West Lothian indie rockers, The Snuts took to the stage at their sold out gig at O2 City Hall this Friday promoting their highly anticipated new album Millennials released in February this year, which the band states the sole intention to put a smile on your face… and it absolutely does not disappoint!
It was my third time watching these guys live, the first back in August 2020 when they supported The Libertines at a socially distanced gig in Gosforth Park during the pandemic, the second at Kendal Calling festival this year and I took the opportunity to see them yet again tonight as the band are always at their best, and Cochrane’s vocals are incredibly on point, if not even better each time I see them.
On arriving, support act Siobhan Winifred was already on stage with her band, warming up the crowd with songs from her debut EP ‘Don’t Do Well Alone’ released earlier this year. Priding herself on her vulnerability for songwriting and it feeling like a sense of release to be so open when creatively writing and performing. I get a similarity from Phoebe Bridges and Holly Humberstone, and with myself being a sucker for a good lyric, I can see Winifred as someone I’ll continue to listen to going forward. A definite one to watch out for in the near future.
Cochrane walked onto stage in his signature sunglasses (which at this point, I think are fixed to him), alongside Joe McGillveray on guitar, Callum Wilson on bass and Joko Mackay on drums to a backdrop of multiple TVs and street lights, flashing with different images alongside the use of strobes and colours to highlight each song perfectly. Starting off strong, they opened with a personal favourite ‘Millionaires’ taken straight from the new album, instantly uplifting the crowd and boosting spirits. Further songs such as ‘Knuckles’, ‘Zuckerpunch’ and ‘Fatboy Slim’ from previous albums ramped up the crowd, which escalated when ‘Always’ and ‘Somebody Loves You’ were played, a wholesome moment when Cochrane asked for the crowd to show a bit of love to each other and hug the person you’re with whether it be a family member, friend or partner.
My personal favourite of the night was when the band slowed the set down for a couple of intimate numbers including ‘Top Deck’ and ‘Sing for your Supper’, the first time playing this track since 2022. Both these songs highlighted just how incredible Cochrane’s vocals are, and it felt like we were listening to the recorded version. The band concluded the set with ‘Novastar’ and ‘What’s Going On’ before exiting the stage and regrouping for a final 3 song encore, including fan favourites ‘Glasgow’ and ‘Gloria’ which again, was an instant boost and brought the crowd together in both vocals and happiness.
Each time I see these guys, I say it’s the best I’ve seen them, but yet again, they blew it out of the water with this incredible setlist and brought the City Hall together as a big family to celebrate the success of the band and it’s wonderful to see them doing so well and I hope to see them continue to do so for years to come. The tour continues into December, with a closing gig in Glasgow. Just imagine, seeing them perform Glasgow… in Glasgow, *adds to bucketlist*.