Alkaline Trio first played Glasgow 23 years ago at The Cathouse on the 'From Here To Infirmary' tour, and tonight they return to the city's iconic O2 Academy, ready to play to over 2000 raucous fans. This is the band's first UK Tour since their co-headliner with Taking Back Sunday in 2022, and, coming off the back of their 2024 release Blood, Hair, & Eyeballs, the anticipation was high.
The opener for this tour is LOWLIVES, a band who have been around for quite a while now, but have rarely appeared in Glasgow over the years. They played King Tut’s last year so this is a significantly larger crowd watching them tonight. Vocalist Lee Villain takes to the stage, ready to warm up the Glasgow crowd. Villain is not a stranger to this venue, having played here in 2013 with his previous band, The Defiled.
Sometimes, when you’re watching a show, it feels like the support band have been crammed in, however this wasn’t the case here as LOWLIVES were given a solid amount of time to showcase what they do best. Opening with "Freaking Out", the title track from their latest album, they really set the tone from the off with a heavy track with some fantastic vocals, a real signature of the band. The entire set was full of a real nostalgic 90s grunge feel, which really fit the audience tonight. I really enjoyed what was my first experience of LOWLIVES, and have got them added to my playlists moving forward. An excellent choice as opener.
Now that the crowd was sufficiently warmed up, it was time for Alkaline Trio, a real stalwart in the alternative music scene. This is the band’s first UK tour with their new lineup with Atom Willard showing out on drums. Willard has been part of such acts as The Offspring, Angels & Airwaves, and Against Me!, so he is no stranger to this stage. Opening with "Hot for Preacher", the first track off their latest album, Skiba, Andriano, and Willard set the tone for how the night was going to go. The band has a certain swagger on stage that just shows how long they’ve been doing this. Commanding the Glasgow crowd with their unapologetic punk rock sound, they were keeping everyone on their toes.
We get a real journey through time with this set, the band give us a nice mix of their discography. The crowd tonight was very eager from the get-go, they were singing along to every song. What Alkaline Trio may have lacked in an elaborate production, not a knock in the slightest, they certainly make up for in performance. After years of performing with Blink-182, it appears that Matt Skiba is really at home with Alkaline Trio. The overall set was just a masterclass in live performance, and the Glasgow crowd absolutely ate it up. With their extensive discography, every song is going to be a massive one, but they really took it to another level to close their set. Closing with "Stupid Kid", "Private Eye", and "This Could Be Love", before an encore, this was an absolute barnstormer. There was a real feel-good energy in the room as everyone filtered out.
Overall, I really enjoyed this set from Alkaline Trio, a band that I have listened to over the years, but never had the chance to see live. I think they are perfect for a room like this 2500 capacity hall, filling it with noise and energy from the start. This was a set that pleased both the casual gig-goers and diehard fans alike. I think Alkaline Trio are a band you’re going to want to see if they roll through your city in the near future.
