Truckfest: Two Days of Music, Memories and New Discoveries

We arrived at Truck Festival 2026 and were greeted by a colourful kaleidoscope of tents, flags, marquees, and the familiar sight of teenagers flaked out on the grass trying desperately to catch up on sleep in the 30-degree heat. With Cowboy boots, bucket hats and Converse everywhere you looked, this was indie galore right off the bat. Although the festival site itself was small, there was always something new and exciting to explore. From vintage clothing stalls and face painting to Drag Cabaret and dodgems, there was something for everyone at this gem of a festival.

Truck Stage

 Florence Road opened with a high-energy set that got hands in the air, and certainly got the crowd psyched and ready for the day ahead. Lottery Winners and Friendly Fires kept the momentum going throughout the afternoon, the crowd steadily thickening as more people drifted in from the campsite, ready for the evening still to come.

Then it was time for The Vaccines, who celebrated fifteen years since the release of their debut album What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? (2011) by playing it in full for the crowd to enjoy. There was something incredibly moving about hearing a record like that front to back in a field full of people who clearly grew up listening to the songs. I felt a real sense of connection as I realised just how much these bands meant to the crowd – these were songs that had defined so many people’s youth and continued to hold a special place in their lives.

That feeling of nostalgia only deepened as the night went on. We were one of many who decided to queue for the Ferris wheel as the sun started to set, when suddenly we heard perhaps one of the most iconic music introductions of Kaiser Chiefs’ ’Ruby’ played across the site. Watching thousands of people, some barely old enough to stand, others clearly old enough to remember the song from the first time around, singing along with the same enthusiasm was a genuinely surreal moment. “I Predict A Riot” landed just as hard, with the whole field dancing together like it was still 2005.

Two Door Cinema Club closed the night, and it was the perfect way to do it. We left with our ears ringing and ‘What You Know’ still playing in our heads, already feeling sad that the night was over. As the field slowly began to empty, basslines and DJ sets started to emerge elsewhere across the site, families hurried back to their tents, and the festival carried on long after the main stage had gone quiet.

After a hot and restless sleep, we were awoken on Sunday by the sound of Mr Motivator, his voice booming across the festival, loud enough to reach every tent on the site, coaching half-asleep festival goers into some form of morning stretch whether they wanted one or not. A very unique way to wake up, but I can’t say I was annoyed about it. After a wander round the many pop-up stalls and stages, my ears pricked up to the iconic riff of Vanessa Carlton’s ‘A Thousand Miles’, my mind immediately went to the legendary car scene in ‘White Chicks’ – a bizarre moment, that took me out of a little festival in Oxfordshire and into a fever dream, listening to songs that I only associated with films and tv, and would never have dreamed of seeing live.

Sunday’s Truck Stage lineup had a very different energy, and Rizzle Kicks was one of the most anticipated sets for me. I hadn’t quite grasped what a big deal their return was until I saw the crowd – easily the busiest the main stage got all weekend. After an eight-year break that only ended in 2025, this was the first time many people in the crowd had seen the duo live, and it showed. Chants, posters, and signs were up long before they even started. They mixed old favourites like ‘Skip to the Good Bit’ and ‘Mama Do the Hump’ with newer, lesser-known tracks like ‘Livin’ the Dream’, and the energy never dipped once. 

The Libertines and The Wombats rounded out the day, both bringing exactly the kind of communal, everyone-knows-the-words energy that Truck Stage seems built for, and a fitting way to close out the weekend.

Market Stage

If Truck Stage was where the big, communal singalong moments happened, Market Stage was where I fell in love with new bands, and honestly, it became my favourite place to be.

Bleach 9:3 kicked things off with electric energy. The moment the band walked out, screams and chants started up as frontman Barry “Baz” Quinlan urged everyone to open up mosh pits and get ready to jump. The band played a mix of well-known songs, as well as a debut preview/unreleased song, ‘Figure 8’, which the crowd went crazy for. When ‘Ceiling’ played, the ground was literally shaking.

Arkayla was one of my favourites of the entire weekend. A relatively new band out of Manchester, they played with a tightness that was matched by an effortless, playful chemistry between them. A captivating performance that felt all too short. Beautifully poetic lyrics met perfect guitar harmonies, and ‘Doctor’ stayed stuck in my head for the rest of the festival. They are a band that’s surely only going to grow from here.

Radio Free Alice were just cool. This Melbourne-based post-punk/new-wave act absolutely owned the Market Stage, and we watched the tent fill as their set went on, with echoes of The Jam in the best way possible.

Keo brought a mix of shoegaze and indie rock that drew immediate, and fair, comparisons to Wunderhorse. It was hard not to fall for this young, charismatic band on first listen.

Willie J Healey was another highlight, a songwriter I only really knew from hearing Alex Turner sing his praises. His lyrics turned out to be every bit as thoughtful and attentive as that recommendation suggested, and it was one of those sets that made you immediately want to go on Spotify and find out more.

The Nest

We had to sprint from Arkayla’s set to catch the tail end of Westside Cowboy at The Nest, and it was worth the run. People were spilling out onto the grass, well beyond the tent’s capacity, and with good reason. This Manchester-based band, blending country and folk tones into something that felt entirely their own, are rapidly growing, and I believe will soon be on main stages. Their next album, It Goes On (2026), is due out in just a few weeks. Bassist and vocalist Aoife Anson O’Connell deserves a special mention here as one of the most unique, beautiful voices I’ve heard in a long time, and the kind of singer you could never get bored of.

By the time we packed up and headed home, we were sunburnt, exhausted, and already talking about coming back next year. Even once the main stages wound down, the night kept going. DJs on till 1am, karaoke pulling in a crowd, everyone still buzzing from the day. That’s really the mark of a good festival, not just the music, but the whole weekend, the people, the unexpected experiences you stumble across. Truck gave us all of that, and then some.