It’s a humid day in this country’s first real heatwave of the year. Everyone I pass by seems to already be drenched in sweat, the condensation of their midday beers sliding down their hands. The sun is blazing down on Hebden Bridge and it’s begun to make me feel delirious. It’s a slow crawl to the evening, where I’ll be in attendance of Big Truck’s debut northern show at The Trades Club.
Big Truck is Laurie Vincent, Sam Coppins, Asa Thallon and Justin Myles. They were introduced to me through friend Herbie May, who also happened to be the one to set this whole party up alongside his record label Red Licorice Records and opened the show with his own set of new material. For the main act, you might already be familiar with Laurie from his work in SOFT PLAY, one of the most cultish and defining punk duos of recent years and Sam has made his presence known in Ladybird. To contrast his previous sound, Laurie formed Big Truck as a more life-affirming, atmospheric indie-rock venture. Replacing punk for poetry, madness for melody. It’s an unexpected feel if you’re already acquainted with SOFT PLAY but it is a very natural progression in Laurie’s musical career. It feels comfortable in its intimacy, often addressing topics a little closer to home. Frankly, I didn’t completely know what to expect when settling into the especially muggy Trades live room but whatever expectations I did have, what I saw next certainly outdid them.
Despite some rumours of tragic traffic, the band come on stage determinedly spirited. Laurie recounts being asked where up north they wanted to head to first and his immediate answer was The Trades Club. Now, whether he was just sucking up to us doesn’t matter – it’s a nice sentiment to kick the evening off. Currently, Big Truck has one official release, their debut single Central Reservation Blues which came out April 23. For the sake of offering you a coherent and mildly interesting account of the evening I managed to get a peek of the setlist, which tells me that they begin with Polyester. Many bands are described as genre-blending but Big Truck really personifies this for me. Slight jazz in one moment, soul somewhere else and then a launch straight into classic indie-rock. In each song however, all the inspiration from these different areas blend seamlessly into each other and offer up some frankenstein musical celebration. With moments of softness and a tender outlook on song-writing each track feels kind to its subject matter, this makes the deviations into heavier sounds even more impactful. What feels like a real driving force in Big Truck’s live show is Justin Myle’s magic keyboard. When I was younger, I probably believed I could never be that blown away by a keyboard but I’m now much wiser and the melodies produced in these songs are special. The keyboard manages to balance being foundational and experimental in each song, a real driving force.
There were a few special moments this Saturday night, starting with Laurie’s spoken word interlude. A droning instrumental continues to play as Laurie gets into the crowd, stopping for a drink of water and to tie his shoelaces, he then proceeds to deliver a strong-willed monologue while weaving between audience members. It’s full to the brim with emotion and there’s an immense amount of passion and real understanding behind each word. I believe this interlude defines the reason Big Truck exists in the first place. It’s a new way of thinking and approaching art, one that is less defined by anger but more by community and creativity. Central Reservation Blues is played in the later half of the night. The song was formed from Laurie missing both his partner and son’s birthdays when touring in America and the subsequent complex emotional reaction. Keeping this in mind, it feels even more touching when he admits that this is the first time in a while he’s felt like he’s just playing and not working. Music becomes complicated when it’s something that must pay the bills rather than a real soul-deep expression.
Maybe it’s the heat or my recent lack of sleep but by this point I’m feeling a tad emotional. This really is only amplified when the band decide to perform a song they’ve only been rehearsing that day and to do this they need to get off stage and huddle around a piano in the corner of the room. This spontaneous operation requires complete silence from the crowd. The lights come on, the band walk through us towards the piano and suddenly everyone’s shuffling towards them like moths to light. There is an increasing sense of excitement and disbelief settling over the room as Laurie begins to sing without a mic in sight. You could hear a pin drop. It’s a sedated sound compared to the polished stage performance but utterly mind-blowing, all I can do is look on in awe at what’s happening. I find it already an honour to see bands in their early stages but it’s incomparable to what I’m seeing tonight, to make a band feel welcome enough to try out whatever mad idea comes into consciousness is what being an audience member should be. It’s executed with utter perfection.
The air is still hot when I step outside but it’s the least important thing on my mind now. Big Truck are sure to make waves wherever they choose to go next but I am certain this Trades Club gig is one now cemented in their history.
Words by Poppy Cortese
Leave a Reply