If we take a look at the line-up itself, the average, Indie-loving music fan will be in for a treat. On Friday alone, you have some of the biggest hitters in the Indie game at the moment, with the likes of Sam Fender, Blossoms and The Courteeners. However, if that wasn’t enough, you have ex-Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown, who’ll be sure to drag in a crowd of both young and old.
But if we’re thinking of Manchester based rock and roll, you have to mention Oasis, who’s ex front man, Liam Gallagher, will be headlining on the Saturday. However, he won’t make an appearance until a couple other heavy hitters have performed. Foals, who’re next on my bucket list to see, will be a huge crowd favourite, and as always Twin Atlantic will be sure to pump the crowd up, in their hometown of Glasgow.
And as the weekend draws to a close, and the flares from Liam Gallagher and The Courteeners have ran out, fans can sit back and relax to the mellow rock vibes of Snow Patrol. This’ll be moments before the headliner, Lewis Capaldi, performs in perhaps one of the biggest and most career defining moments of his life.
For anyone reading this thinking “that doesn’t sound too bad?”... you're right. There are a couple of bands playing that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing before, such as Blossoms, Twin Atlantic and Liam Gallagher, and I know that they’ll bring their A-game.
"So why has the internet exploded over this lineup?"
Well, if you take a look at some of the festival’s past lineups, you can see what the problem is. A lot of fans are suggesting that the calibre of artist has downgraded over the years. One Facebook user, YouTuber and Festival-Veteran, Rob Kellas, had this to say:
“Opinion is one thing, but it’s a fact that the bands booked for TRNSMT this year are nowhere near in the same league as previous years… did they run out of budget in the first 2 years?
AM, Queen, Radiohead, Kasabian, 1975, Biffy, Killers… and now this? Wet as fuck.
Rant over cya”
(Facebook, 26/11/19)
Also, if you’re a big fan of Festival season, then Rob’s YouTube channel (TPD TV) is a must watch. Even if you don’t like festivals, you'd be surprised how entertaining it is watching a couple of lads getting pissed, in the pouring rain, in the middle of a field.
If you think of it this way, it is clear to see the status of artists for the festival has somewhat decreased over the years, and you can see how fans wouldn’t be too happy about it.
However, even if this is the case, that doesn’t mean that the lineup won’t provide.
"Any Indie fan will happily glide through the weekend, but there’s a few other genres on show; such as the rap/grime artist Aitch, pop icon Rita Ora, and the rock n roll attitude of Liam Gallagher."
So maybe the budget behind the acts has gone down a bit in the last couple of years, and maybe the festival has catered for more of an Indie-music vibe. However, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t something for everyone, and even if you only go for a couple of the acts, the experience of the weekend will surely make up for it.