With current heatwave predictions suggesting the UK is going to skyrocket towards 40 degrees Celsius at the time of writing, it makes one long for the practically mild mid-20 degree days encountered at the start of the month during the sun-soaked 2000 Trees Festival. With a return to inner-city festivals ticked off the list post-restrictions, we were chuffed to have our in-an-actual-field festival come-back take place at 2000 Trees, the 15,000 capacity event set in the picturesque Cotswolds one that’s close to our hearts.
Having put up the tent and filled up the fridge (bucket) in record time, we loaded up on golden ales and set off for the Main Stage, a spot we’d encounter quite a number of highlights across the weekend. First up, Brighton’s Tigercub and as we walked to the Main Stage with the trio off in the distance and a sea of punters between us, it felt so good to be back! A bloke dressed as Tigger was surfing above the masses and looking stoked as drummer James Allix thundered away on ‘Memory Boy‘. The bouncy, trouncy friend of Christopher Robin went up again not long after with arms (legs?) outstretched for the wallop of ‘Stop Beating on My Heart (Like a Bass Drum)‘.
Old favourite ‘Centrefold‘ called to mind Josh Homme and his Queens of the Stone Age, the guitar squealing and howling, whilst lights flashed from on stage. A headline anywhere else, but a joy to watch early doors on a Thursday afternoon knowing the out of office is on. It was at this point however that I was regretting the long sleeve Turnstile top, as the sun shot down rays upon me – but one has to represent, right?
Having shared the bill with them over the years, Dinosaur Pile-Up took to the same stage hours after Tigercub. ‘Thrash Metal Cassette‘ opened things up with a bang and a proper big sing along chorus, with all three raging through the big single from their last album. “What the fuck is up?” Asked vocalist Matt Bigland in the form of a giant shout ahead of the joyous ‘Stupid Heavy Metal Broken Hearted Loser Punk‘. Absolute dons of the sing along chorus, they maximised the fun in the sun, creating such a top atmosphere and preparing us for the weekend ahead.
(Photo Credit: Joe Singh – SnapRockandPop)
From the same album, crowd surfers galore went up for title track ‘Celebrity Mansions‘ and a can flew high in the air just as the pit went nuts for ‘Pouring Gasoline‘. Not long after, we were told by Bigland that the fifth shot of Tequila before coming on was a mistake, yet he seemed overjoyed to announce “I’m gonna be sick!” Sure enough, the crowd rejoiced at the very idea as he started a “throw it up” chant before doing what looked like a wee bit of throw up on stage.
“Message from Mike – are you still there?” Bigland asked on behalf of the drummer ahead of the crushing ‘Traynor‘. “Show me that fucking pit!” He shouted, soon opening it right up. “Keep going motherfuckers, keep going!” Cherry on top came in the gigantic ‘11:11‘, the crowd becoming unglued and overjoyed in the heat, guided on by the vocalist as he shouted out one last time – “It’s all fucking you!“
“This song is called Wonderwall II…” Announced Thom Edward of God Damn in jest during their sound check over on The Cave stage. A raised can minutes later signalled they were good to go, drummer Ash Weaver soon all octopus arms as, along with keys player Hannah Al-Shemmeri, the Wolvo trio blasted through new track ‘Little Dead Souls…‘ Suggested by Thom that attendees have the best music taste in the country, he later acknowledged how mad it was to see so many people getting into it on a Thursday afternoon off work. Massive blast from the past ‘Shoeprints‘ joined a few oldies in the mix, including a monumental run through of ‘Vultures‘ from their 2015 album of the same name.
From new album ‘Raw Coward‘, ‘Yout‘ was a particular rager that had the trio going full hammer and tongs, whilst a healthy pit got going during ‘Cowkaine‘, the ending of which proper rumbled the ribs. A “Big Jeff” chant launched ‘Shit Guitar‘ – where Edward sings of there being “no such thing as rock and roll” and that “Your idols are all paedophiles“. A slow start built into a tasty pit as it royally kicked off, culminating in a proper metal drummer ending – the sticks exploding out of Weaver‘s hands, one flying skyward and the other into the crowd.
(Photo Credit: Joe Singh – SnapRockandPop
Now a proper live space in its own right, The Forest area provided an atmospheric change of pace to the other stages, whilst still packing an oomph. Now completely revamped, it featured a much improved new stage, ginormous compared to what it once looked like. Where once The Forest was an intimate hideaway, it’s now transformed into an idyllic spot to bask in the sun and still enjoy artists giving it some welly. Queer punk Londoners The Oozes were our first taste out in the woods, sounding gnarly on arrival, the full band plugged in and providing a proper ear-splitting punk set in amongst the trees.
Wych Elm, bringing ‘Midsommar‘ realness and Jesus-on-the-cross thorny headwear to The Forest, looked and sounded terrific and we were gutted to have missed their full set, but the 1 1/2 songs we did catch were a scratchy guitar’d, grunge delight that had a crowd down the front cutting about. Elsewhere across the weekend, Island Of Love tore it up on the same stage, bringing a bit of speed and noise to the early Friday afternoon crowd.
Theirs was a proper old school rock and roll vibe (check out the flares on the bassist), though the guitarist/vocalist was dressed like a hardcore kid (such are the circles they move in back in London). Add in a wee bit of a fuzzy American throwback sound and the band came across like Dinosaur Jr in parts, particularly the Mascis-esque ripper guitar solos, sounding especially good whenever they went at it in 100mph full on anthemic mode. As an added touch, the music played in-between bands featured the likes of DAF, Wipers, Happy Mondays and Human League, providing a top soundtrack should one want to lounge about on the forest floor!
Out of the woods, our first go on the Neu stage came via Chipping Norton alumni Cassels, and you could hear the hypnotic rumble of ‘Your Humble Narrator‘ from outside the tent, everyone inside vibing off the lengthy opener from their latest album ‘A Gut Feeling‘. “VILE” came the shouts from the pair as they moved on through into the brilliantly titled ‘Pete’s Vile Colleague‘, the brothers Beck gelling together like a wee boys hair after the discovery of Brylcreem.
Vocalist Jim acknowledged how pleased they were to be at the festival – “On the day that BoJo packed his bags no less!” (which naturally received big cheers). The crowd were on every word for ‘Mr Henderson Coughs‘ (complete with a great faux cough from drummer Loz), going nuts for the full on ending. Having announced they’d be off home after the final note due to working the next day, lots of pushing and shoving kicked off down the front for the rapid, post-punk stomper ‘Charlie Goes Skiing‘, as the dedicated audience sang back near every word.
Back on the main stage, as the moon moved across the blue sky, stage sparklers marked the arrival of Creeper, the UK’s answer to My Chemical Romance. Though the sparklers got less and less impressive as the set went on (particularly in the bright sunlight), there’s no denying this lot are clearly experts at wowing the festival crowd – a sea of hands waving back and forth on ‘Thorns of Love‘ an early indicator of that, as was the big pomp for the arrival of Annabelle, a bloody bride in her gown.
With the goths showing no signs of backing down in the heat, there were Misfits / Danzig vibes aplenty, with the band sounding as anthemic as you like. Right in the palm throughout, vocalist Will Gould at one point had the crowd singing back the entirety of the chorus before shifting gear into full on Freddie Mercury mode, encouraging both sections of the crowd to give it some.
(Photo Credit: Jez Pennington)
This Will Gould kid sure knows how to work an audience, popping up again over the weekend at The Axiom fronting Salem, looking darling with his little neckerchief. Legs were high in the air and surfing over the barrier for one eager punter right before a big space was opened up in the middle for kids to run around in, as drummer Jack Wrench smashed away. As he does in Creeper, Gould makes everything fun as hell and creates such a show, building up the crowd and making sing along moments mean so much.
Thursday night headliners Jimmy Eat World arrived for their day in the sun ahead of what seemed like an entire audience chanting “Jimmy“! Slicker than slick throughout their 1 hour plus, big one ‘Bleed American‘ came out early doors, a proper anthem, whilst personal favourite ‘The Sweetness‘ was a hairs on the back of the neck treat. ‘The Middle‘ was naturally their last, sing along central as the evening drew in. In fact, the crowd sang back near enough every word all night, though if you didn’t know the tune (hiya) it became a touch samey after a while (though ‘Blister‘, with guitarist Tom Linton taking on lead vocal duties, was a total jam).
Humorously, with a big smile on his face, vocalist Jim Adkins dished out some of the most generic sounding thanks for the crowd. Unintentional I’m sure, but very funny to hear – disingenuous, like a character from a video game, though perhaps it’s just what happens when you’re deep into a UK tour (and have been at it for nearly 30 years!)
Mornings before midday were spent queuing up to grab a Happy Banger (if you know, you know) and a coffee, each given their own soundtracks – Saturday via cucumber cool Yorkshire lot Avalanche Party (with some killer sax) and Friday via heavy Brummie outfit Creature, who almost knocked us off our feet with ferocious guitars during their soundcheck. As recommended by God Damn‘s Thom during their set the day before, Creature soon filled the head-banging quota for the morning (difficult with a scalding Americano on the go) with throat shredding vocals. A wee bit early for us, though there was no faulting the sincerity of vocalist James Thompson as he suggested “Get some fucking mosh pits on the go yeah?”
In other heavy news, I liked that before we got into the tent for thrash-metallers Heriot – with the guttural harsh vocals of Debbie Gough sounding like when you clear your throat in the morning – we passed the Women’s Institute in the merch tent, selling lovely sweet baked goods alongside all the wares on offer. Grab yourself a Blondie before getting your head caved in, why not?
(Photo Credit: Joe Singh – SnapRockandPop)
“…We are Twisted Sister!” Announced Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs vocalist Matt Baty as Friday night moved into a heavier gear. “Who’s on next, Status Quo?” He asked, during one of his very funny in-betweens, the Geordie doom peddlers arriving in deafening fashion prior to that, whilst I worked through my only gyros of the festival (sad!)
“Listening to some loud as fuck music since Wednesday?” Asked Baty after the quintet ripped through an old one from back in the day (the 70s we were told). Next he’s commenting on the setup itself, suggesting the scaffolding made it feel “…like a Rammstein show!” Having recently caught them bringing the walls down at The Albert Hall in Manchester, it’s clear as day they’ve stepped their game up to warrant the shift to headliner. Building and building through the frantic ‘A66‘ from the acclaimed ‘King Of Cowards‘ album, lights flashed ahead of its climax as the vocalist roared “Here we go!“
Southerners High Vis (“I’m not from fucking London, but that’s where we live” – Vocalist Graham Sayle) transported us back to Manchester (or maybe Birkenhead) on Saturday afternoon, shifting from angry hardcore to baggy, Mad-Chester style mood enhancers which the crowd ate up with much gusto. Mannequin Pussy did some transporting of their own, offering up sun-soaked grunge-y throwback numbers, which were a treat in the far too hot afternoon heat. Having been over here for three weeks, vocalist Marisa Dabice acknowledged the shared hatred of governments between the UK and the US! Sweet vocals one minute, hoarse the next, Dabice sounded particularly raging when giving it the latter, off like a rocket at one point as she lunged to the front of the stage and shouted, before moving back and chucking shapes, whilst bassist Colins Regisford became all hair, headbanging during heavier moments.
(Photo Credit: Joe Singh – SnapRockandPop)
Manchester trio False Advertising very much made the most of their late afternoon slot on the Neu stage, the giant ‘Won’t Feel Love‘ sounding real large. A joy to see the local lot from back home killing it amongst so many great acts, their new one ‘Personal Space‘ was the highlight, a grunge-y gem that provided the perfect soundtrack as one looked out past the tent to see the idyllic countryside.
Who knew that two people could look quite so small on such a big stage? Crystal Palace two-piece JOHN made it work however when they took to The Axiom, both doing impeccably in the heat as they hardly let up throughout their half hour. Drummer John Newton looked down on the crowd from a big old riser, thundering away as they exploded into life. Guitarist Johnny Healey gritted his teeth as he played, the only one at the festival wearing a SAVAK shirt I’d wager!
Towel on the face from drummer John as he kept hitting before letting us know about their new chart bothering album ‘Nocturnal Manoeuvres‘. All smiles on stage as they opened up a pit full of smiling punters out front – A wee lass ended up giving her friend her hat, glasses and pint and then disappeared into the throng.
The Chats from afar looked like a sun-blasted delight, as Aussie as can be, ripping through their set at x10 speed on the Main Stage. The wee daisy dukes on bassist/vocalist Eamon Sandwith were no distraction as he spat out every acerbic word. On the other side of the festival, The Wytches provided the blast from the past portion of the evening, grunge and psych infusions as the sun baked those sticking around The Cave stage.
“If I forget how to play this song, In a way it’s your fault.” Suggested vocalist Falco of groove-heavy trio Mclusky, later requesting during their set that maverick clapping should be reserved for ArcTanGent (the sister festival to 2000 Trees) as here they’re happy with just standard clapping. Screaming out the vocals to ‘Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues‘, people rushed past to get stuck in, as bassist Damien Sayell rolled up his sleeve to show off a bulging bicep. After a few false starts on one, Falco laughed as he looked out and announced. “Ladies and gentlemen you just witnessed an organic band experience – nothing to do with me.”
(Photo Credit: Joe Singh – SnapRockandPop)
Mclusky came up again late Saturday evening when IDLES vocalist Joe Talbot acknowledged the importance of sharing the bill with the trio and how vital they are. Similar shout outs would follow for Safe Gigs 4 Women, JOHN and The Chats, but first their arrival with the ominous question from Talbot. “Are you ready to collide?” Setting out their stall as final headliners of the weekend, the outfit thrashed through opener ‘Colossus‘, soon knocking the hits out one after another – ‘Mother‘ sounding solid as the red lights flashed and Talbot raised a hand high, later running in a circle ahead of ‘1049 Gotho‘ and chanting hypnotic ‘La la la la la’s‘ on ‘Love Song‘.
Giving proceedings a proper big match feel, IDLES ticked all manner of boxes. Drummer Jon Beavis went into overtime on ‘Never Fight a Man With a Perm‘, guitarist Mark Bowen not long after getting acquainted with the front row, taking a microphone with him and singing ‘Nothing Compares 2 U‘ and ‘You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)‘. Not to be outdone, Talbot on stage transitioned into ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You‘, all set against their nails brand of lapel-grabbing noise. Keeping the crowd lively, everyone got crouched down on ‘I’m Scum‘ before springing up, not long before closer ‘Rottweiler‘ and a final word from Joe: “We’ve been IDLES, you’ve been fucking magic.”
Our real headliners of the weekend however came early into Friday evening with our hardcore heroes – the main reason for making the trek up from Manchester. After some delay, drummer Daniel Fang ran on in front of the big pink backdrop on stage to queue in the rest of Turnstile. Vocalist Brendan Yates wasn’t far behind, propelling everyone forward on euphoric opener ‘MYSTERY‘, raising the microphone stand high for the crowd to shout back every word in unison. Whilst Yates looked very high school gym in his shorts and white tee, bassist Franz Lyons on the other hand looked slick wearing the band’s own merch, standing high on a monitor and looking out at the masses, perfect teeth visible from where we were stood! A star all set, later Lyons got a big sing along going himself on ‘NO SURPRISE‘, the crowd backing him 100%.
Joining in on the percussion at the end of ‘BLACKOUT‘, Yates too got some crowd back and forth going, again raising the microphone stand out their way to much hurrah. The sun caught the vocalist looking like a Greek god as he outstretched his arms on the heart-swelling ‘UNDERWATER BOI‘, the vocalist soon flowing through his dance moves like it’s nothing as the band pushed on, full steam ahead.
Near enough a run through of their massive new album ‘GLOW ON‘, major highlights came from the frantic ‘WILD WRLD‘ and ‘HOLIDAY‘. Before long, Yates chucked himself into the crowd, as Franz and guitarist Pat McCrory waved to him from on stage. Hardcore thrash heaven ‘T.L.C. (TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION)‘ put an end to it, everyone’s hearts full as they screamed back “I want to thank you for letting me be myself“, vocalist Yates soon down the front, slapping hands and embracing the front row.
(Photo Credit: Joe Singh – SnapRockandPop)
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