LIVE: Truck Festival 2022

After a painful double-cancellation during the pandemic years, 2022 marked a triumphant, sold-out return for Truck Festival. The sun shone the weekend through, football shirts reigned supreme (personal favourites being SOFY’s vintage Leicester away strip and an anonymous festival-goer’s Watford away shirt with ‘ACID, 7’ on the back), and of course, a cross-section of the nation’s favourite indie acts shared stages with some exciting up-and-comers and a few unexpected additions to the bill.

One of the first things that became apparent upon arrival, as raised by a number of performers, was Truck’s reputation as the home of the improbable mosh pit. The festival is defined by that particular brand of indie rock that lends itself to such a response – and it occurred to me as people hopped about to Loose Articles and then Oscar Lang, Siggy Brew cans flinging across the air – that this is really the perfect music for the British festival, itself defined by the beautiful dirtiness and community epitomised by the mosh. I was witness to some genuinely baffling pits over the course of the weekend; the award for the most inappropriate going to the Oxford Symphony Orchestra during their rendition of the Back To The Future suite.

Though the headline slots were dominated by male performers, it was mainly female-driven sets that provided my highlights for the weekend. Deep Tan played perhaps the best set I have seen from them – their usual no-chords-and-the-truth sound possessing a greater urgency and vivacity, sharpened by a year’s hard gigging and the sound at the So Young curated Market Stage. On the main stage, Kelis lived up to her legendary status, with a set front-loaded with the classic ‘Milkshake’ that progressed through an unpredictable 40-minute party that also included versions of ‘Bounce’ and ‘I Feel Love’, as well as a crowd singalong of ‘Happy Birthday’ for her son, who she brought on stage before the last song. 

Elsewhere, Lime Garden got the crowd moving from Saturday morning; lead singer Chloe Howard noting it had to be ‘the earliest I’ve ever played’. ‘Clockwork’ in particular smacked into a palpably strutting groove that would have been impossible to resist at any hour. On the same stage, Just Mustard groaned with apocalyptic intensity, the paired guitars bending a cavernous twisting pulse that blasted away at us. 

The pick of the headliners had to be Bombay Bicycle Club, who offer – alongside stomping, mosh-worthy riffs – a wonderful expansion on the format of indie four-piece complete with horn section and the vocal contributions of Saint Clair. Though their appeal was rooted in the indulgence of the tastes of my fourteen year old self, it was genuinely nice to see them playing live again. The sudden creation of a crowd of giants as Jack Steadman invited the audience to get on each others’ shoulders during ‘Carry Me’ was particularly atmospheric, if slightly offset by the slapstick failure of two people stood in front of me to achieve this pose.

After hours at Truck also saw a good time being had. Running until 2am with a choice of a silent disco and not one, but two, ‘indie bangers’ parties each night at different stages up against more traditionally dancey DJs in the Market Stage tent. Many of the weekend’s memorable moments came at this hour, the pick being the simultaneity of the sight of an individual staggering around in his own world (or at least not of this one), Newcastle shirt aloft, presumably babbling his love for Sam Fender, while we were regaled by a pair of young women explaining how they had spent their weekend ‘reverse catcalling’ men from their pathside tent. Saturday night at one of the indie rock dance tents was good fun, though I troublingly cannot recall any women artists included on the playlist, and found myself, in a brief wave of sobriety, wondering exactly which wave of feminism ‘Fit But You Know It’ spoke to.

If you are looking for a beery indie rock party, Truck is surely the festival for you. Less sprawling and destructive than Reading – and with an easily navigable site – you can catch some old favourites among a selection of the next batch of guitar hit-makers before partying into the not-excessively-small hours. And if that were not enough, there is even the prospect of moshing to a 30-piece orchestra…

If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, make sure you nab tickets for next year’s 2023 festival! Super Early Bird tickets will be available from this Friday, 29th July, at 12pm.

Lloyd Bolton
@lloyd_bolton

Photo Credit: Caitlin Mogridge

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Track Of The Day: Chorusgirl – ‘Don’t Go Back to ’89’

Having announced the much-anticipated (by me in particular!) release of her third album this Autumn, Silvi Wersing – aka Chorusgirl – has now shared her first new single in a few years, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Following their self-titled debut album in 2015, and 2018’s perfectly titled follow-up Shimmer and Spin, this new offering could not be more welcome.

Flowing with a majestic, swirling grace, ‘Don’t Go Back To ’89‘ poignantly reflects on feelings of nostalgia and hopelessness. Propelled by a shimmering splendour and glistening celestial charm, it’s a beautiful slice of jangly dream-pop, sparkling with a glowing summer haze, whilst tinged with stirring undertones of darkness. With a scuzzy, whirring energy reminiscent of the lilting allure of early ’90s shoegaze/post-punk such as Cocteau Twins or Pixies, it’s a perfectly captivating immersive introspection for anyone in need of some calming aural therapy.

Of the track, Silvi explains:

“Thematically, it riffs off the following idea: what if you could travel back in time in order to save a loved one? What if you’d have to do this over and over and over again, because it turns out that that person cannot be saved? What if you still can’t stop trying again and again though, and end up stuck in a never-ending loop?”

I must admit, I’ve felt quite emotional hearing Silvi’s voice again, with Chorusgirl’s previous two albums having provided so much comfort to me in the past. What she’s able to create is just utterly unique; a soothing amalgamation of influences resulting in truly blissful soundscapes.

Mixing Super 8 footage of a dancer with images of Silvi with a psychedelic, kaleidoscopic allure, watch the Busby Berkeley-inspired new video for ‘Don’t Go Back To ’89’ here:

Colapso Calypso, the upcoming third album from Chorusgirl, is set for release on 14th October.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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Track Of The Day: congratulations – ‘Kryptonite’

A frenetic, playful anthem born form the desire to release pent up energy post-lockdown and shake off the memories of a bad date, Brighton-based band congratulations have shared their latest single ‘Kryptonite’. Full of lively riffs, chant-worthy vocals and driving beats, the track was inspired and built around the momentum of the the band’s live performances, which were warmly reciprocated after months of absence from the live music scene in 2020.

Formed of James Gilligham, Greg Burns, Jamie Chellar and Leah Stanhope, congratulations have been busy writing and recording their EP in their own studio (a shed attached to the back of guitarist Jamie’s house), with bassist Greg on mixing and production duties. They’ve got plenty of new material to share, with singles ‘Lucy, Lucy’ and ‘Kryptonite’ offering a taste of what’s to come. “With live music finally hitting its stride again, we’ve been able to do what we love and play to people – it’s been magic,” the band explain. “It means we’ve looked at all of our songs completely differently and its influenced the way we write. Before, we’d write in the studio, and have to learn it all over again to be able to play it live. But this time ‘Kryptonite’ came to life in rehearsal rooms and onstage, where we were hammering it into shape every time we played it. I think because of this, it’s a much more straightforward song compared to our others; it’s four people playing very hard”.

A rousing, defiant track that instinctively inspires listeners to move along to the beat, ‘Kryptonite’ is accompanied by a fun workout themed video featuring the band members in their trademark brightly coloured outfits. “The tempo of the chorus has inspired this run on the spot move we all do live, which in turn inspired the music video for the track,” explains Leah. “We joke that the song is such a workout for us when we play it, we thought wouldn’t it be fun if we did a workout fitness video and people could join in! I couldn’t do a vocal take in the studio without instinctively doing the run – its part of the song now!”

Preferring not to be too prescriptive about the lyrics and inspiration behind the track, Jamie offers the following cryptic information about ‘Kryptonite’, explaining that the classic 1978 Superman film played a part in its conception. “I always watch the film with my mum and sister, we love the scene where Lois Lane interviews Superman, where she gets so dressed up for him – I mean you would wouldn’t you? – And he ends up dropping her from 1000 feet. Not the best first date! I think we’ve all been excited for a date, only for the person to be a bit of a… well not what you expected. I’m never mad keen on explaining a song to the nth degree but hopefully it’ll just make you smile listening again and realising what we were on about.”

Watch the band’s self-directed video for ‘Kryptonite’ below.

Follow congratulations on Spotify, Tik Tok, Instagram & Facebook

congratulations Live Dates 2022
26th July – The Hope and Ruin BRIGHTON
29th July – Heartbreakers SOUTHAMPTON
5th August – Moth Club LONDON

Kate Crudgington
@kcbobcut

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Track Of The Day: Alien Chicks – ’27 Stitches’

Written on the same day as their single ‘While My Landlord Sleeps’, ‘27 Stitches‘ solidifies South London band Alien Chicks’ distinct creative style. The new song follows similar structural beats in a way that pairs with the first song to establish the band’s unique musical and narrative sound.

’27 Stitches’ starts off light and playful – bright, twinkling strings dance over an upbeat rhythm, as soft vocals tell a slice-of-life tale about buying a second-hand television at an ideal rate. The track soon launches into a louder, more rambunctious chorus as the story takes a turn for the worse.

Growling guitars, rapid drums and aggressive vocals grab you and throw into the sudden tension in the scene; it’s impossible not to get caught up in the abrupt sense of danger. And then the song ramps up into an intoxicating cacophony of strings and horns that captures the chaos of the climactic moments of the story with a funk-fuelled musicality.

Alien Chicks are evidently hugely talented on multiple levels. ’27 Stitches’ is a brilliantly constructed song; as well as being so much fun to listen to, the instruments tell the story as much as the lyrics do. The track as a whole leaves you with a complete sense that you were there in the excitement of it.

It is no surprise that Alien Chicks are rapidly generating a dedicated following in London’s live gig spaces. ’27 Stitches’ exemplifies their creativity and skill, and shows exactly why so many people are excited to see what they do next.

Kirstie Summers
@ActuallyKurt

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