Live review: TRNSMT Friday - Sunday

A bumper review of Scotland’s biggest music festival: the highs, the lows, best sets and general verdict.

Scotland’s largest festival returns once again for its seventh edition and this year it swaggers into Glasgow stronger than ever. Such is its standing in Scotland, it’s easy to forget this is still a relatively new festival. In 2017, TRNSMT took off after T in the Park’s sad passing and offers a city centre festival solution arguably more appealing (depending on your age, of course) than the fields of Balado.

With the festival now firmly established on Glasgow’s cultural calendar, July’s second weekend brings 150,000 revellers together to watch rock and pop’s best in class do their thing at Glasgow Green. Not that TRNSMT is without its critics. Long held criticisms about the male-dominated,nostalgic headliners have been valid for many a year: this year’s ‘00s throwback selection of 50 Cent, Biffy Clyro and Snow Patrol does little to break such stereotypes either.

But any festival worth its salt is more than just three names topping the bill. And this is where TRNSMT truly excels. From upcoming Irish folk-sters Amble to hyped indie sensations Wet Leg, an impressive undercard certainly whets the appetite for the weekend ahead.

So, without further ado, lets jump in…

Friday

A mini heatwave expected in Glasgow over TRNSMT weekend? Yes, ya dancer! Over the past eight years, most TRNSMT festivals have experienced at least one rainy day(lest we forget this is Scotland after all), so imagine the surprise that the full weekend is anticipated to be one of glorious Glaswegian sunshine.

Glasgow city centre is absolutely sweltering – taps affweather as the locals say. Unfortunately, the heat only encourages TRNSMT’s young teams to be even more vocal and annoying on the walk up to Glasgow Green. Arriving at Argyle Street Station gives us the worst first impression of thefestival’s gathering crowd. Teenage groups carelessly float around without inhibition. Nike running-gear clad boys’ swig Buckfast tonic wine bottles and make a general nuisance in trying to impress the girls among them. Is this really what we’ve signed up for at TRNSMT? Thankfully, this troublesome element quietens down the closer to Glasgow Green we get.

Somehow, inside the venue it feels even hotter than what it ison the outside. So, with a refreshingly cold £6.90 Booklyn Pilsner in hand, a quick dash is made towards the King Tuts stage to watch London-based indie pop duo Good Neighbours. Oli Fox and Scott Verril put on a fantastic show packed with big, summery anthems to help soundtrack the blaring sunshine. “Here’s a slow number to take a break from the sun” announces the Fox before taking the tempo downwith singalong new single ‘Starry Eyed’. The highlight of the set, of course, is ‘Home’ - last year’s viral TikTok sensation sounds triumphant and rounds off a fun, albeit sweaty, performance.

We then head over for our first Main Stage experience and straight into the front circle for Los Angeles rapper Schoolboy Q. As you might expect from rap shows, an overpoweringweed smells engulfs the air. Soon enough, the 38-year-old artist arrives for a dynamic performance of hip hop tunes from his 14-year discography. “It’s as hot as a motherf**er, it’s like being back in California” he declares, sounding confused as to why Scotland isn’t as cold or rainy as he remembers. Schoolboy Q doesn’t let the heat put him off and signature tune ‘Collard Greens’, as well as ‘Man of the Year’ and ‘The Studio’ from 2014 album Oxymoron reveal his effortless flow and skill as a performer.

Next up is a trip into the shade by the King Tuts stage to watch indie fourpiece The Royston Club. The hotly tipped Wrexham band aren’t quite the finished article yet – a fewtunes are forgettable and could do with being bolder. But they save the best to last: ‘Mariana’ and ‘I’m a Liar’ from 2023 debut Shaking Hips and Crashing Cars bring the energy and reveal why so many expect big things from them.

This sets us up nicely for Wet Leg’s main stage set. The Isle of Wight indie outfit emerge through a blaze of smoke and waste no time cutting to the chase. ‘Catch These Fists’ - with its scintillating garage rock riffs - provides quite the openingimpression. Singer Rhian Teasdale wears a white sports bikini and looks like a woman reborn as she flexes in front of us – she’s confident, has a sparkle in her eye and appears delighted to be here. Throughout the set, it’s amazing to see how far she’s come as a frontwoman since the last time they played the festival in 2022. This enthusiasm rubs off on the gathered audience and debut album hits ‘Wet Dream’, ‘Angelika’, and ‘Chaise Longue’ are chanted back word for word at the band.

We then go for a wonder towards Radio 1’s Dance Stage at the other end of Glasgow Green for DJ LA LA. The further you walk away from the King Tuts Stage, the considerably younger the crowd become. With all domestic football tops banned again this year (I say “all” but this really just means Rangers and Celtic tops are banned – there’s a surprising number of Dundee United jerseys on show!), teenage groups are draped in British flags and Irish tricolours: the unique west of Scotland split in cultural identity revealed for all to see. You might expect some friction on this point but, in keeping with the general feeling over the weekend, there’s only positive vibes across this area. To quote The Who, the kids are (actually) alright.

Back at the King Tuts Stage, Aussie electro-pop band Confidence Man put on as enjoyable a set as we’ll see all weekend. Front pairing Janet Planet and Sugar Bones pace around the stage with unrivalled charisma: the coordinated dance routine as entertaining as the songs themselves. There’s barely a moment for a breather with euphoric singles ‘Now U DO’, ‘I Can’t Lose You’ and ‘Feels Like A Different Thing’performed as if their lives depended on it. They finish on ‘Holiday’ from 2022’s TILT and the crowd go wild one last time for the couples moves. Both extravagant and tacky (in a good way, of course), Confidence Man leave the crowd buzzing for more.

Can 50 Cent on the main stage top that? Not quite. But he makes a solid attempt at it anyway! Female dancers bring bravado and come and go between songs. Meanwhile, the screen above plays nostalgic clips from the New York rapper in his prime. Most importantly, he has bangers and plenty of them. 2005 single ‘Candy Shop’ brings the biggest reaction yet, and it’s the Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ singles – ‘In Da Club, If I Can’t and 21 Questions - that follow suite in the enjoyment stakes. It can be easy to be cynical toward a 50-year-old rapper looking for one last payday, but he really pulls it out the bag here.

And that is that then for day one. The energy levels today are a little drained by the heat but the music does a great job to make the melting seem at least a little bit enjoyable.

Saturday

Did I mention how warm this weekend is? After yesterday’s sweat-fest, today is even hotter with temperatures hitting 30 degrees. Following a quick pint in nearby vegan bar Mono, we saunter back up towards the festival site for another day of live music festivities.

Thankfully, the heat hasn’t put off a sizeable crowded gathered for our first act of the day, Brogeal. The Falkirk five piece prove quite the phenomenon in their Scottish folk take on Irish punk and - rather predictably - the crowd are warmed up by Dropkick Murphys and The Pogues tunes being played over the speakers. Emerging to a hero’s welcome, Brogeal begin with a beautiful and folky homage to their hometown in‘Roving Falkirk Bairn’ (the irony of celebrating Falkirk while shouting – in the same said song - support for a Glaswegian football club 30 miles away does seem a little lost on them however!). Generally, they waste little time leaving an impression elsewhere. There’s a jangly, early Stone Roses vibe to ‘Friday On My Mind’ while ‘Girl from New York City’ from last year’s self-titled EP offers a mass singalong set moment.  

Around Glasgow Green it seems like every second person is wearing a Fontaines D.C t shirt, leaving us in no doubt as to who Saturday’s most popular act is. Coincidentally or not, there’s also a heavy Irish band presence today. For us, thisbegins with Amble on the King Tuts Stage. The folk trio – who originate from Ireland’s midlands/west coast and have blown up after going from relative obscurity to signing for Warner Records two years ago - are the artist I’ve been most looking to after devouring debut album Reverie over the past week. They bring a quaint charm and serenity to today’s proceedings after Brogeal’s chaos. The songs are stripped back and feature the most gorgeous melodies to leave the crowd in awe at what they are viewing in front of them.

Over at the main stage and Inhaler have just started. Now, the elephant in the room with this Irish band is that frontman Elijah Hewson is Bono’s son – inevitably giving them a leg up but ultimately ensuring there’s extra scrutiny placed upon them. The performance is pretty, well, average. Tracks like ‘Cheer Up, Baby’, ‘It Won’t Always Be Like This’ and ‘An Honest Place’ are polished enough but where’s the enthusiasm from Hewson? He and his band simply go through the motions and there’s a general lack of charisma to keep us engaged. Compared with his dad, Hewson’s stage presence is almost entirely non-existent nor is there any warmth in his minimal crowd interactions.

Unimpressed at what we’ve seen on the main stage, off we then head towards the BBC Introducing stage to watch The Guest List. The Manchester-based five-piece bring Madchester vibes with soaring, melodic choruses and a twinge of psychedelia throughout. One band I’ll be keeping an eye on, for sure. Soon after on the main stage, festival veterans The Kooks prove their enduring quality. A never ageing Luke Pritchard (dressed in an all-white t shirt/trouser combo only he could get away with) delivers the energetic frontman performance found missing earlier by Elijah Hewson, while his band leave the best to last with early hit single ‘Naïve’.

As we’ve long established, Fontaines fans are absolutely everywhere. Should their band be headlining? Absolutely. But it’s not to be this year. Fontaines D.C. open with the punky, Cribs-esque ‘Here’s the Thing’ before moving onto broodingSkinty Fia single ‘Jackie Down the Line’. While the Fontaines diehards passionately singalong to each word, the crowd around us complain about the muffled sound from the speakers. A little disappointing as we’re just a little right of the stage near the front. This is no reflection on Fontaines outstanding performance. It’s hard to take your eyes off Grian Chatten as he confidently cuts about stage in his white shades and black kilt. Also worth praise is Tom Coll whose drumming sounds sets the tempo wonderfully in the background. The finale takes them to another level altogether, including breathtaking versions of highly charged 2022 single ‘I Love You’ (where they show their support for Palestine on the big screens either side) and experimental trip-hop closer ‘Starburster’.

There’s then a tough decision to be made for which headliner to watch: Biffy Clyro or Underworld. We make the sensible decision to split our time between both. To start, returning Scottish alt-rock trio Biffy bring the energy from the off. ‘The Captain’, from 2009’s smash album ‘Only Revolutions’, provides a storming intro. Soon enough, we’re bouncing up and down to indie dancefloor favourite ‘Whose Got a Match?’ and belting out the infectious chorus line “I’m a fire and I burn, burn, burn tonight…”. Not long after, it goes a little flat. Biffy embark on a few of their more, shall we say, “ballady” songs and the temptation to move to the King Tuts Stage grows ever so tempting.

After going a little crazy to monstrous 2008 single ‘Mountains’ we head back to the King Tuts stage to check out Karl Hyde and Rick Smith’s electronic project. As we arrive,Underworld’s show is in full force with 1996 hit ‘Dark & Long (Dark Train)’ bringing the mood and atmosphere. But, lets be honest, most people here are eagerly awaiting ‘90s Trainspotting dance anthem ‘Born Slippy (Nuxx)’. And what a collective moment we then experience – the crowd havetheir arms in the air for the opening chords and jump around in unison to the “shouting lager, lager, lager, lager, shouting, mega, mega white thing!” refrain.

On that note, Saturday couldn’t have ended any better. Day two is hotter and sweatier than Friday but you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who didn’t have an absolute whale of a time, particularly those whose tastes are of the guitar variety.

Sunday

After two sweaty days in Glasgow Green, the thought of another is not as desirable. Even less so with Sunday’s line upbeing weaker (and poppier) than Friday and Saturday. Thankfully, the clouds have covered the sky for a warm but overcast day, in turn creating a more comfortable environment to today’s live music shenanigans.

Sunday is noticeably the quietest day yet. Bars across the Green are half shut and it’s even easier to get to the Main Stage front section - exactly what we then do for The Lathums late-afternoon set. And the Wigan indie fourpiece don’t disappoint. Their February-released third album Matter Does Not Define has gone slightly under the radar so it’s interesting to hear how well these tracks stand up. Frontman Alex Moore leads a repeated “make peace not war” chant during new song ‘Heartbreaker’ for a set highpoint, but it’s the older songs that the crowd are most receptive towards. The outro on ‘Artificial Screens’ sees Scott Concepcion’s jangly guitar playing sound majestic against Ryan Durrans propulsive percussion, while 2023 single ‘Sad Face Baby’ reveals Moore’s outstanding vocal power one final time.

Later on the same stage, Luton singer-songwriter Myles Smith brings a massive crowd and shows why he’s taken the British music industry by storm lately. It’s already been quite the year for the 27-year-old. He won the BRIT Rising Star Award in March and his clean-cut, stomp-clap style is performed to perfection today – being dressed in a 1998 Scotland football jersey and red kilt certainly wins over some admirers today too!

Meanwhile on the King Tuts Stage, The K’s are just starting their set. The Merseyside band are prolific from start to finish with a highly-powered set packed with anthemic indie tunes. Mid-way through their performance, lads at the front begin a customary “here we f***ing go” chant which spreads like wildfire across the gathered audience. Acknowledging these efforts, frontman Jamie Boyle thanks Glasgow for always being so kind to his band. “We’re The K’s from a small place called…England” he later clarifies. Uh oh. Such traitorouswords are met by loud booing from the same folk singing their praises moments earlier. It’s all in jest however and signature anthem ‘Sarajevo’ then closes proceedings to win everyone back round once more.

Back on the Main Stage, former Little Mix singer JADE finishes her set with a fantastic camp and extravagant performance of last year’s single ‘Angel Of My Dreams’. At this point, we then go for a wonder towards Glasgow Green’s south-west and the Radio 1 Dance Stage. As we experienced on Friday, this is where scarcey dressed youngsters are hanging out and this again makes two guys in their mid-to-late 30s feel a little out of place!

After eventually overcoming this and enjoying Beths DJ set, we then walk back past towards the main stage to see Los Angeles indie-pop singer Gracie Abrams perform an emotionally charged version of ‘I Love you I’m Sorry’. As elegant a performance as this appears, it isn’t enough to stop our journey towards the King Tuts stage for Shed Seven.

You might have noticed recently there being something of a Britpop revival – many are even calling this the “second summer of Britpop”. Shed Seven were very much players in this scene 30 years ago and it’s explosive single ‘Getting Better’ and catchy ‘90s anthem ‘Going For Gold’ from 1996’s A Maximum High that are the most celebrated tonight. With many of the newer songs failing to get a similar reaction, theYork band save face by performing two covers: Elvis’ ‘Suspicious Minds’ and The Smiths ‘There is a Light That Never Goes Out’. “Please welcome to the stage the Queen of Manchester” pleads frontman Rick Witter mid-way throughand introducing legendary Happy Monday’s singer Rowetta to accompany him on vocal duties. To finish, 1998 single ‘Chasing Rainbows’ closes the set for a slower, arm in arm anthemic moment.

Later, Snow Patrol’s headline performance is both glorious and disappointing in equal measure. The crowd here want the hits but there’s a few too many lesser-known tracks from last year’s eighth album The Forest Is the Path and their other most recent work. When the Northern Irish band are on form, the performance is an infectious dream. ‘Run’ from breathrough 2003 album Final Straw (and easily their best record it must be said) leads a mass singalong. The emotion during the “even if you cannot hear my voice / I'll be right beside you dear” chorus line is even too much for one female in her 50s near us who breaks down in tears and is consoled by those around her.

As the most played song on British radio in the 2000s, ‘Chasing Cars’ took on a life of its own upon release in 2006 and is similarly appreciated tonight. Gary Lightbody is also alittle emotional himself throughout but his stories from living in Glasgow provide some humorous context to his band’s history and growth. The encore is a mixed bag, however. ‘What If This Is All The Love You Ever Get?’ from 2018’s Wildness is slower than hoped for from a song so close to the end and never really gets going. But Snow Patrol have one trick left up their sleeves and redeem themselves again with 2011 electropop single ‘Just Say Yes’, closing the festival in one final moment of euphoria.

So, that’s a wrap on TRNSMT 2025! Overall, the three days are fantastic fun. Albeit, the three headliners are pretty risk adverse and the audience themselves, particularly by the Main Stage, rarely play up to Scotland’s great crowd reputation. But, having said all that, TRNSMT doesn’t quite get thereputational credit it deserves. There’s something here for everyone as evidenced by the sparse age range in attendance (not just full of Buckfast-fuelled teenagers as many believe!). And finally, there’s so many brilliant upcoming and contemporary artists to enjoy across the different stages (for those interested, my top three weekend performers were Confidence Man, Fontaines D.C. and The Lathums in that order).

So, are we looking forward to next year already? Absolutely! My money’s on Stereophonics, The Killers and Lewis Capaldi headliners…