Music > Live Reviews

Twin Atlantic

The Adrian Flux Waterfront

17/10/16

Having been around for nearly a decade, making their debut with pop-rock album Vivarium in 2009, it's not surprising that Twin Atlantic's crowd was largely made up of over 25s at the Waterfront last Sunday, nor the fact they boasted a lengthy eighteen-track set. Despite their tour being in support of their fourth record, the heavier rock album of GLA, is was very much the Glaswegian quartet's back-catalogue of melodic pop songs which were received with the enthusiasm you would expect from a headline show, with hook-heavy tracks such as Heart and Soul, Make A Beast Of Myself and Brothers and Sisters inspiring nostalgic sing-alongs, whilst newer tracks tended to encourage wanders to the bar for another pint. 

Opening with a trio of tracks from their latest record, Gold Elephant: Cherry Alligator, You Are The Devil and The Chaser, it was clear that the band were keen to drive their edgier sound from the very start, and that they were completely and utterly passionate about it. Having failed to curate an overly big fan-base, despite being around for so long, a sound shake-up when it came to the production of a fourth album was always inevitable. Frontman Sam McTrusty has spoken in interviews of a desire to create 'authentic rock music' that was a 'reflection of their home city of Glasgow', so it is difficult to critique what was clearly such a personal project, especially one of which was executed with such raw passion at thier show.

It is therefore unfortunate that tracks from the record failed to be received with as much energy as those from their predecessors, with McTrusty even proclaiming "Norwich, you're better than this!" Aligning Twin Atlantic's new sound next to their old is not the only comparison that can be made when it comes to the band's shortcomings. Comparing them to younger bands on the alternative-rock scene it becomes clear where they're going wrong; it's simply not enough to create straight-up rock music anymore, and it seems as though Twin Atlantic have missed the boat for when it was.

 The pop-punk style of their performance was notably achieved well; you couldn't say there was ever a lack of energy from the band, heavy guitars were played with great musicianship and McTrusty delivered raw vocal howls with every track. Had the gig taken place ten years ago, I would be confident in calling it a relative success, but in 2016, it seems to take more to capture teenage fandom - ultimately what band's need for a next generation of sales and a successful creative re-boot.

New-to-the-scene Stockport outfit Blossoms have seen a rapid rise to fame with their run of singles and, in August, their self-titled debut which went straight to number one. With their blend of 80s synthpop and indie, they've bought something more than simply 'rock' to the table. At their Waterfront gig last month, the youthful energy captivated the entire venue, not just the front half, where only a proportion of the crowd seemed fully-involved last Sunday.

Genres are merging, and this is what makes the present-day music industry an exciting place to be. Twin Atlantic fall short of joining the bandwagon simply by failing to produce anything new.

Looking at the band away from the industry, McTrusty's vocals are excellent, and it is within solo efforts such as in Mothertongue that truly impress; the crowd stood still as he delivered raw vocals and sharp electric guitar chords in chilling harmony.

Twin Atlantic are solidly good at what they do, just a little bit late to the party.

Photos by Saffron Robinson