TRNSMT Festival 2017

[MinionDave]

Bars are doing spirits, about 6 a drink, no idea what beers are sold. Quite busy. Would guess 40k ish.....

[LJS]

13 hours ago, MinionDave said:

Bars are doing spirits, about 6 a drink, no idea what beers are sold. Quite busy. Would guess 40k ish.....

Wide choice of beers : Carlsberg, Carlsberg, Carlsberg or Carlsberg At a fiver a pint.

There is also cider at £5.50.

Edited July 8, 2017 by LJS

[tori1607]

Anyone got any recommendations for good breakfast/lunch on route from queen st to the green? 

[burnzy1987]

Is there a front segregation on the main stage?

[kingcrawler]

2 minutes ago, burnzy1987 said:

Is there a front segregation on the main stage?

There's a barrier and a front pit but anyone can get in to it, admittedly I was only in there for Everything Everything but shouldn't have any problems getting in there for Kasabian if you're in there an act or two early.

[burnzy1987]

6 minutes ago, kingcrawler said:

There's a barrier and a front pit but anyone can get in to it, admittedly I was only in there for Everything Everything but shouldn't have any problems getting in there for Kasabian if you're in there an act or two early.

Brilliant cheers. Just a walk around the side job then. 

[kingcrawler]

7 minutes ago, burnzy1987 said:

Brilliant cheers. Just a walk around the side job then. 

Yeah, it is pretty small but probably a decent bit of changeover in there after George Ezra anyway.

[OneLittleFish]

Back, and happy to share my thoughts.

Can I start with a super-special, magical up yours to the shambles that is Happy Bus? Waiting at our pick up point for no bus. Tried phoning, using social media etc. multiple times over an hour to see what was happening. Eventually they gave in and picked up to tell me that the bus had been cancelled and I had supposedly been notified by e-mail.

I might have missed it (had a quick search on my phone and didn't find anything but could still be proven wrong) but a phone call would have been nice. If something had been sent whilst I was on holiday it's likely to have been missed in amongst 150 work e-mails, spam and all the other stuff that comes in. If you're making drastic changes or cancelling, pick up the phone to people. They might be unhappy but to try and pass it off with a flippant e-mail that you just don't know if they've been able to read then that's drastically poor customer service. If you pick up the phone you know that they know and it causes a lot less issues.

 Left us stranded in Glasgow but thank you to the kind member of the festival community that put us up for the night when they did not need to.

 

As for the festival:

TRNSMT could really be called "You can't teach a Geoff Ellis new tricks", quite accurately.

 

To start with the positives, Radiohead and Belle & Sebastian put in good performances. Less neds than TITP.

 

To move to the negatives, god almighty they don't even hide how much they want to fleece you for things. Would guesstimate without hyperbole that 60-70% of the food stalls are greasy burger stalls (mostly all called 'Burger Shack', selling the lowest quality burger in the dryest, stalest bun man could find and charging £7 for the priviledge). £2.50 for a bottle of watter. £5.50 for a pint of cheap cider.£6 for a spirit. £25 for a t-shirt, and if you wanted a t-shirt with all the bands on the back then I could only see t-shirts with one day each on them. If you wanted the full line-up, you'll need three t-shirts so £75 for that please. Had an awful cocktail (supposedly a peach daquiri - basically a shot of vodka, lemonade and sickly sweet peach syrup with two ice cubes - £7 for that please)

 

They don't even wait till you're through the gates to sell stuff to you. A big digital screen with speakers is outside blaring out music and advertising all of the gigs they have on the go outside Everywhere you look they're trying to sell you something - either gig tickets, over priced food, over priced drinks, over priced t-shirts (and I say over-priced even taking festival pricing into consideration). No creativity, no inspiration, just wall to wall commercialism and nothing to do other than watch a band or drink. No activities, no causes. The precise reason why TITP started going downhill - shove a lot of youngsters into a space with loads of drink available and not enough else to do = trouble.

 

Belle & Sebastian were very good. Shame about the huge noise bleed from a local DJ bit remixing their quietest and most tender moments of the set throughout.

Radiohead good, awful crowd. Lots of people barging and pushing people out of the way, the usual drinks throwers, people talking and making phone calls throughout (lots more so than I've been used to at the festivals I've been attending for the last fourteen years). Saw not quite a fight break out during 'All I Need' next to us where some guy was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and repeatedly pushed into the crowd behind us. Crowd was summed up when people were pulled up on stage to dance to 'Boy with the Arab Strap' when Belle & Sebastian were on and the camera kept cutting to someone who seemed to be texting for at least the entire first half of the song on stage. Talk about missing the moment.

 

 

I don't want to sound like I'm being over the top or this is hyperbole - I truly, truly hope you have a fantastic time if you go. Fill up on food and booze beforehand as it's extortionately priced. However if Geoff Ellis thinks this is what appeals to a more mature, over 30 festival crowd then he's utterly deluded in his thought. It's T in the Park with more blatant commercialism squeezed in and the campsite taken away. Radiohead and Belle & Seb aside, it's a TITP style line-up. Let's face it. I always hoped that T in the Park would turn it around as it was my first festival and I've got good memories of it. I actually actively hope that this fails because it's pretty insulting that Geoff Ellis would think this is is "fresh however you approach it" as he said in an interview.

 

But as I say, I really,really hope that you have a better experience than me and have a great time

 

EDIT: Checked my e-mail and there was a message in the junk folder - however they asked for a reply to confirm receipt of the e-mail. Obviously I hadn't had the chance to respond so surely the next step is to pick up the phone. Was on holiday at the time so didn't have access to e-mail which surely isn't unusual for June.

Edited July 8, 2017 by OneLittleFish

[LJS]

2 hours ago, OneLittleFish said:

Back, and happy to share my thoughts.

Can I start with a super-special, magical up yours to the shambles that is Happy Bus? Waiting at our pick up point for no bus. Tried phoning, using social media etc. multiple times over an hour to see what was happening. Eventually they gave in and picked up to tell me that the bus had been cancelled and I had supposedly been notified by e-mail.

I might have missed it (had a quick search on my phone and didn't find anything but could still be proven wrong) but a phone call would have been nice. If something had been sent whilst I was on holiday it's likely to have been missed in amongst 150 work e-mails, spam and all the other stuff that comes in. If you're making drastic changes or cancelling, pick up the phone to people. They might be unhappy but to try and pass it off with a flippant e-mail that you just don't know if they've been able to read then that's drastically poor customer service. If you pick up the phone you know that they know and it causes a lot less issues.

 Left us stranded in Glasgow but thank you to the kind member of the festival community that put us up for the night when they did not need to.

 

As for the festival:

TRNSMT could really be called "You can't teach a Geoff Ellis new tricks", quite accurately.

 

To start with the positives, Radiohead and Belle & Sebastian put in good performances. Less neds than TITP.

 

To move to the negatives, god almighty they don't even hide how much they want to fleece you for things. Would guesstimate without hyperbole that 60-70% of the food stalls are greasy burger stalls (mostly all called 'Burger Shack', selling the lowest quality burger in the dryest, stalest bun man could find and charging £7 for the priviledge). £2.50 for a bottle of watter. £5.50 for a pint of cheap cider.£6 for a spirit. £25 for a t-shirt, and if you wanted a t-shirt with all the bands on the back then I could only see t-shirts with one day each on them. If you wanted the full line-up, you'll need three t-shirts so £75 for that please. Had an awful cocktail (supposedly a peach daquiri - basically a shot of vodka, lemonade and sickly sweet peach syrup with two ice cubes - £7 for that please)

 

They don't even wait till you're through the gates to sell stuff to you. A big digital screen with speakers is outside blaring out music and advertising all of the gigs they have on the go outside Everywhere you look they're trying to sell you something - either gig tickets, over priced food, over priced drinks, over priced t-shirts (and I say over-priced even taking festival pricing into consideration). No creativity, no inspiration, just wall to wall commercialism and nothing to do other than watch a band or drink. No activities, no causes. The precise reason why TITP started going downhill - shove a lot of youngsters into a space with loads of drink available and not enough else to do = trouble.

 

Belle & Sebastian were very good. Shame about the huge noise bleed from a local DJ bit remixing their quietest and most tender moments of the set throughout.

Radiohead good, awful crowd. Lots of people barging and pushing people out of the way, the usual drinks throwers, people talking and making phone calls throughout (lots more so than I've been used to at the festivals I've been attending for the last fourteen years). Saw not quite a fight break out during 'All I Need' next to us where some guy was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and repeatedly pushed into the crowd behind us. Crowd was summed up when people were pulled up on stage to dance to 'Boy with the Arab Strap' when Belle & Sebastian were on and the camera kept cutting to someone who seemed to be texting for at least the entire first half of the song on stage. Talk about missing the moment.

 

 

I don't want to sound like I'm being over the top or this is hyperbole - I truly, truly hope you have a fantastic time if you go. Fill up on food and booze beforehand as it's extortionately priced. However if Geoff Ellis thinks this is what appeals to a more mature, over 30 festival crowd then he's utterly deluded in his thought. It's T in the Park with more blatant commercialism squeezed in and the campsite taken away. Radiohead and Belle & Seb aside, it's a TITP style line-up. Let's face it. I always hoped that T in the Park would turn it around as it was my first festival and I've got good memories of it. I actually actively hope that this fails because it's pretty insulting that Geoff Ellis would think this is is "fresh however you approach it" as he said in an interview.

 

But as I say, I really,really hope that you have a better experience than me and have a great time

 

EDIT: Checked my e-mail and there was a message in the junk folder - however they asked for a reply to confirm receipt of the e-mail. Obviously I hadn't had the chance to respond so surely the next step is to pick up the phone. Was on holiday at the time so didn't have access to e-mail which surely isn't unusual for June.

I can't really disagree with any of that but as I really viewed as a radiohead gig with Belle & Sebastian supported, I wasn't particularly disappointed.

Thought both bands were great. I was a bit pissed off with some of the chatter going on all around me when I was trying to listen to the band but I don't think that is unique to there.

I'm used to smaller festivals with a choice of good food & beer. But hey, for me it's Nova festival if you can't camp!

I think the ned count may be higher today & tomorrow. 

Edited July 8, 2017 by LJS

[addicted2noise]

Yeah the drink prices were extortionate but I thought the food choice wasn't too bad (especially in the King Tut's area) and £6 a burger is probably the average nowadays at festivals. There were lots of toilets too and if you're into that sort of thing I thought the Smirnoff stage was pretty good.

[AldoTVAOF]

Really enjoyed TRNSMT the past 2 days, felt it was much better than TITP! Main complaint is that I felt yesterday was oversold and overcrowded. At times throughout the day it was just mobbed everywhere and it was a real struggle to move across the site. Sound was better than I expected for a city centre venue, usually feel that these type of venues can be quiet but was fine.

[cammie81]

2 hours ago, addicted2noise said:

Yeah the drink prices were extortionate but I thought the food choice wasn't too bad (especially in the King Tut's area) and £6 a burger is probably the average nowadays at festivals. There were lots of toilets too and if you're into that sort of thing I thought the Smirnoff stage was pretty good.

There were a few decent food stalls but you had to look for them, had ok Thai food and a decent bulgoki with kimchi.

Drinks wise the bars were as aspected, pretty poor. Although the cider was actually not bad. Had to laugh at the bar by King Tuts called something like the pub which sold exactly the same drink as the other bars. They've rebadged it, you fool.

The smirnoff and JD stages and respective bars were decent though I thought and at least offered variety.

Music wise I liked Everything Everything, Black Honey, Belle and Sebastian and Radiohead. Thought the crowds were good were I was (RHS facing stage for Radiohead) although the drink throwing was noticeable.

Overall decent effort but can tell it's run by T organisers. Will attend next year if it survives and they have a decent line up at least one of the days.

[crowie]

Was there Friday/Saturday, my thoughts.

Friday was decent. I'm not a Radiohead fan but went with friends who are as I wanted to just have a day out at a festival. I did think the main stage crowd was very "laid back" all day but that was probably in relation to the acts on stage, nothing was really "up tempo". I thought sound was good early on but I did hear a few complaints about it. 

Spent some time at Smirnoff and was good, JD seemed too small a stage and Tuts was also decent, Be Charlotte probably being highlight of the day for me.

Had a good meal in town beforehand so didn't need to eat on site but as OLF said above, seemed to be a lot of cheapy burger stalls.

Drink was ok, cider did me and had a few vodkas too. 

Have to say that on Friday I thought it was doddle getting a drink and there was more than enough loo's, never had to wait. 

I watched an hour of Radiohead from the left of the sound stage. Got very busy and there was a lot of pushing/shoving/folks wanting to get forward. You always get some of that but this seemed to be constant. Had one incident when some guy trying to get forward was roaring in a lassies face calling her for everything, her boyfriend just stood there no saying a thing. Then a bloke in front of me started on the guy for the way he was behaving towards the lassie, they were going head to head for a good couple of minutes but thankfully never turned physical. 

 

Saturday 

Night and day compared to Friday for toilets and drink. Site seemed totally rammed. The queue at The Pub and the main bar nearest Tuts seemed about 60-90 mins early afternoon as Gerry Cinnamon was coming on. Getting round the site was hard, felt like back to the old days of rammed TITP. We eventually got a drink at bar to left of Cocktail Cocktail and went and sat in the big grass area to left of welfare tent, where big map was. Was a great space as was huge, untrodden grass and only a max of about 15 people max in that area all afternoon. If it hadn't been for that I would have left completely as it was becoming difficult just to move about rest of site. Bar the 25-30 mins queue to get another drink I ended up spending about 3.5 hours there and only headed round to rest of site about 25 mins before Kasabian.

Saw them, decent spot on the path to left of Main, busy but no where near as rammed as where I had been for Radiohead the night before. Great set and good crowd round about me. 

 

Dont know what the crowd was like numbers wise on Friday compared to sold out Saturday but felt like significant more people there Saturday.

 

Overall enjoyed it both days, being city centre was excellent as could get good food at reasonable prices before going in and was back at hotel in 20 mins after gig. But they have to work out better bar set up or more staff if it's going to be as busy as Saturday in future.

 

One final comment. When having a quiet pint in the afternoon we got talking to a lad who was on the site construction crew. Did TITP too as well as some other festival sites as well as Edinburgh festival. We asked him about T and he said he has been told T will be back and it will be back at Balado, possibly not next year but would be year after if not. Will see if that is the case.

[devilman]

My experience (Friday only) was similar to those above. Got a great cheap feed at Samantha's cafe just next to the green, then a couple of drinks at WEST before going in. The queue was huge but once they actually got it moving we were in within 10 minutes. The bar and toilets layout was a little strange but you could get served quickly if you went to the right bar and the wife never had to wait very long for the toilet. There were long queues at some of them though.

I only really went for Radiohead. They were both brilliant and boring in the same set. The crowd was rammed and there was quite a lot of people pushing through in both directions. More so than at any festival I've been to. A lack of neds so the targeting has worked but there were a lot of pissed up festival n00bs and fucking rucksac wearers who really get on my tits in the crush at the front.  Notable bands were Vegan Leather and Black Honey but the one that jumped out was the Sundowners. I left the caterwauling dirge that is London Grammar and got into the JD tent to see them. Wow. Will be checking them out now.

The commercialism and lack of a festival feel was very noticeable but it is what it is, just an evolution of the direction T was going in anyway.

I'd go again for the day if there was a line up that suited but I wouldn't be putting other plans on hold while I wait to see what they are going to announce in the future.

If the T back at Balado is true, with 18+ camping and a line up that suits then that would definitely be preferable to TRNSMT.

[MinionDave]

Bit over 40k in on Friday but some left early, 50k Saturday, and will be 40k plus today. Looking quite busy already.

Finally seen kasabian live so happy with that and catfish were superb before them, not been able to get around rest of the site much.

Stripes good start to today, blossoms a bit more mellow just now.

Ta, D 

[Threestripes]

Positives...

Crowd was good/cocktail cocktail/Smirnoff/layout

Negatives...

Ques for the bars/the sound/shite over priced cocktails.

 

For next year..

As someone said nothing to do except watch bands it could/should have so much more.

Maybe one dance act on the bill each day no Dj's to attract the helmets someone like faithless.

Bigger selection of drinks and more bars.

Away back to bed with the fear

 

[Threestripes]

Think I've said it onhere before..

Remember going to a streetrave gig at strathy park they had there own tent for about 100 people and a massive bar only selling blue wkds,for the older crowd at trnsmt listening to proper old skool it would fit in perfectly.

Something different 

[kingcrawler]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/40508602/trnsmt-definitely-back-in-2018-but-theres-no-firm-plan-for-t-in-the-park

So TRNSMT next year again rather than TITP.

[Threestripes]

1 hour ago, kingcrawler said:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/40508602/trnsmt-definitely-back-in-2018-but-theres-no-firm-plan-for-t-in-the-park

So TRNSMT next year again rather than TITP.

Have you seen anywhere the exact dates??

Need to put holidays in....

[kingcrawler]

4 minutes ago, Threestripes said:

Have you seen anywhere the exact dates??

Need to put holidays in....

Nope, though I guess we'd find out soon enough. I assume it'll just be the same weekend as this year as despite what he says in that article I don't see having both TITP and TRNSMT in the one summer working.

[harryomatic]

Went for all three days, though only made it from about 7 after work on Friday.

 

Really enjoyed Radiohead, Belle & Sebastian and Black Honey on Friday. Fair bit of movement in the crowd but didn't really bother me too much. Really easy queuing for pints and food, though the munch wasn't amazing.

 

On Saturday I saw Circa Waves, Stormzy, The Kooks, Georgia Ezra, Sundara Karma, Catfish & the Bottlemen, The Lafontaines and Kasabian. Highlights were Lafontaines and Catfish. Castfish in particular really worked the crowd and played well, can see them stepping up to headline slots in a couple of years. Site was a lot more rammed than friday, a lot more time waiting for drinks etc.

 

Today went to Vukovi, Blossoms, Twin Atlantic, The Amazons, Two Door Cinema Club, The 1975, Superfood and Biffy. Vukovi and Twin were cracking, Blossoms were dull as mud I thought compared to their album. Biffy absolutely smashed it, best act of the weekend. Notices get quieter again, but nice and bustling. 

 

Overall I really enjoyed the weekend, would definitely go back next year. Though I'd want slightly bigger stages/tents for Jack Rocks and King Tuts. Better selection of beers is always welcome (I did hear that either West or Drygate can't remember which tried to get in but were rejected). Totally agree that toning down the blatant commercialism would be nice. Make better use of the tree covered areas, some more fairy lights in the branches and set up a wee acoustic stage or something.

 

Final positive note, I don't think I saw one person urinating against a fence the whole weekend - fantastic to see loads and loads of toilets so there was no excuse for just going against a wall. Long may that continue.

[SemiSweet]

4 hours ago, harryomatic said:

Final positive note, I don't think I saw one person urinating against a fence the whole weekend - fantastic to see loads and loads of toilets so there was no excuse for just going against a wall. Long may that continue.

Worse happened during Two Door haha. Some kid, out of his head, not sure if it was drugs or alcohol but he was a bit spaced out, decided to take a piss slap bang in the middle of the crowd. Picking up dirty bottles off the floor to relieve himself in, one mate knocking it out of his hand and the other egging him on to do it. In the end everyone just put 5 metres between him and them and he pissed right there... before his mate kicked him in the backside and knocked him over. So no piddling up walls so much as piddling IN the crowds lol.

[Andre91]

The Biffy setlist looks lovely. Very jealous of those who got to see All The Way Down. 

[harryomatic]

2 hours ago, SemiSweet said:

Worse happened during Two Door haha. Some kid, out of his head, not sure if it was drugs or alcohol but he was a bit spaced out, decided to take a piss slap bang in the middle of the crowd. Picking up dirty bottles off the floor to relieve himself in, one mate knocking it out of his hand and the other egging him on to do it. In the end everyone just put 5 metres between him and them and he pissed right there... before his mate kicked him in the backside and knocked him over. So no piddling up walls so much as piddling IN the crowds lol.

People pissing in crowds is grim. Go before the band begins, hold it, or work out how to find your pals again and nip out to toilets

[addicted2noise]

I'm not sure if there's space but it would be nice if they have a more alternative stage next year to give people a bit more choice beside the main stage, I enjoyed the Friday but aside from Stormzy the rest of the lineup was a little bit samey and I'd seen most of the acts before.