Festival Review: Truck 2024
Truck Festival delivered an unforgettable weekend, seamlessly blending the finest emerging indie bands with timeless headline acts.
The sun was in abundance this year as Truck Festival commenced. It was bound to be a good time from the start with three stellar names as headlining acts. Idles as the Thursday slot was bound to put the weekend and the crowd in good stead. The combination of nostalgia acts with emerging talent from all corners of the country and afar is an assured recipe for success.
The Truck Main stage was joined by acts such as NewDad, with a surprise cover of by Just Heaven The Cure, a well suited switch up for the band that perfectly complimented the vocals of Julie Dawson. Tracks from their debut album such as ‘Sickly Sweet’ had the audience swaying to their sweet melodies, who gave the band a well-received applause after each song, the band claiming the set as their best so far in their busy Summer.
There was a packed out tent for English Teacher who performed at The Nest, the newly Mercury Prize nominated band receiving a hero’s welcome as one of the must see acts of the entire billing. Still in the cultural grasp of Sophie Ellis Bextor? It appeared that most of the crowd were too,
Wet Leg were a hit from the get-go, embracing their short album length by taking on the ethos of Brat summer and performing a cover of “360”. The vital scream that you can’t really knock until you try it.
The all mysterious Ebbb generated a raucous sound for a band consisting of three, a fine mix of electronics and passion resulting in rhythmic chaos. The Market stage was the place to be, from an engaged chorus with The Snuts, to emerging acts hauling in the hangover crowd in bands like Dog Race.
Clashes took place but were worth the risk as Bob Vylan closing out his set with a iconic speech lamenting the power of punk and unity as he held his audience captivated by his words and overall aura.
The Sunday night ended with The Streets, performing a momentous set that would’ve pleased fans of his entire discography, from the mellow and more pensive songs to the brutish and brash classics that made the audience move in time with him. A showman, Mike Skinner was constantly teasing the crowd about an appearance amongst us before eventually appearing like Jesus on a young man’s shoulders as he parted the crowd and made his way through the audience, all the while, still singing!
Truck Festival continues its legacy of nurturing both older and new acts in the same space, with eager listeners at the ready.