“It’s the only place in the world that I don’t feel like an alien when I’m onstage.”
For a band who once joked that they were “not very cool”, Lottery Winners certainly looked the part as they arrived at Truck Festival.
Making their debut at the Oxfordshire festival, the Leigh four-piece were clearly excited to finally find themselves on the Truck lineup, even if Thom Rylance and Kate Lloyd couldn’t resist poking fun at their newfound status.
“We’re excited, we’ve never been before,” Kate admitted. “We feel like we’ve never been cool enough to come and they’ve asked us this time, so excited.”
Thom was quick to agree, adding: “I always thought it was a cool one, Truck, and we’re not very cool, but obviously we are now.”
The self-deprecating humour is characteristically Lottery Winners, but behind the jokes sits a band whose career has taken them to some extraordinary places over the past few years.
Their rise has included two UK Number One albums and, most recently, a landmark hometown stadium headline show at Leigh Sports Village in May 2026. Having already performed in stadiums alongside Robbie Williams, taking the stage in their own name was an entirely different experience.
“We’d done a few stadiums with Robbie, but when it was our own one, it was like our wedding day,” Thom reflected. “It was incredible.”
The connection with Robbie Williams has become one of the more unexpected chapters of the Lottery Winners’ story. After supporting the pop superstar on his 2025 tour, Thom describes their relationship in remarkably casual terms.
“He’s like my best friend,” he said. “I think if I ever get married he might be my best man.”
Kate remains equally amazed by how their relationship has developed.
“I don’t know why he lets us hang out with him and do mad stuff,” she laughed. “It’s crazy that we’ve done loads of gigs with him around the world.”
For Thom, what initially felt surreal has gradually become normal. “I remember the first time I saw him in real life I was like, ‘OMG, that’s Robbie Williams’, and now it’s just Rob, it’s just normal, and he rings me all the time.”
The band’s ability to build genuine connections isn’t limited to fellow musicians, though. For Kate, the best part of performing live is simple: “The smiles on people’s faces.”
For Thom, the feeling goes even deeper: “It’s the only place in the world that I don’t feel like an alien when I’m onstage,” he explained. “That’s my favourite thing about it.”
That sense of belonging is something the band clearly wants to pass on to the next generation of artists. Asked what advice they would give to a band just starting, Kate kept it simple: “Do gigs, be your genuine self and do as many gigs as you can.”
Thom expanded on the importance of staying true to yourself in an industry where trends can change almost overnight.
“Don’t get sucked into whatever is cool or trendy because that changes faster than you change your clothes,” he said. “Do what feels authentic to you and get out there and play in front of people, as many shows as you can.”
For Lottery Winners, there is still nothing quite like the intimacy of a live audience.
“There’s nothing like connecting with people on a 30-minute support slot when you’re in the same room,” Thom added.
And despite everything they’ve already achieved, including Number One albums, major festival appearances and their own stadium headline show, there is still one major box left to tick.
“Glastonbury Pyramid Stage,” Kate said when asked about the band’s ultimate remaining ambition.
“Yeah, we’re gonna do that,” Thom immediately replied.
Given how quickly Lottery Winners have progressed from playing small venues to sharing stadium stages with Robbie Williams and headlining one of their own, it would be unwise to bet against them.
For now, though, Truck Festival has given the band another milestone to add to an increasingly impressive list, and perhaps, finally, proof that they really are cool enough after all.
