The anticipation is particularly high for Jamie T, who organisers claim is “one of the most requested headliners in Truck Festival history.” Alongside this, Wet Leg, the Brit Award-winning “Best New Artist” of 2023, will be making their UK festival headline debut. Meanwhile, the Thursday night slot is reserved for the energetic and politically charged IDLES, who are expected to showcase tracks from their upcoming album ‘TANGK,’ set to be released on February 16, read more about ‘TANGK’ here. The festival’s grand finale will be brought by The Streets, alias Mike Skinner, who released the critically acclaimed album ‘The Darker The Shadow, The Brighter The Light’ last year.

The diverse lineup also includes renowned acts such as The Kooks, Declan McKenna, Yard Act, Holly Humberstone, The Magic Gang, and English Teacher, along with emerging talents like Willie J Healey. Sea Girls, Black Honey, Peace, The Snuts, Sundara Karma, with many more set to grace the stages at Hill Farm. The Magic Gang’s presence in the Truck 2024 lineup has sparked speculation, given their recent breakup announcement and plans for a farewell tour. Despite confirming their final show, it remains unclear if the band will perform at the festival.

Truck Festival’s Head Of Marketing, Sam Harris, expressed his enthusiasm for the lineup, stating, “Truck 2024 is a landmark year for us, and we can’t wait to see everyone there!” Harris added, “Whether it’s discovering new favourites, diving into mosh-pits, or enjoying the amazing comedy and family entertainment on offer – Truck 2024 promises to be a special weekend.”

A ticket pre-sale is scheduled for 18:00 GMT on Thursday (January 25) with general sales opening at 10:00 on Friday (January 26). Tickets start at £140 for the weekend, with an early-bird option priced at £175, allowing entry on Thursday to catch the electrifying performance by IDLES. Both pay-in-full and payment plan options are available. Tickets can be purchased on the official festival website via this link.

Truck Festival, conceived by brothers Robin and Joe Bennett in 1998, has come a long way from its humble beginnings with an actual truck as the stage. More acts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, building on the success of last year’s headliners Royal Blood, Alt-J, Two Door Cinema Club, and The Wombats. For more information and to secure your spot at what promises to be “the ultimate summer party,” visit Truck Festival’s official website.

And the winner of the 2022 Mercury Prize with @FreeNow_UK is… @LittleSimz – ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ #MercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/PqMWA59e0C

— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) October 18, 2022

This puts Little Simz in a very respectable position this year after she also bagged the title of best newcomer at the Brit awards earlier this year – despite it being more than 7 years since she crashed onto the scene – as well as her appearances at Reading and Leeds Festival. Simz well deserved recognition was met with rapturous applause as she gave her short and sweet acceptance speech, “There was times in the studio when I didn’t know if I was going to finish this record, I was feeling all the emotions and really going through it. He stuck by me and pushed me to deliver this album for you guys.”

In a statement made by the Mercury Prize judges, they explain, “This accomplished and complex yet entirely accessible album is the work of someone striving constantly to push herself.” Continuing, “It deals with themes both personal and political while putting them against music that is as sophisticated as it is varied. The Mercury Prize is all about shining a light on albums of lasting value and real artistry. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert has both.”

The original performance night was supposed to take place 6 weeks ago, on September 8^th, but the night was postponed after the news broke of Queen Elizabeth II’s death. In the days following the announcement many members of the public, as well as revered artists, made their respects to the Queen. You can take a look at a select few of those moments here.

My fundamental belief that Simz is the deserving winner of this prize doesn’t mean to take away from the achievements of all of the artists that even managed to be nominated for the award. Yard Act, Self Esteem, Nova Twins, Kojey Radical, and all of the other names featured here have given massive contributions to the ever-expanding repertoire of fantastic British music. But when you boil down thoughtful lyricism, creative production, and a bizarrely effective portrayal of a political system… you’ve just got to give it some credit.

Have a listen to the new version in the video below:

Yard Act aren’t the only talented so and so’s to be rejigging one of Warmduschers bops, the forthcoming remix EP will also use the gifts of Red Axes, Glok, and Joe Goddard of Hot Chip. Sharing their glee at the prospect of the new editions, Warmdsucher said; “There’s nothing better for the soul than taking what’s yours, giving it to your friends and letting them chew it up and spit it back out in your face. Something different, something weirder, something better, bolder, or even more beautiful! Ladies and gentlemen we’ve got friends in high places, and these friends have chewed us up perfectly.  We hope you enjoy more of the same, only much more different, Warmduscher the remixes!!”

Yard Act added; “When we found out they felt the same things about us, it could only make total sense to stick our fingers in each other’s noises. ‘Greasin’ Up Jesus’ is a perfect come-down album ender to a rollercoaster party record, but behind those louche elevator synths and chintzy shuffling drums, we could hear that there was still a party going on underneath, and so we tried our best to dig it up and let it out with our remix. We had so much fun doing this. Long live Warmduscher.”

To find a copy of the new EP, album or any other of the band’s simply stellar records, you can do so here.

Warmduscher will head out on a UK tour this year hot on the tail of the new EP which will conclude with a show at Electric Brixton. Take a look at the list of dates down below:

Tour Dates

01/11/2022– The Mill- Birmingham, UK
02 /11-Roadmender- Northampton, UK
03/11- Rock City- Nottingham, UK
05/11- The 1865- Southampton, UK
08/11- Sub89- Reading, UK
10/11- Waterfront- Norwich, UK
11/11- Electric Brixton- London, UK

To get your hands on tickets to see this live wire act, follow the link here.

Elton John as it happens is a big fan of the Leeds-based band and has made his feelings clear as to why this match made in heaven came about (see below). The track in question comes from Yard Act’s debut album The Overload which dropped in January this year.

The band’s singer James Smith delved into how this whole thing came to fruition; “Within our camp we have a saying, ‘Mad shit happens when you do art’. It means what it means. You make stuff because you want to make it, and you throw stuff you’ve made into the world because you’d rather share it than not and then you leave it alone and let it do its thing. That thing you did can take you to places you didn’t intend to go with it, but it’s out of your control really. You have no control over the mad shit. It just happens [when you do art]. Elton John saw our stuff and he started telling the press he thought we were good and then we chatted on the phone and after a few calls I said, ‘Elton, do you want to come to the studio and play piano on a tune?’ Because, fuck it, it doesn’t matter if he says no. Anyway, he said, ‘Yes’, so it doesn’t matter that he didn’t say no. I don’t know what else to say. He’s brilliant. Switched on, hilarious and an amazing musician.”

Elton John added; “From the first moment I heard Yard Act, I fell in love with James’ lyrics, and the way he’s delivered the song. Their sound is such a breath of fresh air. When James called and asked if I would come into the studio I instantly loved the idea. I started out as a session musician in the late ’60s and I absolutely loved it then. It was such a thrill to be thrown in with musicians I’d never met before, it pushed me out of my comfort zone and I became a better musician. During lock down I had the time on my hands to really start doing that in a concerted way again, and I fell in love with the challenge and the process all over again. They’re a very special band, with a massive future ahead of them and I’m honoured they’ve let me be a part of their journey.”

Smith later stated; “That insight, that curiosity and that approach to music is the reason he’s still standing [after all this time]. Elton is a diamond. It was an honour to collaborate with him. My mum is showing off to all her mates and mad shit happens when you do art.”

Manchester, see you at Castlefield Bowl tonight. Sadly, both @regrettesband & @wetlegband are unable to join us.@yardactband will be the special guest instead x

5:30pm // Doors
7:30pm // Yard Act
8:45pm // FOALS#LifeIsYours Photo credit: Louise Mason pic.twitter.com/9ff3fHBJck

— FOALS (@foals) June 29, 2022

After a short stint of fans being left in the dark regarding the health and wellbeing of Wet Leg, they quickly took to social media explaining, “Very sad to say we aren’t gonna be able to play the foals show in Manchester tonight cause one of our lovely band has Covid. Have a fun night and see you soon”.

Very sad to say we aren’t gonna be able to play the @foals show in Manchester tonight cause one of our lovely band has Covid. Have a fun night and see you soon

— Wet Leg (@wetlegband) June 29, 2022

The Regrettes then took the same approach and announced to their socials, “awh man sad day. we will not be able to play with foals tonight in manchester due to a few of us testing positive for covid. THIS SUCKS”. An awfully inconvenient coincidence for Foals, but with Yard Act only being a phone call away, many fans seem more than pleased with the decision.

awh man sad day. we will not be able to play with @foals tonight in manchester due to a few of us testing positive for covid. THIS SUCKS

— The Regrettes (@regrettesband) June 29, 2022

Foals are currently in the process of closing up their postponed tour, while tonight’s Manchester date is already sold out, the final show in Leeds’ Millennium Square on July 8^th may still have a few straggling tickets remaining. You can try and bag what you can here. Outside of the tour dates, the group are also hitting up a couple of festivals before calling it quits at the end of August. Glasgow’s TRNSMT festival and Suffolk’s Latitude managed to fit the bill this time around.

Foals’ headline appearance alongside Lewis Capaldi and Snow Patrol at the Obelisk Arena will also see the likes of American breakthrough singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers, mercury prize nominee Little Simz, and Rina Sawayama whose recent collaboration with Charli XCX took fans by storm. The main stage will also see the likes of a few more… let’s say old-school bands, with Manic Street Preachers, Modest Mouse, and Shed Seven all making appearances. It’d be unreasonable to put Lewis Capaldi on a line-up and not include James Arthur, just as any festival of this calibre needs a hit-filled set of bangers from someone like Example. You can look into ticket information here.

The non-profit organisation ESNS was founded in 2003 as a means of stimulating the circulation of European music across the continent and beyond, gathering data on artists gaining momentum and organising the annual Eurosonic Noorderslag festival in Groningen (Netherlands) to feature only European bands and artists.

.@YardActBand most booked upcoming European act of this summer
The ESNS Exchange results provide an overview of the most promising European emerging acts of the moment.

Read all about it at https://t.co/Sk2vvOseSG

— ESNS (@esns) June 15, 2022

Yard Act have been on a fearsome tear since they emerged in January 2021 with their debut EP Dark Days. They immediately struck a chord with me when I first tuned in, an exciting blend of Arctic Monkeys and The Streets, lead singer and lyricist James Smith has a knack for instantly driving an engaging and thought provoking narrative with his erudite northern charisma and flow. Lamenting the woes of social injustice, capitalism, and gentrification with dark humour and cynical storytelling, they manage to remain challenging without ever sounding preachy. A very difficult feat to summit, and likely why so many live agents and promoters are gagging at the bit to book them at the moment.

Their debut album The Overload came out on Island Records on the 21st of January this year and debuted at No.2 on the UK Albums Chart, eventually going to No.1 in Scotland and helping the band to get shortlisted for a much desired place on the BBC’s Sound Of 2022 poll. It’s no surprise really with all the aforementioned originality and flair, they seem to be having an underground cultural impact, alongside the likes of Wet Leg, that not many UK bands have managed in a while. With a headline performance on the Left Field stage at Glastonbury booked for next weekend, it seems there’s no end in sight to their momentum at the moment and we here at Mxdwn UK wish them well. It’s nice to see an indie band making a proper splash again. You can check out their lead single “The Overload” here:

Yard Acts singer James Smith stated; “It was great shooting this video, I barely had to do anything, and I didn’t have fake facial hair glued to me head for once. I still can’t believe David got involved. I was such a fan of his work from Naked through to Fargo, and when I told James Slater he was interested in working with us he was so buzzing. A brilliant actor, and an absolute joy to watch work. Equally so, he is a thoroughly decent, down to earth person who is funny as f***, and that goes a fair way I reckon.”- Check out the video down below:

Smith later added; “This video also stands as testament, once more, to James Slater and his vision for bringing our songs to life every time,” he continues. “I always knew we would revisit The Overload world one last time to bring the whole concept of the album full circle and I knew the final video would be for ‘100% Endurance’, but once the album came out and touring kicked in, I never knew when we would find the time. Finally we did, and getting all the cast of characters back together felt lovely too. We’ve met so many ace people making these videos and the more you meet them, the easier it is. Bless everyone who was on board throughout. If no one figures it out in the next 5 years, I’ll do a thorough breakdown of all the videos with every reference, easter egg and narrative hint we stuck in there.”

As previously stated, the band are going to be hitting the road pretty hard this year and have planned many stops all over the shop. With tickets selling out fast for shows this month, you can find a full list of the band’s tour dates as well as tickets if you follow the link here.

“Free Advice” is a shoegaze disco synth-pop amalgamation, compiling the best work from the bands seven piece team of talented artists and musicians. Taking on a more 80s flare compared to the more punk aesthetics seen in the members other respective bands it provides a fresh sound within the current underground music scene – something you can really dance to. A tune you can both mosh and bop to at the same time, it has really optimistic instrumentation and rhythm courtesy of videogame-esque synths and frantic drum sequences. Speaking on the single, lead singer Emily Garner said Free Advice “conveys the state of feeling invincible in adversity and serves quite clearly as a piece of good advice, which is applicable to anyone. who has gone out of his way to harden your vibe”

Ever important in the digital age of music, the single was accompanied by a music video. Similar to its sonics, the video pictures animations close in aesthetic to retro computer games with bright pastels and pixelated scenery. Watch it here.

Fans truly can’t predict what will come of the album, something not normally seen within modern music so this release comes as a truly unique formation; we’ve heard these musicians before in their own respective circles (think Yard Act’s outspoken post punk ‘Fixer Upper’ and Hookworm’s stormy psychedelic Negative Space.)

Yard Act have built up a cult following from the go with their debut singles being released in 2021 and their huge 63 date 2022 UK tour already underway, which features festivals such as Truck festival as well as 2 dates at the Øyafestivalen festival in Oslo.

As for ‘Hookworms’, they were previously signed to Gringo Records (the label who are now releasing ‘Holodrum’s‘ debut album.)  Three members of Hookworms can now be heard on this new record and album, they are Matthew Ben, Jonathan Nash and Jonathan Wilkinson. ‘Hookworms’ saw their end in 2018 after the frontman received allegations of sexual assault and mental abuse.  

Listen to ‘Free Advice’ here and pre order the debut album here.

Chosen this year by a panel of 133 industry experts and insiders, including Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Charli XCX, and former nominees Jorja Smith, Foals and Billie Eilish, the prize has a history of knowing what’s going on in music. The BBC said of the award that “The Sound Of list started in 2003 with the aim to showcase the most exciting rising stars in music …. 19 years later, and the aim is the same – to continue predicting some of the biggest and most exciting global superstars.“

For this year’s nominees, ten names have been chosen from a range of genres, from drill artist Central Cee, soul/R&B singer Priya Ragu, and the “new nostalgic” sound of TikTok sensation PinkPantheress. Other artists include quirky Isle of Wight duo Wet Leg, whose debut album is due out next April, more of which you can read about here.

Introducing the Radio 1 #SoundOf2022 long-list!

Expect big things from these 10 amazing artists next year:@babyqueen
Central Cee@ennyintegrity@lolayounggg@mimiwebb@pinkpantheress2@PRIYARAGUMUSIC@temsbaby@wetlegband@YardActBand

Find out more: https://t.co/Cdil72zk6i pic.twitter.com/SSQhbdSm9V

— BBC Radio 1 (@BBCR1) December 6, 2021

Also, the world of TikTok seems to be making its presence known, with PinkPantheress not being the only nominee who’s used the platform to their advantage. South London artist Enny had a viral hit on the app with her song “Peng Black Girls“, which celebrated being a black woman, and artist Mimi Webb got 85 million views with her track “Before I Go“ when TikTok star Charli D’Amelio posted it online.

Of course, a BBC Sounds Of nomination isn’t the only success these artists have had recently. Nominee Lola Young has also been nominated for a 2022 BRITs Rising Star Award, whilst Central Cee won as best newcomer at yesterday’s Mobo awards and recently had a top 10 UK hit with his ballad “Obsessed With You“.

The results will be made known next month, with the top 5 artists announced on January 1^st, and then each day from then on a single artist will be named until the winner is revealed on the 6^th. It’s an exciting time for artists, who often go on to better things whether they win or not. Last year’s winner was rapper Pa Salieu, who’s had plenty of success since with hit singles “Glidin’” and “Bad”. If you’re interested in reading a bit more about who’s been nominated and what they’re about, you can look here.

Alfie Templeman
BABii
Black Country, New Road
Eloise
Employed To Serve
Far Caspian
Gunship
Idles (pictured)
John Smith
Max Cooper
Poppy Ajudha
Puma Blue
Sainté
Snapped Ankles
Strawberry Guy
The Anchoress
Theon Cross
Violet Skies
Walt Disco
Yard Act

British music is undeniably a global export, 1 in 10 songs streamed globally are produced by British artists. But this number is not as high as it used to be. In 2015 the UK’s share of the global market was at 17%, now that has slipped to 10% today. This scheme is here to allow some smaller British artists to achieve their full potential overseas, by giving larger access to equipment, licensing, travel, and any other aspects of a band’s routine that allow their music to be heard in other countries. In 2020, the scheme generated £36 million in revenues. Put another way, for every £1 put in by the government, the artists generated 12x that amount. Geoff Taylor, the chief executive of the BPI, backs this by saying “The UK punches well above its weight as the largest exporter of music in the world after the US”.

In regards to boosting the UK’s music scene after covid, Taylor said “Labels continue to invest very heavily in developing new talent and they’re working on new ways to get artists out there. As an industry, we are working on new ways to bring new music to fans, but there’s no doubt it’s harder under a Covid environment.” He adds, “MEGS funding provides a crucial avenue for UK artists to invest early and develop audiences in markets that are traditionally expensive to break. For years, Idles’ renowned live show has been in demand across LATAM, and this support helps us meet that demand with genuine marketing and promotional activity and continue to grow their profile”.

Mike Freer MP, Minister for Exports at the Department for International Trade (@tradegovuk) praised the UK music industry, and reiterated the ambition to grow British music.

Read the story in full https://t.co/yY9GjZgxL6 pic.twitter.com/LPeDHhUhGD

— BPI (@bpi_music) November 18, 2021

The scheme tries to cover as much popular music as Britain has to offer. IDLES, Black Country – New Road, Yard Act, and Snapped Ankles all fall under the ever-increasing brand of Post-Punk. Eloise, BABii, and Sainté are all making moves in the realm of British Pop. Acts like Strawberry Guy and Gunship also offer their own takes on folk and synthwave that also prove that British music comes in many, many forms.