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

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

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.

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: