Irish band Madra Salach impress at TRNSMT 2026 with their ethereal contemporary folk sound

There has been a seemingly endless conveyor belt of talent coming across the Irish Sea for much of the last decade, and Madra Salach are the most recent to follow.

The six-piece hailing from Dublin, have released a solitary EP – January’s It’s a Hell of an Age – but already they have built up something beyond a cult following on these shores.

Taking to the King Tut’s stage on Saturday afternoon they brought their ethereal contemporary folk to Glasgow. Ethereal being a word that only just about describes the ambience it creates.

Every so often there is a band that comes along – especially at a festival – that catches you by surprise. Madra Salach ticked that box this year. I have been a pretty faithful listener since that EP dropped earlier this year. But to see them live? Ah – it's something else entirely.

Their repertoire is transcendent of the folk label, but still within the tradition. Sure they dip into the odd traditional ballad, but songs like Blue and Gold take it on a completely different journey whilst still being timeless.

The Man Who Seeks Pleasure is the set closer and it brings about the strongest reaction of the Glasgow crowd. If you seek pleasure with this band, you are bound to find no pain.

Madra Salach are a band that you really need to see to believe.