The Twilight Sad – Button Factory – 9/05/26 – Live Review
by M Quinn

It was a slightly unusual start to the evening. The published start time for the first support act of the night was 7.10, but the venue didn’t open until 7.30. Was the support act playing to an empty room? Barry Peak was certainly on stage as the crowd arrived. He played guitar and sang over a backing track to those who ventured out early. He dedicated one song to his favourite Glaswegians, brothers Jim and William Reid. At the end of the evening, Barry said that all his music was on Bandcamp, and it was all free! Always nice to see someone doing it for the love of the game.

Next up was Dreary, the five-piece shoegaze/ dream pop act from London, described as ‘Slowdive crossed with Mogwai’ in our review. With Slowdive finding a new audience of millennials, there is certainly an appetite for this sound. Lead singer Dottie Cockrell’s floating vocals hold the sound together over layered guitars. I suspect the next time they return, they won’t be in a support slot, as they did much to impress.

Headliners Twilight Sad were on stage at 8.45, with lead singer James Graham already looking intense and focused. This was the final night of their 7-date tour of the UK and Ireland. They were a four-piece on the night, with the standard issue of guitar, bass, drums and vocals. Guitarist Andy MacFarlane had a fascinating array of pedals in front of him as he played, and most of the invention comes from his guitar lines. As you would expect, the set focused on their new album IT’S THE LONG GOODBYE, which was released in March of this year. The album was their 6th release, dating back to 2007’s Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters.

They opened with the Dead Flowers, with the interesting couplet of…

“It’s water off a duck’s back, give me my fucks back
Water off a duck’s back, give me my fucks back”

Lead singer James Graham dominates the stage with an intense gaze and a powerful voice. There was little banter between songs, but Graham did mention that his grandmother was from Ireland and dedicated a song to her. Highlights of the night included ‘Designed to Lose’ and the searing ‘Attempt a Crash Landing – Theme’.

They ended the night with the final track of the new album, “TV PEOPLE STILL THROWING TVS AT PEOPLE”. Surprisingly, they left without an encore, possibly due to the venue’s curfew. Also, lead singer Graham looked entirely spent, kneeling and panting on centre stage, after putting everything into his performance.

There was talk of their return to Dublin in a few weeks, when they play support to The Cure in Marlay Park. The sound is certainly big enough for an outdoor performance, and I suspect they will win a few more followers on that occasion.

Setlist

DEAD FLOWERS
Designed to Lose
ATTEMPT A CRASH LANDING – THEME
Waiting For the Phone Call
VTr
Last January
The Arbor
Videograms
INHOSPITABLE/HOSPITAL
Chest Wound to the Chest
I/m Not Here [missing face]
There’s a Girl in the Corner (with restarted)
GET AWAY FROM IT ALL
BACK TO FOURTEEN
Cold Days From the Birdhouse
And She Would Darken the Memory
TV PEOPLE STILL THROWING TVS AT PEOPLE