'DRY THE RAIN': PINTS AND PONCHOS MARK A SOGGY START TO TRNSMT |

FESTIVAL REVIEW | TRNSMT 2026: DAY 1 | 19th June 2026 by Anne Kelly

Friday at Glasgow Green kicked off not with a bang, but with an absolute downpour. To say it was a very wet start to TRNSMT 2026 would be an understatement; festival-goers were soaked through within minutes, photographers were losing cameras to the elements, and the ground rapidly deteriorated into a classic Scottish mud bath. Solace was sought in pints and ponchos became the mandatory fashion statement of the day.

The brutal weather, paired with a shift in the festival’s schedule from July to June (meaning many potential punters were still stuck at school or work), and whispers of a slightly weaker Friday lineup, had a massive impact on the afternoon attendance. However, the weather gods finally showed some mercy, and things began to clear up around 5pm – even if the site remained a bit of a swamp.

Cliffords

Arriving just in time to see Ireland’s Cliffords open a damp King Tut’s Stage, the Cork band did anything but disappoint. Front woman Iona Lynch commanded attention with a remarkably powerful vocal delivery, her natural confidence anchoring the tight-knit band behind her. Catching up with them after their set they laughed off the Scottish downpour: “It was very wet but it was good craic.”

Mercy Girl

Next, we headed to the BBC Introducing stage for Mercy Girl. The Scottish darkwave electro four-piece proved they are well-deserving of a much bigger slot in the future. Frontwoman Daisy Miles was utterly spellbinding, dominating the space with fierce energy and attitude.

Despite the downpour, a crowd of eager ears happily got drenched to hear them blast through their latest singles, ‘Punisher’ and ‘Closer’. Warning us that their next track, the unreleased ‘Choke’, will “unlikely make the final cut for the BBC” – and she was right, it was pure, sexy noise full of profanity. In a brilliant moment of crowd connection, Daisy and guitarist Kylie McNaughton dropped their instruments to prowl the stage, with McNaughton stepping right off the stage, teasing along the barrier of a now very wet crowd.

Luvcat

Navigating the weekend’s first major clash, we darted back to King Tut’s for the majestic Luvcat. Fresh off the release of her Murder Ballad EP: Lovebites, she delivered a beautifully captivating set. As a fairly new fan of the charming Liverpudlian, her stage presence turned out to be absolutely everything. From the way she moves and speaks to how she effortlessly flirts with the audience, the results are intoxicating. Despite the slim afternoon turnout, her performance made the torrential rain feel like a minor inconvenience.

James Emmanuel

Next, it was back to the BBC Introducing stage to reunite with the soul man of the year, James Emmanuel. James somehow gets better with every single live set. His confidence and charm are completely irresistible, with every track hitting with just as much emotional weight and power as the last. The dedicated crowd was more than happy to endure “a little rain” to get entirely carried away in his beautiful noise.

Catching up with him backstage he told us “I had to give them something to make it worth their while and I just went for it,” which only solidified our obsession. His honesty, passion, and deep connection to his family shine through everything he does, a refreshing humility that translates beautifully onto the stage.

Nile Rogers & Chic

Now, if Nile Rodgers is on a festival lineup, the world needs to stop what it’s doing to ensure you are there. Naturally, we flocked to the main stage, eager to breathe the same air as the living legend standing before us. As a mastermind who has written, produced, and performed some of the most iconic hooks in music history, his setlist was essentially a “greatest hits of greatest hits.” Yet, it’s Chic that truly elevates the spectacle. Anchored by powerhouse vocals and that signature, unstoppable rhythm section, they left us absolutely floored as those timeless, funky basslines came rippling across the open green.

Soapbox

By the time Glasgow’s own Soapbox took the BBC Introducing stage, the rain had finally stopped, leaving a genuine mud bath in its wake. Making their much-anticipated hometown comeback for the year, the band showed they have well and truly found their footing in the live scene. Mud was flying, frontman Tom spent plenty of time down in the pit, and the band debuted new tunes that mark a thrilling shift in gears.

Wolf Alice

For most, this was the most anticipated set of the day. While Richard Ashcroft may have held the official headline slot, we’d argue that it’s about time that TRNSMT give us a female led headliner and Wolf Alice were up to the job. They didn’t miss a single beat, and frontwoman Ellie Rowsell proved she is a force to be reckoned with.

Displaying the presence of icons like Stevie Nicks and Florence Welch mixed with the punk energy and charisma of Shirley Manson or Chrissie Hynde, Ellie was completely captivating. In a magnificent act of solidarity with us poncho casualties in the crowd, she drenched herself with a bucket of water on stage, her attitude intensifying into something sexy, certain, and fierce as she prowled the stage.

Wolf Alice (Hope Simmers/Northern Exposure)

The Beta Band

We chose to close out our night at King Tut’s with a legendary performance from The Beta Band. Holding serious global credentials despite their relatively brief discography, they performed flawlessly, keeping the crowd firmly in the palm of their hand. Despite not releasing any new music under The Beta Band umbrella for over two decades, the group made an unexpected live return last year alongside the reissue of their critically acclaimed collection, The Three EPs.

Following an incredibly wet day on Glasgow Green, the beautiful irony of shouting along to ‘Dry The Rain’ wasn’t lost on a soul. It was a true bucket-list moment – the kind you don’t realise you’re missing until it hits you. Poignant and perfect, it’s an experience every music fan needs to witness before the legendary outfit goes back into hibernation for another two decades – catch them while you can.

As the symphonic strings of ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ echoed over Glasgow Green from the main stage ahead of another massive night for Scottish football we found ourselves getting progressively merry in a now-abandoned VIP zone. No amount of Glasgow rain was ever going to dampen the spirits of this TRNSMT crowd – and maybe it was just the pints sinking in, but the day ended on a genuinely magical note, all geared up for round 2.