’t had enough (and for those lucky enough to get a ticket), they continued their victory lap over at McChuills, treating to a boiling hot (!), sweaty, frenzied show full of deep cuts and covers.
Sunday was a slower affair, but there were highlights from Majesty Palm, CMAT, Rachel Chinouriri and Nova Twins. Majesty Palm brought their shimmering, pristine synth pop sound to the River Stage, while two years after playing a midday slot on that very same stage, CMAT took on the Main Stage with ease – full of confidence, charm and country-pop bangers.
Later on, Rachel Chinouriri made her debut on the King Tuts stage, performing material from her rightly acclaimed album ‘What A Devastating Turn of Events’. She’s an artist with incredible vocal power and undeniable charisma – and she’s definitely one to watch, while on the same stage, Nova Twins delivered a blistering, riff-heavy set full of meaty basslines and attitude. With a live reputation that precedes them, they undoubtedly lived up the hype and more.
So, all in all, there was something for everyone at TRNSMT – for those who wanted to tick off some new up-and-coming bands, enjoy a mass singalong at the Main Stage or just have a dance at the Boogie Bar. And while, given its magnitude, eyebrows are raised at the line-up each year, there’s no denying it provides a great platform for emerging artists, both from Scotland and beyond – which is only a good thing for the festival’s future. What’s more, it’s also a lot of fun.
