Truck Violence, a four-piece noiserock band from Montréal, are touring the UK for the first time having just released their second LP The Weathervane Is My Body. Tonight’s show at Le Pub is the penultimate date of their 2026 European tour – and the first time I’ve been to the venue for a while.
With the Le Pub air con turned all the way up to compensate for a blisteringly hot evening, opening duo Angelystor put on one hell of a show, considering they’ve only played a handful of gigs. Jacob Pinch and Harry Devonshire take it in turns playing guitar and singing vocals, leaving drums and bass to the backing track, and with the stage unable to contain their alternative punk spirit, the majority of the set is spent in the audience, or writhing across the floor. Their most recent EP Tranquil Lake is almost a year old; hopefully can capture this energy in their next studio recording.
Proprioception, like Angelystor a Newport group, thrash through their set in semi-darkness, though showcasing plenty of new material following latest EP, Sexual Liberation Uber Terror. An altogether darker and heavier proposition than the opening band, mixing grindcore and sludge metal drummer Evie is a not-so-secret weapon, pummelling the crowd with blastbeats as frontperson Beau screams whilst bending over backwards. There’s invariably an unpredictability to their performance: I’ve seen Proprioception coming out into the crowd, brandish a riding crop, or Beau don a full PVC bodysuit. They can feel slightly chaotic, which is part of their charm.
When Truck Violence begin their set, they’re clearly holding nothing back. Their performance is confrontational and arresting, with the whole band throwing themselves around the small stage. Anyone who’s familiar with their two records will know they exist in a space of extremes, noiserock sitting back-to-back with folk. Tonight there’s a little change to the lineup: guitarist Paul Lecours is sporting a plaster cast on his right arm, and a friend takes his spot on guitar, with Lecours left to manipulate a rack of guitar pedals from the floor.
When Chris Clegg plays the banjo whilst singer Karsyn Henderson sings out into a respectfully quiet crowd, it’s a highlight of the set – and the only period of calm before the set resumes at full volume, whereupon Henderson leans out to embrace those closest to the stage, singing directly to them. Whilst Truck Violence’s style may sit way outside of the mainstream, it’s easy to envisage them filling larger spaces when they play with this much passion and aggression.
Truck Violence, Proprioception + Angelystor, Le Public Space, Newport, Fri 10 July
words and photos ROSS PEACEY
