Monday, 13 October 2025

Tenement Trail 2025 - review

I took a moment on Saturday to reflect on the regeneration of the area around the world famous Barrowland Ballroom. So many amazing places have cropped up in the last decade - Saint Luke's, BAaD, The Gate, The Winged Ox, Van Winkle and 226 Gallowgate ... not to mention the way the old market now contains funky food outlets and super cool coffee bars. 

It never used to be like this! All the above venues came together to host Tenement Trail 2025, joined by McChuills, which is just a few minutes away from the venues across the road, behind, or to the side of the Barrowland.

Take 50+ new and breaking bands and artists and plant them in the middle of this and you have a super cool festival.

My friend Joe and I headed towards the Barrowland for 1.30pm. Here is how our day panned out;

2.45pm - Vanderlye at The Winged Ox


After lunch we headed straight to The Winged Ox (the bar at Saint Luke's) to catch our first band of the day. Vanderlye have released 7 singles/EP's over the last few years, building their sound and momentum. They might have wondered if they had pulled the short straw as they began their set with 20-30 people in the room. But before their first song had ended, it was absolutely rammed. Those that got down early were rewarded with an atmospheric and anthemic set. Guitars swirled Becky Clarke's voice soared with ease, gelling with singer and guitarist Sean McGarvey. Their second guitarist was creating some cool psychedelic sounds that reminded me of early Verve

3.30pm - Katie Nicoll at The Gate (secret acoustic set)

En route to our next gig, we decided we had time to stop into The Gate for a quick pint and were rewarded by chancing upon a secret acoustic set by singer Katie Nicoll that was about to start. While we could only stay for a few songs, there was time for Nicoll to showcase a song called Jodie Said that we both enjoyed. The chorus flowed superbly. 

4pm - Fatale at 226 Gallowgate


We headed across the road to 226 Gallowgate and wondered if we were late for Fatale as we could hear them as we entered. Thankfully it was just a quick line check. The bar quickly packed out and we were grateful to be near the front to get a view from the side, as those at the back wouldn't have seen much. Fatale were only playing their 4th gig, but they have generated a buzz with their shows from their debut at the Vicar Street Social night in McChuills back in May, to King Tuts in July and Bannermans in Edinburgh in September.

Fatale played a furiously fantastic fuzzy guitar pop set. A choice cover of The Vaselines Molly's Lips (more like the Nirvana cover) second song in highlighted their influences. Another Sunrise followed and the hook of wanting to go out is one that I can imagine being popular when they get round to recording and releasing. Own Embrace was introduced as a new one and it sounds like the band are developing all the time. After seeing Fatale at Tuts I described their song Jesus Christ as the catchiest guitar song I've heard in a long time. I stand by that as I found myself singing along and I've only heard it once. 


Ending with the two songs they released as demos, a sublime cover of the Velvets Femme Fatale and a glorious romp through Moves You, their forthcoming debut single, Fatale will most certainly have won some new fans. Next up for them is a show at McChuills on Halloween. TICKETS.

5pm - Madra Salach at Van Winkle


Joe had checked out Madra Salach from Dublin online and was keen to see them, so we headed straight over to Van Winkle and got a couple of pints just before the venue was packed out. The six piece outfit blew us away! Singer Paul Banks and his band opened proceedings with recent debut single Blue & Gold. Banks stretched his vocal chords to sing from the bottom of his soul and with all his heart. 

I found it hard to take my eyes off Banks. His captivating presence through his voice, eyes and expressions - think a bit Lydon and MacGowan (not to mention the cracking sheepskin coat he wore for the first song and then quickly discarded) wowed the crowd. His band mates created atmospheric soundscapes for him to sing over. Their Celtic folk soul sound was both familiar, yet unique, they definitely have their own take on traditional music.


Closing song The Man Who Seeks Pleasure (Is the Man Who Seeks Pain) was a genuine spine tingling moment. It will be interesting to see if they can capture this kind of intensity on record. This was beautifully raw, heartfelt and soulful. Banks gave it his all and his band played as if their lives depended on it. 

5.45pm - Youth for Sale at The Winged Ox


Resisting the urge to stop for a burger at the outdoor BBQ and Guinness Bar that was set up outside Saint Luke's, we headed back to The Winged Ox for Youth for Sale, a 6-piece band from Cambuslang that a few friends had recommended. I could immediately hear why - their dreamy indie sound was pretty sweet and they had the talent to swap instruments and take tuns on lead vocals. A choice cover of Alanis Morrisette's Hand In My Pocket was sublime. I'd definitely go and see them again.

6.15pm - Etta Marcus at Saint Luke's


After an afternoon of gigs and beer/Guinness, the need for food was calling loudly. We resisted again to head though to the beautiful auditorium of Saint Luke's for Etta Marcus.

Although, the vibe was in contrast to the energy, intensity and fun in the smaller venues that we had experienced to date, we weren't really feeling it. Maybe it was a case of the wrong timing.

So, after a few songs, the call of a BBQ'd burger and Guinness won us over and we headed outside. A few of Madra Sach were sat at the table behind us and I had a quick word with the drummer who seemed a lovely guy. They were delighted to be in Glasgow and hope to be back before too long.

McChuills with DJ Vinny

Post burger and Guinness (top marks to the team at Saint Luke's for this combo!), we were a little unsure of how long we'd stay out for. 

Deciding to be sensible in our old age (partly due to Joe having to be back to let the babysitter away!), we decamped to McChuills for one (or was it two?) final Guinness and some top tunes in the bar courtesy of DJ Vinny who played The War On Drugs, Stone Roses and all kinds of stuff that I can no longer remember. But enough to keep us entertained until we headed for our 9.20pm train, so we were home and in our beds long before headliners and secret sets! We'll need to catch Chloe Slater another time.


Tenement Trail 2026

We'd had a brilliant day and we didn't even make it to the Barrowland and BAaD! But then Tenement Trail has something for everyone. Whether it's the thrill of seeking out new bands, or going to see the more established bands further up the bill later in the day. 

I think we'll book a hotel next time and make a real day (and night) of it!

Early Bird tickets for Tenement Trail 2026 are on sale now.




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