Truck Festival Review

Bouts of rain with men slick in mud as the impromptu mud slides eventually become the entirety of the festival.

I couldn’t have asked for a more classic British summer time; the bouts of rain with men slick in mud as the impromptu mud slides eventually become the entirety of the festival. Past the treks in mud, Truck Fest delivered through the last performances on the main stage, and the constant surprises upon discovering new acts.

Two Door Cinema Club was any indie music fan from 2008-2013’s wet dream, opening with ‘This Is The Life’, newer songs carry a more danceable energy that suited the audience’s mood, with the obvious tracks that have brought them to the place they are still having a firm grip on music fans. Music you smile and sing the lyrics back to your friends to, despite not touching base with their discography for some time, a song you might’ve forgotten all of a sudden comes out of your mouth word for word.

Another class performance from Saturday’s main stage closing act came from alt j. Did I fall over on the way to the stage as ‘Every Other Freckle’ played? Succumbing to the mud slides did not put a damper on the performance, a mix of slower tracks and classics from their astounding debut with ‘breezeblocks’ being sung by the entire audience as the rain continued to fall down on us.

Scottish post punk band ‘Humour’ were one of my personal highlights, a tight selection of released and unreleased material promises to see the band hammer in on their dark and lively sound.

If you survived the barricade during ‘Squid’, congratulations and I hope your upper body isn’t too sore now. The five-man post-punk outfit welcomed the chaos, multiple times spotting Mr Ollie Judge grinning outwardly towards the audience. Cementing them as a must-see live act if you’re willing to accept the thrashing, pushing, but it’s also the best part. My throat and croaked voice in part to screaming during ‘Pamphlets’.

Smaller bands that we stumbled upon proving to be hidden gems and carrying the bulk of impressive performances, a testament to the direction of British and Irish bands in an era where these groups go amiss from the charts or national knowledge. A special mention to bands such as ‘She’s in Parties’, ‘Somebody’s Child’ with an impressive main stage performance, ‘Flirting’ and ‘Prima Queen’.

Britain’s indie darling Rachel Chinouriri had a dream set, with a tent full of engaging fans from the back straight to the barricade. The audience loved her, something endearing and powerful seeing friends sing lyrics back to one another and squealing as she announces the next track. ‘All I Ever Asked’. A glimpse into her debut album promises rockier tracks written with anger, outside her just as much as the airy sweet pop she has finessed within her first two EPs.

The Last Dinner Party have a certain mythos surrounding themselves, the only two singles released meant that the set was always going to be an intriguing experience . Outside of the two singles from the group, the set saw shared vocal performances including an impressive track named ‘Dua’, highlighting the wealth of talent within the group. The fronting lady dances and comes up to the audience multiple times, directly serenading us with an elegance and charm that makes it hard to take your eyes off her. They stand hand in hand and take a bow at the end of the set, a group of friends embracing a highly feminine aesthetic that will draw in fans of Lana Del Rey and Kate Bush.

Royal Blood carried hard, the only way to end the festival with back-to-back bangers with an enthusiasm that reminds you of why music like this live is something to chase , fireworks launching behind the stage in sync with the emphatic snare hits of Ben Thatcher. Essentially, it was a Royal Blood gig taking place outside rather than a festival closing act, the energy and engagement from the entire crowd being impressive despite of the rainfall and last day lethargy that came over everyone’s body. It was a dream set for Royal Blood fans, surely winning over those who weren’t beforehand.

The kindness of local businesses and friendly volunteers outshone the terrible conditions that borderline gave me trench foot. After this weekend spent finding a plethora of sonically diverse bands, I think it’s safe to say that it’s time to put the ‘guitar music is dead’ conversation to bed.