By Kyle Horne
Twin Atlantic made their bold return to TRNSMT on the first day of the festival on the main stage – a stage they hadn’t played since 2021.
Hailing from Glasgow, the four-piece band packed a lot of punch, diving straight into Salvation, which sent the audience into a trance, both with their music and their visuals – moments of hardcore rock were mixed with quieter rock moments, the ins-and-outs of which felt like the comedown of a high. The screen was full of spirals going in and out, almost like hypnosis. Full of hard-rock anthems… if you weren’t a fan of Twin Atlantic yet, you were about to be converted.
“We are Twin Atlantic from Glasgow” frontman Sam McTrusty shouted, sporting a pair of sunglasses with his hair slicked back, oozing an indie swagger. The crowd, at this point, had built up, giving them just enough time to get their bearings and grab a pint before the band started just after 2pm.
I must admit, this kind of rock music isn’t personally my cup of tea, and I’m more of a pop-fiend, but I can appreciate good rock bands when I see them, and Twin Atlantic are exactly that – with 20 years’ experience in their back pocket and 7 studio albums out.
This performance marks one of their first together as the original lineup, with drummer Craig Kneale back on the team. Speaking to Shereen Cutkelvin after their set as part of the BBC’s TRNSMT coverage, Sam said: “It’s great, it feels like we’re a gang again […] we’re just delighted to have our best pal back with us”.
As the band played their last track, the cheers rolling through Glasgow Green proved that Twin Atlantic had cemented their place as one of Scotland’s boldest live acts – a reminder of why they’ve endured for two decades, and why they’re still worth shouting about.