TRUCK FESTIVAL 2015

We were lucky enough to head out to Truck Festival in the idyllic Oxfordshire Countryside this weekend; it’s safe to say we have a serious case of the festival blues today. The weekend began in typical British summertime fashion with an almighty downpour which made pitching up our tents absolutely delightful; nevertheless we were soon graced with beautiful sunshine that lasted the duration of the weekend.

We didn’t quite know what to expect from the festival, the line-up was impressive enough but the scale, organisation and vibe of the festival definitely came as a massive surprise. There was plenty to keep us busy with lots of stages and bands on throughout the day, even when the headline acts had finished there were DJ’s on all stages to keep the night going. The Barn hosted acts from Switch nights at the Truck Stores neighbouring O2 Academy on Cowley Road, the Market Stage had Rock Anthems and Indie Classics the Truck Stage held a Silent Disco and the intimate Palm Island also had DJ’s for the drunkards to rave too. Potentially the only issue we had all weekend was their decision to stick Slaves in The Barn. Ideally they would have played on the Truck Stage or even the Market Stage so they could host the huge crowd the band inevitably attracted. The organisers of the festival probably didn’t quite anticipate the extent of their current popularity. The queue for the stage was huge with many conceding defeat early and deciding to go elsewhere for their dose of live music. We however braved the challenge in the hope that many of the festivals older dwellers would leave the loud and rowdy set to make way for the rest of the Punk hungry mob. Around two songs into the set the queuing Truckers decided that waiting was not an option and rushed the stage in typical Punk Rock rebellion fashion many getting through leaving the bouncers red faced and angry desperately trying to restore order. We made our way into the building but still struggled to get round the corner and see the stage itself but beggars can’t be choosers and we were chuffed enough to still hear the sound of the two lads from Royal Tunbridge Wells.

On to the important part of the festival, the beer, no we joke were obligated to say the music is the most important part but as we all know the two come as an elegant pair. As to not drag out this blog, boring readers with details and turning you green with envy we have been proactive and selected our favourite four sets from the weekend, yes, I know we are so good to you all. We’ve already touched on Slaves who feature in our selection, as always they are an absolute delight putting on an electric set filling the crowd with anger, angst and sweat. We would have enjoyed it much more had it been staged on one of the bigger platforms but still we knew this would be one of our favourite sets of the weekend and we look forward to making up for it when we see them at The Forum in Kentish Town this autumn. If you’ve not got yourself a ticket for that UK tour then what the fuck are you playing at? Get your wallet out and get booking now.

We hate to pick favourites but we are willing to make an exception for this next band they absolutely blew us away. The Wytches have been on our radar for a little while now and an integral part to our daily listening so naturally we were looking forward to their set in The Barn. Luckily enough we managed to get in to this gig with ease earlier in the day on Friday when many, we suspect, were still arriving. They were absolutely incredible and we would possibly go as far as to say one of our favourite live shows this year, I know it seems a little extreme and trust me we’ve not been shy on the gig front getting ourselves to as many as possible, but we stand by that statement. Playing a collection of songs from their debut album released in 2014 ‘Annabel Dream Reader’ they gave an honest performance that captivated all that were present. Perhaps the best part about this band for us is how different they are to the majority of other bands that are emerging from the darkness at the moment with their respective ‘individual’ takes on a soft hippie indie rock. The Wytches attack a modern spin on mysterious grunge rock combining an array of genres perfectly to achieve a dirty, and quite frankly, evil sound. We spoke and debated, many vetting their opinions on how best to describe the sound of The Wytches, which proved to be a difficult task. We did come to a shaky conclusion and decided the official ROCKWOLF categorisation of the band is a take on a ‘Psychedelic Grunge Metal’, you heard it here first. With hints of what sounds like Nirvana, Black Sabbath and even a tiny bit of Tame Impala they were an absolute pleasure to watch. Hopefully it won’t be long until they release dates of a new UK tour so we can get ourselves down to that.

The next band on our A List is Saturday night headliners ‘Pulled Apart By Horses’ who delivered a brutal set in the ‘Grotto’. To say the crowd were lively would be a massive understatement, the band clearly revelled in the atmospheric mass they were fucking nuts. We caught the band at Reading Festival a few years back and at Wakestock Festival in 2011 where they were very impressive but this time round took them to another level maybe this was part due to the intimate setting that was, The Barn, but they definitely made the most of their surroundings. Even to the extent that Rhythm Guitarist and Lead Vocalist Tom Hudson jumped off the stage into the crowd and moshed with his avid fans whilst still playing the guitar, quality stuff. We failed miserably at any attempt to collect some images or footage of the set, from the first note of the first song we became far to engrossed in the moshing. Our favourite track from the set was ‘I Punched A Lion In The Throat’ this may have an underlying biased motive being our favourite song but nevertheless this was the highlight. They are due to play several more festivals this summer including ‘Y Not Festival’ in Derbyshire, Boardmasters in Cornwall and a homecoming show at Leeds Festival in August so if you’re at any of these festivals over the coming months be sure to check them out. Their latest album ‘Blood’ was released on September 1st 2014 and should not be missed grab yourself a copy we certainly will be.

The final band that features on our selection is fairly new to the scene and certainly to us, having first heard about them when we caught them live at the Royal Blood show in Camden earlier this year we were impressed to say the least. The Bohicas debut album ‘The Making Of’ is available for pre-order now and due for general release on 21st August 2015. Once again this is going on our huge shopping list along with tickets for their Headline UK Tour in October.

They graced the Truck Stage on a beautiful sunny Friday afternoon in Oxfordshire and certainly impressed the vast majority of the eager crowd. They played a range of released EP tracks and a few from their upcoming album which all sounded very impressive. We were drawn in by their heavy bluesy nature and imposing solos. It’s interesting how the two guitarists simultaneously alternate from Rhythm to lead seemingly unnoticed to the untrained eye, it worked very well as did the character they showed during the momentary technical failure that occurred during their set where we had a complete cut out on all fronts. Despite this minor mishap they powered through unscathed with drummer Brendan Heaney embarking on a striking drum solo to allude the crowds attention away from the fault. All the same a cracking set and definitely a band to keep your eye firmly on over the coming months.

There’s no doubt we will be back at Truck Festival next year and we recommend it to any music lovers out there looking for a cheaper and more intimate alternative to the bigger music festivals in the UK. PEACE, TRW