As unpredictable as it may previously have been, the Scottish sunshine was out in force once again for the final day of TRNSMT setting the scene for Sunday.

Opening the main stage, Irish duo Hudson Taylor brought their busking vibes to Glasgow. Some tracks with slower tempos were perhaps a little too slow to kickstart the show, despite the catchiness of ‘Chasing Rubies’, but momentum was switched for ‘One In A Million’ complete with added tambourine. ‘Battles’ brought an old-school Irish sound to town, true to their busking style, transporting you straight to Temple Bar.

Over at King Tut’s, Lucia‘s sultry sound opened the stage. With consistently strong vocals throughout from Lucia Fontaine, the set was a sultry and intriguing mix with a distinct sound managing to set them apart from other female-fronted bands with a psychedelic 80’s blend. ‘When I Think Of You’ and ‘Saturday Is Dead’ were highlights with new single ‘Summertime’ a standout single that we’ll be listening out for its release.

Back at the main stage, Lewis Capaldi enchanted the crowd with his vocal talent from the first note. Opening with ‘Fade’, his set was instantly engaging despite slowing the tempo right down. Marking his first main stage festival slot, he spoke to the crowd as if you were watching an open mic slot in your local pub, rather than standing in a festival field. Introducing himself simply with “if you don’t like chubby guys singing sad songs, you’ve come to the wrong set”, he powered into ‘Lost On You’ with his fan base out in force overpowering Lewis at points in the Golden Circle, a theme which continued into EP tracks including ‘Mercy’.

Bringing fellow Scot Nina Nesbitt on stage for a duet ‘Rush’, he even threw in a reference to headliners The Killers as the crowd sang ‘I’ve got soul but not a soldier’. Consistently down-to-earth during the breaks between each track, Lewis is extremely likeable with an unreal vocal talent that’s still hard to believe, despite seeing him live multiple times, it’s hard not to still just as amazed. Think of when George Ezra emerged on the scene with a soulful voice  that surprised all compared to his youthful look.

With the support of his band, the addition of upbeat elements kept the set engaged throughout. Seeming overwhelmed at the early turnout, he ended his set with the sentiment “Cheers for liking them, if you don’t that’s fine“, politely launching into ‘Bruises’. The entire crowd was his captivated by every lyric, with phones in air and a mass singalong, it’s hard to believe he was recently performing tiny capacity headline shows. As his band stepped off stage he finished his set with the power of his vocals alone, proving he doesn’t need instruments to carry his talent, undoubtedly one of Scotland’s best solo artists on the scene.

From laidback singalongs to packed groove alongs Australia’s Gang of Youths upped the ante at King Tut’s. With vibes of early The Strokes, their rockier edge and interaction made it feel like their show rather than a festival slot.

Frontman David Le’aupepe was made for larger stages with consistently strong interaction throughout, with ‘Let Me Down Easy’ introducing a sultry sound as he swung his hips around the stage and clambered into the crowd. With the small stage practically bursting with energy, they’re set for much bigger slots and by the end of the set, it seems it won’t be far away.

Heading back to main stage, Friendly Fires set captured the festival feeling in a bottle. Their tropical infused sounds sounded made for this setting. With their singles creating the best dance-along opportunities including a throwback to 2008’s  ‘Jump In The Pool’ and ‘Kiss of Life’. With a giant video backdrop splashed with almost hypnotising multi-coloured graphics, it was a perfectly primed festival set – complete with streamers and rainbow confetti.

Frontman Ed Macfarlane made use of every single space on the stage ensuring no spot remained untouched by his dancing feet. Despite many of the crowd being seemingly unfamiliar with their sound, it was evident Friendly Fires were ahead of their time as the sound they mastered over 10 years ago has now become one of the most popular genre stylings with synth-infused singles climbing the charts. Their new track ‘Love Like Waves’ reinforced the fact the band are masters of this sound and have cracked the formula for sun-kissed singles. More than ready for their full return, it’s time to wait for a headline tour.

An old-school throwback was brought to TRNSMT with Franz Ferdinand, who opened with ‘Do You Want To?’ followed by ‘The Dark of the Matinée’. The set at points was a slow mover for crowd interaction, with only fans who were in force seemingly engaging along, that was until ‘Take Me Out’ which, unsurprisingly, ignited energy from crowd bringing the festival energy back and cranking the dial back to festival mode.

Making their long-awaited return to Glasgow Chvrches commanded the main stage with an impressive stage set up worthy of their return. They breezed through the set with frontwoman Lauren Mayberry seamless on stage. However, from passing across the site between sets, some songs did seem a little similar in sound, with a blend rather than a distinctive edge.

Headlining King Tut’s Nina Nesbitt casually strolled onto stage opening with ‘Sacred’. Performing a range of singles from ‘The Moments I’m Missing’ to ‘Something Special’, her stage presence was instantly endearing with a beaming smile and gentle tone. Over the years since we last caught Nina live, her sound has certainly developed with the addition of new synth-pop elements and a varied vocal range, as she looked more at home on stage than ever before.

As the sun set on the final day, it was time for The Killers who’d transformed the stage into an arena set. Opening with ‘who’s the man’ there was no question – it was frontman Brandon Flowers.

“This one is a proper belter“, the showman encouraged singalongs and -commanded- attention with his impressive dance moves. Looking overwhelmed at the reaction, with a beaming smile, he exclaimed ‘I like it here’ before launching into ‘run for cover’ giant singalong.

For one fan, ‘don’t beat the way it used to’ will hold a special meaning. Standing front row clutching a sign asking to play the drums, Tony was invited on stage to take to the kit. As the crowd was chanting his name, it was an unreal seamless switch between drummers that you couldn’t tell the difference – much to the surprise of the band and crowd. Knowing every live twist to the track with impeccable timing, Brandon beamed “you’ve done your homework” as one fans night changed forever. Now, who’s signing Tony up to join their band?!

The band only had to play one single note for the crowd frenzy to kick as soon Brandon’s fingers hit the keys. From a cover The Waterboys’ ‘The Whole Of The Moon’ to a mass-singalong, the band also took the chance to throwback to their first ever Glasgow gig at an open mic night where they covered Travis’ ‘Side’.

There’s no doubt Brandon Flowers is a showman and there’s no doubt we were all under his spell. With an unreal stage presence and a charisma to carry the night, he bounded around the stage seamlessly performing hit after hit.

As Scottish themed blue and white streamers blasted from the side of the stage and lasers lit up the sky, it was time for ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ with an amazing reception continuing into ‘When You Were Young’ as the stage show continued to embrace an arena feeling as a pyro curtain rained down the back of the stage.

Returning in that gold glittery suit for the encore, wasting no time into ‘The Calling’, there wasn’t much more you could’ve hoped for from a festival set.

Ending on a back-to-back singing frenzy from ‘Human’ to ‘Mr Brightside’ there was an euphoric atmosphere as strangers sang, or rather shouted, lyrics to each other carefree with arms in the air as the band made the most of every final second on the stage ensuring TRSNMT 2018 left everyone feeling in full festival spirit.

Serving up a five-day feast, TRNSMT had a slice of sound for everyone.

From mosh pits to soulful singalongs, the festival had a cross-genre appeal that simply reinforced the strength of Scotland’s music scene alongside globally acclaimed headliners, firmly stamping its mark onto the Scottish music calendar.

TRNSMT will return to Glasgow Green in 2019 from 12th – 14th July!