The Scottish band smashed their biggest headline show to date.

“You always hope you’ll get somewhere like this, but you never really know,” Jack Cochrane, lead singer of The Snuts, told a captivated Scottish audience at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro during their biggest ever headline show.

It had only been nine months since the indie band’s very special Millennials album launch shows at the Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom and four months since they announced this extremely momentous gig at their electric set on the main stage at TRNSMT Festival – but this was unlike any Snuts show you’ve ever seen before.  

Opened by two exciting and energetic indie acts, Siobhán Winifred and The Academic — who set the tone for the night perfectly with their spirited sets. From the moment the arena lights dimmed for the very first time, it was clear this was going to be a night of joy and celebration. The whole arena being more than ready to go mental for their hometown heroes. 

Walking on stage to pulsing orange and pink strobes, soundtracked by a battle cry-esque version of their anthemic hit Millionaires, The Snuts jumped straight into this third-album bop with confetti and a thousand-strong army singalong, making a powerful and ambitious statement of intent for the night ahead.

“What’s happening, Glasgow?” Jack said after the killer opening trifecta of Millionaires, Seasons and Pigeons in New York. “If you don’t know we are the infamous fucking Snuts.” Cue the deafening cheers. 

The West Lothian quartet proved a real crowd-pleaser as ever. But this was a normal Snuts gig on steroids. Classics like Fatboy Slim and All Your Friends conducted the pit into bouncing waves of endless energy with their iconic choruses (and bassline on the latter), to the point where I questioned how those in standing were all still alive. Meanwhile, fan favourites like Burn the Empire and Hallelujah Moment saw both fans and band rev up from 100 to 1000 – with guitarist Joe McGillveray whipping up some impressive solos, Jack taking full advantage of the arena’s huge stage and the audience loving every moment of it. 

It was clear this gig was the big boy that had been years in the making. The immersive screens and open staging not only made it feel like there was less of a gap between the band and the audience – continuing to show the quartet’s close relationship with their fans and Glasgow in particular – but also brought a dynamic quality to the set that allowed the four-piece to easily fill the massive arena with their deadpan charm and note-perfect performance, and taking The Snuts’ already mega stage presence to stratospheric levels.

Yet, this wasn’t one of those old school indie shows where the band were too cool to show how important this night was to them. Dominated by a sense of gratitude and reflection, as well as plenty of heartwarming nods to their roots writing songs in a council flat in Whitburn, the band highlighted the value of fans attending their live shows in a Spotify world: “Thanks for supporting a band like us because without you there’d be no bands like us.” 

It truly felt like a huge moment for the Scottish four-piece who have spent years coming through the Scottish grassroots ranks, and as a result Glasgow couldn’t be prouder. So, when the opening notes to Scottish favourite Glasgow began with the similarly infamous pink ‘People Make Glasgow’ sign appearing on screen, it was obvious this would be a moment many wouldn’t forget, let alone the four lads from West Lothian. 

Unleashing every last ounce of energy and screaming the lyrics at the top of their lungs, the roaring crowd helped The Snuts fulfil their statement of intent and bring their ambitious set to an end, proving without doubt that arenas look good on The Snuts.

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