the perennially popular Truck is enjoyed enjoyed by all ages

Whilst travelling through the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside, it was hard to know what to expect from a festival that is still relatively unknown despite its maturity. In its 18^th year, organisers of Truck Festival had promised it to be one of their most spectacular events to date, and with it being a sell-out the hype had certainly reached peak level.

On arrival at Hill Farm, Steventon, we were pleasantly greeted by an array of flamboyantly dressed stag groups, teens excitedly running towards the site with their brand new tents being waved off by nervous parents, and families wheeling their youngsters in tow trollies, giving the impression that this was the type of festival that could be enjoyed by all ages. Queues were kept to a minimum and controlled at the entrance, and security were not as invasive as expected. The amount of young, enthusiastic work experience volunteers around to help was very encouraging, although despite their very friendly demeanour they were not as clued up as you would expect.

A lot of thought had gone into the site construction, with the 6 main music arenas in close enough proximity to easily travel between them without missing your favourite acts, but far enough away to avoid sound bleeding between stages, enabling you to completely immerse in the varied musical experiences. Quirky designed stages like the Saloon Bar and Palm City gave the festival its creative edge, and the charitable food and retail vendors did their bit to raise money and awareness for societies in need.

Although the food smelt fantastic from all of the stalls, it was made more difficult to try their delicacies because of the time consuming, awkward queues dispersing across the main festival strip, and trying to find a toilet on the main festival site was like going on a hunt to find a needle in a haystack.

Now – on to the music. I would say that 80% of the acts at Truck Festival were relatively unknown, which just goes to show the opportunities that the organisers are offering to new and unsigned acts to showcase their talent. It is events like Truck with this mentality that are continuing to help the music industry develop and grow by introducing new artists and musicians into the limelight, enabling them to blossom.

Orange Vision were one of the many opening acts on the 1^st day, taking to the Veterans and Virgins stage early afternoon, mimicking the recognisable sounds you would associate with bands like The Libertines, but minus the pretension and drama. Bloody Knees had a number of acoustic issues to contend with during their set in The Barn, however they were able to retain their raw, authentic sound and looked completely natural in the arena that was full to bursting.

Clean Bandit were one of many dance genre focused acts attending this year’s Truck Festival, and their current popularity was definitely what seemed to encourage the younger generation of Truckers to the event. The energy that flowed into the sea of waving hands gave that second wind that was needed to continue partying into the early hours of Saturday, with their hits ‘Rather Be’ and ‘Extraordinary’ causing screaming ripples through the festival site.

Saturday was definitely the better day for more diverse musical delights, and with the sun shining down on the scenic surroundings of Hill Farm it would have been hard for anyone to not enjoy the day.

King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys provided light-hearted, jovial entertainment suitable for all ages with their jazz and soul vibrations being absorbed by a sun-kissed crowd. Double Bass acrobatics and experienced jazz piano improvisations combined with an eccentric front man proved a hit, with everyone rising to their feet to bop away their blues.

Public Service Broadcasting changed the tone to modern electronica during the early evening, to bring the audience into the technical age with the digital detailing of samplers, cleverly constructed stage design and their geek charm – it was like the IT Crowd decided to form a band! With the additions of trombone and trumpet every so often it kept you on your toes, wondering what to expect next.

Renowned for his part played in Joy Division and New Order, Peter Hook, swaggered into the Light on the Market Stage 15 minutes later than planned, diving straight into the set. A charismatic frontman, backed by extremely talented musicians, you could hear the influences from his previous ventures in the industry, telling the story of his music career through prominent, catchy basslines timed with a perfectly tight, rhythmic drum beat.

Closing the main stage on the last night of Truck Festival were dance music legends – Basement Jaxx and the organisers couldn’t have picked a more suitable group to do this! Bouncing onto the stage in a whirlwind of colour, they leaped into their classics ‘Good Luck’ and ‘Red Alert’, surrounding themselves with exotic dancers and explosions of confetti. After closing the stage with their most famous hit ‘Where’s Your Head At’, they showed their appreciation to loyal fans by appearing later on in the night at the Silent Disco, joining the DJs on stage as well as mingling in the audience, providing an added bonus to those that were unable to enter into the Barn to see Drum and Bass veteran Shy FX do his thing.

From its extremely humble beginnings, Truck Festival has continued to grow from strength to strength, and the sell-out status gained proves that they have done everything right and succeeded, providing the biggest and most suited acts to the event, and promoting a fun and relaxed atmosphere that everyone could enjoy. With it continuing to gain popularity at this rate, it would be wise to consider further amenities to be able to cater to a larger audience and minimise queueing into arenas, food stalls and toilets to add to a positive festival experience. Nonetheless, it wasn’t a detriment to what was almost certainly a highlight of the summer.

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