Sound as Truck (2): Sunday Truck Festival
Welcome to Sundayâs review of all thing Truck, but don't get ahead of yourself Johnny Impatient - have a read of Saturdayâs festival festivities here.
Check out the bottom of the page for a photo slideshow also of the day.
Sunday
One of the many great things about Truck is recommendations for bands to see over the weekend spreads through a little democratic thing called conversation with fellow Truckers, and also in The 405âs case at times, through Twitter. Free at 12 âO Clock? Go to The Beat Hive! This is how we catch the first band of the day, Nedry.
Having had a chat with Matt and Chris from Nedry the previous night whilst having a wonder in the dark, they were such nice chaps it seemed wrong not to check them out. Of course, thatâs no yardstick for actually being good; Iâm sure that guy from Hard-Fiâs a top chap, but still doesnât stop him making a horrendous musical stink.
Thankfully, they are the first of many treasure troves uncovered today, a weird kind of sonic orienteering activity. Performing in The Beat Hive, a reliable source for all things synthy and bleepy, Nedry mix (literally) the best bits from many sonic universes â spell-binding electronica with ethereal melodic vocals from Ayu, as Matt and Chris huddle over their laptops, heads-bobbing in sync.
Reminiscent of friends of The 405 Esben & The Witch, but grimier. Brooding in tone, Efterklang style, yet enough to make youâre feet want to move, their minimal soundscapes are a great start to the day. Watch out for a full review of their debut album Condors next week.
Band number two And So I watch You From Afar are again from an outside source other than our musical brain â thanks to Twitter via @weeclaire. Next festival, letâs go the whole hog and create a reality music show, in which you tell us who to see, what to eat, what portaloos to use (It would have to be in that order). YOU DECIDE!
Itâs such a cliché, but the easiest way to sum up Belfast-based ASIWYFA would be to say âThey Rockâ. Monumentally. Think of post-rock, and you generally think of youâre Mogwai's, Sigur Ros' et al. Now imagine the aforementioned, but with a stick of petroleum-soaked dynamite lodged in them - AND in your brain.
They completely blew The Barn away, one part absorbing and precise, and equal parts cacophonous ecstasy. Very much in their own world on stage, chucking themselves and guitars about like dernaged toddlers. A funny moment brakes things up as lead guitarist Rory Friers mentions âWeâre off to Europe after thisâ, only for the predictable yet well timed ââ¦Well, we are in Europeâ¦â from fellow band member. Bah, you had to be thereâ¦
After a small break, itâs back to our favourite hangout place The Barn, where Sky Larkin are entertaining (Both senses of the word apply here). Their distinctly catchy pop sentiments spliced with enough heavy-weighted guitar riffing uplifts the venue, and lightens the tone, as you feel The Barn have some fun.
Beeline is as great live as ever, Katie Harkin is super company on stage, providing leftfield witticisms and self-deprecating banter in between songs; and during songs Nestor Matthews provides the best gurning drummer face witnessed in a long time. And the sweatiest too, a drummer that knows how to beat seven shades of shit out of ones kit. Whilst more importantly being an excellent drummer of course.
Itâs a quick dash to The Beathive for an electro recharge next, to see some of Sportsday Megaphone. A one-man 8-bit pixilated bandwagon, he makes sounds akin to a series of love songs composed only utilising F-Zero sound effects. That description will either have you enthralled, or running for the hills. But itâs so easy to take to the 8-bit warrior, seemingly a charming chap and simply enjoying being here. Black Plastic stuck in the head for quite awhile after.
The Joy Formidable are tried and trusted artists in the flesh in the noise-pop guitar energy department, and today is no exception inside The Barn. Melodic whilst providing a masterful use of guitar pedals and feedback for added depth, makes for an enjoyable set. The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade is one of numerous highlights â in fact all the songs seem to have grown with age, helped by months of touring and fine honing. Ritzy Bryan is charismatic and slightly manic as ever.
Following on are Pulled Apart By Horses. If youâve ever had the privilege of seeing these four lads from Leeds live, you probably know where this review is headed. A simple Twitter-esque review would read âThe best live band in Britainâ #INSANE #MIND-BLOWING. Post-hardcore at itâs ugly, raucous, larynx-bursting finest. Front-man Tom Hudson jumps, screams, postures, wretches with every fiber in his body, and at times ends up inside the audience carrying on singing with mic in hand. Or writhing about on the stage floor.
The guitarist ends up nearly on the barn roof on top of the speakers. Pandemonium. Brilliant, emotionally draining pandemonium. A zenith in the constant barrage of activity is High Five Swan Dive Nose Dive, with an Armageddon-inducing rapturous finish. During the finale fellow Yorkshire mates Sky Larkin come on stage for a colossal rock-out, enabling Pulled Apart By Horses to wreak havoc further. Highlight of the weekend by a farm-yard country mile.
So exhausting is watching PABH, a break and a little wonder is needed to come back down to earth. A particular highlight is a chat with an engaging, delightful second-hand bookstall owner about existentialism. Could Truck be any better? Try talking to someone at V Fest about that. Dare you.
From philosophy musings, to 8-bit disco/synth pop; for Chew Lips are on in The Beathive. As the tent starts to fill up and the drinks flow, a buzz is added to the Beathive (so sorryâ¦), and Truckers start to move their appendages. With many female-fronted 80âs infused dance acts out there right now, Chew Lips do offer an alternative to acts such as La Roux, Little Boots and so forth. Tigs makes an alluring front-lady, despite, or because of âbeing rather high right nowâ, much to the crowds delight.
Somehow, weâve managed to avoid the main Truck Stage all day, bar the occasional sit down near it. But now itâs time for headliners and local Oxford chaps Supergrass, who reel out all the hits like Ash before them yesterday, as twenty and thirty somethingâs get nostalgic for their teenage years. The rain starts to come down as night falls, but doesnât perturb anyone from joining in. Inevitably, the newer stuff a lot of the crowd doesnât know, but still a mutual festival balance is struck track list wise, and so all are happy.
However, we sneak off early to see Y.A.C.H.T., the brainchild of Jona Bechtolt from Portland, Oregon in The Barn once again. We know theyâre from Portland, Oregon, as they have a large screen on stage with them, where they zoom into Google maps, into street view, and even display the address on screen and offer an âopen invitation to everybody here, to come round for a partyâ. How nice.
Y.A.C.H.T. live verge on encompassing the role of performance artists on stage, a highly engrossing and leftfield experience. Despite only having a mike each on stage, with no instruments to be seen, a fantastic show is put on. They do have an elaborate PowerPoint presentation in full flow though, as electro-Pop tracks added with propelling beats delight those in attendance - sounding like James Murphy if he was to run off and marry Yoko One.
Itâs such a shame that The Barn is half-empty (half-full?) for them; it could have been a perfect end to the festival to have a rammed dance arena packed to the rafters.
Thus concludes a highly successful Truck 12 for this year - weâll definitely be back next year, despite the ebullient Festival entering the terrible teens. A delightful blueprint for how a festival should be run
Thankfully, they are the first of many treasure troves uncovered today, a weird kind of sonic orienteering activity. Performing in The Beat Hive, a reliable source for all things synthy and bleepy, Nedry mix (literally) the best bits from many sonic universes â spell-binding electronica with ethereal melodic vocals from Ayu, as Matt and Chris huddle over their laptops, heads-bobbing in sync.
Reminiscent of friends of The 405 Esben & The Witch, but grimier. Brooding in tone, Efterklang style, yet enough to make youâre feet want to move, their minimal soundscapes are a great start to the day. Watch out for a full review of their debut album Condors next week.
Band number two And So I watch You From Afar are again from an outside source other than our musical brain â thanks to Twitter via @weeclaire. Next festival, letâs go the whole hog and create a reality music show, in which you tell us who to see, what to eat, what portaloos to use (It would have to be in that order). YOU DECIDE!
Itâs such a cliché, but the easiest way to sum up Belfast-based ASIWYFA would be to say âThey Rockâ. Monumentally. Think of post-rock, and you generally think of youâre Mogwai's, Sigur Ros' et al. Now imagine the aforementioned, but with a stick of petroleum-soaked dynamite lodged in them - AND in your brain.
They completely blew The Barn away, one part absorbing and precise, and equal parts cacophonous ecstasy. Very much in their own world on stage, chucking themselves and guitars about like dernaged toddlers. A funny moment brakes things up as lead guitarist Rory Friers mentions âWeâre off to Europe after thisâ, only for the predictable yet well timed ââ¦Well, we are in Europeâ¦â from fellow band member. Bah, you had to be thereâ¦
After a small break, itâs back to our favourite hangout place The Barn, where Sky Larkin are entertaining (Both senses of the word apply here). Their distinctly catchy pop sentiments spliced with enough heavy-weighted guitar riffing uplifts the venue, and lightens the tone, as you feel The Barn have some fun.
Beeline is as great live as ever, Katie Harkin is super company on stage, providing leftfield witticisms and self-deprecating banter in between songs; and during songs Nestor Matthews provides the best gurning drummer face witnessed in a long time. And the sweatiest too, a drummer that knows how to beat seven shades of shit out of ones kit. Whilst more importantly being an excellent drummer of course.
Itâs a quick dash to The Beathive for an electro recharge next, to see some of Sportsday Megaphone. A one-man 8-bit pixilated bandwagon, he makes sounds akin to a series of love songs composed only utilising F-Zero sound effects. That description will either have you enthralled, or running for the hills. But itâs so easy to take to the 8-bit warrior, seemingly a charming chap and simply enjoying being here. Black Plastic stuck in the head for quite awhile after.
The Joy Formidable are tried and trusted artists in the flesh in the noise-pop guitar energy department, and today is no exception inside The Barn. Melodic whilst providing a masterful use of guitar pedals and feedback for added depth, makes for an enjoyable set. The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade is one of numerous highlights â in fact all the songs seem to have grown with age, helped by months of touring and fine honing. Ritzy Bryan is charismatic and slightly manic as ever.
Following on are Pulled Apart By Horses. If youâve ever had the privilege of seeing these four lads from Leeds live, you probably know where this review is headed. A simple Twitter-esque review would read âThe best live band in Britainâ #INSANE #MIND-BLOWING. Post-hardcore at itâs ugly, raucous, larynx-bursting finest. Front-man Tom Hudson jumps, screams, postures, wretches with every fiber in his body, and at times ends up inside the audience carrying on singing with mic in hand. Or writhing about on the stage floor.
The guitarist ends up nearly on the barn roof on top of the speakers. Pandemonium. Brilliant, emotionally draining pandemonium. A zenith in the constant barrage of activity is High Five Swan Dive Nose Dive, with an Armageddon-inducing rapturous finish. During the finale fellow Yorkshire mates Sky Larkin come on stage for a colossal rock-out, enabling Pulled Apart By Horses to wreak havoc further. Highlight of the weekend by a farm-yard country mile.
So exhausting is watching PABH, a break and a little wonder is needed to come back down to earth. A particular highlight is a chat with an engaging, delightful second-hand bookstall owner about existentialism. Could Truck be any better? Try talking to someone at V Fest about that. Dare you.
From philosophy musings, to 8-bit disco/synth pop; for Chew Lips are on in The Beathive. As the tent starts to fill up and the drinks flow, a buzz is added to the Beathive (so sorryâ¦), and Truckers start to move their appendages. With many female-fronted 80âs infused dance acts out there right now, Chew Lips do offer an alternative to acts such as La Roux, Little Boots and so forth. Tigs makes an alluring front-lady, despite, or because of âbeing rather high right nowâ, much to the crowds delight.
Somehow, weâve managed to avoid the main Truck Stage all day, bar the occasional sit down near it. But now itâs time for headliners and local Oxford chaps Supergrass, who reel out all the hits like Ash before them yesterday, as twenty and thirty somethingâs get nostalgic for their teenage years. The rain starts to come down as night falls, but doesnât perturb anyone from joining in. Inevitably, the newer stuff a lot of the crowd doesnât know, but still a mutual festival balance is struck track list wise, and so all are happy.
However, we sneak off early to see Y.A.C.H.T., the brainchild of Jona Bechtolt from Portland, Oregon in The Barn once again. We know theyâre from Portland, Oregon, as they have a large screen on stage with them, where they zoom into Google maps, into street view, and even display the address on screen and offer an âopen invitation to everybody here, to come round for a partyâ. How nice.
Y.A.C.H.T. live verge on encompassing the role of performance artists on stage, a highly engrossing and leftfield experience. Despite only having a mike each on stage, with no instruments to be seen, a fantastic show is put on. They do have an elaborate PowerPoint presentation in full flow though, as electro-Pop tracks added with propelling beats delight those in attendance - sounding like James Murphy if he was to run off and marry Yoko One.
Itâs such a shame that The Barn is half-empty (half-full?) for them; it could have been a perfect end to the festival to have a rammed dance arena packed to the rafters.
Thus concludes a highly successful Truck 12 for this year - weâll definitely be back next year, despite the ebullient Festival entering the terrible teens. A delightful blueprint for how a festival should be run
