We can’t wait to greet the plush fields of sunny Oxfordshire this weekend 🌞
BY ELEANOR NOYCE, IMAGE VIA @TRUCKFESTIVAL ON INSTAGRAM
Rejoice! Oxfordshire’s Truck Festival returns for the first time since 2019 this weekend, and we’re absolutely elated. An indie giant, Truck is a small festival with a big heart. This year’s line-up features an unmissable array of LGBTQI women and non-binary people, so without further ado, here’s our queer round-up of Truck Festival. See you in the pit!
Phoebe Green: Thursday, 17:30-18:00, Main Stage
Releasing her debut album Lucky Me on 19 August via Chess Club Records, Phoebe Green is channelling a new sound. With roots in indie pop, this project explores alt-pop, depicting her experiences with her own mental health. Having used music as a way to hide behind her emotions rather than dissect them, Phoebe is entering a new era. This year, she’s toured with Baby Queen, Self Esteem and Everything Everything, embarking on a headline tour debuting her new songs later this year.
The Big Moon: Saturday, 19:15-20:00, The Market Stage
The Big Moon played on Marika Hackman’s second album, I’m Not Your Man, and they’re Truck Festival faves. They just hard-launched two exciting things: their new album, Here Is Everything, is due for release on 14 October and the birth of lead singer Juliette Jackson’s son in 2021. The cover art shows Juliette’s gorgeous pregnant belly, revealing in an interview with NME: “so much of the album I wrote while I was pregnant and basically just wondering what the hell this was going to be like.”
Bloxx: Saturday, 18:00-18:30, The Nest
Led by frontwoman Fee, Bloxx have played Truck Fest a few times now. Their debut album Lie Out Loud dropped in 2020, and they’re known for queer hits 5000 Miles, Coming Up Short and Headspace. Fee previously opened up to DIVA about navigating the indie scene as a gay woman, which you can read here.
Baby Queen: Saturday, 16:30-17:00, Main Stage
It’s queen of the babies! Baby Queen is known for hits Dover Beach, Want Me and Buzzkill, having penned Colours Of You specially for Heartstopper in 2022. Shortly after the show premiered in April 2022, she brought the cast out onto the stage at a show in a gorgeously queer moment.
Orla Gartland: Sunday, 17:45-18:15, The Market Stage
Orla Gartland came out as bisexual on Twitter in 2021, having enjoyed a renaissance moment with track Why Am I Like This? which, again, featured on the Heartstopper soundtrack. Fans jumped on it, with Orla remarking that she’s a “bit more settled” in herself compared to how she was feeling when she wrote the song in 2018. Now, the track has more than 31 million streams on Spotify, a gorgeous accompaniment to 2021 album Woman On The Internet.
Dream Nails: Friday, 18:15-18:45, The Nest
Dream Nails describe their mission as “mixing political rage with queer joy”, and that sentiment certainly shines through in their back catalogue. Tracks Vagina Police, They/Them and Corporate Realness place protest at their heart, and they’ve earned merits from Steve Lamacq, Tom Robinson, Amy Lamee, Jack Saunders, Adele Roberts and more. Don’t miss these punk witches as they grace The Nest on Friday.
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