Day One
Thousands of four-day ticket holders headed to Upcote Farm for the first day of 2000 Trees. Not just a day to set up camp and track down the nearest water tap - yes, it was another festival in 30 degrees heat - but packed full of performances from the best rock, indie and metal artists.
With just two stages open, Forest and Word, all artists were playing to a large and anticipating crowd. Packing out the Word stage early in the day were Buds., a four-piece hailing from Hampshire, who set the tone in the blazing heat with “Are you ready to get sweaty?”. They commanded the energy of the crowd, performing ‘Picking Wounds’ released last Friday, as well as leading chants of “free, free Palestine”.
Not many festivals invite you to dance between the trees, but 2000 Trees’ Forest stage does exactly that. For the excited crowd, including a lucky few viewing from hammocks, Unpeople kicked off their first of two festival sets, covering Beastie Boys’ ‘You Gotta Fight for Your Right (To Party!)’ and getting the audience wild with their originals as they crowd surfed towards the genre-defying band.
Also performing to those who found their way into the Forest were Panic Shack, celebrating their fourth time at 2000 Trees, the band played tracks old and new ahead of their latest self-titled album launch. Album track ‘Thelma & Louise’ quickly segued into a cover of The Ting Tings’ ‘That’s Not My Name’, a rendition described as “rough and ready, just like you like us” by the band. The Cardiff punk band teased upcoming single ‘Pockets’, describing the meaning as “having no pockets in your clothes”, showing off their ability to create tongue-in-cheek and relatable lyrics; “Vape, Phone, Keys, Lip Gloss”.
Closing the Word stage was punk-rock duo The Meffs, with a cry of “it’s good to be back, to play in front of all the early birds”. Their frenetic energy drew an eager crowd that overflowed the tent, soon opening to create two circle pits as the band encouraged them to “run, jump, mosh whatever”. A chant of “Stand up, speak out” led into the 2023 track of the same name, whilst a speech on the desperate political state of the world and a strong criticism from the audience of the current Prime Minister led onto the post-Brexit track ‘Broken Britain’. Day One of 2000 Trees set the tone for the next three days, excellent music, political speeches and a few too many mosh pit-related injuries.
The name on everyone’s lips at the festival was Hot Milk; those with four-day tickets reminisced about the set, much to the jealous glares and comments of those who joined on Thursday. Bringing some always-needed Manchester representation, there were immediately calls for mosh pits and “climbing some trees” as they brought the party to the Forest. Performing tracks from their latest album, ‘Corporation P.O.P’, as the final date of their headline tour, they got the crowd wild with new tracks including ‘Insubordinate Ingerland’, ‘90 Seconds to Midnight’ and ‘Swallow This’ intermingled with Hot Milk classics like ‘I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I’M DEAD’. Artists at 2000 Trees proved they knew how to demand an energetic mosh pit, but Hot Milk may have been the most imaginative with Hannah Mee’s no-nonsense request: “Split it down the middle like a vagina! Who is being the clit tonight?” - There were many volunteers.
Day Two
With every day hotter than the last, Karen Dió rocked her first time at 2000 Trees with black boots and white laces that meant business. After performing 2024 hit single, ‘Stupid’ and unreleased ‘Cut Your Hair’, Dió took her mainstage audience on a “first date”, introducing herself, “I am Brazilian and I’ve been writing music for over 20 years”. An exhilarating cover of Chappell Roan’s ‘Casual’ led to a 30-second improvisation with “Buy my merch” as the only lyric - the audience seemed to understand the message. Whilst promising to “make sure we are all ready for the headliners”, the rockstar owned the stage, returning to her debut EP as a driving drum beat made way for ‘So Fun’.
On the Neu stage, Pavé brought mosh pits, chaos and the best of alternative and indie rock. Refusing to leave the stage without a circle pit, new releases ‘Into The Ether’ and ‘Whatever The Cost’ showed the best of the band's grit and powerful lyricism. “Let’s see how chaotic this tent can get”, proving the audience could embrace chaos as they performed ‘Crowded Isolation’. Also taking to the Neu tent was Chroma, sharing, “it’s an absolute delight to be here”, leaking unreleased track ‘River House’, which is coming out soon.
Handing over a pair of drumsticks to “someone who you don’t see behind the drum kit”, Dream Nails’ vision for their set was clear: feminist angst, the blurring of genre-boundaries and “group therapy for not getting a text back”. Fondly greeting the audience, “So good to see you, you bunch of sweaty sweaty weirdos”, the riotous group brought the best of DIY with hits ‘Ballpit’ and ‘Text Me Back’ and new music with ‘Organoid’ after a disturbing description of “the scientists that use human cells to build human brains.” A real testament to the community built at 2000 Trees, Dream Nails shared, “we’re all here, we’re all swimming in the same sea, this is community thank you for being here with us”.
Finally making their mainstage debut, after four consecutive years at the festival, SNAYX soon dove into the crowd to be met by a circle pit. Moving effortlessly between fiery energy, new releases such as ‘Strut’ and a heartfelt tribute to Keith Flint with a cover of ‘Breathe’ by The Prodigy. Joining the many other artists using their platform at the festival, the band commented, “As a band, we stand against war, we stand against censorship, we stand against genocide. This song goes out to the Boys In Blue” before diving into perhaps one of their most well-known tracks, ‘Boys In Blue’. Up next was The Hunna, for their first ever Trees appearance, with a high octane set including their first live performance of their latest single ‘Hide & Seek’. From new releases to classics, ‘Bonfire’ had the audience singing every lyric, proving it may have been their first 2000 Trees, but it was not the first time the crowd had heard The Hunna.
Co-headliner, PVRIS, pulled the largest crowd of the day so far, dressed in statement black despite the heat. The audience went wild for ‘St. Patrick’ whilst ‘Holy’ initially slowed the pace, beginning as a ballad before a crescendo of energy. Pulling the crowd into their set, lead singer Lynn Gunn acknowledged, “Thank you for spending this evening with us, this one’s a love song” before 2024 hit ‘OIL & WATER’. Their appearance followed their UK date of the ‘White Noise 10 Year Anniversary Tour’, performing many tracks from their debut album including ‘My House’ and a passionate rendition of ‘You & I’ from the 2016 deluxe version. PVRIS dedicated the closing song to “the girls, the gays and the theys”, with a performance of ‘GODDESS’.
Over in The Axiom, Twin Atlantic announced “it’s festival season baby”, taking over the tent and surrounding food court as people crowded around singing and dancing along to the 2000 Trees favourites. The Scottish rock band brought a set full of pounding basslines that could be felt through the grass, gritty guitar solos and the ability to blend nostalgic rock with heavier riffs, which the audience couldn’t help but dance along to. ‘Free’ brought everyone together as the crowd became a choir, practising for the later track ‘Crash Land’, the unified voices prompting a heartfelt reaction from the band; “you’re so gorgeous 2000 Trees…that was a beautiful moment”. As the crowd screamed the lyrics to ‘Heart and Soul’, many crept away to get the best view of Day Two’s co-headliner, Kneecap.
For many, the highlight of Thursday night, if not the entire festival, the ever-controversial Kneecap displayed a screen with clear messaging on “Israel committing a genocide and being enabled by the UK Government”. Shouts of “Free Palestine” complemented Palestinian and Trans flags that were waved around the field. Beginning with tracks described as the “slow sexy numbers”, including ‘It’s Been Ages’ and ‘Better Way To Live’, these had already got the crowd partying, with people on shoulders and beach balls flying. But these love songs soon gave way to cries of “open up the pit”, with the caveat that “we’re not out to injure each other, we’re a big fucking family here”. Mirroring many artists' comments about 2000 Trees not censoring their artists, Kneecap thanked the festival, describing it as their “favourite festival in England”. The frenetic set from the hip-hop trio paused as they passionately spoke out about the current International landscape; “I understand it seems like we’re always up on this stage going on about it, believe me, I wish the world was listening. Kneecap will continue every single gig to use this platform.”
Day Three
Eville brought a heavier edge, the three-piece performing tracks including ‘Ballistic’ and ‘Leech’, the energy not letting up onstage or in the crowd. Their final song, ‘Slay’, saw bassist Jude Richards and vocalist and guitarist Eva Sheldrake dive into the circle pit of their own creation.
A festival known for breaking genre boundaries, a sonic shift wandered through the Forest as Imogen and the Knife brought luscious jazz-rock underneath the trees with a horn section of baritone saxophone and trumpet. Confessing, “I thought I’d been booked by mistake”, the horn sections’ improvisations and harmonies perfectly complemented Imogen’s wispy vocals, the reaction proving this was certainly not a mistake. Testing out an unreleased track and heartfelt ballad ‘Whole World Over’, Imogen shared the stories behind the tracks to make an intimate performance full of moments of connection, including ‘Paris Night’, written about her younger sister. A set of emotive songs left the audience in adoring silence, before a shift to funk-inspired ‘Mother Of God’ with soaring vocals, horn flourishes and an invite to “have a little dance”.
Fans eagerly filed through the crowd at the packed-out Forest, trying to get the best view of Julia Wolf. For the alt-pop artist, you wouldn’t know this is her “first time doing anything like this”, delivering a chilled-out but gripping set full of honest lyricism. ‘Jennifer’s Body’ was dedicated to Megan Fox; “her arse, her lips, she lives in my mind”, before Wolff closed her set with ‘In My Room’.
Later, all-female rock band Venus Girrls got the crowd dancing at Neu stage in the blistering heat with their witchy tracks, inviting the help of the ‘coven’ before Fidlar took to the main stage. 2000s nostalgia rock filled the fields, as Fidlar brought guitar-dominated tracks including ‘40oz. On repeat’, ‘On Drugs’ and a frantic yet convincing cover of ‘Wonderwall’. Inviting the crowd to turn around to “thank the sound wizard”, they also created a “Girls only mosh pit”, commenting, “If you see a dude in there, f*ck ‘em up!” Back on the Forest stage, fans had been manifesting HevenShe to be on the 2000 Trees line-up. HevenShe questioned, “Is this real 2000 Trees? Thank you for making this a reality, you told me HevenShe belonged on the Forest stage, it feels good to be home”. As another artist to perform unreleased music, the lucky audience hung onto every word of ‘Nothing I Can Do About It’. A heartfelt message to the queer community preceded ‘Floor Bed’; “The next one is for the girls, the gays and the theys, I see you and I am one of you… love is love”.
An electrifying start to their set, Witch Fever charged up and down the Neu stage, decorated by a Palestine and a Trans flag as they opened with ‘Dead to me’.
The sultry and dark ‘Reincarnate’ prompted a flurry of crowd surfing, matched by Witch Fever later joining their own mosh pit, complemented by a pride flag and cries of “free free Palestine”. The crowd were also treated to a performance of ‘FEVEREATEN’, the title track of their upcoming album, due for release in October.
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Day 4
Despite the lack of shade at the mainstage and the glaring morning sun, Gen and the Degenerates started a party with their tongue-in-cheek lyricism and infectious melodies complemented perfectly by an accidental in-crowd bubble machine. Opening with ‘Post-Cool’, the Liverpudian rock band turned their attention to ‘Girls!’ before performing ‘When My Ex Calls’, set to be their next single released in September. Before ‘Kids Wanna Dance’ vocalist, Genevieve Glynn-Reeves, implored the audience to annoy their MPs, and be “psycho in a fun way”. Darting from political outcries, requests for some “Wahoos”, and explorations of the non-binary experience with ‘Girl, God, Gun’, Gen and the Degenerates closed with a friendly threat to follow them on social media before ‘Anti-Fun Propaganda’.
Over at Neu, Daytime TV described 2000 Trees as a “bucket list festival”, acknowledging the success of their 2024 EP ‘Island.’, which did the rounds on Radio 1. The audience was soon dancing to brand new tracks intertwined with older releases, including 2024’s ‘Lost in Tokyo’. “I’ve not seen a single tree, but I’ve seen so many wasps, it should be called 2000 wasps”, shouted Bruise Control, as the Manchester DIY punk band further heightened the energy in The Cave with the immediate return of a circle pit.
Yet another band making their Trees debut were Nottingham-based GIRLBAND!, showing off their musicianship with an extended instrumental introduction as the Neu tent packed in the crowds. Lush harmonies fueled their recent single ‘Talk Me Down’, before they teased ‘Changes’, their upcoming single about Thelma & Louise. The crowd could not help but dance to their final track and first single, ‘Not Like The Rest’, dedicated to the queers and anyone else who has experienced feeling like they do not belong.
Trees are made for climbing, but the Forest stage is also well equipped, according to Josh Taylor, lead singer of THE HARA, making his way up onto the corrugated roof during ‘Die In The City’. Building a reputation for their gritty and maxed-out live performances, bassist Zack Breen dived into the circle pit within the first song, ‘Rockstar’. After reminiscing about the weirdness of playing the silent disco set last year, the initial song of a recent sonic shift, ‘Trophy’, segwayed into unreleased ‘Easier To Die’ set to be their next single. The sonic whiplash of the lighter theatrical ‘Fool and the Thief’ into mosh-pit inducing ‘Animals’ shouldn’t work, but with the band's onstage antics, the crowd were convinced of their ability to blur the boundaries of heavy rock as they waved their t-shirts in the air to closing song, ‘Friends’.
Fresh from the release of the album, ‘Edge Of The Abyss’, a process with a “lot of sweat, tears and blood”, Calva Louise introduced themselves to 2000 Trees; “We come from Venezuela, France and New Zealand, and we’re so honoured to be here”. Not often do you find someone in fairy wings moshing with a star-shaped magic wand, but this was the crowd to be a part of. With ethereal vocals and heavy bass beats, Calva Louise performed ‘W.T.F’. and lead singer, Jess Allanic, spoke out on the struggle for grassroots artists, appreciating the understanding and recognition of these challenges from 2000 Trees.
Perhaps the largest crowd reaction for As December Falls’ set at the Forest was for the “tiny crowd surfers”, described by Bethany Curtis as “the future generation of rockstars”, however, the never heard before track ‘Everything's On Fire But I’m Fine’, the title track off their upcoming album came a close second. Expecting “100% energy” having played the main stage in 2024, the band took advantage of the slightly cooler nighttime temperatures and got the audience riled up with an energetic set including ‘For The Plot’ and ‘Carousel’, the latter prompting a wild circle pit. With no label and no management, the band have built a strong ADF community, and after that set, they will definitely have new members.
Closing 2000 Trees at the Forest was RØRY, self-describing mid-set as “the weird ADHD lady who sings”, her gripping performance was a wild ride of concern for her “tits popping out”, tearjerking ballads, and fake blood and latex. A film music-esque introduction led to ‘ANTI-REPRESSENT’, whilst during the slow sections of ‘If pain could talk, what would it say?’ RØRY knelt, looking out into the audience, a moment of intimacy within the high-energy performance. The mosh pit became a sea of tear-stained cheeks at ‘Jesus and John Lennon’ after RØRY vulnerably shared about the loss of her mother connecting the audience for a moment of comfort; “grief makes you feel like you’re on your own. We are very together with it. This goes out to my mom”.
Those at 2000 Trees had three (or four!) days full of unreleased music, and RØRY’s set was no different, exclaiming “you would have to be a crazy b*tch to try and sing a new song for the first time at a festival, and that’s lucky because I am one”, performing perhaps her heaviest song of the set ‘Degradation’; “I bit my tongue / I tasted blood”. An artist performing their happiest song whilst covered in fake blood is an interesting watch, but RØRY styled it out whilst admitting, “I probably should have finished with that one”. Balloons were flying around the pit, as people brought each other up on their shoulders for ‘Sorry I’m Late’, a moment of care and unity that was the perfect 2000 Trees send off.
Maisy Neale
Images: Carla Mundy, Gareth Bull, Jez Pennington, Joe Singh
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