What a difference a year makes! I last saw Twin Atlantic in
Brighton at a smallish venue called The Haunt. It was pretty busy and the band
clearly had plenty of fans, but they weren’t yet of the die-hard variety. I think
many, like me, were new to the game, having stumbled across a little song
called Make a Beast of Myself – a real treat in that the video is every bit as
good as the song.
I’ll admit I was a little late to catch on – Make a Beast of
Myself was in fact the fourth single off their 2011 album Free. Twin Atlantic formed back in 2007 and they have already toured with the likes of Biffy
Clyro, Smashing Pumpkins and Taking Back Sunday (a gentle reminder that once in
a while I should really go and check out the support at gigs instead of filling my
face with Nando’s). They have also played a handful of big festivals, but
somehow they hadn’t quite hit the big time.
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| © Twin Atlantic |
Fast forward to last Thursday and Twin Atlantic were
performing to a sold out Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and wow there is a lot of love
now for the boys from Glasgow. Even the people seated on the balconies spent
most of the night on their feet!
I have a sneaking suspicion that this display of enthusiasm
was partly due to the fact the audience had youth on their side. They were
young, and I mean very young. I can
safely say I haven’t felt so old since my assistant told me that she had never
heard of Ally McBeal. I should have sussed that something was up when we
arrived and that kid from Busted was on stage. I know, I know,
I should probably be a little more open minded. But it is kind of hard to
forget the fact that he was… well, in Busted.
Anyway, age aside, it would be unfair to take anything away
from Twin Atlantic, the enthusiasm was mostly because they were great – an incredibly strong performance and a positive attitude that makes you like them all the more. The tour
was a successful promotion of Free, and it really is an album full of the kind
of songs you can’t help but sing along to – in your very best Scottish accent
of course (seriously, listen to Crash Land and tell me I’m wrong!).
Make a Beast of Myself was the final song of the night, and
subsequently the tour, and was accompanied by some pretty special giant Twin
Atlantic balloons and a huge amount of thanks from a very appreciative Sam
McTrusty, who I think is as impressed by their recent skywards trajectory as I
am. It felt like a celebration of all the hard graft they have put in which is
certainly paying off.
I hope the incredibly young audience isn’t a completely accurate
representation of their fan base these days, I’d hate it to make them any less
credible when they clearly have a lot more to offer. I can't really pin down their sound with an obvious comparison, and I think that is always a compliment. I’ll leave you with the
song that first made me sit up and pay attention, because quite honestly, it speaks for itself.
@twinatlantic
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