“The response we got from The Nest stage was incredible.”
For Portsmouth singer-songwriter Matt Hennessey, Sunday afternoon at Truck Festival offered another landmark moment in what has already been a whirlwind year.
Fresh from winning the 2026 Road to Victorious competition earlier this year, Hennessey took to The Nest stage with his band, delivering one of the biggest performances of his career so far. And with a packed tent waiting for him, the reaction was everything he could have hoped for.
“I’m still coming down from it; that was amazing,” he said. “Full tent, loads of people coming to chat to us afterwards, so yeah, it was brilliant.”
“The response we got from The Nest stage was incredible.”
The performance came at the end of an already busy weekend for Hennessey, who had also played Tramlines the previous day. Yet despite the size of that crowd, he felt there was something particularly special about the reception at Truck.
“It’s one of the biggest crowds we’ve ever played to, and yesterday we had Tramlines as well which was also pretty big, but this felt even bigger,” he explained. “The response has been brilliant the past couple of days, and we’re really excited for going forward.”
That excitement can be traced back to earlier this year, when Hennessey found himself crowned the winner of Road to Victorious Festival competition at Portsmouth’s Wedgewood Rooms. With three other artists also competing for the coveted prize, victory was far from guaranteed in his mind.
“It was insane, I wasn’t expecting to win because the other three we were up against, they had worked really hard as well,” he recalled. “I just had this feeling in the back of my head that, ‘Oh, they’ve put in a lot more work.’”
Then his name was announced. “I was like, ‘Jesus.’ It didn’t fully sink in until we were on the tour bus heading up to Tramlines. It’s been incredible.”
The scale of the response has been one of the biggest surprises for Hennessey since that moment. “I did not expect the response that we got, and it was beautiful.”
For Hennessey, the Road to Victorious win wasn’t simply a stroke of luck. It was the culmination of a year of relentless work, with the singer-songwriter crediting his band and a shift in mindset for helping him reach this point.
“Radical responsibility for yourself, in that no one is gonna come and do it for you,” he explained when reflecting on the best advice he’s received as an artist.
“Winning was the result of hard work, and we’ve put in so much over the past year. The band has been brilliant, and I think it’s the culmination of all of that, when we stopped hoping other people would do it for us and started the relentless promotion and rehearsals, and when that all happened it all came together.”
With the momentum continuing to build, Hennessey admits it is only now sinking in. “It’s all setting in as it goes along, and we’re really excited for Kendal Calling and YNot next weekend too.”
So, what exactly can listeners expect when they press play? “All sorts really,” he explained. “Energetic, jumpy, ADHD incarnate, something you can jump around and have a laugh with.”
One track that has already been connecting with audiences is Comfort, but Hennessey insists there is plenty more on the horizon. “Comfort has done well for us so far with people, and we’ve got many others in the works which is really exciting.”
His songwriting process is equally varied. Rather than waiting for one big moment of inspiration, Hennessey keeps a collection of ideas ready to develop when the right pieces fall into place.
“It’s a mix really. I have a bank of song ideas, lyrics, and voicenotes for melodies, and when I come up with a bigger idea, then I go back through those banks and connect things that work together and build the song from there.”
That songwriting process has become much more than simply creating music, however. For Hennessey, it has provided a way to express feelings that he might otherwise struggle to articulate.
“It’s probably my best outlet, because I’m not a very confrontational person, and most of my songs for me are an outlet for me to get my feelings out in a way I wouldn’t necessarily be able to express otherwise,” he said. “It’s been really healthy for me.”
Hennessey’s focus is firmly on continuing the momentum that has brought him to Truck, Tramlines and beyond. “Hopefully more releases,” he revealed. “We’re working on some new stuff, working out release plans, so more releases, more gigs, and we’ve got a tour coming up in September, playing in London, Sheffield and Brighton.”
After a packed Truck Festival set, a Road to Victorious victory and an increasingly busy touring schedule, Hennessey’s journey is clearly gathering pace. And if the reaction inside The Nest is anything to go by, there is plenty more to come.
