On a Thursday in late July we arrive at a softly buzzing festival somewhere in Oxfordshire. Truck Festival is about to kick off, and Discovery Music is there to witness it all!
Thursday
Our festival starts with the infectious art rock by Cat Ryan, then continues with an incredibly powerful performance by Glasgow’s Dead Pony. She performs with the energy and passion we’ve seen Yonaka’s Theresa perform with and it’s a joy to watch! We watch The Wombats, and go to bed still bouncing along to ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’, like the band never stopped playing.
Friday
Our Friday is filled with surprises, with newcomers and nearly-on-a-UK-tour Carsick, who perform a The Streets-like set with a never-ending amount of energy. We never shy away for an energetic set with Scouse Americana and a hint of pop by Red Rum Club, who end their set with absolute banger ‘Would You Rather Be Lonely’, and we end our day with who end up being the best headliners of the weekend; The Vaccines. We go to bed tired but so very grateful, and excited for day three.
Saturday
Our Saturday begins with SANTÚ who have mastered the art of live performing, we then walk on to The Nest where Neev is bringing beautifully intricate singer songwriter songs. The Scottish artist performs heartwarming and soft folk songs with her band and it’s the welcome breather we can use after lots of heavy guitars!
After our little break we head for a coffee to warm up our hands and heart and seek shelter in the Market Stage where Glasgow-based rock outfit Humour humour their crowd. The band creates magnificently weird soundscapes fueled by a singer with an incredible vocal range and a band that plays angry riffs. Their energetic performance is one we won’t easily forget.
On the Truck Stage we are graced by singer songwriter Calum Bowie, who brings simple pop songs and lyrics easy to sing along to, we bounce along to King No One and Circa Waves, see young band The Darlings and shout along to ‘Delete’, and a cover of Cher’s ‘Believe’ by Aussie pop band DMA’S. We get blown away by Squid and enjoy the hazy rock sound of Alt J, after which we plough through the mud to find our bed, ready to recharge for the last day of TRUCK!
Sunday
Our Sunday starts with energetic rock from Kanadia, soft indie pop from overpass and a Queen-like performance by The Last Dinner Party, after which we return to the This Feeling stage for fantastic sets by emerging outfits Harri Larkin, bigfatbig and Slow Time Monday and enjoy the goth rock of Pale Waves on the mainstage, who – for a chance – are treated to some sunny weather! Those sunbeams do help lighten the mood a little again and no one seems to be bothered by their mud-covered cloths.
The Lathums do not surprise, as we expected a highly energetic set of indie rock tracks, and we indulge ourselves in the incredible alt rock tracks Gengahr perform in front of an ecstatic crowd. The rain kept us to see Gengahr’s set until the very last tones and we’re very grateful for that! It’s a tough choice having to choose between Everything Everything and We Are Scientists so instead we head to the This Feeling Stage for Gen and the Degenerates who pleasantly surprise and blow us all away!
Last but definitely not the least is potentially our headlight of the festival; a foot stomping, riff-driven set by Royal Blood! The duo take the entire stage and the festival field in front of them and make it bounce like no other. Once they’re finished, a fitting end to the festival erupts in the form of a firework spectacle. A well and worthy end to Truck 2023. Cheap tickets for 2024 are now available, so be quick before these very early birds are gone!