Truck Festival brings stars of rock and pop to Oxfordshire

Gracing a site at Hill Farm in Steventon, near Didcot, from today until Sunday, July 26-28, the festival has been a fixture for music lovers since 1998.

Started by musician brothers Robin and Joe Bennett – of the bands Goldrush and The Dreaming Spires – as a birthday bash for Robin, it has a proud history of pushing back against the commercialism of larger festivals and instead focusing on the music and upcoming talent.

Robin and Joe have long since passed on the baton, allowing them to focus on, among other things, their eco-friendly Wood Festival near Wallingford – but Truck’s spirit lives on.

Truck Festival manger Lily Brimble describes it as a celebration of “new alternative music, fun and a place to not take yourself too seriously”.

Bands and artists include Jamie T, Wet Leg, The Streets, Katy B, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Declan McKenna, Soft Play, The Kooks, Yard Act, The Snuts, Sea Girls and Oxfordshire’s own Willie J Healey, among scores more.

Yannis of Foals at a previous Truck Festival. Picture by Ed Nix

Along with a line-up of music and comedy, Truck is upping its game once again this year by creating a new family campsite with extra special entertainment for the ‘little Truckers’ out there.

“It’s lovely to see people who’ve been coming for years bringing along their brood,” says Lily while preparing for the festival.

Truck is proud of its charitable roots and progressive ethos – which continues.

“Look out for each other, respect each other, look after our home and go at your own pace,” says Lily.

Community is what makes Truck Festival stand out, and during your visit you can help give back by visiting the Truck Festival Feel Good Food Hall. This eatery is home to more than 150 volunteers cooking up delicious grub for festival goers all weekend (the Truck team especially recommend the mac and cheese!).

Volunteers include members of Didcot Rotary Club, of which farm owner Alan Binning is a member and staunch charity supporter. Almost £130,000 was raised last year and Truck has donated 38 grants of up to £25,000 to county community projects, such as breastfeeding cafes and Oxfordshire Foster Care Association.

Truck Festival 2022. Picture by Tim Hughes

Lily says: “We’ve made some tweaks to the arena, but all of the things that make Truck so special and fun remain the same!”

With a line-up featuring some of the country’s biggest and best new artists, Truck Festival is a rock-lover’s dream.

But there’s more to it than just indie bands, with its impressive line-up also boasting stars and rising talent from the worlds of pop, punk, electronica, dance, drum & bass and hip-hop along with hit singer-songwriters and plenty of surprises. But most eyes will be on the three headline acts, so who are they?

JAMIE T

The main attraction tonight (Friday) is Jamie T who headlines Truck following the release of his acclaimed album The Theory of Whatever – which followed a six-year hiatus.

Coming onto the scene in the 2000s-his quick-witted portfolio of raucous rock rap only grew with the release of Kings and Queens, and Carry on the Grudge, home to his major hits Zombie, Sticks and Stones and Rabbit Hole. Jamie T is managed to combine any musical influence from reggae to rock and make it work, nothing is out of his wheelhouse, cemented in his most recent album, with softer tracks such as Bonnie and Clyde, to add to his impressive discography.

Essential listening:

1. Zombie

2. Joan of Arc

3. Bonnie and Clyde

WET LEG

Isle Of Wight natives Rhiannon Teasdale and Hester Chambers form the indie rock band Wet Leg and top the bill at Truck on the Saturday. And it finds them on top form, fresh from the high of accompanying British ex-boy band juggernaut Harry Styles for his Love on Tour UK stadium shows.

Wet Leg

Their 2022 debut album Wet Leg not only soared in the charts with 28,972 sales in the first week of its release, while collecting paper weights consisting of two Grammys (Best Alternative Album and Best Alternative Performance), and two Brits (Best New Artist and Best British Group).

Their rise to stardom has not been without controversy, with some questioning their legitimacy as a band, rumours of disbanding and a politically charged speech aimed at the then Conservative government at the 2023 Brit Awards.

They also managed to settle nicely on the Mercury Prize shortlist and continue to showcase their feminine energy to the male dominated world of rock & roll.

Essential listening:

1. Chaise Longe

2. Being in love

3. Wet Dream

THE STREETS

Mike Skinner’s experimental musical project ‘The Streets’ hails from Birmingham and has gone on to captivate the country – and way beyond. The youthful, ire of Original Pirate Material, their first album debut in 2002, brought an eclectic mix of strings, bass beats and conversational lyricism and gained a nomination for the Mercury Prize in the process.

Mike Skinner of The Streets

The Streets managed to gain global attention through video game EA Sports using the single Fit but You Know It as part of its FIFA game series and became a fundamental force in the trajectory of grime and garage music in the early 2000s. After an early retirement in 2011, Mike revived The Streets with a simple Instagram post in 2017 and followed with a mixtape None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive, chock full off collaborations, amid the Covid 19 pandemic. Now he comes to Truck not only with a legacy but also a fresh album, The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light with a grime, electronica vibe coupled with his unique style. You can catch The Streets wrapping up Truck Festival on Sunday night.

Essential listening:

1. Has it come to this?

2. Fit but You Know it

3. Let’s push things forward

• Truck Festival is at Hill Farm, Steventon, from July 26-28. Tickets: truckfestival.com