TRNSMT Festival – Day 3
Glasgow Green, Glasgow
14th July 2024
Welcome to a weird sold-out Sunday at TRNSMT where Calvin’s bangers and Spanish goals bring the TRNSMT party home in style.
It’s just after noon, the sun’s breaking through on a warm, humid, Glasgow day and the first bands are on stage. Unfortunately, there’s no real audience, just a few hundred who’ve come through as the gates open. Nothing too unusual really but how about this. As we approach four o’clock, 50,000 tickets have been sold but perhaps only a few thousand punters are on site. It’s just weird!
There’s been some good music and impressive performances this afternoon, but occasionally frustration shows itself as acts play to minuscule, apathetic crowds. So what have all these people missed?
There’s a lot of Irish around today and Dublin act Somebody’s Child are first to impress. Indie with plenty of tasteful guitar, but it’s the vocals that are most striking; emotive in tone and delivered with passion. They’re a band who play as though they mean it; new to me but certainly worth exploring further.
CMAT definitely isn’t new to me; stylistically an enigma but a performer who always delivers. She starts slowly, her voice as good as always and dressed to impress in her own unique style. She’s on the Main Stage. In front of her stand maybe a couple of hundred people. Mostly they’re disinterested or perhaps just bemused. After about three songs she dramatically throws herself to the stage floor for effect. No one even seems to notice. She battles on but she’s fighting a losing battle.
Continuing the Irish theme, Kingfishr on the King Tut’s Stage really are something special. Best described as indie folk, this trio aren’t particularly groundbreaking musically. It’s singer Eddie Keogh’s voice that makes them stand out, it’s so haunting and emotive. If talent equates to success then Kingfishr deserve to be huge but of course, that’s rarely the case. And today’s audience? Let’s just say it’s minimal but those present express their heartfelt appreciation.
There’s even more Irish to come so I hang around to wait. Up next are Sprints: raw, energetic, punk-inspired rock. They apologise for being bleary-eyed, today’s gig fitted in between support slots for Idles. The anarchic English rocker’s intense stage presence and lifestyle seems to be rubbing off!
It’s time to head back to the Main Stage. Is there an audience? Well, not really, it’s around 3.30 and the crowds swelled to maybe a few thousand, stood around in small groups or couples with empty spaces around them. Alison Goldfrapp‘s on stage and it’s great to see she’s abandoned her recent demure persona in favour of some colour: Her appearance imbued with the spirit of Aztec serpent god Quetzalcoatl. She delivers a thoroughly enjoyable set mixing songs from her current album with some classic Goldfrapp electropop. But as Oh La La segues into the irresistible Strict Machine, you guessed it, many in the crowd aren’t interested. Eventually, frustrated, she pauses to address them. “You could at least try to move!” Of course, they don’t. For most, her outburst doesn’t even register.
A wander back to King Tut’s takes me to Rachel Chinouriri. It’s a brief visit but long enough to sample some of her often passionate singing as she seamlessly mixes influences ranging from American rock to African-tinged gospel, and soul. There’s no doubting her talent and she’s enjoying herself too.
I’m reluctant to leave but all too soon I’m back at the Main Stage where a crowd of a few thousand has suddenly grown to maybe forty thousand. The multitude has arrived but why? They’ve come to enjoy those nice boys from Stockport. Blossoms are here to treat us to some polite, melodic, indie pop. Now this is something today’s crowd can relate to. No hard edges, no discordant sounds, just sweet melodies with choruses you can sing along to. It’s all very enjoyable in the afternoon sun but before long I’m yearning for something more angular and edgy.
Nova Twins are just what I need. Heavy pulsating rock infused with hip-hop and energy. The “Twins” have all the on-stage charisma that Blossoms lack but of course, there isn’t much of an audience. A few hundred at the front are revelling in the vibe while behind sit little knots of people munching food on the grass. As always, the women (and male drummer) deliver a great performance, but I have to wonder, where’s some new material? They seem to have been delivering almost the same set for the past two years.
Chase and Status are tonight’s penultimate Main Stage act. They’re playing to a rammed arena. Some have stayed after Tom Grennan, biding their time, waiting for the headliner. Many though, are clearly thrilled by their set. For me, Chase and Status deliver the Main Stage performance of the day. Mixing drum and bass classics from their past with tracks from current album 2 RUFF. Vol 1, there’s tangible energy here. Energy that’s enhanced by impressive production values and liberal doses of pyro and CO2.
It’s time for our headliner. There’s no live music, just a DJ twiddling his knobs. If you’re going to book a DJ though, there’s none better for a gig in Glasgow than Scottish superstar Calvin Harris. So let the TRNSMT closing party commence! Bring on two hours of Calvin’s bangers enhanced by pyro, CO2, and a spectacular light show. Calvin’s a man with his eyes on current affairs too. At around 9.20 we hear the loudest roar of the weekend, eclipsing even the response to Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up on Saturday. Why, because Calvin’s just announced that Spain has scored against England in the Euro final. It’s a roar that’s reprised some forty minutes later. For 50,00 partying Scots there’s no better way to close the weekend.
So, the seventh edition of TRNSMT comes to a triumphant close. But has it been a success? Commercially, yes; a sold-out weekend with 50,000 through the gates each day. Has it promoted music as a forward-looking creative art form? On the Main Stage, emphatically no, but there are flickers of life on the smaller stages.
The over-familiarity of some of this weekend’s performers is striking, so excuse the figures but consider this: Gerry Cinnamon has played four of the seven editions; Tom Grennan, five of seven; Blossoms four of seven: Courteeners, three of the past six: Liam Gallagher, three from six; The Snuts, four of the past six; Example, three of the last five.
It’s clear that for the organisers, booking these artists (and their like) makes TRNSMT a cash cow that just keeps on giving. But for how long? TRNSMT seems to have become a right of passage for a conservative audience that knows what it likes and doesn’t appear open to new experiences. Can we blame the organisers for such lacklustre, repetitive, populist lineups? Well, maybe not. They’re a commercial enterprise here to make money and they have tried more left-field headliners: Radiohead in 2017 and Arctic Monkeys in 2019. Both drew mediocre crowds and despite great performances, stilted audience responses.
So, we can probably look forward to more of the same in 2025.
TRNSMT Festival festival can be followed on Facebook and their website
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Words and photos by Trev Eales. More work by Trev on Louder Than War can be found at his author’s profile. His photography portfolio is here
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