Chasing Rainbows in the Company of Strangers

As far as music festival experiences go Trnsmt is one of the more agreeable.    Held on  Glasgow Green, in the heart of our Dear Green Place there is no need to dust down your ground sheets, tent poles or sleeping bags.    A 5 or 10 minute walk through the bustling streets of Glasgow lined with bars, restaurants and cafes & you find yourself on the edge of music heaven.

With 4 main stages to keep music lovers occupied, the choice is all yours for a relaxing unplugged set, groove your day away at the dance area or take up the opportunity to see an up & coming band at the King Tutts stage.   Finally the main stage gives revellers the chance to see a mix of artists & genres on the biggest platform.

I am not saying you are restricted to these areas, the site is laid out with just about everything the young & not so young crowd could really need.   The charging stations & cocktail bars provide dance tracks to keep the party going when you are away from  the stages.   You also have plenty of  space to just kick back & relax on the slopes of the park & take part in everybody's favourite pastime of people watching.

In the digital age the Trnsmt app also gives you a chance to plan your day with the festival app with stage times & reminders, just in case you are having too much fun elsewhere on the site.

A late call off meant some changes to overall line-up on  the Saturday with a starting slot for The La Fontainnes on the main stage.    The La Fontainnes closed the King Tutts stage the previous year & the energy & delivery of Kerr Okan kicked off a relentless day of music in Glasgow.

Next on the main stage were one of the great early Indie bands of the 90's.   Shed Seven swaggered on stage & opened with lead track Room in my House from their new album.    They then rolled back the years with a set list of hits that left the crowd wanting more.    Rick Witter leads Shed Seven from one hit song to the next & my only wish was that they could have played for longer, a real treat in the early afternoon.

As we made our way to the King Tutts stage the crowd continued to sing the chorus of Chasing Rainbows.     With a huge crowd already in place for the Lothian band The Snuts, they the led the crowd through a seamless set including what's going on & the aptly  named Glasgow.   A strong set from a brillant band who should be playing bigger stages very soon.

As the afternoon sun grew stronger it was time to take a break in the shade as Kyle Falconner was welcomed on to the stage at  king Tutts.   The frontman from the view brought his full band with him & that unmistakable voice serenaded the fans tucked into the east corner of the green.

Time for a quick walk to the bar to pickup some much needed refreshments before making my way to the main stage for Gerry Cinnamon to treat his "pals", fellow Glaswegians & new army of fans to a walkthrough of his songbook.

With space at a premium, easily 40,000 people wedged themselves in at the main stage to see Gerry play at his hometown festival, a masterstroke from the organisers who guaranteed the boy from Castlemilk his place in the sun.

As he stood alone dreaming, he certainly wasnt in the company of strangers.   Gerry sang his life story, the crowd joined him in a full blown party atmosphere where the energy between fans & singer made for a special moment.    With fans & singers leading their way through the unsigned artists songbook of Belter, Lullaby, Sometimes & Fortune Favours the Bold, finishing with an acoustic version of Discoland leaving revelers on a maximum high.

After his set I took a stroll down by the Clydeside in the shade, with plenty of food stalls to feed your appetite & bars to keep you refreshed, a seat in the amongst the trees & a chance to talk to fellow music fans.  A great crowd sharing stories of their travels from Canada,  Birmingham & Baillieston, all with different idols but all there for a great day out.

The dance area & cocktail bar a perfect to keep to the party going between bands or just to sit and rechanrge your batteries & phone.   Thankfully the Trnsmt app reminded me the Courteeners were due in stage & I squeezed my way into the front in time to hear Liam Fray lead the Glasgow crowd through their anthems.     The crowd armed with smoke bombs & flares helped light up an electric set from the English indie rockers.

Time for a quick toilet break & back in place for the moment I had been waiting for Liam Gallagher since I had bought my tickets & no intention of missing out.

As show time approached the fans sang along with The Stone Roses being played in the background, then in a flash Laim Gallagher made his way to the stage  all eyes in Glasgow Green followed him on the big screens as he made his trademark swagger from his dressing room to his stage.    With the crowd at fever pitch he strolled on stage & entered into the Oasis anthem Rock n Roll star.    24 years on from the 1st time I had heard him sing it at the Glasgow Barrowlands, it was great to hear him hold us all in his hands once again.

Anthem after anthem of Oasis tracks & hits from his As you were album brought the crowd to a fever pitch.    As far as front men go, there can't be many better than Liam Gallagher,  swagger, arrogance, style & he leads the crowd in everything he does.

"Whatever" made a appearance & faded out thanks to the backing of the Old Skool Oasis fans with a rendition of " I'd like to be, under the sea, in an octopuses garden in the shade"

Just as the set was in full flow, the music came to an abrupt stop.    A fan in the crowd had decided he needed a better vantage point & scaled one of the speaker masts & for safety reasons the gig was called to a short halt.     With bottles, drinks & abuse being thrown at the climber, Liam also gave him a piece of his mind.     After a break Liam had enough of waiting & kicked off the gig again.    More flares & smoke bombs went off to Cigarettes & Alcohol, Liam kept the abuse up directing D'yer wanna be a spaceman to out high flying intruder.

An excellent set & night  was finished off with Live Forever & Wonderwall.    Fans made they way back to the city to keep the party going, or maybe to get themselves ready for another day at Trnsmt.    Either way, Glasgow was brightly shining & waiting to do it all again on the Sunday.