By Kyle Horne
And there it was.
The sun rose over Glasgow Green for the final day of TRNSMT, and the organisers had one last surprise-packed lineup to close the weekend with a bang.
Nieve Ella
Opening the Main Stage on Sunday was none other than indie pop newcomer Nieve Ella, who first gained recognition via TikTok, her account now surpassing 4.8 million likes.
Festivalgoers across Glasgow Green have watched her blossom, as this marked Nieve’s third TRNSMT in a row – playing the BBC Introducing stage in 2023, to the King Tut’s stage in 2024, and finally the Main Stage this year.
Having now conquered all three stages, Nieve had nothing left to prove, instead spending her performance having fun, feeling all elements of the music.
When she wasn’t playing guitar, Nieve danced and flipped her hair with confidence, oozing the kind of confidence only a true superstar could harness.
The songstress’ set included fan-favourite tracks from her previous EPs: Lifetime of Wanting and Watch It Ache and Bleed, along with brand new track Good Grace, released two days prior to this performance.
She finished her set on Sugarcoated, electrifying the audience, getting them hyped and ready for the day ahead.
Tom Walker
Scottish songwriting legend Tom Walker was set to take the stage right after Nieve, giving the bulk of the festivalgoers just enough time to grab a drink before the Leave A Light On singer stepped on stage for a warm homecoming set.
Tom entered the stage to thousands of cheers – the crowd, by this point, had grown significantly as everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the Kilsyth-born performer.
Tom, with humility and grace, was dressed in a simple black shirt and jeans – all eyes and ears on his natural talent.
The Scottish singer-songwriter began his set with the emotionally charged Not Giving In.
He altered part of the song to suit TRNSMT’s younger generation, with rapid, EDM-like drumbeats, and electronic production, which made the perfect mix and created such a powerful opener to his set:
“Right TRNSMT, I wanna see some movin’, I wanna see some dancin’, I wanna see a wee bit of a hip wiggle, are we ready?!”
Afterwards, Tom took things a bit slower with Just You and I, serenading the crowd with his distinctive vocal and beautiful instrumentals, powered by his live band.
This slower set was the perfect addition to Sunday’s lineup, giving the crowd a chance to boogie, yet also a moment to pause and reflect, much needed after the high-energy acts of the previous days.
By the end of the track, the crowd sang each of the words back to Tom – a ‘pinch-me’ moment where Tom definitely knew he made it, before performing other songs including Holy Ghost, Cry Out, and Castles, then finally culminating with Leave A Light On.
Expressing his gratitude for the crowd before his final song, Tom reflected: “Can’t tell you how much I love doing this as my job, and it’s cause of lovely people like you who turn up to the gigs… so thank you so much!”
He then invited fellow Scottish musician Cammy Barnes on stage with him to sing the second verse and play the bagpipes, a massive surprise to the already starstruck crowd.
After Tom’s emotional set, it was time for something more rootsy over on the King Tut’s stage.
Rianne Downey
Following shortly after Tom Walker on the bill was soulful Scottish country singer Rianne Downey and her live band, who performed a beautiful, foot-tapping set over on the King Tut’s stage.
Rianne has been making waves in the Scottish music industry and beyond since she was eighteen years old, busking and performing in small venues. Fresh back from the States after recording her debut album, set for release in October 2025, and recently off a nationwide tour with Paul Heaton, former member of the Beautiful South, Rianne is finally going back to her Scottish roots.
A standout track of her set was Rotterdam (originally performed by the Beautiful South), where Rianne and her crowd let loose like they were at a country club.
With such an extensive musical journey, Rianne expressed her gratitude for the crowd:
“Thank you for sticking with me through the years, whether that’s if you threw a quid in when I was busking down the road, or if you came to any of my gigs, or just listened to the tunes, it genuinely means the world. You’re making a wee lassie from Bellshill’s dreams come true – so thank you!”
She completed her set with Good in Goodbye, a catchy track from her upcoming debut album, about letting go of the past, and finding the ‘good’ in saying goodbye.
Ben Ellis
Hidden away at the other side of the green, Welsh-native pop singer Ben Ellis was up next on the BBC Introducing stage.
With artistry similar to Thomas Day, Henry Moodie and Bradley Simpson, Ben performed tracks from his newest The Hollywood EP, including DEEP! and Burner Phone, mixed with previous releases.
The crowd was full of fangirls who’d followed Ben’s journey since the very beginning, when he released his debut single in 2022. He has since gone on to reach a big audience via TikTok, with his account amassing 3.2 million likes.
Ben’s bandmates, James October and Ellis Blake, drove the energy, constantly playing in front of one another like rockstars as the crowd watched in awe. James also frequently jumped atop the speakers, driving the energy by the truckload.
Ben’s natural vocal talent puts him in serious competition with today’s biggest charting acts. His songwriting is particularly heartfelt, with thoughtful lyrics, and warm, comforting guitar chords.
His dedication to the music was second to none. Ben stood super focused on his guitar playing. It would be great, however, to see Ben branch out a bit more in the future and come into a place where he owns the stage, because he has all the talent to fill it.
His confidence will surely build through further experience on even bigger festival stages in the future.
Myles Smith
After back-to-back crowd pleasers, it was time to take a quick break, before Myles Smith was to take the Main Stage.
The British-Jamaican singer-songwriter only had his breakthrough hit Stargazing last year, so to have been booked for the Main Stage slot only a year later is such an achievement.
He walked out wearing a kilt and a customised vintage Scottish football tee with Lewis Capaldi’s face on the back, paired with the phrase ‘The King is Back’, a playful nod to Lewis’ highly anticipated return a couple of weeks prior at Glastonbury.
On stage, Myles radiated authenticity – he’s all about the music with no gimmicks.
He introduced himself to the crowd: “How are we feeling?! My name’s Myles Smith, and for the next 35 minutes, it’s my job to put on the best show that I can, and it’s your job to have as much fun as you can, is that okay?!”
“You may not know my songs, and you may not know who I am, but by tonight I hope you guys have had so much fun that you do!”
The singer-songwriter then kicked straight into Wait For You, and the crowd began dancing from the very first chorus.
It’s safe to say that they both succeeded at their jobs. Myles performed a wide range of his discography, encouraging crowd interaction who happily obliged throughout.
His legendary folk-pop set was completed with viral hit Stargazing – the crowd with their arms in the air, on each other’s shoulders, fully letting the music take over.
And with that, the weekend was almost complete, but a couple of more acts were still to perform.
JADE
JADE was one of those acts.
Originally a member of Little Mix before they announced their hiatus in late 2021, JADE is now carving her own path in the pop genre.
This marked one of her first major solo festival slots – a big career milestone.
Introducing JADE, Ncuti Gatwa’s voice from her track Midnight Cowboy came through the speakers: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, they’s and them’s – hold on tight… the performance is about to begin…’ The intro merged seamlessly into It Girl, kicking off her set with sass.
On stage, she stunned the crowd in a pink and green tartan corseted dress – the tartan an ode to Scotland and its Celtic roots.
The Northerner proved exactly why she earned her TRNSMT slot, delivering pitch-perfect vocals while managing difficult, infectious choreography.
Moving through her set, JADE got everyone dancing and ready for the night ahead, with performances of her solo hits including Fantasy and Plastic Box, a cover of Madonna’s Frozen, and a mashup of Little Mix classics.
JADE finished her set on fan-beloved Angel of My Dreams, her first-ever solo single about her love/hate relationship with the music industry – a full circle moment for the star who began her career fourteen years ago, in a girl group, on the TV show The X Factor.
Snow Patrol
After JADE, the crowd was now at its largest – here was the main event everyone had been waiting for.
Closing the night was legendary Scottish alt band Snow Patrol.
They kicked off their set with Take Back the City, electrifying the crowd instantly. The lights pulsed in every colour. They delivered not only a masterclass in songwriting but also a dazzling lightshow.
During Chocolate, frontman Gary Lightbody pointed at the crowd prompting them to sing, and they finished the rest of the song for the band.
Later on, he opened up to the crowd: “We started out in 1994 in Dundee, and then we moved to Glasgow in 1998… we were living there for ten years, and it was a big part of our life; it’s a massive part of our story, and it always feels like coming home when we come back to Glasgow – so thank you!”
“I know it’s been a hot couple of days… you’re all probably absolutely knackered and we’re so honoured that you’re still here.”
The band then performed Run, a song they wrote in Glasgow back in 2000.
“When we first moved to Glasgow in 1998, we would rock up to the front of King Tut’s with our guitars, and we would say ‘Can we play a show tonight?’
Whatever band was playing: ‘Can we go first on?’
And every time they would let us play… they would feed us as well! And that sort of stuff when you’re just starting out as a band means the world to us, and so I’d like to dedicate this next song to everybody in Glasgow that supported us in those early days.
Everybody at King Tut’s, Nice N Sleazy, all the great places to play in Glasgow.”
That next song was none other than their most famous hit, Chasing Cars, which created one big sing-along. Fans were emotional. Not only was the weekend over, but they also had one of the most legendary bands in front of them playing a track they’ve heard constantly, on TV, on the radio, and in their Spotify playlists.
Their electric set came to a close with You’re All I Have, but it wasn’t long until the chants came…
Both ‘One More Song!’ and ‘No Scotland, No Party!’ were chanted in unison, causing the band to walk back onto the stage to perform what Gary Lightbody called ‘a quiet one and a large one’.
They sang What If This Is All The Love You’ll Ever Get?, and culminated with the anthemic Just Say Yes.
Fireworks then lit up Glasgow Green – the perfect finale to a weekend where music, culture and community collided, bringing TRNSMT 2025 to a close.
Unless otherwise stated, Photography & Text Copyright 2025 © Kyle Horne/ADRENALINE Magazine.