We headed back to the Truck arena on Saturday afternoon, and thankfully the clouds had lifted after a huge thunderstorm over the night. However the storm had done nothing to dampen the revellers fun, with hundreds of people getting involved in a huge paint fight mid afternoon.
We started our Saturday with Superfood on the main stage. As a band who couldn’t fit the Truck vibe better, their set brought in a crowd of teenage fans who just wanted to have fun – with ample mosh pits and dancing throughout. We then headed over to the Market Place to catch the Radio 1 tipped Darlia, but unfortunately the sloppy set did nothing to keep our interest, so instead we headed down to The Barn to see Lonely the Brave. Their set was vibrant, and reminded me of the gigs I went to when I was 15; but towards the end the tracks began to get a little same-y. This been said, there were an army of fans at the front of the crowd singing every single word, and thoroughly enjoying the well-rehearsed performance.
We ran back to the main stage to catch Swim Deep, and luckily the weather held out for their summery, bouncy pop. Blasting through a short set of tracks from their 2013 debut Where The Heaven Are We?, singles such as ‘King City’ and ‘Honey’ got everybody singing along. We next caught Circa Waves, who put on an excellent performance. Their staccato guitar riffs and interweaving melodic lines filled the tent, and this set really cemented to me that Circa Waves are a band to keep a close eye on.
We then decided to take a quick break from the main stages to see something a bit different. We headed to the Saloon, which is exactly what you think it is. Decked out as a western styled bar, country artists took to a stage surrounded by old barrels and wooden benches to perform tracks that sound like they could have come straight from the Wild West. Stages like this are one of the reasons that Truck is so special. Small and intimate sets with acts themed to the stage make for a welcome respite from the indie and heavier rock bands of the other stages, and with The Saloon being completely packed out for the bulk of the weekend, it was clear that we weren’t the only ones to think that.
Next we headed to the market place stage to see Slow Club. Fresh from the release of their third album, Complete Surrender, the duo played an array of new and old songs, which were well received by the audience. Over on the main stage Stornoway put in effort to perform even in the sudden rain, however their summery indie folk doesn’t have the same effect when watched from under an umbrella instead of in blazing sun, and although the band performed brilliantly, we soon headed back to the Market Place tent to get dry and watch Roots Manuva. I didn’t know much about Roots, but left a fan after his effervescent set. The effort put in by Roots and his band meant that the crowd was dancing along, and his was by far one of the best sets of the weekend! Watching ‘Witness the Fitness’ sung along by hundreds of people, both young and old, was something special, and Roots knew that too – appearing ever gracious on stage.
After Roots we headed of to see our final set of the weekend: White Lies headlining the
White Lies headlining the main stage
main stage. From the moment they walked on stage, I knew that this was going to be something special. Energetic, lively and completely captivating, they blitzed through a set of old and new tracks, with singles such as ‘Farewell to the Fairground’ going down just as well as album tracks. After the disappointment of Friday’s headliners, I was thrilled that White Lies more than made up for The Cribs’ shoddy set.
I’d recommend Truck to everybody and anybody. For those who want a first festival – Truck is welcoming and easy to navigate. For festival veterans – Truck provides a more chilled and intimate event in your summer calendar. For families, there’s a children tent and it’s small enough for your little ones to wander off and not get lost. The diversity in the crowd that this local festival attracts is a fantastic thing to see, and like many others who attended this year, I’m sure I’ll return for Truck 2015.
