FESTIVAL PREVIEW: 2000trees Festival 2019

In between the big players, your Download’s, Hellfest’s, and Reading and Leeds, you have festivals like 2000trees. One of the smallest events yet it possesses a near cult like status amongst fans, the festival has built itself up as a bastion of punk, folk, alternative, and just about everything else in between, and this year boasts an incredible line up. With some of the biggest and best bands the festival has ever seen play, we wanted to look at everything 2000trees has to offer ahead of the gates opening this weekend!

Thursday

The Thursday at 2000trees this year is a bit of a mental one, given just how much quality music is on display across the day. With a new EP out, PHOXJAW will be an obvious choice to start the day on, and no doubt their weird alternative rock sensibilities will fuse with their volatile live show for a great start to your festival. WSTR will then be on hand to inject attitudinal pop punk, which will go perfectly with the good weather forecast, and will give a nice juxtaposition to the gloom and misery that LOATHE will seek to deliver when they roll out their heavy assault.

With HAGGARD CAT almost earning the title of house band at the festival, the two-piece have been relentlessly peddling their bluesy, groovy hard rock, and this will undoubtedly be one of the sets of the weekend. Despite barely even entering the second half of the year, everyone is talking about HOLDING ABSENCE and their grab from album of the year with their debut. As such, their set at 2000trees this year will be the first where they have a plethora of material to boot and a whole lot more experience to bring, so be prepared for a special set from the youngsters. Similarly, PUPPY have released a mammoth of an album in The Goat, so for any riff aficionados and grunge lovers, there isn’t a better choice for you to go and check out. DREAM STATE and PRESS TO MECO are both some of the best young talent about, and both have a tasty blend of heavy passages and lovely melodies, so you can’t go wrong with either them. There are few bands who suit 2000trees more than FLOGGING MOLLY, and this year the Celtic punk legends are going to be bringing what will probably be one of the most wholly fun festival sets of the year. And then there is WHILE SHE SLEEPS, who are just brilliant, and will level the Cave Stage, because it is what they do.

Friday

If you managed to survive through the Thursday, then PENGSHUI will be a great way to get back into the swing of things. After a successful Download slot last month, this trio are going to be on fine form. MODERN ERROR has been making waves after landing a support slot with ENTER SHIKARI of all bands at the start of the year, their post-hardcore will dampen the atmosphere in the best way, and they might well be one the best surprises of the weekend. With one of the best band names on the line up, OXYGEN THIEF deserves your time just for that, but luckily, they have some tunes to boot as well. The loud three-piece BRUTUS are an obvious highlight of the Friday and will likely be able to be heard from across the campsite, and similarly ANGEL DU$T and GOUGE AWAY will be two of the most vocal and riot inciting acts of the weekend.

For anyone who might be seeking some of the quirkier acts that 2000trees can be renown for, CAVETOWN will help you find a citrus friend and probably make you feel realty happy in the meantime. ROLO TOMASSI, however, are on the form of their life and have the best material of their career as well. With sell out shows and a GOJIRA support slot already proving their worth, you really needn’t aught anymore reason to go and see them. After, if you’re still very much on the Celtic punk hype, go see SKINNY LISTER and then the mighty, mighty WILDHEARTS as well. CANCER BATS continue to be the band that is on quite literally every line up under the sun, and MONGOL HORDE will fight back against any controversy that muddied their initial announcement. After all of this, YOU ME AT SIX will bring a close to what is a stacked day for music, and you can then begin the recovery process for Saturday.

Saturday

It is always a sad day when the Saturday rolls around at 2000trees, because it usually disappears in the blink of an eye. With a history of exceptional hardcore acts playing the festival, HIGHER POWER will be added to the list, and their almost psychedelic twist on the blueprint will be fuel for a lot of dancing. Something entirely different to THE ARMED then, who will just try their damnedest to rip the bones out from inside your own body. CLEOPATRICK have been making waves as a truly energetic and fun to watch live act, and the fact they’re only a two piece makes the novelty even better, certainly one to check for any deep HAGGARD CAT fans, and then THE BOTTOM LINE will give one of the most effortlessly fun sets of the weekend, with plenty of room to drop some utter bangers from their latest album.

Being one of the most out of place bands on the line up, MØL are difficult to judge how they will go down, but for the fact of them being a genuinely different alternative to everything else on the line up, curiosity dictates you at least go check them out. If that doesn’t work out for you, the Scottish experimental pop group VUKOVI will be another wild card to go check out. CAN’T SWIM will be the saddest band of the entire weekend and will likely succeed tremendously as a result of that, before the nostalgia kicks in for A, and we can bet the crowd for them will be one of the biggest of the weekend. EVERY TIME I DIE are an absolute no brainer, given they are one of the best bands to ever walk the face of the earth, and the addition of a full Hot Damn! set means that this will be a volatile affair. There is a strong emo contingent this year as well, with FRANK IERO AND THE FUTURE VIOLENTS offering a chance for the MCR legend to peddle his less known solo stuff before DEAF HAVANA bring the whole festival to a close with some of the most glorious singalongs of the three days. As final festival days go, you could be doing a whole lot worse!

2000trees is one of our all time favourite festivals, and we cannot wait to see you there, catch all the bands, and just have the best time. Be sure to follow our social media for all the coverage!

2000trees Festival takes place at Upcote Farm, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire from July 11th-13th 2019. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.

For more information on 2000trees Festival like their official page on Facebook.