One of the drawbacks of attending the third day of a music festival is mustering the energy to get into gear. It’s the exact same when it comes to writing up the third day! Enthusiasm wanes, but as long as you make it out, and get in the swing, the whole thing starts to take care of itself.
And times that are broken can often be one again…
12:30 on a Sunday afternoon is a terrible time for anything apart from lying in your bed, enjoying a mug of coffee and a fried egg sandwich. However, as Scotland is the poor relation when it comes to televised football deals and a significant number of fans cannot be trusted to behave at a later time, far too many important things happen at this time in this country!
Majesty Palm were handed this shift at TRNMST, a challenge they handled well, and even managed to deliver a measured start to the day.
It’s not easy being a new band these days. There’s no money in the game, attention spans are shot and having more ways to connect with an audience sounds positive but is as much of a hindrance as a help. The River Stage is a fine setting, but there are more suitable surroundings to chance upon an act like Majesty Palm.
A dark room, a bit of smoke and mood lighting would have created a more suitable ambience for the lush tunes. Yes, that sounds suspiciously like a moan about sunny weather, so let’s not venture too far down that path, it was an enjoyable set and a day in the sun for the band’s family, friends and early fans.
‘Borderline’ shimmied with synth finery, Olivia McCosh drawing all eyes on her at the centre of the stage. Guitarist Cameron Robertson jabbed and weaved throughout, but with this sort of sound, it’s the dance-inducing drums and too cool for school synths that stick in your mind. New single ‘The Longer I Hold You’ picked the tempo up a bit, eliciting some shuffling and whooping, but the studied persona didn’t drop one inch.
A cover of Hall & Oates’ ‘Out of Touch’ was the perfect addition to a set that recalled the 80s in a bright and breezy manner. While this stage was largely ignored by the media, Majesty Palm were yet another up-and-coming act here showcasing their broad range of skills.
Technology is factor, it has to be, but modern acts sound far more polished, accomplished and assured than comparable new acts from previous generations. It’s probably not since the early 80s that polished accomplishments were so highly valued by new acts, and we’re living in a prime era for new talent.
Here we go the devil’s knocking at my door…
And if you’re looking for new talent, it has to be said Sprints are an up and comer you will adore adore adore! Yes, that painful introduction crams in a few song titles, making sure there’s something for their fanbase that reads this.
The Irish group are one of the bands of the year, with Letter To Self realising the potential and hope they’ve built up over the last couple of years. You should treat yourself to their Back Catalogue release, which collates pre-album releases, but whatever you start with, there’s a lot to like.
As was the case with the start here, the aforementioned ‘Adore Adore Adore’ blasting away the cobwebs that lingered in and around the field. ‘Heavy’ doubled down on the intense start, living up to its title, creating an aggressive tone at odds with the more than pleasant sunshine. When you’ve got a band telling you this was the sunniest festival they’d played all summer, it confirms how crap the weather has been across the UK and Europe of late, up until now.
You’re also going to win a Glasgow crowd by talking about your hangover, a great example of band and fans bonding over a common state of mind.
‘Delia Smith’ was delivered with the usual ferocity, and we think the famous cook’s legendary ‘lets be having you’ rant was suitable for the crowd in TRNSMT who weren’t at the King Tuts stage yet! Sprints have been one of the most exciting bands in recent years, and their melodic barrage deserved a far bigger audience than it received.
To be fair, this was a common complaint on Saturday and Sunday, maybe a suggestion the audience on Friday differed from the weekend days.
It is just over three months since Sprints were last in Glasgow, playing a strong show in King Tuts, but for their King Tuts stage performance in Glasgow Green, there was a line-up change. Original guitarist Colm O’Reilly left the group in May, with the band vowing to replace him with a range of guest guitarists.
This leaves bassist Sam McCann on most of the backing vocals, which he handles extremely well. He also had some good patter pointing out the two fans, one in an St Georges cross flag and the other in an Irish tricolour, suggesting it was a social experiment where only one of them will make it home. He also made sure to invite everyone to the bands Glasgow gig later in the year, but of course, people would have to pay for that, it wasn’t a free show!
While the music is great, one of the best things about Sprints is they use their platform and voice to support causes they believe in. The Palestinian people, getting rid of the Tory Government, the queer community and the brave Spanish men playing in the Euros final all received shoutouts from a band who show why it’s important to mix music with politics.
Of course, we’re watching bands, so the music always matters, and ‘Literary Mind’ remains a breathtaking flurry of love, hope and the things that matter. The rush to the end, featuring Karla Chubb’s impassioned scream of ‘and she’s winning’ likely woke people across the city.
‘Little Fix’ brought the all-too short set to a frenetic finale, and if you like noisy guitar bands with a conscience, there’s a high chance you’ll like their body of work, you’ll like their style.
You’re going out on your own…
When Alison Goldfrapp walked onto the Main Stage, ably supported by two dancers and her band, she must have wondered if this was the soundcheck. By night, the expanse in front of the largest space was packed solid, but here, there was space to stretch out and take things easy.
It’s not the setting an artist wants when they’re delivering a cool electro-pop set in the daylight. That was an obvious obstacle the singer had to overcome, and the low turnout wouldn’t have raised her spirits.
There seemed a sense of frustration in Alison as the set wore on. It must be hard for an artist to pour your heart and soul into a performance when you see spaces and people sitting down when you were hoping for an eager and engaged crowd. At the end of the day, hopefully she banks the money and doesn’t take it as a personal slight, it was no reflection on her, or the music.
And how could there have been when the set included bona-fide bangers like ‘Ride A White Horse’, ‘Rocket’, ‘Ooh La La’ and ‘Strict Machine’? Goldfrapp’s debut album was a beauty but the move forward to T-rex electro stompers was a daring step that paid off in a huge way.
Musicians with massive keytars flank the singer as she rolled out that Bolan-esque boogie of ‘Ooh La La’ that we know and love so well. You can guarantee there are loads of festival attendees who were elsewhere on site, or perhaps not even inside the Green at this point, who would have loved this track.
And the whole set, there wasn’t a bad moment in the entire show. There are maybe questions to be asked of TRNSMT’s line-up or scheduling. If this set had fallen either side of Sugababe’s show on Friday, with the same audience, it would have been received as a weekend highlight.
As it was, a splendid time was had by all, and hopefully Alison Goldfrapp wasn’t too put out by the experience.
On the way out, a stop was made in the Jägermeister Portakabin to skyrocket the average age of the room, and to catch up with Kintra. The heady combination of techno and violins has long been a favourite of SNACK, and the Dundonian duo fired their way through a crowd-friendly set in a rather sweaty small-space.
And that was that.
Three days of bands, great sets, a few questions that still deserve answers and the thought that a festival is what you make of it. Friday was by far the most engaged day for this writer, but what Saturday and Sunday lacked in quantity, it held up well with quality.
At the best of times reviews are unnecessary, especially in an era where music is (sadly) at everyone’s fingertips for free. It’s not as if anyone is looking to change their opinion on TRNSMT, it is what it is. And for all that, TRNSMT 2025 tickets will go on sale this week, perfect for those who had such a good time they can’t miss out next year, and for those sitting with FOMO right now.
TRNSMT 2025 dates are Friday 11th – Sunday 13th July 2025. Tickets available here.
Photos by Andy Reilly
