Stacked with feel-good fun and bursting with joyful moments, Truck Festival celebrated an unforgettable festival weekend – serving as the go-to hub for the most exciting names in modern alternative/indie culture and a blossoming world of collective festival spirit that sits unrivalled throughout the summer. Thriving with character, hilarious fun and emphatic memories, Truck Festival 2023 set the new standard – with eyes now turning to an anticipated 2024 weekend, with Super Early Bird Tickets on-sale this Friday starting from JUST £99.50.
Spread across six stages from sunrise to sunset and beyond, 2023 saw the perfect combination of everything that makes Truck such an essential date in the summer festival diary. Kicking off on Thursday night, the likes of dreamy indie-faves Swim Deep alongside the punchy Dead Pony and The Bug Club laid a market down for a weekend where the heartbeat of a modern scene was put front and centre. Headlining the Thursday night with an arsenal of festival-made anthems, The Wombats showcased just why they remain the party-starting force that they are. Ripping through classics such as ‘Moving To New York’, ‘Kill The Director’, ‘Greek Tragedy’, ‘Lemon To A Knife Fight’ (which included a lemon being thrown on-stage to be signed by the band), ‘If You Ever Leave, I’m Coming With You’ before welcoming a wisdom of Wombats on-stage to ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Division’ – it’s a set that perfectly encapsulates the fun and freedom that Truck Festival is all about.
Turning Friday into Fri-YAY, Truck showcased its full moreish nature with a mesmerising mix of ridiculous spectacle, beloved indie favourite, thriving new talent and more at a festival fizzing with the best atmosphere in the country. A real rite of passage of music fans to discover their next favourite band – highlights across the day included the pandemonium-inducing riot of Lambrini Girls + Opus Kink, the rip-raw punch of Wunderhorse seizing his place as the talked-about act of the summer, the singalong energy of Kate Nash + Mae Muller, the must-see hits of Red Rum Club + Highschool and the wild eruption of Spector headlining The Nest Stage and The Reytons headlining the Market Stage amongst others. With queues down the block from the famous Barrioke takeover from Shaun Williamson himself, the inaugural Truck Gameshow pitting festival-goers against each other for prizes with your favourite indie bands and crowned with singalong masses gathered for The Vaccines history-making set – it set the bar high for a festival Friday like no other. Capping the night before late-night takeovers from Oxford’s own Switch and the famed TPD TV, Two Door Cinema Club took to the Truck Stage for a scorching headline set packed to the brim with hit after hit. Slick indie-pop and strutting disco combined for a headline turn that showcased why they sit at the top of the indie game, with the likes of ‘Undercover Martyn’, ‘Are We Ready? (Wreck)’, ‘Sleep Alone’, ‘Wonderful Life’, ‘Sun’, ‘What You Know’ and more making for an unforgettable evening in Truck history.
Winding out the festival in style, Sunday brought countless highlights as Truck Festival once again swung into fashion with unmissable hits. Whether it was the vast singalongs greeting The Lathums, the storming Pale Waves bringing their rock show to the fore to a massive crowd, the stage-scaling STONE, the full-throttle Sprints, the soothing punch of a superstar continuing to grow in Rachel Chinouriri or the packed tent getting a look at exciting newcomers The Last Dinner Party – Sunday was all about celebrations with the most exciting names in modern guitar music all pointing towards their own blazing futures. With vast crowds adorning the Truck Stage for Cian Ducrot and Prima Queen, an overflowing closing set on the Market Stage from Everything Everything and a jaw-dropping stage show courtesy of Self Esteem – it was left to Royal Blood to close out the weekend in a fashion only they can. With crunching riffs and emphatic hooks at every turn, the likes of ‘Come On Over’, ‘Little Monster’, ‘Trouble’s Coming’, ‘Out Of The Black’, ‘Figure It Out’, ‘Loose Change’ and ‘Boilermaker’ acted as a fuse to light up the night sky as proof they sit as a true force in modern British rock. With a huge firework display closing out their set, it served as the perfect way to close Truck Festival 2023.
Speaking about 2023’s incredible weekend, Truck Festival Organisers said:
“When we set out planning the next edition of Truck, that idea of special moments surrounded by like-minded friends and an undeniable community always rings true. Truck 2023 symbolised that and more, where come rain or shine – 25,000 fans danced and celebrated in the best ways possible! From landmark headline sets that’ll go down in the record books, to the surprising appearance of Clean Bandit during the Oxford Symphony Orchestra, to the vast array of exciting new artists that fans will be leaving the festival with as their next favourite bands to much much more – this year’s festival felt like a triumphant celebration that has warmed our hearts to see. More importantly, that community spirit that exists at Truck between festival-goers, staff, artists and more was amazing to see – really confirming once again why Truck stands apart from the rest in the festival summer.
We’re already looking forward to next year’s festival, with a bunch of surprises and exciting announcements to make over the coming months, and we hope to see as many of our beloved Truckers back once again in 2024!”
Spread across the weekend, Truck 2023 continued to see those strong community elements that has seen the festival grow year upon year whilst maintaining its roots at the heart of the local area. The famed Feel Good Food Hall returned this year, run by local volunteers from the Faringdon And District Rotary Club and featuring 10+ local charities serving up affordable meals for festival-goers – all proceeds went towards these charities and ensured not only that festival-goers were well fed but that Truckers could give back to important work and causes with an impact that will last long past this weekend. Perfect for families, the dedicated Kids Area saw more Young Truckers than ever before enjoying a range of entertainment throughout the weekend, as all ages dived into the proper Truck experience. Truck Festival and UN Women UK collaborated once again to deliver Safe Spaces Now – an initiative committed to tackling sexual harassment at live events whilst creating a safe and inclusive space for women and marginalised groups. With their tent available throughout the weekend, they saw great engagement from Truck festival-goers, embracing a core message that sits with the Truck Ethos of a place where all feel safe and able to enjoy live music to the fullest.
A true festival experience in ever sense of the word, Truck now looks ahead to a hotly anticipated 2024 return – with festival-goers and those feeling the FOMO of 2023 available to book their place at a true rite-of-passage weekend for just £99.50 (+BF), or from just £11.77 as part of a Truck Payment Plan. This Super Early Bird ticket is available for a Limited Time Only, and serves as the best deal possible for those ready for yet another unforgettable weekend on Hill Farm.
Super Early Bird Tickets are on-sale from 12pm on Friday 28th July, and are available at: https://truckfestival.com/
