Thousands flock to Glasgow for TRNSMT music festival

Scotland's biggest music festival kicked-off on Friday with Pulp, Sam Fender and The 1975 set to headline over the weekend.

The Britpop legends will top the bill on the opening day of TRNSMT at Glasgow Green, following Niall Horan, Paul Heaton and George Ezra.

More than 80 artists will play across four stages over the three-day event.

Around 50,000 people are expected to attend each day, with thundery downpours forecast for Saturday.

Dundee rockers The View and Glasgow's Josef took to the stage on Friday afternoon to kick-off the weekend of music.

Pulp's appearance at TRNSMT will be one of three UK festival appearances for the re-united band, who will be playing live for the first time in 10 years.

Former One Direction star Niall Horan appears a day after performing at Stavern Festival in Norway.

Sam Fender returns to TRNSMT for his fourth consecutive year with the headline slot on Saturday after Kasabian, Aitch, and Mimi Webb.

Ashnikko, Royal Blood and Becky Hill are also among the many acts performing over the weekend.

Meanwhile, The Kooks make the line-up following their 15th anniversary tour for their debut album Inside In/Inside Out.

Headliners The 1975 will bring the festival to a close on Sunday.

Festival-goers will also hear some of the UK's up-and-coming musicians, with more than 20 acts set to perform on the River Stage.

And the Boogie Bar hosts back-to-back DJs and local talent, as well as a special appearance from Bongo's Bingo each day.

Extra train services will be in operation, with additional late-night trains running to Inverclyde, Ayr, Edinburgh, and East Kilbride.

Due to road closures around TRNSMT, it is not possible for cars to get close to Glasgow Green on show days.

However, there are seven car parks within a 15 minute walk and taxis ranks closer to the centre.

The festival's age policy was changed for 2023, with only those over 16 years old now allowed to attend.

By Frankie Allan, Entertainment Reporter, BBC Scotland News

When Glasgow-based indie rock band Dead Pony opened TRNSMT's main stage on Friday, there was a buzz of excitement across the site. The bulk of the crowd seemed to be young and local, but there was a wide range of different ages.

One couple had travelled all the way from Manchester. They had been to TRNSMT multiple times before and said that they loved the atmosphere, mainly due to the enthusiasm of Scottish audiences.

There was tight security around Glasgow Green, bringing traffic in the area to a standstill. Fans worked steadily through the security checks, which director Geoff Ellis said is necessary to keep the Scotland's biggest music festival going.

TRNSMT prides itself on being a platform for up and coming Scottish artists, and this year is no different.

Gracing the main stage over the weekend are fresh artists like Joesef, Swim School and Brooke Combe, with many other local acts appearing across the other stages. And in typical Scottish fashion, there were light rain showers here and there.

But the weather was generally dry and judging by the energy of the crowds, it didn't look like a bit of rain would dampen anyone's spirits anyway.

Geoff Ellis, chief executive of the festival, said organisers were looking forward to welcoming fans.

He said: "With more than 80 incredible artists performing across the weekend, from international stars to up-and-coming local talent, it's set to be a massive three days packed full of good tunes and huge energy.

He also told BBC Scotland it was important to get as much diversity as possibel on the line-up.

He said: "Obviously you can only get acts who are available on the weekend and available in northern Europe.

"But we've got some great new acts like Lovejoy and Bob Vylan, who are just starting to break through, and Maisie Peters, who's just had a number one - she's going to have a phenomenal TRNSMT I'm sure.

"Jamie Webster is exploding at the moment as well."

He added: "It's about getting that balance - trying to identify the headliners of tomorrow and get them on the bill."

He said gigs in Scotland "stand apart from the rest of the world".

He added: "It's the audience, it's the atmosphere - other people have great line-ups but we're the biggest exponent of that magical atmosphere."

TRNSMT returned to its summer slot last year after two years of disruption caused by the Covid pandemic.

The three-day festival filled the gap left by T in the Park which had its final run in 2016.