We at Mumblings and Ramblings were intrigued yesterday by the news that next year’s TRNSMT Festival in Glasgow was expanding from 3 days in 2017 to 5 days covering:
Friday 29th June – Sunday 1st July, Friday 6th July and Sunday 8th July
Many have speculated the change, leaving Saturday 7th July free is due to the potential clash with the Orange Walk in Glasgow on that date.
However, whatever the reason this change has exciting potential for the festival! With the debut event having been such a success DF Concerts will be hoping to take the festival to the next level.
Hopefully this will be reflected in the line up with headliner rumours online including Foo Fighters, The Killers, Arctic Monkeys and Liam Gallagher. Personally, I’d like to see Green Day and Gorillaz in addition to those bands.
More will be revealed soon as we’ve been promised the line up will be announced later this month!
The Cribs – Main Stage One of the most surprising placements on the Friday this year sees Wakefield heroes The Cribs take to the Main Stage for the first time. As the finest band playing all day this is no doubt deserved but surprising nonetheless. The band recently brought out their sixth album ‘For All My Sisters’, playing some riotous intimate shows and in-store appearances which I was lucky to be able to attend. They may not have a had a big hit single in a few years but they’re bound to put in one of the performances of the weekend. Key Tracks: Be Safe, Mirror Kissers, Our Bovine Public The Wombats – Main Stage On after The Cribs on Main Stage this has the potential to be one of the best back-to-back pairings of the weekend. The Liverpudlians’ first time to T In The Park in 7 years sees them touring their third album ‘Glitterbug’ which continues the strong form set by their earlier work. Having seen them in the Barrowlands in April its safe to say the band will put on an entertaining show to a deserved Main Stage crowd. Key Tracks: Techno Fan, The English Summer, Kill The Director Kasabian – Main Stage Kasabian need no introduction, it will be their third time headlining T In The Park in the last five years. But that shouldn’t take away from the fact that they will put on one of the performances of the weekend. Their fifth album ’48:13′ included some of their best ever work such as ‘Eez-Eh’ and ‘Bumblebee’, which should be an explosive opener for their headline set. Their set at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Glasgow last year was the best I saw all weekend so I’m looking forward to seeing them do it again this year. Key Tracks: Eez-Eh, Bumblebee, Re-Wired The War On Drugs – Radio 1 Stage The most surprising booking of the weekend, surpassing even The Cribs on Main Stage, is seeing The War On Drugs sub headlining the Radio 1 Stage to David Guetta. It’s hard to imagine two acts further apart on the bill in terms of their ethos. The War On Drugs’ ‘Lost In The Dream’ album gained them huge critical respect last year and for a lot of people, myself included, this will be the first chance to see the band as they bring their National-esque style to T In The Park Key Tracks: Eyes To The Wind, Under The Pressure, Red Eyes Lonely The Brave – T Break Stage One of the smallest bands playing on the Friday this year are also one of the most exciting. There’s a lack of real rock music on this year’s line up but Lonely The Brave will deliver that to the T Break Stage. Having just released last year’s ‘The Day’s War’ the band have an expanded repertoire to draw from now and I will be doing my best to get along to the tent to see them for the first time before they really take off. Grant Nicholas – T Break Stage It’s hard to believe the frontman of Feeder is stuck down in the bottom half of the T Break Stage but Grant Nicholas should be well worth checking out if his solo music so far is anything to judge by. Feeder were due to play T In The Park in 2012 but unfortunately pulled out so it would be great to see Grant in action in such an intimate setting this year. Key Tracks: Soul Mates, Black Clouds, Everyday Society Hozier – Main Stage Hozier had one of the biggest hits of 2014 with ‘Take Me To Church’, a song that was so unavoidable that it put me off him for a long time. Then I heard ‘Someone New’ and was brought back around, he’s bound to have some huge sing-along for these on the Main Stage and will be looking to impress live as he did on his breakthrough appearance on ‘Later With Jools Holland’ last year. Key Tracks: Someone New, Angel Of Small Death & The Codeine Scene, Take Me To Church The Twilight Sad – King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent There are relatively few Scottish bands on the Friday this year but I would say The Twilight Sad are the pick of the bunch. The band released their fourth album ‘Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants to Leave’ last year and are still riding high on the reception this received. Sadly the band are likely to clash with The Cribs but if you’d rather check out the tent rather than the Main Stage I would recommend them. Key Tracks: That Summer, At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy, Cold Days From The Birdhouse, I Became A Prostitute
At midnight last night Scotland’s second biggest music festival (as far as I’m aware) RockNess announced its lineup, then confirmed in a poster this morning at 9am. For anyone who hasn’t seen the line up but has been considering going to the festival here it is:
Personally it doesn’t strike me as a great line up, but it would appear they’ve focused on getting in the dance acts so far. It’ll be interesting to see how it develops when they start announcing some guitar bands but as it stands I’d have no plans to visit RockNess this year.
Although I’m sure both Biffy Clyro and Mumford & Sons will be great they’re not exactly breathtaking headliners: Biffy have been everywhere the last few years and Mumford only have only album. (Should be noted that other headliner Deadmaus5 played T In The Park 2011 too). Other than those two only Noah & The Whale really stand out for me but they too were at T In The Park, Reading & Leeds and other festivals last year. Also, Ed Sheeran in a slot that high seems pretty poor to me and has drawn a lot of criticism on the RockNess forums.
Looks like a bit of a let down from RockNess so far but if you’re a dance fan you’ll be loving Deadmau5, Justice and a lot of the other, I’d imagine anyway.
Finally, I’d note that this probably rules all of these acts out of playing T In The Park this summer.
Many of the videos will be from Leeds’ partner festival site, Reading. I’ve missed out my Thursday night as that will be covered in my eventual round-up.
Mark Thomas – Alternative Stage
Unusually my Friday started with a comedian rather a band. Having seen Mark Thomas live twice I knew he was excellent live and knew exactly what I’d be getting. And that’s what I got, a great show to kick off the day.
Fighting Fiction – Lock Up Stage
When the line up was announced I didn’t know any bands on the Friday morning, so I started doing some research and dug up Fighting Fiction. Sounding a bit like Frank Turner drew me in instantly and their songs kept me in. I strolled into the front row of the Lock Up and really enjoyed their set, which I knew about half of. Hopefully they’ll be higher up the bill next time if others enjoyed it like I did.
Highlight: We Will Not Forget
Spy Catcher – Lock Up Stage
Spy Catcher were a similar discovery to Fighting Fiction, and again I very much enjoyed them. Their song ‘Don’t Like People’ is smashing and their singer put everything into their live performance. A good rocky band to watch whislt the rain poured down outside the tent. However, the tent then sprung a leak in the roof which wasn’t so good.
Highlight: Don’t Like People
Frank Turner – Main Stage
With my Frank Turner tshirt and braving the rain outside I was all set to see one of my heroes. Reunited with my friends who’d been away watching other bands we got a good spot in the golden circle. And then Frank was brilliant. Definitely the highlight of the day, a set packed with hits, which I knew every word to. His new songs are every bit as good as his older tracks. Now I can’t wait to see him again in November.
Highlight: I Am Disappeared
The View – Main Stage
After Frank, we hung about to watch Scotland’s best young band The View. As expected it wasn’t nearly the same as seeing them in front of a Scottish crowd but the band were still great. Kyle performed with a big bandage round his leg having “severed it with a kitchen knife” but this didn’t stop them belting out thier hits and some from their excellent new album. Ending with a run of ‘Same Jeans’, ‘Superstar Tradesman’ and ‘Shock Horror’ they really know how to do a great festival set.
Highlight: Shock Horror
Chapel Club – NME Stage
Going to see Chapel Club for the fifth time in just over a year gave me the chance to get out of the rain, but the weather and tiredness had left me feeling a bit dead on my feet. I still enjoyed Chapel Club but not as much as before, I couldn’t help but wonder if they were too high up the bill for their own good. High on the second stage led to a tent with many people not knowing the band, but hopefully they’ll have gained some new fans from it.
Highlight: All The Eastern Girls
Interval
I decided to walk back to the tent and get a poncho. Whilst there I had a couple of beers and a wee rest. Feeling refreshed I headed back to the arena where I glimpsed Frank Turner up close during his signing. Then back to the music!
Panic! At The Disco – NME Stage
I didn’t think Panic! would fit into my plans as I feared they would clash with Interpol so I was delighted when I found I was able to see both bands. It was my first time seeing them and on their evidence I would watch them again, a great set. I had forgotten I knew all the words to their first album! Even though I don’t actually have their second or third…
Highlight: Camisado
Interpol – Main Stage
We crept back out into the rain, this time I was wearing my poncho though, and headed into the Main Stage golden circle, where we would remain for the rest of the evening. It was also my first time seeing Interpol, something I had been waiting for for years. I knew most of their set and loved it. I didn’t realise they were big enough for a third top set but their show justified it easily. A great band who I could easily watch again.
Highlight: Evil
Elbow – Main Stage
I first saw Elbow at T In The Park two years ago when I only knew one of their albums and they blew me away. So this time, knowing all their songs it was even better! A magnificent live act with a great frontman in Guy Garvey. He really knows how to involve the crowd in slow, soft songs and then bring about massive singalongs for their hits.
Highlight: Open Arms
Muse – Main Stage
Even before the band had started playing the crowd was getting going, Muse’s introduction was ideal for warming the crowd up. Flashing lighting combined with the eerie Tom Waits song ‘What’s He Building?’. Then Matt Bellamy started playing the piano for ‘New Born’ and the crowd went wild for the next two hours. Their Origin Of Symmetry set was followed by a greatest hits set, with each song having its own dedicated video on their massive screen. A great show from the headliners.
Highlight: Stockholm Syndrome
I also glimpsed: Taking Back Sunday, but was more interested in getting some food
I sadly missed: Peter Doherty, Viva Brother, Descendents, Flogging Molly, Craig Campbell, Frank Turner – Lock Up Stage. Too many good bands on that night, gutted to miss Frank’s set but I wanted to see Elbow.
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