FESTIVAL PREVIEW: 2000 TREES
With festival season in full swing, it’s an exciting time for alternative music lovers in the UK. If you’re looking for a weekend of headbanging this summer on a smaller capacity scale amongst gorgeous woodland scenery, 2000 Trees might be just up your street.
Located in Upcote farm in Cheltenham, the festival offers 3 days of music from some of our favourite alt, rock, indie and emo bands, as well as a range of other alternative genres. With a capacity of around 10,000, this might be the best option for any crowd hating headbangers out there. To put this in perspective, the renowned Reading & Leeds fest holds a whopping 90,000 festival goers, and Download festival, which put on its first ever 4 day event to mark its 20th anniversary just last weekend, saw roughly 100,000 attendees.
So let’s take a look at the line-up! Thursday sees Rock duo Soft Play, formally known as Slaves, headlining the first night of music. For those who don’t know them, think classic British punk songs modernized. The duo came into light in 2015 after releasing their first album ‘Are You Satisfied?’ which got to number 8 in its first week on the UK albums chart at the time. We haven’t heard much from these guys since their 2019 EP ‘The Velvet Ditch’, and the change of their band name. I wonder if this spot headlining the first night of 2000 trees is a sign that something new is coming from these two? We’ll see! Warming up the stage for Softplay will be Skindred and Eagles of Death Metal. Two world renown bands for the classic rock and metalheads out there. If you’re a pop punk or rock fan you can catch The Wonder Years, The Joy Formidable, and plenty more.
On Friday night, Welsh metal band Bullet for my Valentine will be headlining. I can’t lie, this would absolutely be the highlight for me. Everyone has those few bands that got them into the alternative music scene as a kid, and Bullet were definitely one of mine. Personally, I can’t think of anything better than belting out ‘Tears Don’t Fall’ while surrounded by tall trees and good vibes. Having performed at many festivals such as France’s Hellfest, Reading & Leeds, and headlining Download’s Pilot, which was a scaled down version of the beloved festival just as the world was opening up again after Covid, this smaller capacity festival is likely to be a breeze for the band, and I’m sure they will leave Friday attendees on a high. Just last weekend, lead vocalist Matt Tuck made a surprise appearance at electronic rock group Pendulum’s set at Download Festival. It was a very brief encounter but hopefully this is a sign that more is to come soon from this much loved 4 piece. If that doesn’t take your fancy, you can catch Cancer Bats, Joyce Manor, The Xcerts and many more!
There’s something for everyone on Saturday, with Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes ending the festival with a bang. Having seen Frank live before, I can definitely say that the energy will be high and the mosh pits will be many. I caught these guys last year when they played the second stage at Download festival. The best part for me was the female only mosh pits which vocalist Frank initiated. If you’re like me and can be a bit wary of rowdy crowds, you can imagine how much of a good time this was! I love the way Frank engages with his audience, tells stories and ensures everyone is having a safe and fun time. Even if you’ve never heard their music, I say go along and catch some of their set, I’m sure you won’t regret it.
My Saturday honourable mention would be Illinois based rock band American Football. These guys hold the title of producing one of my favourite ever albums, their 1999 self-titled album ‘American Football’. If you’ve never heard of this band, it might be for good reason. After the release of their 1999 album, the 4 piece group disbanded and the popularity of the album grew and grew over the years as the next generation discovered Midwest emo. This album has had huge popularity and has even been described as one of the most important math rock and Midwest emo records of the 1990s. I am so excited to be able to catch these guys in Finsbury Park next month just a few days before the start of 2000 trees, where they will be supporting world known pop band The 1975. American Football haven’t graced UK stages since 2019, so all you 2000 tree’ers are definitely in for a treat.
The festival gives the option of 4 night camping, with a handful of acts performing on the Wednesday. A few friendly faces such as Bob Vylan and Holding Absence who also have their main sets later on in the weekend, and some special guests including Snayx and Delaire The Liar. Day tickets and 3 night camping are also available. As an affordable, smaller scale festival with a varied line-up Including some absolute rock and metal legends, 2000 trees looks to be a great alternative to some of the larger alt festivals this summer, without a compromised line-up.
2000 Trees takes place 5th – 8th July at Upcote Farm, Cheltenham. Tickets are still available.
