2000 Trees: A Celebration of Community

2000 Trees: A Celebration of Community

Nestled somewhere in the Cotswold Hills, lies a quaint, quirky, mid-sized festival which will entice you like a moth to flame. With a stellar line-up ranging from Kneecap through to Baby Lasagna, and many campsite acoustic sets (including a gorgeous City and Colour acoustic covers set courtesy of Mike Barham) it’s unsurprising that we left part of our heart in the forest!

Speaking of the Forest, just nestled off to the right of the sessions stage, is a little-known trail featuring lots of sculptures, a piano(!), a campsite, and an entire Forest School, which made for perfect night-time adventures around the site.

If adventures weren’t your kind of thing, the silent disco may pique your interest. Imagine being able to tune in to seven different stages through one set of headphones whilst lying in your tent? Imagine being able to wander around the entire festival whilst tailoring your own soundtrack; creating memories that last a lifetime, and experiences that you certainly can’t get elsewhere.

Kicking off the Forest Sessions on Wednesday afternoon was Haggard Cat – an underground riff-driven hardcore band from Nottingham – who demanded the first pit of the day, whilst delivering ample amounts of energy and passion in abundance. A perfect opener to compliment Alexisonfire who closed 2000 Trees with a magnificent set displaying the best of the very best that the industry has to offer.
Speaking of Headliners, Kneecap brought about a rip-roaring set that surprised those of us that hadn’t ever seen them perform before, with people around visually stunned by just how good they were. Whilst Taking Back Sunday, also taking helm as a headliner, managed to take us all back to the mid-2000’s with a setlist full of classic hits.

Kid Kapichi brought about some real emotions as they closed their set with a final goodbye to the current line-up, showing that even the most amicable splits can bring about a great deal of sadness, although the silver lining here is that this is not the end for Kid Kapichi, but a new beginning.

Many of you wonderful readers will know that we recently celebrated our 25^th Anniversary, and for those of you that have been around since 2001, you’ll be all too familiar with the incredible Julia from Million Dead. Julia made up one half of Julz ‘n Dave, a TotalRock breakfast show, when Million Dead first got started. How wonderful it was to see Julia dancing around the stage, wielding her bass with power and precision, and with energy rivalling a teenager!
Whilst we absolutely loved catching the Headliner sets, we very much enjoyed catching a lot of the other acts. Some of our favourite acts were Vexed, False Reality, Grief Ritual, VOWER, Eville, Gen and The Degenerates, and especially HECTARES, who brought about a post-hardcore set with shoegaze intensity. HECTARES are absolutely a band to watch out for.

The beating heart of 2000 Trees is by and large, the Forest Sessions stage, for it is unlike anything you’ll ever find at other festivals of a similar calibre. From early morning yoga to sky-high trees lit up with festoon lighting, the Forest Session stage has everything you need to have an amazing day without even stepping foot into the ‘arena’. A highlight for us was lying on the hill at the entrance to the forest, overlooking the stage, whilst tuning into the silent disco and watching the world go by.

That’s the kicker with Trees: it has an unwavering charm that can and will capture you – you won’t even realise it’s happened until you’re wondering why you’ve suddenly come to adore a festival that upon first impressions, you didn’t think you could ever enjoy let alone love.