Gloucester is gearing up to welcome some of the best bands on the circuit at Underground Festival 2025. Join us for our latest chat as we meet Jamie of Truck, who will be taking the stage at Cafe Rene… Let’s go, Jamie!
What can the audience expect from your performance at the Underground Festival?
This year we’re playing on the Café Rene stage, where all the bands are going for an ‘MTV Unplugged’ type vibe, which we’re very excited about - we love playing more stripped back sets but we’re going to have a couple of surprises in store for this one for sure. Maybe a couple of special guests thrown into the mix, or a cheeky cover to wrap up the set that we haven’t whacked out before - you’ll have to come and see! Either way it’ll be good fun - feel good vibes all round!
Do you have a favourite memory from a past performance or festival?
We’ve been really lucky to play a bunch of really fun shows and festivals in our time as a band - last year we got to support The Staves which was a huge deal for us, they were so accommodating to us and really complimentary of our set. We’ve been fans of them for years now so to be able to share a stage with them was a dream come true. We do often talk about our set at Underground last year too - we got to play a big full band set at Blackfriars Priory which is a beautiful room and it was packed by the time we played; that was a really fun show for sure!
Are there any upcoming projects or releases you’re excited about?
We’re currently in the process of booking in some studio time to get our first ever EP recorded. The songs we’re looking to record are ones that we feel really encapsulate our sound and we’re really proud of how they’ve come together - plus we’ve only put out singles previously so having an actual EP out is something we’re all really excited about.
What are you most looking forward to at Underground Festival 2025?
No matter if we’re in the crowd or playing, we always have a great time at Underground. I’ve (Jamie) been coming to the festival since maybe 2012, and i’ve seen so many bands we love pass through over the years so we’re very excited to catch as much of this years line up as we can. Plus - it’s always a great opportunity for us to catch up with mates in other bands that we don’t get to hang out with as often as we’d like (All Ears Avow are all getting a big cuddle when we see them!)
How do you prepare for a big performance?
Honestly; never underestimate the power of having some good tunes on before a big show to get you hyped up - some UK Garage usually does the trick. Most of the time paired with a Tesco Meal Deal too.
What’s the last song you listened to?
Just looked on my Spotify to check this and it was ‘Taste’ by Sabrina Carpenter - just a huge tune!
Do you have a favourite album or artist that you’re currently obsessed with?
I think collectively we’ve all become a bit obsessed with an artist called Medium Build - to the point where our guitarist Woodhead is literally flying out to the US just to see him play! (if anyone wants to pay for the rest of us to join him, we’d be eternally grateful!). He’s an amazing songwriter with a crazy good voice - listen to ‘Triple Marathon’ if you haven’t heard him before!
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be an why?
I know they aren’t active as a band right this second, but genuinely writing some mad stacked harmonies with Boygenius would be so fun. All of them are such incredible writers individually but together there’s a real magic there, and the album they released in 2023 really had a big impact on mine and Dom’s songwriting. We still listen to songs from that record basically everyday! Failing that - if anyone knows MJ Cole, please ask him to remix one of our tunes!
What’s a fun fact about you that your fans might not know?
Dom’s got a photo with Dizzee Rascal from maybe 2009 that’s absolutely incredible, Jamie was on the TV show Dickinson’s Real Deal when he was a kid, and Marcus & Woodhead play Magic The Gathering multiple times a week so if anyone has any spare cards they want to get rid of - send ‘em our way.
What’s your favourite song to perform live?
This changes every show, but at the moment it would probably have to be our song ‘Spit It Out’, which is our latest single! It’s a really bizarre feeling having people start to know the words to your songs at shows, and we’ve really started to notice it with this song since its release, so it’s kind of given the song a whole new lease of life for us. We’ve been playing it basically since Truck started and it’s just gotten more and more fun as times gone on.
Underground Festival 2025 is all about discovering fresh sounds, and Red Swan is bringing their unique energy to the stage. They’re just one part of an incredible line-up that’s set to make Gloucester Guildhall the place to be. Don’t miss your chance to experience the buzz and be part of something unforgettable. Tickets are available online or from the Gloucester Guildhall website now! Let the music take over—see you at the festival!