Bowing out with a bang
Music festival brings thousands out to enjoy hot sounds
THE second annual TRNSMT festival bowed out with a bang.
The event came to an explosive end with help from The Killers and hometown acts Franz Ferdinand and Chvrches. A fortnight of unrivalled live music has brought around 140,000 people to Glasgow.
As the day went on, it was all about the Scots
THE second annual TRNSMT festival came to an explosive end last night with help from Las Vegas indie-rockers The Killers.
A fortnight of unrivalled live music and great weather has brought around 140,000 people to Glasgow Green and what is hoped to be millions to the local economy.
Organisers managed to surpass their incredible first year of the TRNSMT event by bringing a whole host of world-renowned artists to the metropolitan setting including Queen + Adam Lambert, Arctic Monkeys, Stereophonics and Liam Gallagher.
The job of opening the fifth and final day of the festival was bestowed upon Bathgateborn singer Lewis Capaldi, who was joined on stage by Nina Nesbit.
The powerhouse vocalist kicked off a day of varied music on the Main Stage with his hugely successful string of singles.
Opening the festival on an admittedly bleak note, Lewis’s heart wrenching tracks Fade, Rush and new single Tough, had crowds belting back every word.
Despite selling out Glasgow Barrowland before even releasing an album, Lewis has managed to maintain his self-deprecating attitude that has made him so lovable.
Lewis also covered All These Things That I’ve Done.
Fellow Scot Nina Nesbitt appeared with him on the main stage ahead of her headline appearance on the King Tut’s Stage.
The TRNSMT first-timer and one-time Ed Sheeran muse said: “I love playing gigs in Scotland and I feel like festivals are even better because everybody is a bit drunk and just up for it.
“T in the Park was my favourite,” she added. “They’ve always been really fun crowds so fingers crossed for tonight.”
Pop star Jessie Ware was second on stage to perform songs from her impressive back catalogue.
From Wildest Moments, dedicated to a couple she met in her hotel, who told her they had it as their wedding song, to upbeat Domino and back to heartbreaking ballad Say You Love Me, Ware proved that her voice really can do anything.
Having performed at the more intimate setting of the Old Fruitmarket earlier in the year, Ware effortlessly managed to replicate the exact same atmosphere and emotion on the massive festival stage.
Keeping the good times going, Friendly Fires took to the stage for their first UK festival performance in over five years.
Known for their uptempo tropical-pop and dancing frontman Ed Macfarlane, Friendly Fires are a firm favourite on the festival scene.
Performances of Jump In The Pool, Paris and Skeleton
Boy proved that the band haven’t lost any of their enthusiasm.
As the day went on, it was all about the Scots.
First up was Franz Ferdinand who have built up a massive following since their breakthrough second album You Could Have It So Much Better.
Singles Take Me Out and Do You Want To received an expectedly wild reception from the Glasgow crowd with chants echoing around the green.
Songs from their fifth studio album Always Ascending mixed in well with their extensive back catalogue which has taken them from underground Glasgow to one of the biggest indie-rock bands of recent years.
Synth-pop trio Chvrches danced their way through the day’s penultimate set with Lauren Mayberry securing her reputation as one of the best frontwomen ever to come out of Glasgow.
Fresh from the release of their third album, the band put on a stellar display of their genre-mixing hits including The Mother We Share, Recover and new single My Enemy.
Now seasoned professionals when it comes to headlining festivals, The Killers pulled off a near faultless performance.
All round good-guy Brandon Flowers performed with the eagerness of a frontman who is still getting used to arena shows, despite the fact it has become a near monthly occurrence for the band.
Playing a chunk of songs from their spotless debut album Hot Fuss, highlights from Day & Age, Battle Born and Sam’s Town, and peppering in some from their most recent album Wonderful Wonderful, appeared to be just the right combination to get fans on side.
As the show came to a colourful end, The Killers cemented their status as a must-see act for any music fan.