Now in it’s seventeenth year, Truck has become a cult favourite for music fans. Started in 1998 by the Bennett family as an alternative to festivals like Glastonbury, as they were too predictable and commercial, it’s gone from strength to strength each year. Having previously had artists such as Biffy Clyro, Regina Spektor, Foals, Frank Turner and Tim Minchin grace their stages, Truck is a great place to catch a host of incredible bands before they explode.
Held at Hill Farm in Oxfordshire on Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th of July, it’s a small festival with a family feel, with all the site services being provided by local groups (meaning you could be buying your food from the local rotary club!) Truck is a festival with similarities to the giants like Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds (with a similar site set up and facilities), but is scaled down so not only do you get the sense of being at a ‘classic’ festival, but you get a real community feel you wouldn’t get at larger festival. This year there’s a carnival theme, so you get an opportunity to dust of your fancy dress and ‘join the barnival’.
This year the lineup is better than ever before, featuring an eclectic range of acts across three stages. Most festivals sell themselves as ‘having something for everyone’, but Truck truly does. With heavier artists playing on The Barn stage (such as Cerebral Ballzy and Gnarwolves) which turns into a dance stage for the late Friday night and ta hugely diverse range of acts playing the main stage. Headlining this year are The Cribs on the Friday and White Lies on the Saturday. You can also catch Oxford favourites Stornoway, Radio 1 championed Catfish and the Bottlemen and indie-rock crooner Dan Croll.
Truck is also one of the best places to catch incredible up-and-coming acts, and this year they’ve out done themselves with some of the hottest bands of the moment. Playing across the two-day festival are Fickle Friends, Superfood, Eliza And The Bear, Saint Raymond, Circa Waves, Darlia and so many more. And for all those who want to dance the night away, you can catch a set by Julio Bashmore on The Barn stage (which is literally a fully functioning barn, which is turned into a stage every year especially for the festival!) on Friday night.
You couldn’t hope for better value, with tickets costing the bargain price of £74, so join the barnival and get excited for one of the best festivals this summer!
Tickets are available from the Truck website.
