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Thursday opened with Heidi Eldest’s self-affirming pop, providing an energetic start which sustained the weekend. The first act to grace the main Truck Stage in 2026 was O’Phantom, whose addition of a psychedelic turn to a rock sound. Driven by their bassist, who was channelling Andy Rourke energy, the band - clad in alternative-genre-affirming all-black band tees- danced from genre to genre in a captivating set. A quick hop across the arena took us to see Leazes take the roof of the tent, principally impressive given their relative inexperience. Charismatic front-man Joe King remarked how, although we may be a tent full of strangers, we all “see the same thing through different eyes”, a reminder of the community found at festivals.
Truck always excels at providing range, and the dive from the raw passion of Leazes to the ethereal floating of Marie Franc, who dedicated their track ‘Pendle Hill’ to “those who go against the grain”. The beauty of Franc’s harmonies against a soundscape soaked in reverb made for awe-inspiring viewing, and they weren’t scared to drop a few heartbreakers into their set – a bold move against a bill of forthright indie rockers. Similarly, when Etta Marcus, known for her contemplative stirrings, entered the Truck Stage, she immediately blew away any preconceptions of a reserved performance. Adored by a crowd which had grown throughout the day, Marcus’ three-piece band floated haunting backing vocals superbly underneath the singer-songwriter’s powerful vocal work. The performance of ‘Teenage Messiah’, was stunning, with her lyrics “you’ll be thinking of me every goddamn night” ringing true - there’s no forgetting that performance.
Bouncing us back into top speed was Everything Everything, who put on a showing of musical wizardry with their prog-rock approach. Staged in unmissable yellow boiler suits, the former schoolfriends powered through their set, keeping us entertained with their playful nature and fast-paced lyricism. Seeing out Thursday on a high was Ireland’s very own CMAT, who perfectly encapsulated everything Truck Festival has always been. The blending of her sharp humour with eternally catchy melodies was always going to be a winning combination, with CMAT and The Very Sexy CMAT band, all of whom were dolled up in matching purple trappings, dancing through fan favourite tracks including ‘I Don’t Really Care for You’ and ‘Running/Planning’. Throughout her set, the humour balanced the very real worldbuilding of her songs, with jokes about “Skirt Cobain” (in reference to her eccentrically dressed guitarist) being appreciated by some and missed by many. But therein lies the magic of Truck Festival, with CMAT’s set welcoming everybody - whether you’re a die-hard fan or the young lads behind us, who, in their own words, “don’t really get it but quite like it” – we all ended the night as one doing the Dunboyne County Meath two-step together!
As Friday ticket holders dragged their weekend possessions across the Oxfordshire fields, Southern Heights opened the day’s proceedings on a high with their high-octane indie rock, and Daisy Peacock matched their energy, impressing with ‘Thank God You’ve Got A Girlfriend’. With an unshakeable confidence akin to that of Olivia Rodrigo, Peacock and her band delivered a set that would make you dance even as the world fell apart.
Friday was the day for women who knew how to deliver on the stage, with all-girl punk band Twat Union impressing on The Nest stage with their tongue-in-cheek style, managing to turn the frustrations of the female experience into something verging on a theatrical performance. The best surprise of the weekend came in the form of the sensational Girl In The Year Above. Lead singer Jennifer Ball was imperious, her explosive vocals sustaining above the vast scale of the band's oscillating harmonies. The Irish-Cornish band remain elusive, with little released music, but the jaw-dropping power in their cover of Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrop’ was the ultimate display of a band spreading their wings to great acclaim.
Friday continued to roll out talent, overhearing The North being described as, whilst paraphrasing, “pretty mint” – showing that Truck continues to keep its finger on the pulse of acts who deserve their moment in the spotlight. Dancing her way through the afternoon was Brooke Combe, who brought her fresh take on soul music to an eager crowd, impressing with her tune ‘This Town’. Combe’s easy-going tracks made the perfect accompaniment to the sun's slow setting, with the gold-tinged stage providing the ideal home for her band to let fly. The Market Stage delivered again with Good Health Good Wealth, a two-piece act who unite the Fred Perry-wearing cockney attitude with the power of rock and roll to tell real stories through their art. ‘Beautiful Boy’ stands out as a must-visit track after their set; it’s a grounded and poetic painting of how we experience life. Returning us to the jangly guitar riffs and singalong summers of indie music was The Cribs, showcasing fan favourites of ‘Men’s Needs’ and ‘We Share The Same Skies’. These tunes have survived the test of time, soundtracking the lives of everyone at Truck, and so to roll back the years and reunite The Cribs brought a blast from the past that was thoroughly enjoyed.
The chaos of mosh pits and limbs flying was back for another round to the tune of Getdown Services, who drew a fanatical crowd. If punk and house music accidentally swapped wardrobes, they’d come out looking like how Getdown Services sound. They’re supreme commanders of a chaotic crowd with the quality to back up their self-assured presence – there was no act during the weekend who came close to what these lads produced.
And then followed the big guns… Psychedelic blues rockers Primal Scream produced arguably the performance of the weekend, and according to one festival go-er, anybody who missed them “missed out big time!”. Frontman Bobby Gillespie was vintage rock and roll, strutting his stuff in an all-white suit that is beautifully clichéd for a rockstar who has been on the scene for decades - but they haven’t lost a step as they swaggered through ‘Movin’ On Up’. In contrast, relative newcomers English Teacher took to headlining the Market Stage in a packed-out tent with the same confidence of a band who’ve been around the block time and again. Their pointed, playful musicianship threatened to get lost on such a vast scale, but their die-hard fans made sure that wasn’t the case. Their introspection was intriguing to all as we danced to their own polyrhythmic tune – a sign of a great band.
Friday ended as it started, with the feel-good indie of a triumphant return of The Maccabees. They were in their element in a set full of their catchiest hooks – once again bringing their joy to the biggest stages of the UK festival scene. Expressing their love for the adoring crowd who enabled them to return, their showing was a sharing of gratitude – culminating in ‘Pelican’ being one of the best songs of the day.
Buckle in for Saturday, with arguably the most impressive lineup of the weekend. Opening with the biggest cult hero of the UK festival scene, the Oxford Symphony Orchestra were an absolute joy to behold. Blending virtuosic solos with mosh pits, pirouettes in the crowd with Gaz Coombes of Supergrass belting out David Bowie classics! Dust-covered festivals aren’t the natural home of a symphony orchestra, yet somehow the two marry so well, with conductor Robert Max ensuring that he never relinquished control of the teeming mass of people behind him, permitting us to mosh pit to our hearts' content. To pull in such a huge audience at midday is a statement of just how central the Oxford Symphony Orchestra has become to Truck Festival, and long may the two continue to thrive.
The charm of Truck shone as the youthful energy of Welsh outfit Casual Smart was endearing to passers-by who were dragged in by their comfortingly warm sound. Following on was Florence Road, a four-piece band capable of generating an enormous sound. Lead singer Lily Aron’s outstanding vocal work delivered a devastating but brilliant sound in their track ‘Heavy’. Saint Clair had the same alluring power; I only intended to dip in for one song but stayed to bask in the entire set, fully engrossed in both their musicality and emotional range. Mixing the up-and-coming with the throwbacks was a success, with the experience of Friendly Fires bringing the joy and percussive playfulness you’d associate with Blossoms. The title of Saturday’s ‘unexpected surprise’ has to belong to Bleech 9:3, an Irish band riding the wave of their national alternative scene whilst adding their own inflections of grunge. Formed based on a friendship consolidated in Alcoholics Anonymous, the band are fuelled by the intensity of their own experiences, and this is pertinent in their stage presence. In an industry of lip-syncing online and staged viral moments, Bleech 9:3 are a throwback – raw, seemingly unstoppable.
Then the big names came thick and fast, starting with The Vaccines who celebrated fifteen years of their seminal album ‘What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?’. Clearly a band revelling in the opportunity to have tens of thousands of people scream their lyrics back at them, they treated us to a nostalgia-fuelled set, with ‘Post Break-Up Sex’ resonating across the fields. Wedged between giants of the industry were fiery young bands Radio Free Alice and Madra Salach, with the former being a creative force. The joy of Radio Free Alice lies in how they catch you off guard, always taking their sound in the direction you least expect.
Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson, whose jeans and jacket look wouldn’t have seemed out of place in a local pub, looked right at home commanding his band and us alike through some of the UK’s most loved tracks of ‘Ruby’ and ‘I Predict A Riot’. Threatening to overshadow a giant is no mean feat, but The Royston Club’s set got close to doing so. The energy reciprocated between the stage and the floor was palpable, and even when they brought the songs down, they held the tent in the palm of their hand. Amongst a sea of outstanding tracks, ‘Blisters’ stands out as an entire crowd sang in unison “we try and try, we can’t forget” – and I’m not sure I’ll ever forget the feeling of being in that tent.
Then came what everybody was eagerly excited for – Two Door Cinema Club. Returning to touring in celebration of 15 years since the release of ‘Tourist History’, an album which sits amongst the greats of the genre – they are a true stalwart of the scene. Their infectious synth pop is what has given them such longevity; repeatedly enabling strangers to dance together is a gift you cannot put a value on. Sandwiching their set with their biggest tracks, including ‘What You Know’ and ‘Something Good Can Work’, meant that Two Door could dive into their extensive back catalogue and throw a few surprises in to remind us of what they’ve been up to in recent years. For many, this set alone made the nights in the tent and all the travel worth it.
The last day of a festival always gets lost in the bittersweet, but we enjoyed plenty of stunning acts to emphasise the sweet. Australian Hattie Oates played her first festival slot, and it certainly won’t be her last, as she interwove love, loss and everything in between through her set. Continuing the free flow of successful young acts was Keyside – bringing their Scouse “jangle pop” to a packed-out tent. For many, the set of the weekend was Rizzle Kicks, who are poised between nostalgia and their successful comeback album of 2025. Teeming with musicality in a triumphant set, Rizzle Kicks were let free to fly through irresistible joy in tracks including ‘Javelin’ and ‘Mama Do The Hump’. For the duo, who’ve experienced the highs and lows of life in the limelight, the importance of life is now to “connect to the joyous side of yourself that’s always been there”. Returning to ‘The Nest’ stage for Gans, a duo celebrating their Black Country roots and who deserve to be celebrated for getting their crowd to mosh to the beat of a flute. Gans’ sound is reminiscent of ‘the windmill’ scene with the sweat-drenched fans to match.
The K’s look to occupy bills for years to come; to be towering over the Truck Stage having only released their debut album two years ago speaks volumes about the quality of these lads - and their ability to vary their sound gave them an attraction to a wider audience. For one last time, the evening dash from stage to stage commenced: starting with the phenomenal Westside Cowboy. With people spilling out of the tent to catch their sound, their ‘Britainicana’ blended hazy country and blasting rock to create an intoxicating atmosphere. For a band persistently playing with tempo and time signature, they sounded tight and experienced beyond their years. Nobody knows the ‘big time’ more than The Libertines, who took the stage next. Pete Doherty and co wound back the years to show us “what became of the likely lads”, in their case, the veterans were coming back to Truck for the first time in nearly a decade. The Libertines never needed an introduction; their jangly guitars and romantic attitudes have earned them a celebrated position in society, and their Sunday evening slot felt like a victory lap. Inducting a new generation to the classics of ‘Music When The Lights Go Out’ and ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’ further cements their legacy as a band, not just inspired by the greats who came before them, but as an equal to their own heroes.
Before the sun disappeared for the last time, the cross-arena dash enabled a glimpse of Finn Forster, a powerhouse of a singer who delivers his tunes from the heart. Circa Waves saw out the weekend, basking in the success of their work as we went round and round the chorus of their anthemic ‘T-Shirt Weather’, refusing to let the joy of their set come to an end. Set clashes will forever be a pain we have to live with, but this time saw half the attendees dashing across the crumbling ground as we heard The Wombats’ fan favourite ‘Moving To New York’, kick into top speed. Hit after hit followed, with no time to stop for fear of not making the most of the weekend, so we were treated to every second The Wombats could give us. Balancing humour with the weight of life, the insatiably joyous scousers were the perfect act to close the curtain on a weekend celebrating some of the best musicians around.
The sentimental vibe of the performance perfectly reflected both The Wombats as a band and Truck Festival as a weekend – outstanding at the time and somehow even better to look back at.
Joseph Madden