It was a picture-perfect day for the first day at TRNSMT Festival 2018.
The sun was shining, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and festival go-ers were ready and equipped with suncream, sunglasses and glitter ready for day one.
From DJ sets at the expanded Utiltia Energy Power Tree and Smirnoff Vodka House to the newly introduced Hotels.com acoustic chillout area, TRNSMT had built upon year one with brand new additions that helped serve up the perfect festival mix.
Opening the main stage, Picture This had gathered a legion of fans down the front ready to start their day with an Irish infusion. An upbeat and uplifting set, the Irish rockers knew exactly how to work the crowd with their charm. Recent single ‘When We Were Young’ was an instantly catchy track and ending their set on their most widely known ‘Take My Hand’ they proved their place as the perfect openers to start the day with a very strong set that left you feeling uplifted and in the festival spirit ready for the day ahead.
Over at King Tut’s, Sly Digs brough their old school rock ‘n roll to town with Oasis meets Blur-esque singles while Glasgow’s Ninth Wave started off their set strong, with a great vocal match for their glam-fuelled singles. Tracks including ‘Reformation’ had cracked the formula for igniting singalongs, even for those who may not have been familiar with their sound. However, a small technical hitch seemed to throw things off for the remainder of the set, breaking the momentum with an awkward silence instead of explanation. Unfortunately, it seems this affected the rest of the set including ‘New Kind of Ego’ which started off strong, but ended feeling strained vocally. Their glam-infused stylings are the perfect match for their intriguing pop sound and if these issues were resolved there’s no doubt they have the talent to produce an engaging festival set.
Sam Fender commanded the King Tut’s stage with his extremely impressive vocals and catchy singles. After we caught his set at Hit The North earlier this year, we knew he was one to watch and this set simply reinforced the fact with ease. He breezed through the set looking completely at home as he effortlessly sang his way into the day with tracks including ‘Greasy Spoon’ building momentum, with his unreal vocal prowess also showcased in ‘Start Again’. He’s without a doubt one to watch and as soon as people catch on, alike last year’s Lewis Capaldi set, it’s bound to be sold out shows and main stage festival slots ahead.
It’s not every day you attend a festival and end up on stage, unless you were one of the lucky few girls at Anteros. Their sparkling pop blend was instantly charming including the catchy ‘On The Moon’ and ‘Bonnie’, even blending Nancy Sinatra into their set for a singalong giving those who were unfamiliar with their music the chance to join in. Frontwoman Laura Hayden oozes energy and charisma with her beaming smile, effortlessly owning the stage and capturing attention. An instantly likable band, you couldn’t help but fall for Anteros’ charms by the end of the set.
Down by the river, the new Hotels.com stage offered a chance to relax in the sunshine with an acoustic soundtrack. However, at times this was overpowered by the nearby DJ sets and could do with a little more breathing space to keep the chilled out atmosphere in tow.
Just a few steps away, raising the tempo and temperature Marmozets kicked off their King Tut’s set with hit single ‘Play’. With a larger crowd ready and waiting, frontwoman Becca Macintyre commanded attention as she effortlessly switched between vocal tones. Completely at home on stage, they were a fantastic addition to the day adding a rock twist, upping the ante and performing to many fans who may not normally discover their music. It was the first – and only- moment of the day with mosh pits in tow as they ended their set with ‘Major System Error’. Marmozets breezed through the set and only continue to strengthen in confidence with each performance.
The main stage was treated to James Bay who donned his tartan trews for the occasion. The crowd were hanging onto every lyric sung from his enchanting set as he showcased singles from his new album ‘Electric Light’. Fans were belting along in the sunshine with a blend of tracks that kept you captivated and intrigued. Ending on ‘Hold Back The River’ to a mass Scottish singalong, he knows how to work a festival crowd and keep them on his side and with an added cover of Tina Turner thrown into the mix, who are we to argue?!
Back at King Tut’s, anticipation grew for Pale Waves as their The 1975-esque intro blasted through the speakers. Opening with ‘Television Romance’, enigmatic frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie commanded attention from the get-go as the crowd were instantly dancing along to the indie pop singles including sunkissed ‘Heavenly’ and ‘Tide’. Slower singles ‘My Obsession’ and ‘New Year’s Eve’ provided the chance to slow things down while they also took the chance to showcase new singles which were as catchy as their current release repertoire. Without a doubt, one of our highlights of the day and we reckon it’ll be their last summer on smaller festival stages as the main stage is calling their name.
It’s safe to say The Script are a festival favourite band. Their set flowed with energy as they managed to make standing in a field feel like you were at one of their gigs and no other band was in site. With mass singalongs for singles including ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’, ‘For The First Time’ and ‘Falling To Pieces’ to dancealongs with an entire festival crowd shuffling along, you could not ask for a better frontman than Danny O’Donoghue. Engaging throughout with crowd interaction in every single, he even took the opportunity to crowd surf with a difference, as he clambered into a giant inflatable boat for ‘No Man Is An Island’ – much to the delight of screaming women – as he surfed along in the sunset in his red tartan kilt. Their set had everything you could hope for in a festival slot and it seems their festival main stage headline dreams aren’t too far away.
Over at King Tut’s stage, it felt as if you were catching up with an old friend while watching Tom Walker. Chatting between songs brought a friendly inviting feel with his flawless vocals leading the way as he charmed the Scottish crowd. Ending on ‘Leave a Light On’ there was a mass singalong as the sun began to set, creating the perfect backdrop for a carefree evening.
All too soon, it was time for headliners Stereophonics who took fans of a journey through their releases with scattered singalongs aplenty. With a repertoire expanding more than 20 years, it’s easy to forget just how many hit singles the band has produced until you’re standing in a field surrounded by strangers united by one band’s songs.
From ‘Have A Nice Day’ to ‘Handbags and Gladrags’, frontman Kelly Jones had all the swagger without pretentiousness as they put on an engaging set that cleverly flowed by dipping in and out of hit singles to keep the crowd engaged.
Alongside their iconic singles, the band also took the chance to show there are no signs of stopping them when it comes to new material as they treated TRNSMT to a preview of a track that was just four hours old and written in their hotel room that afternoon. There wasn’t an inch of hesitation during the single or any obvious mistakes, with a well-rounded track that simply proved their talent and gave them the chance to try something new instead of playing their familiar singles on loop.
Instrumentals also shone the spotlight on each band member including an incredible solo from drummer Jamie Morrison with the drum kit rightly taking centre spot on the catwalk before the crowd treated him a mass Birthday singalong.
Ending on ‘Dakota’, you couldn’t have asked for a better festival atmosphere encapsulated in one song. Everyone sang along overpowering the band with arms around eachother with smiles on each (albeit slightly sunburnt) face.
TRNSMT day one encapsulated everything you could want from a festival – and it’s only the beginning.
With sunkissed sets to mass singalongs aplenty, there truly was a song for everyone to enjoy while basking in the all too rare Scottish sunshine!