This was the first time I had attended TRNSMT and I was absolutely buzzing to attend to see what it was like. The weather couldn't have been better for it all weekend. What more could you ask for in Glasgow than the sun shining, great atmosphere and live music?
The first artist we managed to catch was Scarlett Randle who opened up the new Queen Tuts stage. Having saw Scarlett perform at the Off The Record event in Dundee back in November I was buzzing to see her live again and she did not disappoint. Strutting around in a cracking purple velvet suit, Scarlett's stage presence compliments her superb vocals so well that David Bowie would be jealous. It was great to here her latest single, Her, live for the first time and also my favourite song, Berlin. The interaction with the crowd between songs was brilliant and I'm sure she will have picked up a few new fans. I also had the chance to interview Scarlett after her performance which will be available soon.
After heading to the bar for a pint or two, it was back down to the Queen Tuts stage to see Glasgow's finest and my pal Carly Connor. It had far too long since I had saw Carly perform but the wait for definitely was worth it as she absolutely nailed her set. With the sun belting down and a decent sized down crowd to watch, Carly delivered a set which not only sounded great but her crowd interaction had people stop by and watch. Having previously going for the more soulful sounding songs such as Who's Gonna Love You?, Carly has changed her sound and in her own words went "full hillbilly" with her latest EP The Goldie Hawn Stole My Guitar" which sounds amazing. Hearing all the songs live was brilliant and if you can the change to see Carly at a gig near you then you should go, you wont be disappointed! I also had the chance to interview Carly after her performance which will be available soon.
Having did a few interviews and looked around the the stages hearing parts of sets, it was time to try out the food vans in the VIP area and it was superb! After a few more pints it was time to make my way over to the Main Stage...
I made it down just in time to for Gerry Cinnamon starting. With the arena packed out, the atmosphere was electric for Scotland's finest performing. Despite a few guitar issues at the start, Gerry battered on regardless and the Crowd pushed him all the way. At time's I couldn't hear his vocals due to the crowd singing a long to every word which was proper spine tingling moment. Having seen Gerry at various locations, Glasgow will always be the best place to see him live. The crowd absolutely love him and he responds by putting on the best performance he can. Not bad for a guy with just a guitar and drum pedal eh? It's been amazing to watch the rise of Gerry taking over not only Scotland but now starting to take over down in England and even into Europe now too. The sky is really the limit for the Castlemilk local.
Headlining the King Tuts stage was Example. Now I will be honest here, I was not really bothered by seeing him but in all honesty he was probably my stand out of the day. There was a massive crowd came down to the area to see him and they were not left disappointed. Performing banging tunes such as Kickstarts, Changed The Way You Kissed Me and more recent tunes such as All Night the crowd were bouncing, dancing and singing a long to every word and the atmosphere was amazing. Example also made numerous references to the Scottish crowd and repeated how much he likes it up in Scotland by saying " I fucking love it up here, you guys are the best" which got a huge cheer each time. Hopefully Example is back in Scotland in the near future as I would love to see him perform again, a brilliant set.
Day 2 couldn't have started any better with The Snuts kicking off Saturday by opening the main stage. A large crowd had came down to see them early and they were not left disappointed. Opening with "What's happenin wer're the fuckin Snuts" the crowd was jumping and did not stop for the whole set. Playing singles such as Seasons and Glasgow, which went down a treat in Glasgow. They looked completely at home on the massive main stage and one day I can see them being the headliners of TRNSMT.
On the King Tuts stage I managed to catch one of my favourite Glasgow bands, The Dunts. Playing songs such as Dimitri and Bad Decisions, the Glasgow crowd who had gathered to watch the council punk rockers were treated to a face paced set full of the raw passion and high energy. However the band did have a surprise for the audience. They did a cover of Outkast's Hey Ya which on the face of it sounds like a crazy concept but it actually worked brilliantly, it's always great to see a band cover a song that is nothing like their own sound and actually make it their own. A great set and I can't wait to see them again in October on their Scottish tour.
For our first visit to the Queen Stage on the Saturday we caught one of my home town bands, Sahara. Its not very often that Sahara gig these days so it was great to catch them live. For this gig, they had loaned Rory from Plasmas to play the synths to add something different to their sound and it really worked. This was probably the best I have heard them perform and I've seen them a number of times over the year. Their brilliant set included the singles Follow On and my personal favourite Never Get The Time. I'm just hoping I won't have to wait for ages their next gig!
Next to take to the Queen Tuts stage were Crystal. Now, regular DM readers will know I've seen them about a million times in the last year and there is only so much I can say that's different and not the same as previous articles. However, I honestly think that this was the best I've heard them play, the sound was perfect and also they had a decent sized crowd who were right up for it from the first note of the first song. Their set included their crowd pleasing songs such as Sex Rich and Sugar Sweet. If you haven't seen them before then you are totally missing out, it won't be long before they are playing much bigger stages than the one they played At TRNSMT. It's great to see one of my favourite bands contain to go from strength to strength.
The headliner for the King Tuts stage on Saturday night were London rockers The Hunna. This was the first time I had the chance to see them live and after their performance this will not be the last time. They were superb. The fact that all the members of the band came out in kilts made the crowd love them even more. This set was one of the most high energy sets I've ever seen, with all members of the band, excluding the drummer obviously, with wireless guitars or microphones to allow them run about the stage freely. They really know how to get a crowd into a frenzy and this carried on from on from the first note to the last. Their set included the massive anthems She's Casual and Bonfire. A band who clearly love Scotland and Scotland equally loves them back. A top set to round off Saturday.
Sunday couldn't have kicked off better with Edinburgh indie rockers Retro Video Club. Not many bands can claim to have had the same rapid rise in the Scottish music scene in the last year or so than RVC. They have a great following and a big crowd had turned out early to see them which was well deserved. Their set included addicted and the same that really kicked off their rise, Chemistry which is one of my favourite songs. The band are selling out gigs across Scotland which just shows what the Scottish public think of them. The first time I saw them was in Conroy's Basement in Dundee in front of about 50 people, a long way from the King Tuts stage at TRNSMT. Well done lads!
Next up to the King Tuts stage were SEA GIRLS, a band who first caught my attention back in 2018 at Belladrum, the great festival near Inverness. They blew me away that day with their set and they did it again at TRNSMT. They are a very energetic band which transmits ( see what I did there? ) to the crowd who were bouncing a long to every song. Great band to watch and see them enjoying playing live. Very catchy tunes and hopefully I don't need to wait another year and attend another festival to see them again.
A band who I used to be obsessed with back in the mid 2000's were The Wombats so it was a real treat to actually get to see them live for the first time at TRNSMT. This was a perfect festival set, combining some new songs with the old school classics such as Kill The Director and Moving To New York. For a 3 piece band they make a great sound, with catchy guitar riffs and memorable lyrics.
Now the moment most of the Sunday crowd had been waiting for, it was time for Scotland's man of the moment Lewis Capaldi to enter the stage and what better way to enter than wearing a Chewbacca mask whilst walking onto Bit's and Pieces? After being told he looked like Chewbacca by Noel Gallagher this was the ultimate response from Scotland's funniest musician. Lets not forget that Lewis has very good music all, shown by the fact he's had a number one album for a number of weeks. The biggest crowd of the weekend wedged themselves to any available space in front of the main stage. This performance was one of music and comedy. Taking a break after a few songs, Lewis said he felt like Freddie Mercury at Live Aid and decided to do a Scottish version of the famous crowd interaction Freddie did but this time he used Scottish words, which the crowd duly responded. The highlight of the set though was when Lewis dedicated the next song to his "dear old da" Noel and proceeded to play Don't Look Back In Anger which led to the best sing a long of the weekend. A great set and its always a joy to see Lewis performing on stage, not just his music but also his comedy. This was my first experience of TRNSMT and I certainly hope it's not my last. A great festival which is well run and the sunny weather all weekend rounded off a top weekend of superb live music.
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