Twin Atlantic
Encyclopedia
Twin Atlantic are an alternative rock
band from Glasgow
, Scotland
. The band is composed of Sam McTrusty (vocals, guitar), Barry McKenna (guitar, cello, backing vocals), Ross McNae (bass, backing vocals) and Craig Kneale (drums).
and mewithoutyou
before recording their debut EP A Guidance From Colour
at Long Wave Studio in Cardiff with producer Romesh Dodangoda (Funeral For A Friend
, Kids In Glass Houses
, The Blackout
). This culminated in the release of their debut EP on 14 January 2008 and their first single, "Audience & Audio", on 24 December 2007.
Building on support from Kerrang!
, the band's profile was boosted enough for them to land support slots with Biffy Clyro
and they were personally chosen by Jimmy Chamberlin
to support Smashing Pumpkins at Glasgow's SECC in early February. Over the following months, they also supported American acts The Matches
, Blink-182
, Finch
and Say Anything
on their respective UK tours.
In mid-2008, Twin Atlantic played many festivals in Scotland, including T in the Park
, Belladrum Festival, RockNess, Live at Loch Lomond
and Connect Music Festival
.
The band signed a single deal with King Tuts Recordings, and "What Is Light? Where Is Laughter?" was released on 29 September 2008. They also completed a joint headline tour of Scotland with The Xcerts and their first set of solo headline dates across the UK.
The Glasgow four piece were chosen as the main support for The Subways
on their European tour throughout October and November 2008.
The band finished a UK headline tour which concluded with a sold out gig at the Classic Grand in Glasgow on 6 December 2008.
, with whom they released their debut mini-album Vivarium
. They released the lead single "Lightspeed" as a free download from their website on 29 July 2009, with a bonus acoustic version of the track also available. The follow-up single "You're Turning Into John Wayne" was released on 7 September 2009, with the mini-album released a week later.
On 7 March 2009, they played a sold out gig at Queen Margaret Union
(QMU).
The band toured extensively in 2009 and 2010, having played Download Festival
, Guilfest
, T in the Park
, Sonisphere and Belladrum
over the summer of 2009, including supporting Taking Back Sunday
on a tour of UK and Ireland in July 2009. This continued into a full tour of the UK in September and then the United States with The Fall of Troy
and Envy On The Coast
in March and April 2010. In June 2010, Twin Atlantic supported The Gaslight Anthem
on their British mini-tour and on 7 August 2010 they played at the Hevy Music Festival
.
Twin Atlantic played at the sold-out Belsonic
festival in Belfast
on 28 August 2010 supporting Biffy Clyro.
On 21 October 2010, the band announced, via their Facebook page, that they would be supporting My Chemical Romance
for three upcoming dates.
In January they supported Angels & Airwaves
in Continental Europe
.
Second single "Free" was first played on BBC Radio 1
on the Zane Lowe
show between 7 pm & 9 pm on March 10 and released on The third single released was "Time For You To Stand Up" on the 11th of July, with "Cherry Slut" and "Babylonian Throwdown" as B-sides. On the 26th of September, a fourth single was released from the album; "Make A Beast Of Myself", including the B-side "Amazing Lion".
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band from Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The band is composed of Sam McTrusty (vocals, guitar), Barry McKenna (guitar, cello, backing vocals), Ross McNae (bass, backing vocals) and Craig Kneale (drums).
Formation, A Guidance From Colour (2007–2008)
Twin Atlantic formed in February 2007. All members previously played in other small, local bands. During 2007 they built up a strong reputation both locally and nationally. They supported Circa SurviveCirca Survive
Circa Survive is an American alternative rock band from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania suburb of Doylestown, formed in 2004. The band consists of vocalist Anthony Green, former singer of Saosin and members of the now-defunct This Day Forward....
and mewithoutyou
MewithoutYou
Me Without You, stylized as mewithoutYou and abbreviated as mwY, is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band consists of vocalist Aaron Weiss, guitarist Michael Weiss, bassist Greg Jehanian and drummer Rickie Mazzotta. MewithoutYou's music is generally dominated by...
before recording their debut EP A Guidance From Colour
A Guidance From Colour
A Guidance From Colour is the debut EP from the alternative rock band Twin Atlantic from Glasgow. The EP was released as a CD and digital download on 14 January 2008. -Track listing:# "Audience And Audio"# "I Cave In"# "Time Is the Enemy"...
at Long Wave Studio in Cardiff with producer Romesh Dodangoda (Funeral For A Friend
Funeral for a Friend
Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band, from Bridgend. Formed 2001, they have released five studio albums, seven EPs, sixteen singles, one DVD, and one compilation album.-Formation and Early Years:...
, Kids In Glass Houses
Kids in Glass Houses
Kids in Glass Houses are a Welsh rock band from Cardiff, and are considered a significant part of the Cardiff music scene. The band's name is inspired by the lyrics "not throwing stones at you anymore" from Glassjaw song "Tip Your Bartender". The band achieved success on the strength of the singles...
, The Blackout
The Blackout (band)
The Blackout is a post-hardcore band from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, formed in 2003. After some time backing Lostprophets on their Liberation Transmission Tour, along with Dopamine, Covergirl, Kids In Glass Houses, The Guns and Men, Women and Children, they released their first mini-album The Blackout!...
). This culminated in the release of their debut EP on 14 January 2008 and their first single, "Audience & Audio", on 24 December 2007.
Building on support from Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
, the band's profile was boosted enough for them to land support slots with Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band from Kilmarnock, comprising Simon Neil , James Johnston and Ben Johnston...
and they were personally chosen by Jimmy Chamberlin
Jimmy Chamberlin
Jimmy Chamberlin is an American drummer, songwriter, and producer. He is best known as the former drummer for the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. After a drug-related incident with touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin in 1996, Chamberlin was fired from the band and joined The Last...
to support Smashing Pumpkins at Glasgow's SECC in early February. Over the following months, they also supported American acts The Matches
The Matches
The Matches are a United States-based band formed in 1997 in Oakland, California. It currently is composed of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Shawn Harris, lead guitarist and backup vocalist Jonathan Devoto, bassist and backup vocalist Dylan Rowe, and drummer Matt Whalen...
, Blink-182
Blink-182
Blink-182 is an American rock band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 27 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992...
, Finch
Finch
The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...
and Say Anything
Say Anything (band)
Say Anything is an American indie-punk band from Los Angeles, California, fronted by Max Bemis. The band was formed in 2000 with Bemis and four of his friends. Within two years, they self-released two EPs, Junior Varsity and In Your Dreams, and the full-length Baseball: An Album by Sayanything.In...
on their respective UK tours.
In mid-2008, Twin Atlantic played many festivals in Scotland, including T in the Park
T in the Park
T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...
, Belladrum Festival, RockNess, Live at Loch Lomond
Live at Loch Lomond
Live at Loch Lomond, Scotland's newest festival, took place in the grounds of Balloch Country Park on the 4 & 5 August 2007.Nearly 30,000 people were there over the two days and, although it rained all day on Sunday, it didn't stop people going to the concerts, seeing performances from Dirty Pretty...
and Connect Music Festival
Connect Music Festival
The Connect Music Festival was a music festival that took place in the grounds of Inveraray Castle, located on the banks of Loch Fyne in Argyll, Scotland. It was aimed at more mature music fans and recent headliners included the Beastie Boys, Björk and Franz Ferdinand. The inaugural festival was...
.
The band signed a single deal with King Tuts Recordings, and "What Is Light? Where Is Laughter?" was released on 29 September 2008. They also completed a joint headline tour of Scotland with The Xcerts and their first set of solo headline dates across the UK.
The Glasgow four piece were chosen as the main support for The Subways
The Subways
The Subways are an English alternative rock / indie rock band. Their debut album, Young For Eternity, was released on 4 July 2005 in the UK and February 14, 2006 in the U.S. Their second album, All or Nothing, was released on 30 June 2008 and their third album Money and Celebrity debuted on the...
on their European tour throughout October and November 2008.
The band finished a UK headline tour which concluded with a sold out gig at the Classic Grand in Glasgow on 6 December 2008.
Vivarium (2009–2010)
In March 2009, Twin Atlantic signed with Red Bull RecordsRed Bull Records
Red Bull Records is a U.S. independent record label located in Culver City, California. It was launched in 2007 with Red Bull building a recording studio in Santa Monica, California and recording small indie bands for free....
, with whom they released their debut mini-album Vivarium
Vivarium (album)
Vivarium is the debut mini-album by the Glasgow based Alternative Rock band Twin Atlantic.Music videos for both "What Is Light? Where Is Laughter?" and "Lightspeed" have been created and uploaded through their MySpace and PureVolume pages...
. They released the lead single "Lightspeed" as a free download from their website on 29 July 2009, with a bonus acoustic version of the track also available. The follow-up single "You're Turning Into John Wayne" was released on 7 September 2009, with the mini-album released a week later.
On 7 March 2009, they played a sold out gig at Queen Margaret Union
Queen Margaret Union
The Queen Margaret Union is one of two students' unions at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1890, it caters for the social and cultural needs of its members by providing a range of services including, entertainments, catering, shop facilities, bars and games.-History:The Queen...
(QMU).
The band toured extensively in 2009 and 2010, having played Download Festival
Download Festival
The Download Festival is a three day rock music festival held annually at Donington Park, England . It usually takes place in June...
, Guilfest
GuilFest
GuilFest, formerly the Guildford Festival of Folk and Blues is a music festival held in Stoke Park, Guildford, England each July. The festival, like the larger Glastonbury Festival, features a range of genres including rock, folk, blues, and in recent years pop...
, T in the Park
T in the Park
T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...
, Sonisphere and Belladrum
Belladrum
Belladrum is a small community in the Mahaica-Berbice Region of Guyana, on the Atlantic coast, about east of Mahaicony.-Geography:Belladrum is a rural area close to the sea wall on the northern coast of Guyana. It is below sea level and is rich with lush vegetation, rice fields, and wildlife...
over the summer of 2009, including supporting Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday is a rock band from Long Island, NY, formed in 1999 by guitarist Eddie Reyes. Current members of the band are Adam Lazzara , John Nolan , Eddie Reyes , Shaun Cooper and Mark O'Connell ....
on a tour of UK and Ireland in July 2009. This continued into a full tour of the UK in September and then the United States with The Fall of Troy
The Fall of Troy
The Fall of Troy was an American progressive math rock trio from Mukilteo, Washington. The trio consisted of Thomas Erak , Andrew Forsman and Frank Ene...
and Envy On The Coast
Envy On The Coast
Envy on the Coast was an alternative rock band from Long Island, New York. They released their second album Lowcountry in March 2010.-History:...
in March and April 2010. In June 2010, Twin Atlantic supported The Gaslight Anthem
The Gaslight Anthem
The Gaslight Anthem is an American rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, consisting of Brian Fallon , Alex Rosamilia , Alex Levine and Benny Horowitz...
on their British mini-tour and on 7 August 2010 they played at the Hevy Music Festival
Hevy Music Festival
Hevy Music Festival is a rock festival that takes place annually near Folkestone in the UK. It was originally held on 1 August 2009 on Folkestone seafront as a one-day festival with Feeder, Gary Numan and Ash as headliners. In 2010 it moved to Port Lympne Wild Animal Park and grew to a weekend...
.
Twin Atlantic played at the sold-out Belsonic
Belsonic
Belsonic is the name of an outdoor music festival which has taken place in August at the Custom House Square in Belfast, Northern Ireland since 2008. It is organised by Shine Productions Ltd. The capacity of the event is 5,000.- 2008 :...
festival in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
on 28 August 2010 supporting Biffy Clyro.
On 21 October 2010, the band announced, via their Facebook page, that they would be supporting My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...
for three upcoming dates.
Free (2011–present)
Twin Atlantic finished recording their new album, Free, and it was released on April 29, 2011 in the Republic of Ireland and May 2, 2011 in the United Kingdom. The albums first single was "Edit Me", released on February 14.In January they supported Angels & Airwaves
Angels & Airwaves
Angels & Airwaves is an American alternative rock supergroup led by Blink-182 guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, also including guitarist David Kennedy from Over My Dead Body, Hazen Street and Box Car Racer, bass guitarist Matt Wachter from 30 Seconds to Mars and former Lostprophets and Nine Inch...
in Continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
.
Second single "Free" was first played on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
on the Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
show between 7 pm & 9 pm on March 10 and released on The third single released was "Time For You To Stand Up" on the 11th of July, with "Cherry Slut" and "Babylonian Throwdown" as B-sides. On the 26th of September, a fourth single was released from the album; "Make A Beast Of Myself", including the B-side "Amazing Lion".
Band members
- Sam McTrusty – lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Barry McKenna – lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, backing VocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Ross McNae – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, keyboards, backing vocals - Craig Kneale – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
UK Rock UK Rock Chart The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales.... |
IRL Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
|||
| 2009 | Vivarium Vivarium (album) Vivarium is the debut mini-album by the Glasgow based Alternative Rock band Twin Atlantic.Music videos for both "What Is Light? Where Is Laughter?" and "Lightspeed" have been created and uploaded through their MySpace and PureVolume pages...
|
148 | — | — | |
| 2011 | Free Free (Twin Atlantic album) Free is an album by Scottish Alternative rock band Twin Atlantic. It was released on April 29, in Ireland and May 2, 2011 in the UK on Red Bull Records.... |
37 | 5 | — | |
| "—" denotes a title that did not chart. | |||||
EPs
| Name | Format | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| A Guidance From Colour A Guidance From Colour A Guidance From Colour is the debut EP from the alternative rock band Twin Atlantic from Glasgow. The EP was released as a CD and digital download on 14 January 2008. -Track listing:# "Audience And Audio"# "I Cave In"# "Time Is the Enemy"... |
CD / digital download | 14 January 2008 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
IRL Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
||||
| 2007 | "Audience And Audio" | — | — | non-album singles | |
| 2008 | "What Is Light? Where Is Laughter?" | — | — | ||
| 2009 | "Lightspeed" | — | — | Vivarium Vivarium (album) Vivarium is the debut mini-album by the Glasgow based Alternative Rock band Twin Atlantic.Music videos for both "What Is Light? Where Is Laughter?" and "Lightspeed" have been created and uploaded through their MySpace and PureVolume pages... |
|
| "You're Turning Into John Wayne" | — | — | |||
| "What Is Light? Where Is Laughter?" | — | — | |||
| 2010 | "Human After All" | — | — | ||
| 2011 | "Edit Me" | — | — | Free Free (Twin Atlantic album) Free is an album by Scottish Alternative rock band Twin Atlantic. It was released on April 29, in Ireland and May 2, 2011 in the UK on Red Bull Records.... |
|
| "Free" | — | — | |||
| "Time For You To Stand Up" | — | — | |||
| "Make A Beast Of Myself" | — | — | |||
| "Free" {re-release} | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a title that did not chart | |||||