Twin Atlantic at Scala

School is out for the summer, and the hordes of young adults have been released upon the London music scene for the best part of two months, with money to burn and acres of free time. Yesterday, you could be forgiven for thinking that every under-18-year-old in London was at Scala, such was the density of the packed crowd happily stuffed in like the adolescent sardines they are. They came to see Twin Atlantic, one of the Scottish pop-rock bands that currently dominate our airwaves. Loaded with new material from their forthcoming album GLA, Sam McTrusty and co delivered a set that few present will forget in a hurry.

They started off with Gold Elephant: Cherry Alligator, a potential single from the new album that is all thrash and all shouting in its composition. The usual tricks were pulled out right away, as McTrusty and his collected musicians started feverishly flinging themselves around the stage. The crowd didn’t take much convincing and, before long, mosh circles started to form with people happily hurling themselves into fists from all directions. Ghost of Eddie was more of the same, before Hold On provided the assembled with a more tangible melody.

It’s a simple formula that Twin Atlantic use: fairly basic verse melodies backed up with thumping choruses. It makes a great show, as the 600 or so present last night will happily testify, but it all feels a bit rehearsed. There’s no spontaneity here; at no point could anything go wrong. There was a half-hearted attempt at some crowd surfing from McTrusty during No Sleep, but he barely got further than the first row of people before frantically signalling to be reeled back in. As a rock band, it’s a dangerous game to “play it safe” because the moment you do you inherently stop being a rock band.

That’s not to criticise the musicianship of Twin Atlantic – far from it. In fact, set closers Brothers & Sisters and Heart & Soul were a cacophony of swirling power chords and breakdowns. By the time they walked off stage, the sweat was coming down from the ceiling, and the audience looked genuinely shattered. It was a set loaded with truly digestible melodies and riffs throughout, but it lacked a little invention. For fans of Twin Atlantic, this show and those in the future will provide everything you could possibly ask for. Newcomers, however, may find themselves wanting a little bit more.

James Fisher
Photos: Erol Birsen

For more information on Twin Atlantic and future events visit here.

Watch the video for Heart and Soul here: