2000 Trees – Day Three
Upcote Farm, Cheltenham
10th – 13th July 2024
Friday
Following on from falling in love with 2000 Trees Festival last year, what’s probably the best festival in the UK makes a triumphant return to Upcote Farm. Louder Than War’s Dave Beech is there to see how things go.
A somewhat different start to Friday, as we’re woken at a slightly more reasonable hour by the sound of rain of the tent. On its own, not a bad sound, but having been woken up similarly at Download three weeks prior, it’s not one that fills us with confidence.
Thankfully, any water-based worries are unfounded, and whilst the clouds are heavy, grey and hanging ominously above us, the rain holds off for the most part, and we’re able to make our way to the arena for a breakfast that consists of a smoothie for one us, and a delicious rhubarb cider for the other. It’s one of your five a day, right?
We settle down on the benches in front of the NEU Stage for Leeds five-piece Artio. Treading the murky waters somewhere between alt-pop and accessible rock, the quintet succeeds in providing a welcoming platform for their left-wing politics. Indeed, with messages regarding trans rights, anti-fascism, and generally just not being a dick, it’s easy to see the band becoming a mouthpiece for their generation. And whilst the music itself does feel somewhat familiar, the message the band carries should be the focus here.
With a day less stacked than the previous, it gives us plenty of time to catch bands we otherwise perhaps wouldn’t have. Enter, Cruelty. A metal band that seems to defy any genre more specific than that, their set is a ferocious tour-de-force of blast beats and breakdowns; a deep-seated groove providing an extra level of depth often unseen in your usual metal offerings.
Indeed, it’s perhaps quite early for something so heavy, but the rhythmic bottom end offsets the sheer weight and brutality of their midday set. Paradoxically progressive, but also so sludgy it seems in danger of stymying the pace entirely, the musicianship on show is something else, and we make a mental note to ensure we catch these guys at their own show. We just mustn’t forget the earplugs.
From brutality to Boston now (by way of Australia) for Celtic punk band The Rumjacks on the Main Stage. The Aussie (and American and Italian) six-piece start the party early and feel right at home “playing between a pie shop and a sausage roll shop”.
We spot three men attempting to do-si-doe together, but not quite figuring out how, and elsewhere we’re surrounded by dancing families. It’s a testament to the sheer party atmosphere of the band, and their early afternoon slot makes perfect sense when you see the smiles on the faces of children in their element.
With dual vocals reminiscent of Dropkick Murphys, they’ll of course be subject to lazy comparisons (but not from these writers, never…) but the more ska elements on offer provide an extra layer of nuance. And whilst overall we do feel it’s quite same-y, it does nothing to wipe the shit eating grins off the faces of everyone around us.
Inviting us along to their Forest Stage set later the band proclaim “we’ll be way drunker then!” before ending on An Irish Pub Song which sees jigs-a-plenty. We even spot InMe’s Dave McPherson and friends having a boogie over by the taco stand. Universal appeal indeed!
Remaining at the Main Stage now for another band we’ve been wanting to catch for years, ever since the algorithm thrust them onto our radar, it’s Nottingham’s As December Falls.
There’s little fanfare as they come on stage and immediately start playing whilst waving to the gathered crowd, before launching into the title track to their 2023 album Join the Club. It’s a delightful dose of pop rock. Vocalist Bethany Curtis and the band are clearly having a great time on stage together, and we’re reminded once again how many incredibly talented women are not only on this year’s Trees line-up, but are gracing the Main Stage.
The pit opens up for Mayday, and we spy a very DIY Freddie Mercury costume; pink tank top, mini skirt, waving his ‘vacuum cleaner’ in the air. As we near the halfway point of the set we’re teasingly asked, “Who would come and see us if we toured next year?”, an as-yet unannounced prospect which garners an excited response from the audience.
“I wrote this song about my ex. And about your ex. It’s called Go Away!”, exclaims Curtis. Their sound isn’t the most original, and it’s easy to draw comparisons with bands such as Paramore. This said, there’s still something that feels especially fresh about As December Falls, and it’s in no small part due to Curtis’ charisma and the rest of the band members’ stage presence. We’re only halfway through the festival, but this may be one of our favourite sets of the weekend so far.
A quick tent trip then back to the action to catch the tail-end of Unpeople. Comprised of members of ex-festival favourites Press To Meco it was always going to be a popular set, but as we get towards The Cave it’s clear it’s overflowing.
“We’re gonna have some fun now. Proceed to kick each other’s teeth in!” the band shout before distorted guitars become recognisable as a cover of Nirvana’s Territorial Pissings. It sounds as good as the original but doesn’t quite have the grit that Bob Vylan’s rendition gave us on the Forest stage last year. An amalgamation of grunge, metal and alt-rock and pop, it’s easy to see why the band have proven so popular, and we’re sure Unpeople is a name we’ll be seeing much more of the coming years.
We make it back to the main stage in plenty of time to get a decent spot for one of our favourites, Nova Twins. And whilst one of us hangs back on the fringes of an impressive crowd the other throws themselves into the thick of it.
Amy Love and Georgia South come out looking perfectly coordinated, as always, but unfortunately from where we’re standing, almost front and centre, the backing track and bass are much too loud, drowning out the vocal for a chunk of the first song.
Love calls for her boss bitches to join her for Cleopatra, but the sound issues persist, and the reverb detracts from the pure musicianship that these women are displaying. Love’s vocal talent is undeniable, however, and by the time we get to breakthrough single Taxi, the levels have balanced a little.
KMB is dedicated to all the “cunty ex-partners”, and out of nowhere the front quarter or the crowd suddenly drops to the ground and begins rowing. The number of crowd surfers making their way over the barrier grows seemingly exponentially throughout the remainder of the set, and we even witness The Flash ride past us on a rubber dinghy.
Soon enough the set has become a soundtrack for the complete chaos around us, and by the time the girls come to closing the set with Choose Your Fighter, they are both playing horizontally atop the crowd.
Indeed, whilst sound issues dogged the front of the crowd, from the fringes it’s perfect throughout. The crowd-surfing reaches fever pitch, and the security at the front of the stage swells from just three to seven or even eight. It’s warranted, though. The Flash is soon joined by Wonder Woman, and then by what seems like a quarter of the crowd throwing themselves forwards. Security handles it perfectly, and as the Korn-esque basslines rumble onwards, the Skindred-esque delivery is the perfect accompaniment.
Veering between the filthy and the exquisite, the band’s harmonies are something else, and whilst we can’t quite picture them as festival headliners in their own right just yet, the trajectory is very much set.
Speaking of festival headliners, we remain at the Main Stage for one of last year’s highlights, Bob Vylan. They’re not quite there yet either, but they will be soon, especially if Bobby has anything to do with it.
“We’ve done four and a half shows here over three consecutive years, and that’s why we’re commandeering this festival!”, Bobby informs us before renaming the festival ‘Vylanfest’. Proceedings begin with the obligatory guided stretching and meditation, and the audience obliges before the self-confessed ‘Slam Dunk Hooligans’ (“treading lightly”) kick things off true to form with a couple of anarchic proclamations of intent, Bobbie hitting the living shit out of the drums as Bobby pelts back and forth, almost kneeing himself in the chin.
Tracks such as Northern Line and We Live Here are given an early outing, before we’re introduced to Bobby’s daughter, “Moonrise Vylan, the littlest Bob” who, after checking with her dad that she’s allowed to swear, shouts “Let’s fucking go!” to much joy from the crowd, before accompanying the duo on Dream Big.
“Geezers step back. Women and non-binary folk to the front to enjoy a mosh pit without fear of being pushed to the floor by these brutes” for the scathing He’s A Man. We’re so very here for it.
Bobby talks about how it’s because of the fans that they get to travel the world and release music on their own label, free from constraints and able to do and say what they want. He starts a “Free free Palestine” chant and cries “Fuck the pacifist punks”. Though there’s so much pure intent in the messages, and it is endearing, there’s also an obnoxious edge to Bobby’s banter. They’re fantastic songwriters and lyricists, but we believe they can be just as punk without the violence. Though we’re sure they’d disagree. That said, there is definitely a telling absence of a cricket bat throughout today’s proceedings.
Halfway through Wicked & Bad, Bobby parts the crowd and sprints down to the sound desk, calling for his ‘stage dive crew’. He launches himself backwards off the scaffolding, and in the hands of the crowd surfs all the way back to the stage. It’s a rock star move, although the effect is slightly dulled (although made awkwardly hilarious) by the fact the pair finish out the song quickly, leaving Bobby to quietly sail back to the front in near silence.
He makes it, though, and the three Bobs say their goodbyes from the stage before exiting to the Godfather theme, presumably a nod to their ‘Fred Perry Mafia’ status (“always respect the wreath”!).
Rather than seeing The Chats we opt to wander, taking in everything from stand-up comedy on The Word stage, the Slowdive-esque goth stylings of Zetra’s final song on The NEU, and a beautifully understated and emotional second set from Grandson over on The Forest. And of course, no trip to Trees would be complete without at least a little silent disco action. Conscious of another big day tomorrow though, we resist the pull of a truly late night, ensuring we’re as fresh as we can be for the following day.
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Dave Beech is a music writer based out of Manchester. Links to his work can be found over at his blog, Life’s A Beech, as well as his Louder Than War Author Archive. He also tweets as @Dave__Beech.
Additional words: Sally Hirshman
Photos supplied/as credited
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