TENEMENT TRAIL 2025 CAPTURES THE MAGIC OF GLASGOW GRASSROOTS
FESTIVAL REVIEW | TENEMENT TRAIL 2025 | 11th October 2025 by Anne Kelly
My fourth year at Tenement Trail this year, and I can confidently say that it was one of the best yet.
Taking place across the best independent live venues in Glasgow‘s East End, Tenement Trail welcomes over 50 grassroot bands and artists, all ready to prove to you that they might well be the next big thing. From the bouncy Barrowland Ballroom, it’s downstairs neighbour ‘Barrowlands 2’ to the celestial former worship hub St Lukes and The Winged Ox, to the vibrant BAaD plus local beer vaults Van Winkles, Gallowgate 226 and McChuills; Tenement Trail takes the individual spaces and creates a community of like minded creatives and fans to celebrate the best the scene has to offer every year.
This year festivities basked in the afternoon Autumn sun, with packed out venues, and lengthy queues becoming a welcome sight to festival organisers early in the day. Taking the bold move to strategically place some of the more alluring artists on the bill early on – GIRLS.SPEAK.FRENCH./ Theo Bleak/ Fog Bandits to name but a few – the vibrant atmosphere was thrummed with the beats of Dan South spinning in BAad’s backyard throughout the afternoon. With guest sets from artists like Gallus, Martha May and The Mondays, The Rooks and Sister Maads, the Tenement Trail’s Soundsystem made a striking impression right from my arrival at the box office, bringing a notable energy to the festival.
Early evening and the venues just kept packing out. Ireland’s Basht did just that as they took to BAad‘s stage just after 6pm. Their tightly delivered, raw indie, post punk set was heavy set with emotive grind. Likened to bands such as Wunderhorse (who they opened for in 2023) or Inhaler, Basht just keep getting bigger and better. Their Tenement Trail appearance marked beginning of a very busy few months for the lads who are now touring their sophomore EP Bitter and Twisted with sold out headlines across the UK and Europe, before returning to Scotland when they join their Edinburgh label mates Swim School on tour next month.
It’s always around this time in the day that inevitable clashes start to crop up. Thankfully, Tenement Trail are generous with their timings, mostly staggering the different stages to allow for a bit of running from venue to venue to catch even a glimpse of what’s on offer elsewhere.
After headlining BAad back in 2022, Gallus return to the festival, this time around taking a prime slot at the Barrowland Ballroom. Since then, the Glasgow band have released their debut album, toured extensively and earlier this year released their new EP Cool To Drive. A quick descent into madness, Cool To Drive exuberates something unhinged when taken to Glasgow’s best live venue. In just 30 minutes, Gallus achieve what most bands would hope to in more than twice that time. Singer Barry Dolan is easily one of the most dynamic and engaging front men aboiut; his frenzied chaotic delivery matches the bands high energy, like a bomb ready to detonate at any given moment, Gallus put the bouncy ballroom dancefloor to good use.
Elsewhere, the likes of Tanzana, Katie Nicol and Sister Maads bring a balanced estrogen boost to the line up, all all captivating the audience with their magnetic charisma. Back in the Barrowland Ballroom, Scotland’s finest frontwoman of the moment, Anna Shields, led Dead Pony to a stand out, pitch perfect performance of the night. Having planted their roots firmly in Glasgow over the years, Dead Pony exemplifies the talent that has emerged from the local music community, showcasing the kind of artists that this scene and festival has cultivated, which extends beyond the city’s borders. Having toured extensively since the release of the debut album Ignore This in 2024, the band have supported You Me At Six, Kid Kapichi, Against The Current and The Blackout – to name but a few – the four piece continue to gain traction in the nu-metal rock revival scene. Closing their set with their cover of Limp Bizkit‘s ‘Break Stuff’, Dead Pony invites Gallus‘ Barry on stage alongside Div from emerging Glasgow band Count The Days and the stage descends into pure joyful chaos; an epitome of everything this festival strives to be.
As the night begins to reach it’s peak, the clashes only continue to cause conflict. Upcoming indie pleasers The Rooks and Arkayla provide a temptive offering, in their respective venue headline slots. Having seen The Rooks before, I headed to The Winged Ox with hopes to catch sight of Manchester’s Arkayla. Disapointingly, there’s nothing but an exodus taking place in The Winged Ox, with Arkayla being forced to cut short their planned set after somebody in the crowd takes unwell.
Next door at St Lukes, Glasgow’s Soapbox are preparing for the first of what would be two sets of the night. Arriving promptly at 9.15pm, the bands menacing frontman Tom Rowan has St Lukes in a choke hold, ready to do anything he commands. Mixing good hardcore punk with a hefty dose of Scottish wit, Soapbox are one of the finest new bands coming from the Glasgow scene over the past few years. Probably spending more than half the set immersed within the crowd rather than being frozen to the stage, the Soapbox frontman demands that you aren’t merely an bystander in this show, but in fact part of the act itself. If you missed them the first time around though, Soapbox locked in the infamous “secret set” midnight set at McChuills up the road. Whilst I never made it that far into the night, I could feel the satisfying drench of sweat dripping from the images alone.
Nothing quite matches the energy of a Glasgow crowd and Tenement Trail seem to have captured that spirit in an abundance. Not only with the music, but the atmosphere between the venues was electric, with festival-goers bustling around the area, savoring drinks and delicious bites beneath the vibrant canopies of various food stalls. The air was filled with a sense of joy and community, punctuated by the sounds of laughter and connection. This marked my fourth consecutive year attending the Tenement Trail, and each time is a passionate reminder as to why I pour all my energy into supporting the grassroots scene.
Tenement Trail is set to return to Glasgow on Saturday October 10th next year, with early bird tickets on sale now! Secure your ticket for 2026 for just £35 (plus bf) – EARLY BIRD TICKETS
