Oxfordshire’s finest, Truck Festival, is back for 2024 and its 27th year on Hill Farm is set to be the biggest and best yet!
The four-day event has certainly made a name for itself, with thrilling lineups and vibrant crowds which seem to grow year on year without fail. Every year is a celebration of sound, with its lineups whetting the appetite for all and spanning the breadth of the indie rock, indie pop, and alternative rock music-spheres. This year sees Jamie T, Wet Leg, The Streets and Idles topping the bill, with an incredible catalogue of artists including Declan McKenna, The Snuts, Yard Act, and The Kooks providing the breathtaking backup. Truck Festival is also renowned for boasting some incredible upcoming talents, with the likes of The Mysterines, Nieve Ella and The Royston Club earning their spots in this year’s lineup too.
We are buzzing to be invited back to the Oxfordshire fields later this month, so here are just a small, handpicked selection of acts we suggest you check out over the weekend!
The Mysterines – Truck Stage – Thursday @ 19:30
An upcoming staple of indie-lore, The Mysterines, will bring their distinctive alternative rock outfit to the Truck Stage. The Liverpool & Wirral-based quartet are hot off the back of their latest record Afraid of Tomorrows, which has garnered tremendous reception reaching No. 5 in the Official Charts. After traversing the country with Arctic Monkeys last year, the group not only have an enormous North American & UK/EU tour coming up this winter but will also be a supporting act for a sell-out Catfish & The Bottlemen crowd in Liverpool’s Sefton Park. For us lucky ones with early entry on Thursday, be sure to catch them with the promise for new tracks debuted and more summertime chaos.
Declan McKenna – Truck Stage – Friday @ 19:45
Armed with a sunny new record and a beloved back catalogue of anthems, everyone’s favourite summertime artist Declan McKenna will kickstart the Friday night party with his groove-enthused bangers. Having already graced Glastonbury this year, the place which started it all for the singer-songwriter, McKenna continues to be a familiar face on festival stages up and down the country. His crowds are always loud in response to infamous hits including Brazil (you’ve probably heard it) and the rockstar continues to be praised for his compelling yet chaotic brilliance onstage; he’ll be sure to bring his best to the Truck Stage once more. He’s cemented his spot as a mainstay in the music scene, and to miss him on Friday would be a huge mistake.
The Kairos – This Feeling – Saturday @ 20:30
Another quartet fresh from the Liverpool music scene are The Kairos, who are another promising band establishing themselves in the indie-rock music scene and already have a plethora of shows booked throughout this summer. 2023 saw the release of their EP Better Late than Never which is stacked with festival anthems that will undoubtedly have crowds going wild and give fans a chance to catch the best of their material. With their sights fully set on the O2 Academy Liverpool stage, one of 11 dates on their UK tour this winter, the Saturday night crowd will be treated to their notorious seismic, scouse rock & roll. ‘No Kairo, No Party’ is their motto, so I guess you better be down at This Feeling to party the night away!
Wet Leg – Truck Stage – Saturday @ 21:30
Considering there hasn’t been any sign of new material from the Isle of White duo, Wet Leg topping the bill was certainly one of the talking points after the lineup’s unveiling. However, without bold choices as such, how else are new headliners meant to emerge and reach the big time? One thing is for certain, their mouthwatering brand of indiepop that’s ruffled with feathers will bring out the best of the Saturday night crowd. After huge support slots with the likes of Foo Fighters and more notably Harry Styles (you can see where most the feathers have come from), their Truck Festival appearance is set to be a significant moment in their career and surely be filled with the best of their material; Chaise Long, Wet Dream, Being in Love among many others. Feathery Indiepop? A set full of buoyant hits? You can’t miss one of the sets of the summer now, can you?
The Snuts – Market Stage – Sunday @ 20:30
All the way from West Lothian, Scotland, emerge The Snuts, whose Truck Festival appearance will be, much like their incredible catalogue of numbers, designed to detonate on impact; The Market Stage is in for a treat! Not only are the quartet off the back of their third record (Millennials) and subsequent self-titled UK tour, but they’re also now hitting the big time after playing sets previously at Reading & Leeds, and more recently Rock Werchter and Glastonbury. Performing at Truck this year will give fans an opportunity to hear cuts from the new record as well as the adored tracks which have developed the bands’ solid foundations in the indie-sphere. The sole intention of Millennials was to ‘put a smile on your face’, so you should end your weekend with a smile on your face by catching these boys on Sunday night!
CARSICK – Truck Stage – Friday @14:15
Returning to Truck festival for a second time are a genre-flexing quartet from Wiltshire that will bring their high energy rock, hip-hop and electronic noise to the Truck stage. The group have had a busy summer of shows already and have a cracking few months coming up, including hitting Reading & Leeds Festival as well as three huge headline gigs in September. Their latest single Gig Tax received impressive airtime from the likes of BBC Introducing and Radio X and will undoubtedly make the cut for this year’s performance. If you’re a fan of Blur, The Reytons or you want an early flavour of The Streets before Sunday night, then I can only suggest you spend Friday afternoon with the CARSICK boys. A must-watch.
Nieve Ella – Market Stage – Sunday @ 16:45
Since the release of her debut EP and first live shows in 2022, Nieve Ella is quickly becoming one of the most exciting upcoming artists in the UK. Her support is reaching far and wide, with radio broadcasters, journalists and a digital audience of over 100k closely connecting with her alternative indie-pop catalogue; you simply wouldn’t believe she started out in 2022. After previous supporting stints with Dylan, Inhaler and most recently Kings of Leon, 2024 looks set to get even better with more festival appearances as well as an enormous supporting run with Girl in Red this Autumn. Her latest offering Sugarcoated has been adored by fans, with hints of those all-too important influences, including Sam Fender, appreciated throughout. If her performance on Sunday is anything close to her succulent new single, then you’ll be in for a sweet treat at the Market Stage.
See you at the front!
