Rachael Dadd – Wood Stage – Sunday - 18:15
Blessed with a sweet-sounding voice that belies a sharp skill for observation, Rachael Dadd has been a DIY folk-singer for over a decade before releasing latest album ‘Bite The Mountain’. Partly recorded in several countries (some tracks were recorded in Japan) made sense “because I’m always travelling around”. This peripatetic lifestyle may have slowed down her release schedule, but it’s helped her become the songwriter she is today.
Rhosyn – Last.fm Stage – Saturday - 18:45
With a batch of demos written one solitary month in Anglesey, then recorded with members of Jonquil and Foals, Rhosyn’s music is as strange and beautiful as you might then expect. Centred on the talents of cellist/singer Rose Dagul, her songs’ sparse beginnings are filled out by a variety of strings and looping, circling harmonies which grow and grow and grow.
Richard Norris (Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve) – Clash Stage – Saturday - 22:15
Richard Norris has long been a driving force on the dance music scene, first with ‘The Grid’, but more recently alongside Erol Alkan as ‘Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve’. When not making music he has written a biography of Dance legend Paul Oakenfold (published earlier this year). Clearly then, a man of many talents, expect an eclectic set full of weird, wonderful, experimental and left-of-centre music.
Richmond Fontaine (acoustic) – Main Stage – Saturday - 16:30
Fronted by Portland-based author, front man and acclaimed lyricist Willy Vlautin, Richmond Fontaine first formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1994. This is evocative alt-country that will never blow your ears off like some similar acts such as the Hold Steady, but there is unassuming genius in this band that finds a way to your heart. Poetically brilliant, to call them under-rated is an understatement.
Roddy Woomble – Main Stage – Saturday - 17:45
Returning after headlining the festival four years ago with Idlewild, Roddy Woomble makes his second Truck appearance. This year’s album ‘The Impossible Song and Other Songs’ shows that he has, if anything, grown as a songwriter in the four years since, especially since moving to Mull in 2008. Songs like ‘Gather The Day’, one of the loveliest songs to have been released this year, are proof of this shift in his songwriting.
Sealings – Last.fm Stage – Saturday - 14:30
Saturday afternoon, and on crash Sealings, armed with a detuned drum-machine and a squall as harsh as the noise of A Place To Bury Strangers but with half the number of members. The kind of squall that crawls under your eyelids before you can realise, and then leaves traces in your vision as you try to shut your eyes. At first terrifying, but slowly becoming a comfort.
Sea of Bees – Clash Stage – Saturday - 18:30
First known to us at Truck through a beautiful show at the Old Bookbinder’s, Sea Of Bees’ debut album ‘Songs for the Raven’ contained unrequited love songs fuelled by Julie Baenziger’s mellifluous voice. Baenziger’s music, a blend of indie, folk, and Americana, addresses universal themes through the metaphor of nature. It’s spell-binding music that captures the essence of small American towns tucked away in the hills.
Solid Gold Dragons – Last.fm Stage – Saturday - 15:30
Solid Gold Dragons is the outlet for former YMSS and current Jonquil member Sam Scott’s poppier ideas. As you’d expect from a man of his musical history, pop ends up taking some unusual shapes. A smooth r’n'b croon ends up closer to Arthur Russell messing around with Antibalas than it ever does to Bruno Mars. And that can’t be a bad thing.
Spring Offensive – Last.fm Stage – Friday - 23:00
One of the most inventive bands in Oxford, we’ve always been a fan of Spring Offensive’s marketing ideas (colouring-in books with an EP, anyone?). This is a music festival though, and their music - a mish-mash of Pulp’s erudition, a post-rock sense of dynamics, and a Brill Building songwriter’s ear for a tune - makes you feel that they’ve a lot more to give the world.
