Rain City Drive are a band operating at the peak of their powers right now, and Glasgow got to witness it up close and personal.

Words & photos by David Prentice (davidprentice_media) | Feb 10, 2026

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The Classic Grand has earned its reputation as one of Glasgow’s most reliable rooms for a good time, and Wednesday night proved exactly why. Rain City Drive rolled into town with Honey Revenge and Belmont in tow, and the result was a midweek masterclass in feel-good rock that left the packed venue buzzing well past the final note.

Belmont kicked things off with a set that immediately rendered any remaining post-work fatigue completely irrelevant. The Chicago outfit have spent the better part of a decade blending pop-punk with everything from jazz fusion to math rock, and live it translates into something genuinely unpredictable. For a band opening a three-act bill on a Wednesday night in January, they played like it was a sold-out headline slot, and the crowd responded in kind.

Honey Revenge followed and brought an entirely different energy, one drenched in neon-purple confidence and weaponised pop hooks. The LA duo of vocalist Devin Papadol and guitarist Donny Lloyd have built something special off the back of their debut record Retrovision, and watching them command The Classic Grand was proof that their momentum shows no signs of stalling.

Then came Rain City Drive, and the room shifted into a different gear entirely. Opening with “Lose My Composure” from their latest record Things Are Different Now was a statement of intent. Matt McAndrew’s voice filling the venue with a richness that genuinely has to be heard live to be believed. The man’s range is absurd. One moment he’s delivering intimate, almost whispered verses; the next he’s belting out choruses with the kind of power that pins you to the back wall. The Classic Grand’s relatively intimate dimensions made the whole thing feel wonderfully intense, every soaring note and crunching riff amplified by the proximity of it all.

The setlist drew heavily from Things Are Different Now, with “Concrete Closure” and “Frozen” hitting particularly hard in a live setting, their arena-ready hooks feeling almost dangerously oversized for a venue this compact. “Medicate Me” was a standout. The crowd knew every word, screaming lyrics back with a fervour that visibly caught the band off guard. The older material wasn’t neglected either; “Talk to a Friend” and “Blood Runs Cold” were met with the kind of reception that confirmed RCD’s fanbase in Scotland isn’t just growing, it’s deeply committed.

By the time the final notes rang out, the Classic Grand had that particular post-show glow. Everyone slightly sweaty, slightly hoarse, and wearing the kind of dazed grin that only comes from a genuinely great night of live music. Rain City Drive are a band operating at the peak of their powers right now, and Glasgow got to witness it up close and personal. If they come back (and they absolutely should) grab a ticket immediately. You won’t regret it.