We Caught up with Truck Festivals James Goodall to discuss things all Truck

With Truck's great heritage, do you feel a responsibility to both the festival and the fans when booking bands?

It’s probably the best part of the job, pulling together an all killer no filler line up that reflects what Truck Festival has been about since the first event, the best in live music new and old. Every single act we book has our amazing Truck fans in mind. It is imperative we remember what we are about, you don’t want Justin Bieber rocking up would you? As they say, with great power comes great responsibility!

How important is it to you to bring through both local and national emerging talent?

So important, we have opened a brilliant “Band App” this enables bands to apply to play at the festival, this has seen nearly 800 bands apply which is brilliant as we think new blood is a big part of what Truck is about.

Have you considered having a stage dedicated to emerging talent?

Hell yeah we sure have! We have dedicated a whole days programing on the Veterans & Virgins Stage to showcase the best in new and local act spanning multiple genres. This is something we introduced to the festival last year, in my opinion it was probably the best part of the weekend.

Do you have any changes planned for Truck 2014?

We sure do, bringing back the party to the night times and focusing on suggestions from Truckers! Can’t say what yet as it’s all TOP SECRET.

Will festival goers still be allowed to take their own food and drink into the arena?

Of course, I absolutely hate it when I attend other festivals, especially the majors, and they don’t let you do it. It’s just shameless money grabbing and something we’re not about at all.

Truck has a reputation of spotting emerging talent, will 2014 unearth another Foals?

It’s something we’ve always taken pride in, you’ve mentioned our Oxford’s indie heroes foals, but we’ve also seen Two Door Cinema Club, The XX, Biffy Clyro, Wild Beasts, Frank Turner, DJ Fresh, Chase and Status, Noah and the Whale and Laura Marling to name a few, pass through Steventon on their way to stardom! This year we have some brilliant new acts that we feel will no doubt follow the star studded list above.

How important are the Rotary Club to the ethos of the festival?

The partnership we have with the Rotary Club is something we love so much. It’s great being able to support all aspects of the local community. They also help Truck provide that crazy village fate feel, something that we’ve proudly never lost since the inception of the festival.

Oxfordshire has a number of festivals with high reputations how do you differentiate yourself from them?

We’re just better than them. Ultimately, at £74 a ticket we provide the best value for money ticket in the area and possibly the country. We also have the heritage that you mentioned earlier, by bringing the best new bands year on year to the hallowed truck fields and sharing them with everyone. As well as, supplying the some of the most well respected and revered bands currently around.

Truck Festival 2014 takes place at Hill Farm, Steventon from 18th - 19th July

Tickets available from here

Line Up to date: The Cribs, White Lies, Peace, Stornoway, Los Campesinos!, Andrew W.K, Kids In Glass Houses, Swim Deep, Cerebral Ballzy, Itch, Eliza And The Bear, Lonely The Brave, Darlia, Circa Waves, Flyte, Nothing But Thieves, Nordic Giants, and Black Moth