Glasgow troupe The Trend have only been going a few months, but they’ve already thrown themselves headfirst into the Glasgow music scene, ticking off gigs at popular venues like Maggie Mays, Broadcast, Pivo Pivo, the Garage and now a Friday night slot at basement haunt Stereo.
The Trend don’t really come across like a new band, though.
Maybe it’s because they’ve already lost a member – out went the old bassist, in came a new one – or because their muscular brand of rock gets the crowd moving.
There’s a certain conviction – even swagger – that’s usually missing from those just starting out.
When lead guitarist Derek Greig strikes the notes of opener ‘Act of God’, it’s patently time to stop chatting, vacate the bar and tune in to what’s kicking off on stage.
If you’re the type of person who likes labels, you could say The Trend are Britpop revivalists; certainly to my ears, the bolshy riffs and spiky solos recall Oasis, and ‘Rock and a Hard Place’, the second song, demonstrates the likeness best – that pinwheeling guitar intro has ‘What’s The Story’ written all over it.
Labels are tricky, though. Who needs them? The Trend should appeal to just about anyone who enjoys punchy indie rock delivered with admirable gusto.
The crowd in Stereo swells as The Trend go through the gears.
The stiff one-two hit of ‘Act of God’ and ‘Rock and a Hard Place’ is followed by ‘Keep on Praying’, a sweet, almost poppy number, and ‘Free’, a chirpy paean to life lived beyond the restrictions of money.
A funky staccato lead guitar matches the singer’s rhythmic verses, and the crowd down the front enjoy this one – particularly one jolly young guy who, lost in the moment, threatens to divest himself of his t-shirt. Thankfully, he thinks better of it!
The hypnotic, string-bending guitar intro of ‘Man on the Street’ fixes the crowd’s focus next, before the song morphs into a grand sing-along, provoking another impromptu dance-off down the front.
The middle breakdown is excellent, segueing expertly into a delicious, Carl Barat-esque guitar solo.
The set ends on something of a salvo of sing-alongs, in fact.
A handful of gigs in and ‘Teenage Beauty Queen’ is already a stand-out tune that has punters swooning.
A quirky song about a fading starlet, it’s an obvious choice for single when this lot get round to recording a full-length album – indeed, it’s the sort of ineffably catchy song that resounds around a Balado airfield every summer at T in the Park.
Set closer ‘La La La’ has that selfsame anthemic quality, and the raucous cheers of a partisan crowd indicate no-one’s going home disappointed.
A band that are certainly going places, you can see The Trend in Glasgow this Friday, July 5, when they hit Broadcast.
Words: Ronnie McCluskey
