TRNSMT 2026 Friday Day Ticket (VIP) presale codes

TRNSMT Friday often centers on a big homecoming set, and this preview frames the night around Paolo Nutini, a Scottish soul-rock singer who returned after a long break.

Homegrown fire, festival scale

His catalog blends tender ballads and gritty grooves, and the Glasgow setting tends to draw out his raw, conversational stage style.

Songs that find the lift

Expect singalong moments if New Shoes, Last Request, or Scream (Funk My Life Up) make the list, with Iron Sky saved for a slow-burn peak. The crowd skews mixed-age, from longtime fans who caught early Barrowlands gigs to newer listeners who found him through playlists, with lots of patient listening between big choruses. A neat detail: Iron Sky famously quotes Chaplin’s Great Dictator speech, and Nutini has been known to let the band stretch that section live. Another tidbit: after years away, he road-tested fresh material in smaller Scottish rooms before stepping back onto festival main stages. Treat the setlist guesses and production ideas here as well-researched maybes rather than fixed plans. Expect respectful pockets of quiet during ballads and a brighter, looser mood once the rhythm section leans into the funkier cuts.

TRNSMT Friday Scene Around Paolo Nutini

TRNSMT Friday pulls a broad slice of Glasgow and beyond, with terrace jackets, vintage trainers, and a run of thrifted band tees under rain shells.

Glasgow signatures, festival shine

You hear quick, friendly chants between songs, then a hush when a ballad starts, with the front rows cueing harmonies the second a lyric turns familiar. Merch lines favor retro fonts and simple photos, and limited poster drops tend to go early in the day. Fans swap era talk, comparing early These Streets memories with the newer, moodier cuts that arrived after his break.

What fans notice and trade

Expect polite crowd flow in VIP pockets but the same chorus surge as the field when the drums kick, especially on upbeat numbers. Post-set chatter is about tone and feel more than spectacle, with people rating the mix, the pacing, and which deep cut snuck in.

How Paolo Nutini Shapes the Live Arc

Paolo Nutini’s live voice sits gritty but nimble, letting him slide from a near-whisper to a torn-open shout without losing pitch center.

Groove first, gloss second

The band often builds arrangements from a warm bass-and-drums pocket, adding Rhodes keys, guitar swells, and occasional horns for color. He likes to open songs with a lean groove and let the tempo breathe, then push the pulse forward when the chorus hits so the room moves as one. On festival stages, ballads are spaced so the set never stalls, and transitions use short vamps rather than dead air.

Small choices, big lift

A small but telling habit: he sometimes reharmonizes the New Shoes intro into a smoky, slower sketch before snapping back to the original bounce, which makes the first chorus feel bigger. Visuals tend toward amber and deep blues, supporting the voice-first mix without fighting it. Expect one elongated mid-set build, often on Iron Sky, where the band rides a single chord, layers textures, and releases on the final vocal climb.

Kindred Spirits for Paolo Nutini Fans

If you connect with Paolo Nutini’s raspy warmth and big choruses, Lewis Capaldi is a nearby lane, trading in heartfelt hooks with a Scottish sensibility.

Nearby lanes, familiar hearts

Sam Fender aligns on anthemic guitars and working-town storytelling, with live shows that ramp from hush to roar in careful arcs. Dermot Kennedy brings a similar gravel-and-glow vocal color, mixing acoustic pulse with stadium-scale builds. Fans who like Nutini’s swing between soul and indie often cross with The 1975, whose sets flip from tender keys to tight, danceable pop. Across these artists, the overlap is about cathartic choruses, clear melodies, and bands that can pull dynamics down to a whisper before the final lift.