Belle and Sebastian’s Chris & Sarah chat about TRNSMT
With T In The Park taking a well-earned rest this year, the festival focus shifts to Glasgow this weekend when the inaugural TRNSMT festival takes over Glasgow Green from Friday to Sunday. Kasabian top the bill on Saturday and Biffy Clyro bring proceedings to a rocking close on Sunday but it’s the Friday line-up we’ve got our eye on, especially our beloved Belle & Sebastian, spreading the good vibes before the brooding clouds converge over headliners Radiohead.
We spoke to Chris Geddes and Sarah Martin from the Belles about being part of TRNSMT, as they both looked forward to playing their biggest ever hometown gig.
Chris:
Generally speaking we are a band who prefer to do our own thing than be part of somebody else’s event. On the other hand, this is a bigger thing than we could do by ourselves, so it’s a chance to play to people who wouldn’t necessarily come and see us if we were doing our own thing.
Sarah:
It’s an interesting mix. We quite often get stuck in a really indie bill but it’s not a super indie thing and that comes from it being quite a big festival. We’ve never done T In The Park. When T In the Park was at Strathclyde Park, I never had enough cash to actually go and by the time it was viable I was too old to camp in a ditch.
Chris:
We’ve got a good relationship with [TRNSMT organisers] Df, they’ve promoted our shows in Scotland since way back. They said to us that Radiohead had personally requested that we be on the bill with them – whether that is actually true, or whether they just said that to twist our arms I don’t know…we trust if they ask us to do something that it’ll be good.
Sarah:
It was really nice to know you had fans in high places. It was quite a flattering thing. I saw them really early on in King Tut’s when Creep came out and I didn’t like it at all but they’re not the sort of band that works that well in a little venue. They just seemed overblown for King Tut’s, it was a bit stadium rock and sure enough it turns out they are a stadium band.
Chris:
Right back early days I think Radiohead did ask us to support them but at that time I think we knew that we weren’t a proficient enough live band to do ourselves justice opening for a big touring band. These days at least we know we’ve got a crew we can rely on!
These city-based festivals can be really good. We’ve done the Hyde Park one down in London a few years ago and it seemed like a good event so something that brings big bands to play in Glasgow could be a really good thing.
Sarah:
You don’t need to camp and that’s maybe what appeals, it’s accessible for people without having to destroy your mind to cope with camping in a mudfest. For a local festival to be properly local is appealing. I like Glasgow Green, it’s such a great space.
Chris:
And it’s handy for me too – I stay in Dennistoun so I can get home pretty sharpish afterwards!
Read about our Belles tour here
Check out the Tigermilk Owners Club