by Craig Wright
A Glasgow band, playing to a Glasgow crowd, promoting an album called ‘GLA’. It was always going to be a success, wasn’t it?
Just in case you were still unsure about that fact: Twin Atlantic made sure those lingering doubts were swept aside pretty quickly with a quite brilliant set at Glasgow’s famous Barrowlands last night.
I’ve been lucky enough to watch Twin Atlantic in action before, tagging along to their gig at the Hydro back in 2015.
They were good then, and added to their gig with some entertaining set-pieces like inflatable balloons falling from the roof, giant banners, arriving on stage to ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’, that kind of thing.
As much as I enjoyed that, there was none of that sort of thing at the Barrowlands – in part because of the difference in scale of the venue, but also because this was a good old-fashioned, no-fuss, rock concert.
And the crowd loved it.
Promoting their newest album ‘GLA’, Twin Atlantic were on top form. ‘Gold Elephant: Cherry Alligator’ opened their set with vigour, whilst the anthemic chorus of ‘The Chaser’ set the mood for the rest of the night as the Barrowlands roof was raised by the chorus of voices below.
There was also a great solo rendition of ‘Mothertongue’ by lead singer Sam McTrusty that had the fans in raptures, whilst ‘No Sleep’ – the lead single from the album – sent everyone home happy with its driving guitar riff and rousing chorus. Already a popular addition to the Twin Atlantic back catalogue, it has all the hallmarks of being one of their trademark songs for years to come.
Interspersed amongst the new material were the fans’ favourites. ‘Free’ and ‘Crash Land’ were both belted out with aplomb by the masses, whilst the signature introduction to ‘Make a Beast of Myself’ was greeted with possibly the biggest cheer of the night.
The band’s biggest hit, ‘Heart and Soul’, was also given an unsurprisingly unanimous welcome by those packed inside the ballroom, with the unmistakably Glaswegian vocals of McTrusty matched by those on the floor.
A word, too, for the support bands on the night; Dublin-based band Fangclub produced a high-energy set to kick-off the night, showing a lot of promise for the future with a set reminiscent of the likes of mid-2000s Green Day.
Similarly, Pulled Apart by Horses, although hamstrung slightly by their lyrics being drowned out by the music, got the crowd going with their fast-paced, high-volume style, and might be worth keeping an eye on in the years to come.
The evening belonged to Twin Atlantic, though. In their home city, and in one of the city’s most historic venues, this won’t be the last time McTrusty and co. will have their fans singing into the night, and it bodes well for the future of the Scottish rockers.
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