Music

Sunday at TRNSMT

Glasgow Green, Glasgow

Jonathan Geddes

four stars

Let’s start at the end. Picking Biffy Clyro to close TRNSMT was always likely to deliver a good show, but given it was their third Glasgow appearance inside a year would there be a sense of the familiar about it? Not at all. This was a towering performance that eclipsed those Bellahouston Park and SSE Hydro gigs, and it might be one of their finest shows ever.

It all looks so comfortable to the Ayrshire trio these days. There were a few tracks from the early days, including a pulse-quickening 57. There was flames and confetti, with fireworks to finish on. And there were plentiful anthems. In fact, nearly every song was hollered back lustily, from the opening Wolves of Winter to an immense Bubbles, a superbly menacing 9/15ths and a triumphant Many of Horror, reclaimed from those X Factor days.

This is a band who know how to play these stages and who are thriving on it, even if singer Simon Neil’s sparkling sequined trousers might have been a rock star indulgence too far. But it was still a performance from the heart, that reached the core of why music can be such a glorious, shared experience.

Earlier the 1975 had tried to do the same, spotlighting the varied bill of TRNSNT’s third day. If Friday had nodded towards, shall we say, an older generation, and Saturday was centred around lads and guitars, then Sunday’s Main Stage bill suggested a grab bag of chart acts, genres mixing freely.

Matt Healy’s band (and that’s what they are, because he dominates the whole group) were similar to their Hydro appearance at the tail end of last year. Some catchy pop tunes, some dragged out numbers, lots of saxophone and varied patter from Healy, who mused on the world needing someone like Jesus Christ today, before playing If I Believe You, a song whose very existence would suggest God doesn’t exist. The likes of Chocolate’s playful pop were more suited to festival fun, at least.

Earlier the afternoon had seen the View on typically reliable form. There was a time when that statement would be a massive contradiction in itself, but Kyle Falconer (wearing a yellow dungarees style outfit that meant he resembled a lost Super Mario brother) and his cohorts are a handy act for such afternoon slots, as they have a sturdy armoury of quickfire singles to rattle through, and that’s exactly what they did.

Pop stars of the future could be spotted elsewhere. Anteros caught the ear in a busy Jack Rocks tent, with lively, danceable new wave, and a singer in Laura Hayden who threw all sorts of poses. Rather more laid back was Lewis Capaldi on the King Tut’s stage, who apologised for any sleepiness after arriving from a German gig the previous day. His unassuming manner belied a rough-hewn voice and suitably chunky tunes that impressed.

Less striking was Tom Grennan later on, who showcased a fine voice but was bogged down by too many workmanlike songs that may well still get regular rotation on Radio 2, probably in the afternoons to soundtrack a school run. The same stage also featured the exuberant pop of fresh-faced singer-songwriter Declan McKenna. His set started fast, but became a bit stagnant as it progressed, and although by no means bad, he seemed to be lacking a little spark. McKenna had drawn a short straw though, given that hometown heroes Twin Atlantic were over on the Main Stage at the same time.

They were typically well received, and deservedly so. The likes of No Sleep and Heart and Soul sounded gigantic, highlighting that they are a sturdy festival band, with songs built for big audiences and a frontman in Sam McTrusty who’s swift to get right amongst those crowds.

Speaking of sturdy, the festival itself seems on solid ground. The three days were a clear, obvious success, blessed with a continually good atmosphere and a layout that made it easy to nip from stage to stage. That benefitted the smaller areas in particular, and decent crowds regularly gathered to see fresh talent. The Main Stage had some sound issues, particularly if you were on the left hand side, but those were intermittent, and given the difficulties of T In The Park in recent years it was a relief for everything to be all about the music once again. This year’s event concluded with fireworks, but you suspect TRNSMT is only beginning.