TRUCK Festival 2023 was filled to the brim with incredible music but here are five performances that stood out
The sun shone, the rain fell, but the music remained a highlight at TRUCK Festival 2023. Although there was much on offer and we delved in as many musical delicacies as humanly possible, there were five that stood out for us at CLUNK HQ.
Pynch
The London DIY indie outfit Pynch opened the Market Stage on the Saturday, playing to a much larger crowd than they were expecting, which they joked about on stage. However, they played with the confidence of a band that a jam packed tent was the norm. Across their 30 minute set they blasted out a variety of quirky indie tracks that were as cute as they were fun. Yet behind the beeps and boops, guitars, and percussion laid a delightful poignance within the songwriting. Highlight came from the track ‘London’, a witty take on the bleakness of London life as a young creative.
Lambrini Girls
Where to even start with this utterly visceral live performance from the UK’s most exciting punk outfit? Well, I guess the beginning where the band without hesitation flew into a riotous frenzy across the stage, which ultimately saw bassist and front-woman enter the crowd. Most of the show in fact took place from the pit, with Phoebe Lunny commanding the crowd from start to finish. It was truly one of the greatest performances I have seen from a punk band, it was everything punk should be. The political songwriting backed by the fiery performance and sharp edged riffs created a scene so chaotic that they actually ended up having their set cut short. It was pure punk rock magic.
Deadletter
Deadletter came out swinging with their angular indie post-punk which instantly saw the entirety of the Market Stage come to life from the opening chord. Singer Zac is a natural born frontman, similar to Iggy Pop or Mick Jagger dancing and gyrating his way across stage. Deadletter were an incredible respite from the wet weather that wrecked havoc upon TRUCK on the Saturday, not to mention a sonic treat.
Deadletter are on a path for mainstream success and this performance solidified this journey for them. We’re calling it now, Deadletter are about to EXPLODE.
SQUID
The experimental outfit SQUID who first rose to prominence with their B-52 inspired ‘Houseplants’ single back in 2019. Since then the band have been on a musical quest that has seen theme expand and push their sound to new heights. This experimentation is particularly evident in their most recent release ‘O Monolith’. This energetic, often frantic experimentation was on full show during their TRUCK Festival performance at The Market stage. The band fused and blends genres and sounds in a masterful way, creating a something that was truly creative and artistic.
Santù
Do you like classic Rock? Have you got an urge to be slapped in the face an incredibly meaty riff? Well, then I urge you to go see Santù, the rock n roll outfit from Birmingham. Their high-octane energy was completely infectious, sparking a reminiscent sound to bands from the golden era of the 70’s such as led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and a Status Quo. It was fantastic to see a band so young carrying the rock torch with such confidence and enjoying every second. It’s also worth mentioning the vocal range of the frontman was eye watering and could make Robert Plant weep. I am personally very excited about Santù and will be watching their career very closely, I expect and hope for big things for this true rock n roll outfit.
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