As we cling on to the hope of a heatwave, the one thing that is for certain this July is Truck Festival and we can’t wait to be back.
We’ve been heading to Hill Farm for Truck Festival for many years now and we’re delighted to be hosting the Market Stage once again to present a tent full of exciting new music. The 2024 line up is jam packed with incredible new bands, but to prevent any display of bias, because we are, we reached out to some friends to ask who they think the lucky ticket holders should be rushing to see, share some early festival memories, and give them a crack at booking next years Truck line up. Bookers take note.
Here’s your guide to Truck Festival 2024, provided by Yard Act, Lime Garden, English Teacher, 86 TV’s, Folly Group, Been Stellar and VLURE.
Hello everyone, thanks for taking the time to chat with us about all things Truck Festival. From being Truck over the last few years, we’ve found that it’s quickly becoming the debut festival for many. Could you tell us about your first festivals?
Yard Act (Sam): Mine was at Glastonbury 2000 with my dad. It was the last year of massive gatecrashers so it was pretty dense with people. Quite enjoyed Idlewild. Stood in human shit that weekend, and had to throw my shoes away.
English Teacher: Bingley Music Festival when I was about 16. The highlight was The Human League and I don’t remember a single awful moment but also that was 10 years ago and I have a shocking memory.
Lime Garden: Chloe and Tippis’ first festival was Latitude 2021 and that was because we were playing. A definite highlight was watching Hot Chip. Less enjoyable was us all crammed into a 3 person tent for the weekend! Our camping set up has evolved a lot since then (!) and we now have separate tents, fold-up chairs, and a camping stove!
Been Stellar: Actually the first festival I ever went to was Truck, because I didn’t go to festivals before we started playing them. That was two years ago, and we had a great time.
86TVs (Hugo): My first festival experience was at 16, we somehow managed to jump the fence at reading festival, managed to see Metallica. Then get thrown out somehow at 3am.
Folly Group (Sean): Somewhere in the latter half of the 2000s, my parents took my brother and me to Cornbury Festival. I was pretty young and I barely remember it, but I’ve retained one or two moments of watching Blondie and eating a crepe on my Dad’s shoulders, catering to all senses at once.
One of our favourite things about Truck Festival is its willingness to bring exciting brand new artists onto its stages and give many their first outing on a big big stage. Which bands/artists have you discovered/caught for the first time at a festival and can you tell us about your first festival performance as a band?
VLURE: We caught Two Shell for the first time at Glastonbury 2023 in the early hours of the morning at Platform23 performing a secret set surrounded by all our mates. It was big.
The first festival we played as a band, was Truck back in 2019. We played a small tent at 3pm on the Sunday afternoon, we arrived on site on the Thursday. It was a beautiful sight to have the tent not even half full as we bounced on stage, to being almost completely full coming into our last song. Which is one of the great things about this festival, as people walked past the tent they heard something in it joined the party. Many of those people see us frequently at shows to this day. The quote of the day from that show was from Alexandra’s dad “It’s not quite for me, but I get it”.
Been Stellar: So our first real festival experience was Truck, and it was great! Very special memory for us with camping out etc. Probably the best festival discovery I made was first seeing Just Mustard at SXSW in the states a couple years ago, though I had heard of them before. Them or another band called High.
Yard Act: Waiting for Mull Historical Society at T In The Park in 2004 I watched Amy Winehouse, who I didn’t know anything about at the time. Our first festival as a band was at Standon Calling, and I reckon the same applied to that audience; was a great show, that.
Folly Group: I managed to blag this amazing bit of work in 2019, covering SXSW for a magazine. Lou from the band was there that year playing keys for Art School Girlfriend, and outside of those commitments we spent most of the week sniffing out Austin’s weirdest cultural offerings, like two Louis Therouxs on cheese. On the final night, we received a tip-off about a DIY show somewhere on a bank of Lake Travis, a few miles out of town. We shared a cab to the middle of nowhere and followed our ears to a gathering of 100 intimidatingly trendy folk watching two beautiful men belt out undeniable pop with hilarious choreography. I couldn’t have enjoyed it more, but never caught their name, and basically went on to convince myself I dreamt it. A couple of years later, when they started releasing music more consistently, I got a jolt upon realising I’d seen an early version of Faux Real. That was so special!
Our first festival set was a mid-afternoon Saturday set at Latitude 2021 that we didn’t really earn, drafted in via a COVID cancellation. We got away with it, more or less, after apologising to a middle-aged mother of three for not being PVA.
86TVs: I remember playing Glastonbury for the first time around 2008, somehow managed to trip up over a lead walking out onto stage. That was humbling.
I remember watching the strokes playing ‘First Impressions Of Earth’ when we were starting to get places as a band – always felt to me like that was where it was at. They were great at that point.
Lime Garden: We saw Mary In The Junkyard and Geese at End Of The Road in 2023! Big fans of both. Our first festival performance was at Latitude festival on a stage that was a converted caravan and Rick Astley was on after us, that was pretty epic and quite surreal.
English Teacher: I saw Modern Woman for the first time at an indoor day festival in Portsmouth and it’s still one of the most visceral memories of discovering a band that I have retained. Technically our first performance at a festival as English Teacher was the virtual Great Escape during lockdown which we filmed in Brudenell Social Club in Leeds so there was no camping of course.
Okay, getting into this years festival now…who are you urging the Truck public to go and see this year and who are you tipping for future Truck Stage greatness?
English Teacher: The Wytches will be a moment for me and Lewis. For the Truck stage, I’m tipping Antony Szmierek and Mary in the Junkyard.
Lime Garden: We’re gassed to see Wet Leg, we played a gig with them in Bermondsey in 2022 so it’s a cool full circle moment to play the main stage with them. Taylor Swift for Truck 2025.
Been Stellar: Very excited to see The Streets hopefully. His stuff has been a big inspiration for us recently. Lounge Society are also playing, and Nightbus- all good friends of ours.
86TVs: Obvious ones would be Jamie T & Idles. Two acts we’ve loved for years both excelling to great levels. Willie J Healy is one to watch for the future as is Nieve Ella!
Yard Act: I love the Oxford Symphony Orchestra, a proper unique thing for a UK festival and a real blast. Shout out to English Teacher, Fat Dog, Lime Garden and The Clockworks – check out any of them, they’re great.
Folly Group: We’ve made no secret of our love for Ebbb, taking them on tour with us earlier this year. I’ll use this opportunity to request that they return the favour when they’re headlining festivals. They’re truly a breath of fresh air. I find Dog Race’s latest, “It’s the Squeeze”, totally captivating. The vocal delivery on that “Oh no! He won’t leave me alone!” hook is next level. May they both become enormous. In terms of success.
Thanks for your time everyone! Before you go, could you help us book the 2025 line up? Who’s headlining The Nest, The Market Stage and The Truck Stage next year?
English Teacher: Got to be Fontaines D.C. headlining, Market Stage we’ll have Richard Dawson and the incredible Gladboy on The Nest.
Lime Garden: Truck stage: Air. Market Stage: Bassvictim. The Nest: The Oidz
Been Stellar: Sorry headlining the Truck Stage, Model/Actriz on the Market Stage, Voyeur at The Nest
86TVs: Headline is Unknown Mortal Orchestra for next year! Big Tent is MK.Gee. Nest is Blair Davie
Yard Act: I’m hoping to see CMAT headline something big, her show is fantastic. Katy J Pearson is also amazing. I’d book both of them. They can pick their stage.
Folly Group: Well Portishead are headlining as their first show back following a surprise reunion, so better get going. ML Buch is doing something hypnotic on the Market Stage and Mark William Lewis is playing the Nest, though I’m sure he won’t need introducing by next year.
VLURE: Truck Stage – Massive Attack. Market Stage – VLURE. The Nest – The Era.
Tickets to Truck Festival are now running very low and you can pick yours up here.
Photos from Truck Festival 2022 by Nicole Osrin. Photo of English Teacher by ren.
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