The Snuts / The Academic - OVO Hydro, Glasgow 6th December 2024

The Snuts are a band I’d heard some of my friends rave about, but I never really listened to them much, that will change after my experience from seeing them live.

There is something special about watching a band from your hometown, fill out one of the biggest venues in Britain and watch them have such a positive effect on effect people’s lives.

On Friday, after a tough week of school and more and more stress leading up to exams, I made the impulse decision to buy a ticket and join my friends in Glasgow for the gig that night. We hatched out a plan on how to get there but soon realised maybe we weren’t quite cut out just yet for travelling to Glasgow and back. We spent a long-time trekking in the rain, sitting in the city centre maccies trying to figure out how were ever going to make it to the venue in one piece. Eventually after giving up, I called my dad and got him to sort us an Uber we made it to the venue at last. I was sad to have missed the first supporting band but shortly after we arrived and fought through the the crowd ‘The Academic’, a band from Ireland, came on.

The Academic were loved by the crowd and they were the perfect support for The Snuts, playing a similar genre that went down well with the audience. They had a lot of energy that kept up with the young fans (this was one of the only gigs I’ve been at where I didn’t see a single bald head). They played a short but powerful set. My friends and I were ready for The Snuts!

As I was waiting for the band I took a minute to look around as I have never been in the standing section of the Hydro before. I realised how massive it was and how many seats were filled out. I was surprised when I saw the gig was in a venue this big but it just proved how many listeners and fans The Snuts have. It was great to see them performing in the same place I saw The Cure and the same place I dream to see Kevin Bridges!

At around 9, the lights turned off and with the crowd were screaming, literally screaming, it sounded like a primary school playground in the best way possible.

They kicked off the set with their track ‘Millionaires’. The crowd picked up on it instantly and I found myself in the centre of the mosh pit. I have to say I didn’t expect this - their music didn’t seem like the type to start a mosh. They continued on with playing tunes from the most famous to the more underground of their tracks. Their energy was amazing to see and be part of. It was great to see a young band and young fans. Singer, Jack Cochrane, clearly felt that too smiling, as he was, throughout the entire show.

Throughout the night, when they were speaking to the audience, it was obvious how authentic and genuine a band they are. Jack spoke about the struggles the band went through when trying to break into the industry and what it was like to be making music whilst growing up in Scotland. These thoughts paired with some more of the slower tracks from their setlist like, ‘Top Deck’ and ‘Somebody Loves You’ this was of my favourite songs of the night. Everyone, even strangers, had their arms were around each other, it was such a bonding moment and reminded me of why I love concerts so much. The sense of community and belonging shined through in this song.

After coming on for their encore, they played a couple of their most listened to tracks, ‘Glasgow’ and ‘Gloria’. ‘Glasgow’ was one of my highlights and having the ‘PEOPLE MAKE GLASGOW’ sign on the big screens just made it a proud Scottish moment. They wrapped the show up and we went home.

The Snuts were a great experience and well worth the ticket. I was really impressed by their gratitude towards their fans and the people who support them. I’ll wrap this up with a chant repeated many times that night by the crowd, ‘F*ck the tories!’, that may get cut out but I thought it was great!