2:22pm Wednesday 28th July 2010
By Tom Goodwyn
Much like Glastonbury, Truck Festival has grown to a size and scale that no one, even organisers Robin and Joe Bennett could have imagined. Now attracting bands from across the world and consistently ranked as one of the UK’s best festivals, its 13th outing continued in the fine tradition of past years.
Unlike many festivals which aim for the widest possible appeal, Truck is for bands with character, bands with spikes, bands like Esben and the Witch. Esben are quickly gathering momentum after some big support slots and draw an impressive crowd to the Barn stage. Using the Barn’s echoey heights for all their worth, Esben’s haunting, ethereal sound manages to turn a sunny afternoon into a misty, black night in only 25 minutes. Brilliant.
Over on the main stage, local boys Stornoway get a very warm reception. Though Truck regulars over the years, this is the first time the band will have heard Zorbing and Here Comes The Blackout being sung back to them, with an ever rising profile, they’d best get used to it. Saturday ends with an enormous set from prog rockers Mew. Enormous both in sonic terms and in their stage show, the Danish quintet clearly haven’t taken much notice of Truck’s green commitment as their set is accompanied by a light show big enough to power several cities, making The Zookeeper’s Boy and 156 even more overwhelming than usual. Ambitious and breathtaking, it’s a great set.
Sunday starts with a slightly disappointing set from hotly tipped Chapel Club. Twenty minutes late on stage owing to technical difficulties, they can’t seem to get the sound right at all, leaving their stark, brooding songs to come across as muddy and aimless. Faring much much better with the best set of the weekend are Los! Campesinos! Joyful in all they do, their hour includes brilliant renditions of We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed and You! Me! Dancing! What’s great about Los! Campesinos! is what’s great about Truck. Both are warm hearted, ever expanding and lots of fun. Next up are Blood Red Shoes, who are clearly very excited to be this high up the bill. They reward the crowd with a terrific set of muscular power punk, including a blistering Light It Up.
Glaswegian stalwarts Teenage Fanclub round the weekend off. Much admired by the festival’s organisers, their set is a stroll through their entire back catalogue of bookish pop songs, with Star Sign and Everything Flows especially excellent. Cornbury might be slicker, but as long as the Bennetts remain in charge, Truck will be the crown jewel of Oxfordshire’s festivals.
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