Twin Atlantic impress crowds at Glasgow's O2 Academy

By Bryan Duncan

UPON Twin Atlantic’s arrival on stage, the baying crowd clapped in unison as if they were replicating Queen’s Radio Ga Ga video.  Quite clearly, the Glasgow four-piece have garnered a loyal fan base over four eventful years. In May this year, they released their second LP, Free, and after touring the US, they have returned to these shores to play an energetic homecoming gig at the O2 Academy, as part of their Free-ze tour. Their anthemic power punk is similar to the tidal wave of American bands that grace the airwaves of Kerrang!  Hence the large number of attendees barely legal to drink. However, an older demographic was still noticeable, showing Twin Atlantic are more than a trendy band who are down with the kids. Despite a heavy guitar-driven sound that evokes bands like My Chemical Romance, the band has a unique fingerprint. This is probably helped by the Scottish twang of singer Sam McTrusty’s vocals. Instrumental opener ‘Serious Underground Dance Vibes’ delves into Mogwai territory, while `‘Make A Beast Of Myself’ demonstrates how they’ve honed their songwriting skills since debut album Vivarium. Story continues ADVERTISEMENT “If we didn’t play a sound that no one respected, we wouldn’t be half the band we are now,” admits McTrusty to an adoring Glasgow crowd. The obligatory “here we f**** go” resonates through the venue as ‘Yes, I Was Drunk’ plays.  The crowd pogo along to ‘Time For You To Stand Up”, and fans religiously recite every word of ‘Crash Land’, a more mellow affair with McTrusty on acoustic guitar and guitarist Barry McKenna on cello duty. It’s wasn’t all mellow however; McTrusty decided to pursue every budding rock star’s dream by crowd surfing. Thankfully, no one stepped aside; this band is loved too much. Perhaps Twin Atlantic veer dangerously to the radio-friendly power punk that dominates the US airwaves, but as a live act, they’re hard to criticise.  It’s a tired cliché, but judging by the response of the fans and their ever expanding repertoire, they’re destined for greater things.

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