The dudes in masks and boiler suits look like a pretty poor excuse for gig security, but when the crowd get a bit too lively and one of the shady-looking gentlemen strolls in between them, things do settle down pretty fast.
It’s a shame that the venue doesn’t really allow for moshing (let’s face it, cracked teenage skulls on stone floor would not be a pretty way for Twin to launch their mini-album), but in every other way it seems a splendid choice.
Having named their record ‘Vivarium’, the band originally considered decking out a regular venue in foliage. But the Winter Gardens on Glasgow Green is a real vivarium, complete with massive palm trees that look like giant jaggy beasts as the sun goes down.
The crowd is pretty modest in number for the floorspace (due to health and safety restrictions – all 200 wristbands were snapped up from HMV and Avalanche within a couple of hours), but with almost everybody crammed into the first few feet in front of the stage, this is a fan base who definitely don’t have half-hearted feelings about the band.
Twin’s time on stage must clock in at around an hour, with a set covering off pretty much every staple of their fanbase’s diet. Songs like ‘Crash Land’ and ‘A Guidance From Colour’ just go to show how rich the band’s repertoire is, that two such gems didn’t make it onto ‘Vivarium’ (although we assume this is because they’re saving them for their full-length record next year).
Of the album tracks they do play, ‘Lightspeed’ is the most immediately gripping. ‘Caribbean War Syndrome’ and ‘Human After All’ are the biggest stand outs though, in terms of establishing Twin Atlantic as something different and uniquely identifiable.
As the fans flood out onto the Green afterwards, Barry, Craig, Ross and Sam get started on the tidying up. They may have Red Bull Records as their label, incredible support from the UK’s rock press, and a mini-album in stores everywhere, but Twin Atlantic are still willing to clear up after themselves. It’s exactly that attitude – along with the incredibly catchy, inventive and uncompromising pop-punk tunes – which is sure to see the band outgrow these confines in no time.