Despite the band themselves branding it 'the worst set they've ever played', Twin Atlantic managed to put on the most entertaining performance I've seen in a long time.
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On Sunday 26th January, Twin Atlantic launched their new album POWER live in Southampton’s The Loft, with a live set and signing. Despite the band describing it as the ‘worst set they’ve ever played’, it may well be the most fun I’ve had at a gig.
The night got off to a lively start as the Scottish alternative band began the show with ‘Oh Euphoria’ and their high-energy single ‘Novocaine’, and Twin Atlantic were proving themselves to be talented performers. It’s always a harder to open an intimate show and to get the crowd moving in the same way as a bigger tour, but after ‘Novocaine’ there was a fantastic energy in the 450-capacity venue. Frontman Sam McTrusty’s powerful vocals were flawless, and POWER’s blend of electronics and guitars performed as effortlessly on stage as it does on the album.
Then: tragedy strikes. The band was hit with the technical difficulty to end all technical difficulties, and one of their guitars just wasn’t having it. I’ve been to a lot of gigs where these issues have happened, but I can say for sure that no one has handled it as well as Twin Atlantic did. And so, the set turned into a conversation with the audience, telling stories from previous tours. Sam lamented the declining quality of the performance, overlooking the fact that the audience was having a great time. Anxiously wondering if there were any reviewers in the audience, this interlude ended up as a conversation between myself and the band in the middle of the show. But I’m not biased because this unexpected audience participation – Twin Atlantic made this an unforgettable show.
And that’s how the POWER album launch transformed into an acoustic set for a brief period, while they waited for the technology to get back on track. Although it wasn’t quite what we expected, the crowd was loving every moment of it. Soon enough, everything was back in order and they ended the show on a high note with ‘Barcelona’, one of the highlights of the night, and ‘Heart and Soul’, their biggest song and a real fan-favourite.
Twin Atlantic then went on to do a signing in the venue, during which they spent time with each fan who had queued up to chat with them – even with Sam’s vocal rest, and the fact that they were all going on to do shows every night for a week, they were happy to see everyone. In the end, I got my CD signed with three stars written in Sharpie, but they were selling themselves short – this was the most fun I’ve had at a concert in a long time.
Tickets can be bought for the remainder of Twin Atlantic’s tour this month and next month here.
