Glasgow alternative rockers Twin Atlantic are back at The Barrowland Ballroom, and in the mood to party, as the band celebrate the 10th anniversary of their third studio album Great Divide in the first of two sell out nights at the old venue. They would be playing a run thru of the album this evening plus a few other choice cuts to keep the droves happy.
Opening for Twin Atlantic this evening was…………Twin Atlantic! Yes, for the first time the band have been signed up as a support act at The Barras! As a gentle warm up for the main set ahead, they will give their fans the bonus of a run thru of their debut album Vivarium. Sam McTrusty on lead vocals and guitar is beaming as he takes the mic to the left of stage, a weird setup for the main man, but there’s plenty of open stage to play with. The lights dim, the rest of the band takes to the stage and the opening track Lightspeed gets things off to a fine start. The album boasts the early singles What is Light? Where is Laughter, Lightspeed, You’re Turning into John Wayne and Human After All and the band tasted moderate chart success with these releases with What is Light just peaking outside the UK top 40.
These tracks from the bands early catalogue would have been well received by the most dedicated of fans however the fair-weathered among us would certainly have appreciated the music but the main set is what most were here to see.
A half hour break between sets passed in a flash and it was time for Great Divide. The theme from 2001 : A Space Odyssey heralded the band back to the stage, and the crowd gave them their second rapturous welcome of the evening. Heart and Soul, Hold on and Fall Into the Party were played with an energy and enthusiasm that the crowd reciprocated. Two huge flags that featured on the album cover were hung at either side of the stage as McTrusty, joined by Ross McNae, Barry McKenna & Craig Kneale ripped thru the second set. Mainly comprising the tracks of the Great Divide record, they would be rehashed and reimagined with the running order rejigged too, keeping fans on their toes as to what song is coming next!
Many of the tracks played this evening were dusted off and some played live for the first time in over 11 years. Rest in Pieces was rearranged for piano, and sounded great. Crash Land saw McKenna on Cello and Oceans had McNae on keyboards. One more from the album, Brothers and Sisters, left only three more tracks to see out the evening. Barcelona woke the crowd up again after their short break with No Sleep giving them another excuse if it were ever required for a Barrowland mosh pit before the finale Heart and Soul was reprised from the opener at the start of set two and tonight was complete.
Fans of the band would no doubt have lapped up tonights show, two albums of great tunes, some rehashed and some played live for the first time in ages, which is always good to see. Theres nothing worse than a band resting on its laurels and playing the same set gig in, gig out. The only confusion came from the Great Divide record being played in what seemed like a totally random order, but it worked and the band got away with it. They were on form with front man McTrusty giving the music 100% effort. Roll on night two with more of the same!
