Truck Festival Hill Farm, Steventon, Oxfordshire - 22/7/11 - Part 1
3/5
By: Liane Escorza
[Johnny Flynn @ Truck #14 - copyright Toby Williams-Ellis]
Truck Festival in Steventon, Oxfordshire, is what you would call a customised and locally-based event, capturing the laid back spirit of a village community of farmers and country-side living. It’s pretty much an all-neighbours affair, with local music at the forefront and organic food, handcraft stalls and locally sourced beers and cakes offered at cheap prices all over. Bearing this in mind, no one should expect a line-up of stadium filler artists. Yet as relatively ‘small’ as this festival is in comparison to Glastonbury or other mammoth events, the quality of the bands and curation of stages is pretty outstanding. This year labels such as Heavenly Records or Bella Union (as well as our sister label Transgressive) have their own stages to play with while others are filled with folk numbers, cabaret, classical music, children’s delights and local community artists.
Friday kicks off pretty explosively as through BBC Introducing we discover the newly created band Listing Ships. Providers of post-rock loudness through squalling psychedelia, jazz, distortion and synths, they’re intense and precise in their sonic palette.
Spring Offensive offer a more technical and controlled approach to anger with glitches of rhythmic gentleness and an powerful lyrical point of view. They’re storytellers of fantastical encounters that could be taken for absurdities, yet they feel real and true.
While The Duke and the King display some theatrical and gipsy-like visions on the main stage, Dive Dive is elsewhere regurgitating past times of splendour. At the time considered the next big Oxford band after Radiohead, their dynamic punk guitar lines and excellent execution bringing not only feelings of excitement and completion but also nostalgic splashes of what it could have been. Dive Dive are one of those bands that will always have a place in the hearts of the Oxfordshire people.
On the Clash stage, curated by Transgressive Records, things make a mellower start Mechanical Bride. With hints of Bat for Lashes in the air, their harmonious vocal display, ethereal string movements and soft piano numbers pour out a soothing sound. Their songs are caressing lullabies of tenderness, and all within earshot are enchanted.
Soon after, Johnny Flynn (pictured above) brings something resembling orchestral folk into the tent. As a songwriter he’s astonishingly talented, and even though one could argue that some songs would shine brighter played on his own with accompanying guitar, there’s no doubt that his accompanying musicians pull off the rest of them to undeniable perfection.
Graham Coxon is in charge to bring the evening to a close and no doubt he manages to do so by presenting his new rockier work, interlacing old tracks from previous albums. Considering his palette dives into folk, pop and even dabbles in jazz, his set is an eclectic mix to the core, yet nevertheless it exudes a distinctive Coxon signature, like the mild and subtle aroma of a freshly brewed morning coffee. He ends on ‘Freaking Out’, and the place goes crazy.
Artists in this article: Listing Ships, Spring Offensive, The Duke & The King, Dive Dive, Mechanical Bride, Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit, Graham Coxon
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment