Maystones: This Feeling, Truck Festival

Following an eye-catching support slot for The Crooks at the 100 Club, Hertfordshire’s Maystones returned on the This Feeling stage at this year’s Truck Festival.

*banner image credit: Alan Wells

Image Credit: Alan Wells

Opening the This Feeling stage on Saturday, the four-piece picked up where they left off at the 100 Club. Their brooding slant on rock ‘n’ roll drew comparison to Wunderhorse, who would grace the main stage later that evening.

Raw and enigmatic, they blitzed through their set with punk’s archetypal intensity. For some bands, playing this weekend was fun; it was an experience to tell their friends about. For Maystones, this was real life. It was now or never, and their defiant brutality was here to fight.

They lit up the struggle of working-class bands through their angst-ridden desperation to prove themselves. Whilst the songs may not have been fully formed, they all banged, and they all had flourishes of excellence that would keep this captivated crowd coming back for more.

Image Credit: Alan Wells

Rolla: This Feeling Stage, Truck Festival

Manchester’s Rolla headlined This Feeling’s stage at Truck Festival two weeks ago today, and we were there to catch them.

*banner image credit: This Is Gary  

Image credit: This Is Gary  

Back in March Rolla supported Pastel on their UK tour. at the Dome in London, on a bigger stage, with a better PA, Rolla emerged from wannabes to serious contenders. Maintaining their intensity, they sounded fuller and broader, allowing more into their world of chaos.

This rich vein of form was carried into their headline slot and was a lesson to any young band watching on. The loyal, faithful got their fix, but their broader sound spread a wider net. Luck by lick, you could feel the unsuspecting inching closer, yearning to become one of the faithful.

Former single ‘Hey You’ was the finest exponent of this newfound confidence. While the mayhem of their early sound remains prominent, there’s now space for Luke McConnell and Tom Paddon’s guitars to breathe. The Nick McCabe-esque blasts from ‘Rolling People’ and the deranged glory of ‘Come On’ soared through the tent like the devil singing it’s the nature of my game.

Bassist Luke Gilmore was in fine fettle. His bass lines thundered with devastating effect on ‘We Owe You Nothing’ and throbbed with violent anticipation on ‘Hey You’. He set the tone throughout the set, allowing frontman Gilmore to bound around the stage like a loose cannon.

They professed to owe us nothing; they delivered a hell of a lot!

Image credit: This Is Gary

April Tapes: This Feeling Stage, Truck Festival

Chesterfield via Sheffield outfit April Tapes were second up on This Feeling’s stage on day 2 of Truck Festival this year. Sweltering heat had migrated in to challenge the hangovers and comedowns of day 1 overindulgence. Could they blow away the cowebs?

*banner image credit; Rhona Murphy

Image Credit: Rhona Murphy

They say timing is everything in music, and, in a testing heat, April Tapes’ blend of meandering introspection was the perfect tonic. Thoughtful prose and melancholic licks, which occasionally strayed into moments of euphoria, coerced a tentative crowd back to life.

Former singles ‘Reyt Fast’ and ‘Those Days’ breezed through the tent, suggesting their name will climb festival bills sooner rather than later. The former stomped its way to hearts and minds like lost indie underdogs Polytechnic and Two Wounded Birds, but with frontman Max Stokes’ indie take on Jonathan Richman, April Tapes are set to outrun the underdog tag. On ‘Those Days’, the coming-of-age sounds of The Goa Express came to life through the brooding guitars and rueful lyrics.

From their latest EP ‘Dead in Water’, ‘Salt Rock’ and ‘Grunge’ burned Brightest. The former was a gentle foray into the world of Seafood and Six By Seven. Whereas ‘Grunge’ saw bassist Bethan Evans take lead vocals and drag their outsider status to the edge of mainstream.

Truck Festival has a great knack for putting over new talent, and in 2025, the offshoots of a new era emerged. Out goes the spoken word post-punk craze, and in comes the likes of Maystones, The North, and April Tapes. Bands which blur the lines of indie and punk with melody and teenage angst always at their core.

The Bracknall: This Feeling, Truck Festival

Essex DIY success story The Bracknall played This Feeling’s stage at Truck Festival recently. Last time out in London, they headlined Lower Third with a stunning set. This slot was just thirty minutes, could they condense their form into a smaller slot?

*banner image credit: This Is Gary

Image credit: This Is Gary

From the moment the haunting pianos drop on ‘No Way Back For Me’, the air changes at Truck Festival. Rock ‘n’ roll had entered the festival and, through its dogged sense of glory, was going to leave a resounding mark upon all who witnessed.

Former single ‘Get Better’ tapped into the key changes that made us all fall in love with Noel for the first time around, and through the gutsy vocals of Jack Dacey, bred an underdog status that demanded everyone’s emotional investment.

Image credit: This Is Gary

Anthemic sing-alongs nailed, they then brought the noise and confusion with ‘Make It Happen’, Visceral guitars and violent vocals united on this righteous line in the sand. Defiant self-belief on a gargantuan scale roared through the This Feeling tent. As they hit fever pitch, Ed Smith announced himself to the festival as a generational guitar talent. His explosive solo stared into the devil’s eyes and made Satan sit down!

‘I Don’t Understand It’ from their debut album closed proceedings with such grandeur you’d be forgiven for thinking it was Knebworth. The bluesy bohemia of early Kings of Leon collided with the windswept glory of Soundtrack Of Our Lives on the weekend’s one true moment of majesty. Layer upon layer of melody, hope, and togetherness fed through the band with an ease that led them to fold in ‘Love Spreads’. There was an ease and confidence to their playing which offered hope to bands to stick with it. The spotlight may take a while to come, but when it does, be ready, know who you are, and unleash it upon all and sundry with unwavering integrity.

The Bracknall’s latest album and this performance prove a working-class hero is still someone to be, that rock n roll will never die and that maybe, we could all see things they’ll never see once again.

Image credit: This Is Gary

The North: This Feeling Stage, Truck Festival

Leeds outfit The North burst onto the scene in January in our New Band Spotlight and then straight onto John Kennedy’s Xposure show on Radio X. It felt fitting that radio icon Kennedy would introduce them for their debut festival slot at Truck Festival in the This Feeling tent.

*banner image credit: Alan Wells

It may be seven months later, but that fiery momentum at the start of 2025 was burning bright still. Wave upon wave of teenage angst and indie-punk rock was unfurled upon a packed tent.

Image Credit: Alan Wells

In an era of post-punk excess, it felt natural that what would come next would be a melodic rock ‘n’ roll band as the antithesis. However, through gritty licks, snarling vocals, and a furious yet melodic rhythm section, The North realigned post-punk to its biting best.

On ‘She’, they tapped into the more eloquent moments of Bloc Party’s debut. As they chased victory and caressed dreams with their angelic licks, they came of age and took a generation with them.

On ‘Soundtrack Your Soul’ they can march into any festival and light it up with an instant classic. On record, it’s divine. Live, it was an enthralling joyride of teenage hope destined to overspill and save souls!

It may have been their first ever festival, but The North proved they are the real deal!

Image Credit: Alan Wells

Good Health Good Wealth: This Feeling Stage, Truck Festival

Last year, they breezed into the This Feeling tent at Truck Festival, mid-afternoon and stole the effing show. Effortless, playful and slick af, GHGW laid bare their credentials.

*banner image credit: This Is Gary

Image Credit: This Is Gary

Fast forward a year, and they headline the same tent. There’s a national tour to support, and anticipation for a debut album is sky high.

Pressure? What Pressure!

Frontman Bruce Breakey, resplendent in his white Sergio Tacchini tracky top, had a poise and grace to his delivery that said farewell to the smallest stage of Truck Festival and gave a knowing smile to main stage.

On ‘Snatch’, he put all of the UK’s grand stages on notice. With the smoky groove of Baxter Dury and the attitude of Audio Bullys, he is taking the sound of a cult classic to the precipice of a cultural anthem.

Breakey’s progression is notable, but it’s Simon Kuzmickas where the stark improvement lay. Twelve months ago, Kuzmickas looked good and was a fine aide to Breakey. In 2025, he comes as his equal. Excelling with solos, dipping the tempo with delicate licks when needed, he is now a master of his craft and together they feel force to be reckoned with.

Image Credit: This Is Gary

Alex Spencer - There's Gotta Be More

Back in July, Manchester singer-songwriter Alex Spencer released his second EP ‘There’s Gotta Be More’ via Modern Sky UK Records. Following 2023’s eye-catching ‘One Step Forward’ EP, can Spencer maintain the promise?

Image & artwork courtesy of This Feeling & Modern Sky UK

Where former tracks ‘One Step Forward’ and ‘One Way Ticket’ leant into Jamie Webster and Catfish & The Bottlemen, Spencer’s debut EP showed on ‘Waiting For The Change’ that he would soon unfurl his own archetypal sonic, a clash of the raw and angelic.

The clashing styles inform most of the new EP in style. Opener ‘Love and Let Go’ beset with regret and bitterness, is soundtracked with Kyle Falconer fronting a Blossoms tune. On ‘Nightmares’, Spencer’s romantic regret threatens to spill over (“I don’t expect you to care but inside it’s a war”) as his demons take control. The Bombay Bicycle Club circa ‘A Different Kind of Fix’ percussion and the moonlit math rock noodling on guitar add the shades of light this all-consuming record needs to keep you afloat.

The title track, with its exploratory jagged licks, evokes the late 00s and early ‘10s indie sounds of Foals, BBC, Little Comets, and Two Door Cinema Club. Spencer exquisitely cuts through this with the directness of his label mate Webster and a smoky Elliot Smith drawl.

The newfound directness excels on ‘Fear Will The Kill Future’, giving the EP its moment of glory. Tom Clarke's righteous indignation is put through an Elliott Smith prism of purity and wistful inspiration with further flourishes of Falconer. Bands should draw battle lines; they should be clear and fought upon with violent passion. It’s a trickier prospect for solo artists. Without the gang mentality, there's a danger of a messianic complex clouding the situation. Spencer has developed an eloquent blueprint to lift others up and march forward with them on the EP’s closer.

Spencer opens the main stage at Bridling Spa for This Feeling’s second By The Sea festival this Saturday. He was chosen by Radio X new music guru John Kennedy. Click the image for tickets

The Sway: Truck Festival, This Feeling & Hunter Boots Stage

Liverpool’s The Sway recently treated the Thursday ticket holders to Truck Festival to a mesmerising set on the This Feeling stage.

Bands can dazzle, they can enthral, that’s the easy bit for fledgeling bands. Having the craft honed to back it all up takes time, often until albums two and three. The Sway delivered it in abundance in this set.

All images courtesy of Alan Wells Photography.

‘Dreamer’s devilishly rumbling licks, a la their Scouse elders The Stands, sauntered through the summer air as though they’d always been present. ‘Changing’ had an eloquence that defied their years even more. The lo-fi vocal and angelic back vocals are kissed by moonlit Dave McCabe-esque guitars, which hold a crowd in disbelief.

Track after track, The Sway continued to delight with songs with the melodic ease of a band basking in years of success. ‘Songs & Poetry’ swayed with Shack’s guile, DMA’s innocence, and the romantic glee of the Sarah’s Records cannon. ‘Living It Large’, heavier than most in the set, still knew when to step on and off the gas. Drip fed the excitement with Lou Reed's “oo oos” and lysergic licks as and when, like Townsend in his pomp, toying with rock ‘n' roll disciples.

You wait, and you wait, and YOU WAIT, for a band to have the talent, integrity and poetry. So often, one or more is missing. The Sway have it all. They looked like a band of brothers, all standing at the front of the stage, confronting yet enticing, all songwriters and singers but crucially, no ego!

The Sway will play the coveted Rewired all-dayer at Signature Brew’s Blackhorse Road venue. Click the image for tickets.

Good Health Good Wealth: Truck Festival, This Feeling & Hunter Boots Stage

Some bands stride on stage with purpose, with a sense of destiny in their eyes. Good Health, Good Wealth strolled on in their own time, looking like extras from The Business and the re-make of The Firm. The This Feeling and Hunter Boots audience drew breath; coming next was either awful or genius.

All images courtesy of Alan Wells Photography.

Frontman Bruce Breakey moved in micro-movements, redefining what it means to be cool AF every millisecond. At the same time, guitarist Simon Kuzmickas looked slicker than Serge and as coly withdrew as Chris Lowe.

‘Love Hangover’ grooved into the room with effortless confidence. Breakey’s deeper spoken word sections were delivered with subtle, wry nods and winks to a crowd marching straight into the palm of his hand. Their most recent single ‘Gold’ showcased the vocal talent of Breakey. It offered the kind of crossover hit the alternative world sorely needs to drag mainstream eyes to it.

On set closer ‘Snatch,’ GHGW turned the vibrancy of Truck Festival into the gritty smoke-filled warehouse clubs of London. They beefed up their laid-back record to become a festival banger, all the while, Breakey’s slow vocal drawl in the verses cutting through a room ready to erupt with excitement. Pulling from Man Like Me, Audio Bullys, and MJ Cole, this duo are ready to be catapulted to stardom and tear up a bland industry.

Fingers to the sky, the weak became heroes once again. Genius!

Spangled: Truck Festival, This Feeling Stage & Hunter Boots Stage

Two weekends ago, we were at Truck Festival to witness Manchester band Spangled headline This Feeling and Hunter Boots stage.

All images courtesy of Alan Wells Photography.

A year earlier, they were on early to a big crowd on the Market stage, and as such, the intimate tent was rammed well before their arrival. The buzz was palpable, sent into a frenzy with radio icon John Kennedy’s rabble-rousing introduction.

Bounding on stage like kids on cherryade, Spangled opened with Swordfish Trauma to show the world everything great about the band. Frontman Ben Johnson’s Roald Dhal via Neds Atomic Dustbin's sense of gambol lit up the playful lyrics. The guitars strayed from the funk of Prince to the psyche of the Roses, sending the packed tent into an Ian Brown shoulder-swaying march of blissed-out glory. As Haliday let loose in the solo, there was a tangible feeling that Hendrix had made the soundtrack to Miami Vice.

‘Crank Up The Splendour’ tapped into the Roses’ cuter songwriting style with the paisley guitars swaying in a hazy glee. Johnson, equally as distinct as Brown was, allows his steeliness to melt and rise throughout. His time on the bigger stage last year has lent him the tools to take a crowd on a journey within one song, let alone a whole set. A masterful performer has been born.

Elsewhere, the set explodes with the amusing ‘Horizon’s Glance’ and the Blur-esque ‘Charlie Hills’, but the heartfelt ‘Good Life Better’ is what sends this audience home with irremovable memories. The gothic psyche guitars sent shivers through the souls of all who witnessed this ode to a lost father. When Johnson sings, “That's when all of the scars inside of my soul were gone” in the closing stages, Spangled transcends to a higher power. Guttural, poetic, and vital, the band shows there is a substance anchoring their gaiety.

Click the image below for tickets to their upcoming show:

Megan Wyn: Godney Gathering, This Feeling Stage

Wales via Manchester singer-songwriter Megan Wyn recently played the This Feeling stage at Somerset festival Godeny Gathering.

All photos courtesy of Rhona Murphy

In 2023, Megan Wyn announced herself as a serious player with a jaw-dropping set at Truck Festival. She followed this up with a string of heavy-hitting singles and, now back on the festival circuit, she looks set to continue her domination.

At Godney, it felt less like an announcement of future talent and more like the arrival of a seasoned pro. On her former single, ‘Are You Bored Yet?’ she made regret the most melodic it had ever sounded. The rise and fall in her harmonies were breathtaking.

On ‘Jealously’, she dedicated it a “dick” from her past, and then proceeded to deliver a mesmeric Pj Harvey meets Kim Gordon banger. If there’s a better ode to cutting loose dead wood, we’ve yet to witness it.

This weekend, Wyn continues her summer festival journey with Kendal Calling and Y Not Festival.  

Rosellas: Godney Gathering, This Feeling Stage

Manchester’s Rosellas recently played the This Feeling stage at the Somerset festival Godney Gathering and we were there to check them out.

All photos courtesy of Rhona Murphy

With the sun finally appearing, their blissed-out rock ‘n’ roll was perfectly timed. The dreamscapes of ‘Switch Off’ floated in and out of the ether like otherworldly messages of hope. Meanwhile, ‘Is It Any Wonder?’ and ‘The Same Curse showcased songwriting talent beyond their fledgeling years.

A step back to 2021’s ‘Damaged’ and even further to a cover of New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ saw the band take the Gidney faithful to another realm. Gentle sways gave way to souls being freed as their dramatic guitars took hold.

An undeniable set from a band destined for great things.

The Mezz: Godney Gathering, This Feeling Stage

All images courtesy of Rhona Murphy.

Oxfordshire four-piece The Mezz followed up their breakthrough performance at the Isle of Wight festival at the Godney Gathering in Somerset recently.

Playing the This Feeling Stage, they had their guitars set to delight! Their former single, ‘Now I Found You,’ oozed with so much charm that, by the end of its proceedings, it had become a fan favourite for future gigs. The crisp synths and delicate guitars dazzled with main stage charisma.

‘Town Boy’, taken from their self-titled EP released in March, was, and will be for years to come, the perfect platform for frontman Ben to become an icon. His infectious vocal rises to inspirational in the climatic moments, matched only by his sumptuous guitar parts.

The Mezz are set to play The Macbeth in London with Billy Otto on August 9th. Click below for tickets:

Lock-In: Godney Gathering, This Feeling Stage

The Harlow juggernaut, Lock-In, continued their rise to glory at the Somerset festival Godney Gathering, playing the This Feeling stage.

All images courtesy of Rhona Murphy

The Lo-fi guitars and frontman Benji Leak’s razor-sharp vocals on ‘Red Stripe Remedy’ had the tent buzzing. The heartfelt decrees of “working 9-5” and “it’s life” were poetic reminders of why this crowd has come together.

‘I Caught Feelings’ doubled down on the emotion with its euphoric "oh ahh” hooks and infectious Two Door Cinema Club licks. Meanwhile, the effervescent energy of the new single ‘Sun Kiss’ and the cover of Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Take Me Out’ sent the Essex gang off again as heroes.

Lock-In’s latest single ‘Sun Kiss’ is out on the 9th August. Click below for tickets to their upcoming This Feeling tour:

The Crooks: The Water Rats, London

Chesterfield’s The Crooks headlined The Water Rats for This Feeling this past Saturday. Copy we originally had penned in 2020. Four years on from the crushing despair of that tour cancellation hadn't caused a lack of interest, but it had caused trepidation.

*banner image credit: Charlie_green19 - Courtesy of the band.

In 2020, the buzz for the cancelled tour was off the scale. There was a clear sense of glory awaiting the band as, single after single, amassed legions of fans. In the build-up to Saturday, a lot of what-ifs lingered. What if their time had passed? What if the band and fans were not as one anymore?

We needn’t have worried.

The electrifying opening of ‘What You Know’ and ‘Silhouette Sunshine’ was a pulsating moment of release. The band are still us, we’re still them! Their time apart clearly left its mark, as there is a real sense of now or never. Rock ‘n’ roll needs this desperation to thrive, and the Water Rats faithfully needed it more.

On ‘In Time’, the band make the intimate room feel like Knebworth. Modders’ guitars on ‘In Time’ howled into the night like warning sirens of hope. Frontman Jacko, stepping off the gas to allow a cuter DMAs-esque vocal to offset the colossal-sized guitars to shine, confirmed that all “what ifs” can get in the bin.

Wave upon wave of euphoric emotion is packed in the set. ‘Nevermind spirals towards pure ecstasy, while ‘She Walks Alone’ took you into the emotional trenches and spat you out with King-sized belief in humanity again.

On ‘Better Days’, the band breathes, leaving Jacko to do something utterly magical. His vocals were blessed with the infectiousness of Tommy O’Dell (DMAs), the raw power of Tom Clarke (The Enemy), and Noel’s ability to make simple melodic twists sound like messages from God. This stripped-back moment was a moment for the lost. For rock n roll fans fed up with overpaying for the old guard to half arsing the past. This was about now! As he decreed, “We need to find our way again”, a collective sigh of relief oozed through the air. Being in the moment for something youthful, a spirit that wanted (and will) change the world, was spine-tingling.

You spend a lifetime waiting for bands to pull it all together, to have the look, the melody, the politics. Only when it appears in front of you do you realise that you allowed pretenders to take the throne in the intervening years. The Crooks are the real deal. They allow you to pour your dreams, heartache, and regrets into their chest out of a sense of working-class glory. This gig will be etched into the minds of all who were there. Triumphant, yes, but this felt like the beginning, not a crowning moment.

Rosellas: The Star, London

Last Friday, Manchester’s Rosellas filled the intimate venue of The Star in London as part of their tour with This Feeling.

*banner image courtesy of the band.

It follows the recent release of their new single, ‘Is It Any Wonder?’ which showed signs of a breakthrough as the sold-out crowd visibly grew in voice for their new melodic offering. In its protracted intro, the little touches of John Martyn’s masterpiece ‘Small Hours’ took the melodic tumble and soar gem to another level.

Tempering this newfound gentler sonic was an array of jaw-dropping psychedelic adventures. ‘Before the Storm’ swelled with the indie anxieties of Doves’ debut and Nick McCabe's explorative introspection before erupting into a modern-day Aphrodite’s Child.

‘Come Alive’ echoed with rock music’s mysticism. Spaced out and seeking something bigger than themselves, they sought meaning through life’s struggles with a tangible purity in the room. Drew Selby and Euan Mail’s guitars, powered by ‘A Storm in Heaven,’ drifted in the mire until a modern-day Andy Bell solo erupted with psychedelic clarity to transcend souls.

The band's growing stature, the songs, and the crowd just went on and on. Rosellas creatively looked like a collective, spiritually hedonistic gang built on togetherness. The songs, lifted to colossal in places (Switch Off), stripped to DMA’s magic in others (The Same Curse), seemingly at the will of this astonishing prospect of a band. The sold-out crowd filtered up the tight stairwell, giddy to smugness, knowing they were treated to something truly special before huge stages came the band's way.

LOCK-IN – Red Stripe Remedy

Hertfordshire school friends Lock-In return with the second single from their upcoming debut EP ‘On To The Next’. ‘Red Stripe Remedy’ follows the fan favourite ‘Easy’ and was recorded at Premises Studio in Hackney with Curtis Elvidge producing again.

Images and artwork courtesy of Fear PR and Joe Lowe.

Joe Leek’s harsher and more jagged licks allow the “what if” Graham Coxon joined Two Door Cinema Club to develop joyfully. Where ‘Easy’ tapped into a more melancholic sonic, ‘RSR’ sees Lock-In take another step toward marrying their natural optimism with more serious songwriting.

Every generation has its band(s) tackling the human release from the 9-5. What’s different about Lock-In’s submission to the genre is its emotive poignancy. As frontman Benjy Leak sings “Lost in the 9-5, we only work to stay alive”, it’s tinged with a forlornness not seen with songs of this ilk before. It serves as the perfect reflection of the dire times we’re struggling through. When The Enemy sang ‘We’ll Live And Die’ in these towns, Tom Clarke conjured images of people still brimming with hope despite the decay.  ‘Red Stripe Remedy’, sixteen years later, demonstrates what it’s like to exist in those towns; six for a fiver being one of the only hopes left for so many.

Lock-In, though, are never down for the count. Their introduction of strings and as Leak howls “It’s life, Its Life, It’s life”, a chink of light emerges. Faint, but bright enough to reassure us that we’re not alone.

There are just too many dreams in this wasteland for you to leave us all behind.

Click the image below for tickets to their biggest ever show at Lafayette next April:

LOCK-IN - Easy

The Essex via London indie-pop outfit have returned with their new single ‘Easy’. It follows their raucous headline slot at Truck Festival and a sold-out show at Signature Brew Haggerston last week. ‘Easy’ was produced by Curtis Elvidge at Premises Studios in Hackney.

At times, it threatens to ignite into a Two Door Cinema Club party but such is the emotional heft, it remains in its world-weary lane. It breeds a lonely but never detached sonic, which is where Lock-In have thrived best to date.

Image courtesy of Fear PR.

Joe Leak’s choppy licks pull from Bloc Party’s ‘So Here We Are’ and The Wombats circa ‘Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life’ and produce images of a forlorn soul dusting themselves down for another shot at glory. It’s Indie noodling that will soundtrack a thousand summer romances soon to end this month but leave scars for a lifetime.

Everything culminates with frontman Benjy Leak’s rapid-fire roar of “Don’t go, don’t leave, please stay with me”. He may not have Bono or Ashcroft’s ability to summon the guttural anguish vocally, but his frantic state pulls from the everyman state of despair with more integrity.

Photograph’s courtesy of Oscar Blair.

In three years, Lock-In have gone from the lo-fi 00s revivalism of their debut single ‘Teenager’ to ‘Easy’, a much broader and textured emotive piece. The journey isn’t the stark 0 to 60 that rock ‘n’ roll documentaries have you worship at the temple of. Rather, this is the sound of relentlessly honing the craft alongside youthful adventure. From hard work to romantic risk-taking, Lock-In are here to teach you life lessons to young and old!

Big Image: This Feeling, Truck Festival

The Midlands four-piece Big Image recently played This Feeling’s stage at Truck Festival. With XFM/Radio X icon John Kennedy announcing their debut album has been recorded, the crowd’s anticipation grew. Did they deliver? Images courtesy of Alan Wells

On paper, 30mins seems such a short slot. However, some can make me feel longer. Not Big Image! Blink and you would have missed their set of baggy meets Balearic anthems. ‘Late Nights’ fired out of the traps like an Ibiza classic fronted by indie icon.

Images courtesy of Alan Wells

Former single ‘Uptown’ breezed through the cool air with its blessed reverb, shimmering Mark Day licks, whilst frontman George held the crowd in the palm of his hand. On ‘Something’, they took the set to another level. The piano riff and beats induced the warmest glow of the weekend. Their talent is evident but, it's their heart which carried them to greatness. Like The Clash, Happy Mondays, and The Libertines, Big Image have an innate ability to make their audiences be a part of their immortality. Their humble star power continuously resonated with the Truck crowd.

Taking their set to a more destructive place was ‘Club’. The booming licks combined with the funk of ‘Bummed’ are dragged into the warped intensity of The Charlatans ‘Area 51’. The crowd which, moments before were bouncing at the band's behest now stood in awe as a moment of profound adulation materialised.

Roll on the debut album!

The Facades: This Feeling Stage, Truck Festival

Wigan outfit The Facades played a blustery Saturday afternoon on the This Feeling Stage at Truck Festival recently and we were there to check them out.

The beguiling single ‘That Letter’ kicked things off. The bewitching basslines of The Coral and Dead 60s set the platform for frontwoman Alannah and lead guitarist Evan to shine. A trait that echoes resoundingly through the set.

This was no more evident than on unreleased tracks ‘Silence’, ‘These Days’, ‘Muse’, and ‘Tell Me’ where they reignited Stevie Knicks and Lindsay Buckingham’s spellbinding partnership. Alannah’s vocals ranged from haunting to mesmeric and were always beset with great melody. She has a power that could fill stadiums, but she has something far greater in her armory. The knowledge of when to pull back, to soften, almost whisper to allow the drama and romance of the occasion to percolate is way beyond her years and startling to watch.

Evan’s guitar playing mirrors this wisdom. On ‘Beautiful’, his lines sauntered across horizons with the lightest of touches. On ‘Beautiful’, he races alongside the vocal feverishly pushing for the release that comes only in the final moments.

Their intuitive relationship on stage was a joy to behold. It brought back a strand of rock classicism that had seemingly been resigned to BBC4 documentaries and Mojo magazine features. Through the howling winds and driving rain, The Facades reimagined those halcyon songwriting days of the late 60s and 70s for 2023!