Mercy Girl live at TRNSMT 2026: From the Glasgow underground to the world stage.
Stepping into the relative shelter of a small tent backstage at TRNSMT, the contrast couldn’t be sharper. I am soaked to the skin from the relentless Glasgow rain, but the four members of Mercy Girl, Daisy Miles (vocals), Davey Purdie (drums, electronics), Craig Harkness (synths), and Kylie MacNaughton-Wright (guitar) are still radiating the pure, electric heat of their performance. Still wearing their black stage gear, the band is fresh from a triumphant, daylight-defying slot on the BBC Introducing Stage. They’re entirely unfazed by the weather. In fact, they are absolutely buzzing.
“I didn’t think it was going to be like that, we loved it!” front-woman Daisy admits, a wide smile breaking through the post-set adrenaline. For a band that has rapidly ascended the local ladder, from a standout slot at Tenement Trail to walking away with Best Newcomer at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards, the comfortable move to the festival stage today felt like another massive step.
Known for their dark, cinematic blend of darkwave and electropop, Mercy Girl are an act born of the shadows. Their natural habitat is the underground club scene, a vibe they recently took to a string of European dates. “We’ve normally play in dark rooms with smoke machines,” they laugh, reflecting on the transition to an open-air festival.
“It was the first gig where I could actually see everyone’s faces! It was quite nice, actually.” Davey told us. That rare glimpse of daylight even revealed their own families grinning in the crowd—a far cry from the brooding, arty crowds of Berlin’s techno dens, but a welcome homecoming nonetheless.
What makes Mercy Girl so compelling is the sheer weight of their sonic architecture. On their acclaimed ‘Closer’ EP, the production is dense and meticulously crafted, but bringing that atmospheric wall of sound to a cavernous festival stage requires a distinct kind of alchemy. Craig told us that they achieve this by blending digital precision with raw instinct, running live vocals through an Ableton to trigger atmospheric effects on the fly. “We don’t necessarily play exactly studio parts,” they explain, shedding light on their fluid live philosophy. “We change it up quite a lot. It’s a new environment, so it calls for something slightly different.”
Live, that adaptation means cranking up the grit. They are a band that loves to manipulate textures, gleefully revealing their desire to push the boundaries of traditional instrumentation. Kylie explained with a grin. “We like to make a guitar not sound like a guitar wherever possible”, aiming instead for “some form of industrial noise.” We asked what pedals were used – “All of them!” Kylie laughed. It’s an aggressive, brilliant approach that fits perfectly into Glasgow’s current musical landscape, which they observe is undergoing a massive synth renaissance across all genres.
As our chat winds down, it is blindingly obvious that this tent can’t hold them for long. With recent backing from BBC Radio 6 Music, the momentum is shifting into overdrive.
The band will be back in Europe to play the Fondation Festival de la Cite in July then they will cross the Atlantic to play the prestigious AFP Festival in Montreal in October, before returning to Europe to play Grauzone in February, a festival they used to attend as regular fans.
“It feels like the beginning of a bit of traction,” Daisy says modestly. “It’s about hitting that sweet spot and taking the chance to do the next thing.” Charming, grounded, and fiercely ambitious, Mercy Girl aren’t just chasing milestones; they are conquering them. Watch this space.
Interview: Graeme White @head_in_the_bass_bin
Pictures: Calum Mackintosh @ayecandyphotography