Having heard that Truck festival is a jewel in the south Oxfordshire countryside, we left home on Friday really excited to see what was in store. The sun was beaming down and it was hot when we arrived. Although set in the tiny village of Steventon, access to the site was easy and very well organised. The people of Steventon were very hospitable to all guests going to Truck. It was such a joy to attend a festival where the walk from the car to the campsite is shorter than a walk through the main arena.

Having setup our tent it was off to discover what the festival had in store for us, 3 well stocked bars, 5 stages and a host of well thought of merchandise stalls.

The Bars catered for all tastes and had an array of Ciders, Perrys, Ales and Lagers all at a very reasonable price. Bottles of water for £1, definitely not a case of getting ripped off at Truck.

Food at festivals is usually a solemn affair but Truck has managed to get the right balance, Rotary Club burger and chips, Steak Sandwich, veggie salads, pizzas, Noodle bar and an Asian food stall that always had a queue. Having tried the lot, the Steak Sandwich came out on top over the weekend, It’s always a joy to eat something locally sourced (and expertly cooked).  My only gripe was that it appeared that the Rotary hadn't bargained on the increased in attendance and the queues at times were too long, however, we found the idea that the profits from food sales went to charities refreshing and did not hear any moaning about the prices, in fact people were praising this idea

Merchandise was also very reasonable, T-shirts at £14, Hoodies at £20, programmes at a fiver which included a lanyard with a bottle opener! The organisers actually have thought of everything.

Musically Truck is very much in the indie/NME mould and although this seems to pigeon hole the festival a little it shouldn't, as there are plenty of different musical genres spread across the stages.

Amber Run

Amber Run pack out the Market stage for what turns out to be a lesson in what indie pop is all about, it certainly seems that these guys will go a long way. 

Dreaming Spires

Dashing over to the main stage to see the inspirational Truck favourites: The Dreaming Spires we are greeted with the band and instruments wearing cameras (maybe they will make us all famous) and playing songs from their album ‘Brothers in Brooklyn’ they seem just about perfect for a sunny Friday afternoon.

Canterbury

Another quick dash (via the bar) to see one of the bands everyone who likes rock music should go and see Canterbury. Taking the barn to pieces one song at a time, front man Mike Sparks took time out to thank the crowd that had packed into the barn at every opportunity. This is one band that would look right and sound at home on the main stage of any major festival.

Catfish and the Bottlemen

Catfish and the Bottlemen take to the stage with the swagger and a glint in their eyes, you can just tell this is going to be one noisy affair. Frontman Van McCann greets the crowd and with a wink the band launch into ‘Rango’ full on rock n roll in your face, the stunning Kathleen is quickly followed by Homesick. Beaming with delight the band depart to ‘Trippin’ and everyone in the crowd has felt the full force of Catfish and the Bottlemen.

Deep Valley

Another quick trip to the bar for one of the many ciders on offer and a quick bite to eat before settling down to listen to magnificent female duo Deep Valley all the way from California, sometimes all you need is a guitar and a drum kit to make a lot of people very happy. ‘Gonna Make My Own Money’, ‘Raw Material’ and ‘Bad For My Body’ all get the response from the crowd they deserve. 

Maybeshewill are turning up the heat in the barn turning out some sublime guitar music, whilst Kids In Glass Houses are making the most of their turn on the main stage. 

Cerebral Ballzy

Cerebral Ballzy take to the stage late due to some technical issues but that is soon forgotten as they launch into the 1970’s inspired NYC punk rock, and what a fine job they do of it. The band play with gusto and pride in what they believe, energetic frontman Honor Titus takes things at least 3 steps further than any frontman over the weekend, taking his place in the photo pit as well as the top of the speaker stack, one thing is for sure you never leave a Cerebral Ballzy gig disappointed and today was no different.

The Cribs

Greeted with a wall of sound this can only mean one thing, headliners The Cribs are taking to the stage and what a wall of sound they make. Smoke machines are in overdrive as the brother’s launch into ‘Our Bovine Public’ quickly followed by ‘Girls like Mystery’ and ‘The Lights Went Out’. As the band delves through their back catalogue for some of their best songs this really is a master class in loud, energetic indie punk rock. ‘You’re Gonna lose us’, ‘Glitters Like Gold’ and ‘I’m a Realist’ all make this set ‘Hey Scenesters’ is one to be remembered. 10 years ago they played this very festival in the barn, this really does sum up what the band have achieved and thank god they have as they bring the first night on the main stage to a close with ‘Men’s Needs’ and the wonderful ‘City of Bugs’

As the rain bounces off our tent early on Saturday morning we are left to reminisce on the glorious sunshine the day before, but before we can shake our umbrella and put our wellies on the rain dries up and sods off – Happy days indeed.

Danny and the Champions of the World

It’s time to discover some new music and at truck it’s fairly simple to do, pay a visit to The Veterans & Virgins Stage Local boy’s The Family Machine are playing their own brand of Indie Pop and it’s pretty good for this time of the day, I’m sure they will be back to grace Truck again. Danny and the Champions of the World are on fire as they rattle through some classic blues/folk rock, getting the best out of the small crowd gathered before them, it certainly won’t be the last we see of them today as they are scheduled for an acoustic appearance in the merch tent and a slot later in The Veterans & Virgins stage.

With the weather really behaving itself it’s time to take some shelter in The Saloon, getting the chance to push the traditional saloon bar door open and pretend to be Clint Eastwood for just 1 second puts a big smile on my face and I’m sure I wasn’t the first (or last) to have that thought J. So much thought has gone into the production of the festival that you can see why so many people rave about Truck, the bar stools are horse saddles, the pictures adorning the walls are of cowboys long gone, whisky barrels for tables and the cattle horns act like a beacon above the bar. Jack Harris takes to the mic and regales us with tales of Northern Ireland and one sided conversations as well as songs from his heart and mind, modern folk at its best, one guitar, one poet, one man.

Lonely The Brave

Dodgy arrived on the music scene over 20 years ago and they are still greeted with as much enthusiasm today as they were then, playing their feel good hits including ‘Good Enough’ and ‘Staying out for the summer’ they entertain the crowd and having them dancing and singing along. Lonely The Brave take to the stage in the barn, dressed in black and ready to turn our ears inside out, singer David Jakes takes an unconventional position on stage behind his 3 pronged guitar warriors, if last night’s wall of sound was provided by The Cribs then tonight’s was most certainly provided by Lonely The Brave maybe in less than 10 years we will see these guys headline Truck (here is hoping so). Off on our travels again to the main stage to see one of the pioneers of bass driven new wave Gang of Four are back to their best (apart from the technical issues with Andy Gill’s guitar). Delighting the hordes of middle aged men that are gathered before them they produce some outstanding moments especially the dual lyrics of ‘Anthrax’.

Andrew WK

Gnarwolves are the future of the Great British punk movement, the 3 piece from Brighton seem to be popping up everywhere and why not their infectious sing-a-long chorus’s bring out the best in the crowd. Crashing through their songs at breakneck speed it’s all over far too quickly and with that they are gone. So now it’s time to wait for the party master Andrew WK and boy is he worth the wait, with the crowd swelling in the barn the intro tape kicks in and the immortal words of ‘It’s Time to Party’ seem to be on everyone’s lips and as the man the crowd have come to see is introduced by his sidekick Blakey the crowd go ballistic and the party is in full swing. Dressed all in white and smiling from ear to ear, Andrew WK takes this business seriously and demands the crowd do the same. His keyboard skills keep the crowd on their toes as Blakey gives out some presents (that’s what you do at parties right?) ‘We Want Fun’ and ‘Party Hard’ are the highlights of what is surely going to be one of the performances of the festival.

White Lies

With the sweat dripping from our brow it’s off for our final band of the weekend, prior to the band arriving on stage Queens ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is being sung by the huge crowd and conducted by the excellent security personal at the front of the stage. White Lies have gone from strength to strength since they released their debut album ‘To Lose My Life’ and tonight they fit the bill of headliner perfectly. Standing at the front of the stage frontman Harry Mcveigh stands for a few seconds taking in what his band have achieved in getting to this point in their career. Introducing ‘There goes our love again’ the band set about producing some of the best indie music you will here. ‘Farewell to the fairground’ and ‘To Lose My Life’ just prove the previous statement to be true, the band are on such a high that they rattle through their set, ‘Be Your Man’, ‘The Power & the Glory’, ‘Unfinished Business’ and ‘A Place to Hide’ are met with delight from the crowd. ‘Death’ brings the set to a finish but as the band return for an encore the crowd are showered with huge balloons that dance across the audience to the sound of ‘Bigger Than Us’, at this moment in time I'm not really sure there are many bands that are.

Oh Truck you have been so good to us, some of the best bands around have entertained us, the weather has delighted us and the atmosphere has enthralled us, same time next year I think so. 

Article & Photography Andy Jamieson