Twin Atlantic meet and exceed expectations.

On Sunday 2nd November, Glaswegian four-piece Twin Atlantic took to the stage in Y Plas at Cardiff UniversityÔÇÖs Student Union with fantastic support from Essex boys Nothing But Thieves and fellow Scotsmen, The Xcerts.

At around 21:15 it was finally time for what weÔÇÖd all been waiting for; Twin Atlantic hit the stage. Having seen the boys play at various festivals across the UK since they first formed in 2007, it was exciting to see them play at a much more intimate venue. Expectations were met and then exceeded. The capacity crowd were definitely not disappointed.

Storming through a varied set list that pleased fans old and new, Twin Atlantic put on a high- energy show that certainly had the crowd buzzing. It featured songs from all three albums, Vivarium, Free and Great Divide, so there was something for everyone, maintaining the excitable atmosphere in the room. The frontman, Sam McTrusty, is not only rather nice to look at but wow, can he sing! The four guys have a blast on stage, interacting with each other and with the crowd.

Favourite moments of the gig have to include the acoustic rendition of ÔÇ£CrashlandÔÇØ which unified every voice in the room, the explosive performance of ÔÇ£FreeÔÇØ and finally, the moment where fans that have followed the band from the very start realised that they were going to be treated to a revival of ÔÇ£What is light? Where is laughter?ÔÇØ from the first album.

They went out with a bang ÔÇô the encore featured performances of ÔÇ£OceansÔÇØ and ÔÇ£Brothers and SistersÔÇØ. There was also a final burst of energy in the form of ÔÇ£Heart and SoulÔÇØ, the first single from Great Divide. It is a song which could perhaps be considered their first step into the shoes of a fully-fledged mainstream band.

With Great Divide, Twin AtlanticÔÇÖs sound has made a move away from the somewhat acerbic lyrics that took a political stance against the music industry and could be said to characterise their earlier albums. This might simply be an attempt to forge global success but it seems to be working. They may have taken a turn that has forced their music into the more ÔÇ£commercialÔÇØ realm, but their genuine passion for music cannot be hidden beneath this quest for a spot in the top 40. Their fans have stuck by them and they should continue to do so because these guys can put on a bloody good gig.

Good luck with the rest of the tour boys!