TRNSMT cancelled? Gordon Smart has the perfect festival playlist

24 April 2020, 18:04 | Updated: 29 April 2020, 12:23

The Glasgow festival has been called off because of the coronavirus pandemic, but don't panic! Our man Smart is a keen fan of the festival and its predecessor and has the ideal playlist to relive the memories...

By Gordon Smart

@gordonsmart

I was in the process of digesting Dr Trump’s latest mutterings when another Tweet detonated like a whiff of Toilet Duck when the lid pops off a fresh bottle.

TRSNMT is cancelled. 

I held my head in my hands, and keeping the block capitals going, sighed: “PLEASE NO, NOT ANOTHER ONE.”

My wife came in and asked if I was okay? Was it another bill? No, I’m not okay. It’s not a bill but it would have been a debt I’d happily drum up. 

Every year since I was 14 I’ve looked forward to Scotland’s main music festival. This year was no different. 

I had already run through day one… flight up from London. A Leo Sayer (all-dayer) in the pub and then on to TRSNMT.

Friday night doesn’t get much better than this -  Blossoms, Sam Fender, Ian Brown and then Courteeners. Thank you very much.

But there it was in front of me again. Just like Snowbombing. Just like Glastonbury. Just like This Is Tomorrow and everything else I was looking forward to in 2020. 

CANCELLED

And in the year I was supposed to be going off the top board celebrating/commiserating my 40th.

For the first time in a long time I had a justifiable excuse for misbehaving!

“Dear TRSNMT Fest Fam, we are absolutely gutted to announce TRSNMT will be unable to go ahead as planned in July 2020."

Courteeners hero, Liam Fray, followed up by posting: “Heartbroken. Kinda knew it was coming. We wanted so badly to give this album a beautiful victory lap with our Scottish brothers and sisters.”

And that’s exactly what it would have been - a victory lap. 

He’s got a way with words, the boy Fray. That’s how I’ve always seen festivals - bands doing a lap of honour, something a bit different from their own tour. 

And I’ve seen a few over the years, often in muddy - or occasionally sun-soaked - fields on home soil/trenches.

The only way I could rescue myself from the misery was by knocking up some playlists from T In The Park of the past. And in the process, I’ve found an amazing way to help ourselves through lockdown.

As I started to do it, my mind was blown by the line-ups over the years.

The early days in 1994 with Pulp, Blur, Oasis, Primal Scream and from the land of Dr Trump, some bands who really cleaned up - Cypress Hill, Rage Against The Machine and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

So here is yet another challenge to you in Lockdown. Some of the best homework I’ve ever done.

Find your favourite festival line-up of all time, pick three songs from ten of the bands on the bill, and hey presto - your mood is immediately restored. You’ve created something special and your are a few steps closer to the end, or easing, of lockdown...

From the full line-up at T In The Park 2003 here are ten artists I selected and the three songs I’d insist they play. 

The Proclaimers (come on - it’s a Scottish festival) - I’m On My Way, I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), Sunshine On Leith
The Coral - Pass It On, In The Morning, Dreaming Of You 
Echo And The Bunnymen - The Cutter, The Killing Moon, Nothing Lasts Forever
Death In Vegas - Aisha, Dirge, Scorpio Rising
Kings Of Leon - Red Morning Light, The Bucket, Molly’s Chamber
Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls, Do You Want To, Take Me Out
The Streets - Dry Your Eyes, Fit But You Know It, Blinded By The Lights
R.E.M. - Nightswimming, Losing My Religion, It’s The End of The World As We Know It, 
Coldplay - The Scientist, Fix You, Yellow
Underworld - Jumbo, Rez, Born Slippy (Nuxx)

If you like the look or sound of that, I’ve already taken care of it on Spotify - and over the weekend I’ll fill it out with three songs from the rest of the line-up that weekend.