A Window Into Tenement Trail
Saturday 11th October saw the thirteenth instalment of the Tenement Trail Festival, Glasgow’s finest day for music discovery. Having run every year since 2013 (except 2020 due to COVID restrictions), the festival has garnered a reputation for showcasing a selection of up-and-coming artists. In the past decade, the likes of Lewis Capaldi, Sam Fender and Yungblud have all played to Tenement Trail crowds before going on to become global superstars. The one-day festival has become a popular fixture in the calendar of many gig-goers in Glasgow as it features an extensive lineup of small artists, both locally and from further afield, across multiple venues. This year, the lineup included a variety of artists, ranging from Manchester’s enigmatic Pale Waves as the headliners, to energetic and charming local talents like Martha May and the Mondays and Alcatraz. The festival takes place across the Gallowgate in Glasgow, and this year artists featured in 8 venues of varying sizes, from the iconic 1900-capacity Barrowland Ballroom to the intimate 100-capacity Van Winkle bar.
Despite my love of the Glasgow music scene – having attended gigs at a range of venues from Audiolounge in Maryhill all the way up to the Hydro – I had never attended the Tenement Trail until this year. I had been tempted to go on a few occasions in the past, but it was the inclusion of the incredibly talented Chloe Slater on the 2025 lineup that convinced me to attend this year, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. Throughout the day, I managed to attend a set at every venue (apart from McCahill’s – a venue I attend regularly), and I sampled a wide range of artists in terms of genre. Just a few of the artists I saw throughout the festival included Alcatraz, Theo Bleak, Vanderlye, Etta Marcus, The Deadlians, Chloe Slater and Pale Waves.
Picking out my favourites from the vast array of gifted musicians I was fortunate enough to watch is difficult, but I will focus on Glasgow’s own Alcatraz, alongside Chloe Slater, who was the reason I went. Alcatraz performed early in the day to an enthusiastic crowd, and I thought they were very impressive and set the tone for the indie bands that followed them. I saw Alcatraz support Indoor Foxes in January, but they have clearly massively grown as a band throughout the year and are going from strength to strength. They are proof of the thriving music scene in this city, and I am glad that Tenement Trail sticks to its roots by continuing to showcase some of the finest bands Glasgow (and Scotland more broadly) has to offer. Chloe Slater’s performance was my highlight of the festival – she is growing rapidly and rightly so. Chloe provides a refreshing political perspective and self-consciousness through her thought-provoking lyricism, which is accompanied by hard-hitting and equally impressive instrumentation from her band. She is a brilliant performer, and I have no doubts she will continue her journey to stardom in the coming years.
Overall, I had a great day, and there were very few negatives to the festival, although there was the occasional poor venue planning for artists who could have played to larger crowds. This was the case for Dirty Faces, who filled Van Winkle and had a queue outside that was twice the venue capacity, meaning I was unable to see their set. The packed lineup leads to inevitable time clashes, so you are unable to see every artist you’d like to, and I missed out on Martha May and the Mondays due to this. But, having made my way through their impressive discography, I will see them and Dirty Faces whenever the opportunity presents itself in future.
Tenement Trail’s success highlights the importance of small venues to Glasgow’s vibrant music scene. The plethora of intimate venues in the city is at the forefront of this scene and is crucial to the development of local artists. These venues have overseen the development of the likes of Gerry Cinnamon and Dylan John Thomas, two of Glasgow’s finest artists. Most cities in the world cannot boast a live music culture as impressive as Glasgow’s, and it is integral to the city that this culture is preserved through continued promotion and support. Events like the Tenement Trail, alongside the numerous events King Tuts put on throughout the year, are essential to this, and without grassroots venues, fewer artists (especially those without immediate links to record labels) will be able to get their big break.
To conclude, I would recommend attending the Tenement Trail to anyone looking to discover a range of new artists. While the Tenement Trail is by no means the only way of doing this – I regularly attend gigs at King Tuts, which is, without doubt, the best venue for small artists all year round – in terms of a single day for discovering emerging musicians, nothing comes close to it. The range of genres showcased throughout the day means there is plenty to see for everyone, and the location of all the venues is a real strength too, with them all being within walking distance of each other. Overall, it is a great festival that contributes greatly to the musical culture of the city, and I am looking forward to watching the growth of the acts I saw this year while excitedly anticipating the announcements of next year’s lineup.