Oxford’s Truck Festival is widely and rightly recognised as one of the best independent summer music festivals in the UK. Always providing a good balance of established acts and new, must-see up and coming artists (and not just the hyped ones!), it’s safe to say that as festivals go, it lacks very little. That is, unless you particularly like corporate sponsorship and the piss throwing twats you get at V, Glastonbury or Reading. To sum Truck up, it’s a festival for champs, and here my friend, is your chance to be a champ for a night for free, as us good folk at the Joy Collective and Gathered In Song offer up 5 free pairs of tickets for the Danny and the Champions of the World Travelling Show at Le Pub next Friday, exclusively for readers of this blog.

Danny & The Champions of the World are something of an indie-folk supergroup featuring Grand Drive’s Danny George Wilson and some of the festival organisers, who have put together a touring Truck festival-in-a-van including their good selves, Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou, Truck’s own microsupergroup Dusty Soundsystem, folk legends Andy Hankdog & Jason McNiff, and Heavenly Records’ new signing Pete Greenwood.

The product of a summer spent roaming the countryside along with friends in the spirit of Ronnie Lane’s Passing Show, Danny and the Champions of the World backed the legendary Garth Hudson of The Band on his UK dates last year, as well as touring with The Magic Numbers (Romeo has joined them for numerous shows since and is pretty much considered a part-time member). This will be the Champs’ first appearance in Wales since Tapestry Goes West in the summer and they really are a must-see for any fans of classic country-folk in the vein of Neil Young or The Grateful Dead.

With their previous single being awarded Radcliffe and Maconie’s single of the week on BBC Radio 2, new single Still Believe will be released on December 8 through Loose Music. The track is typical of The Champs’ ethos – a reflective charmer that will touch a chord in the heart of all – a joyful and triumphant homespun classic that builds to a life-affirming melodic crescendo.

The show itself will be a collaborative effort with musicians coming and going all night, and no doubt plenty of audience participation. Expect over two and a half hours of good times and cosmic yee-haa!

To check out the Champs visit www.myspace.com/dannyandthechampionsoftheworld1
Full information on the show can be found on the Gathered In Song myspace page… www.myspace.com/gatheredinsong

Gathered In Song presents the Danny And The Champions Of The World Travelling Show at Le Pub, Caxton Place, Newport on Friday 28th November. Doors open at 8pm and tickets cost just £5 in advance from Spillers Records in Cardiff and Diverse Music in Newport (01633 259661).