In a landscape where silence is often equated with compliance, 2000trees have come out swinging. Backing Kneecap to headline, long before the infamous Irish trio take the stage on Thursday night, the tone is set.
Irish firebrand Meryl Streek, agit-punk duo The Meffs and genre-bending Hyphen all make space for protest and power. Early-bird headliners Hot Milk certainly don’t pull any punches either. The festival’s revamped Main Stage sign, sequinned and rainbowed, makes its own statement too; boldly inclusive in a summer where some festivals cave to censorship or sideline the trans community. If this year’s Trees is to be written into history, it’ll be on the right side.
The records will also show one undeniable truth: it is hot. “2000trees? More like 2000degrees!” quips Coheed & Cambria’s drummer Josh Eppard, and he isn’t wrong. Shade becomes a precious resource as the mercury soars past 30°C each day, turning Upcote Farm into a dustbowl. Understandably, it zaps the festival energy somewhat. The crowds remain electric from the sets, but time in between sets is spent mostly hiding away from the sunlight. Thankfully, all of that changes by the time the headliners arrive.
Thursday’s climax comes in the form of Kneecap, arguably one of the most important bands in the world right now. Their presence goes beyond music. It is movement. Flags wave, flares burn green and orange and balaclava-clad fans scream every line. While their sound might seem out of sync with Trees’ more traditional flavour, their message aligns perfectly. Defiant, funny, furious, they have the crowd in the palm of their hands.
Before them, PVRIS bring polish and purpose. Fresh off a 10-year anniversary tour of their debut ‘White Noise’, they deliver a confident, slick set that leans into their roots and reminds everyone why they matter in the first place.
Friday sees a co-headline masterclass from Coheed & Cambria and Taking Back Sunday. Despite their stylistic differences – experimental epics versus pop-punk anthems – both acts balance fan favourites with fresh material. “Hey, look at what else we can do!” grins Adam Lazzara, mic swinging and setlist hopping from ‘El Paso’ to ‘My Blue Heaven’. It works.
Then comes the festival closer: Alexisonfire, making their long-awaited Trees debut, and they make it count. “When this is over, I want to see significantly less trees,” declares George Pettit, before launching into a riot of hits. Wade in chainmail, Dallas serenading, George attempting to crowd-surf on inflatable couches, Chris Steele vibrating with energy, it is beautiful chaos, stitched together by a band whose chemistry is as wild as it is magnetic.
Before Alexisonfire close the show, letlive. return to Trees on their explosive but bittersweet farewell tour. “We might never come back, so I’m going to do everything I ever wanted to on stage,” Jason Aalon Butler announces. Cue: drum riser carnage, fancy dress amps hoisted on stage, lighting rig climbs, and monitors being heaved. Amid the anarchy, their songs remain sharp, vital and necessary. It is a feral celebration of passion and pain.
Across the sun-scorched Main Stage, highlights are everywhere. Unpeople make the leap from Forest stage to Main with ease. Karen Dio is fire. SNAYX sink their teeth in. BLACKGOLD prove nu-metal isn’t just alive, it’s kicking. Catbite bring sunshine ska-punk energy while The Dangerous Summer match the heat with their golden-hour anthems. FIDLAR bring absolute chaos. Trash Boat walk the tightrope between pop-punk and their heavier ambitions. Employed To Serve, despite the blazing heat, deliver pure aggression under arcs of water jets.
But the crown belongs to Vukovi. Having become Trees favourites in recent years, this set feels like a coronation. Janine Shilstone, in Crocs and full command, leads a blistering, confident performance that pays off every ounce of faith the festival has invested in them.
The Axiom Stage is classic Trees, bursting with alternative brilliance. Superbloom celebrate their 100th show in style. Puppy return on another mythic quest. Twin Atlantic remind everyone why their biggest songs still hit. Split Chain launch their debut album ‘Motionblur’ with a performance that hints at even bigger things. Anxious blur emo and hardcore lines. Million Dead, two decades of silence, play only their second reunion show and make it count.
In The Cave, the heavyweights reign. Friday’s triple bill of Graphic Nature, Frontierer and Heriot is punishing in all the right ways. False Reality and Vexed also smash their sets while Hidden Mothers deliver an early Saturday wallop. Bruise Control leave their mark. Birds In Row pull in a crowd for their expansive, emotionally charged set, delivering a standout moment in a space built for intensity. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Love Is Noise, who have to cut their set short due to technical issues.
The Neu Stage lives up to its name; full of next-up greatness. Lake Malice headline with unstoppable momentum. Witch Fever preview material from a new album that promises another leap forward. Black Foxxes lean into their evolving, experimental phase. Lower down the bill, Pavé balance grace and grit, Tarmac are raw and wiry, and GIRLBAND! serve up polished, pop-edged fun. The Neu Stage once again proves to be the launchpad for the festival’s future stars.
The magic of 2000trees still lives in the forest. There is nothing quite like watching bands play on a wooden stage surrounded by trees. It remains one of the festival’s most distinctive and enchanting experiences. This year’s Forest lineup includes several acts playing multiple sets, but time and again, it is their appearance beneath the canopy that is their lasting moment. Coheed’s headline slot may be brilliant, but their stripped forest showing with accompanying Q&A session offers a rare peek behind the curtain. La Dispute, meanwhile, feel right at home among the trees and their set suits it perfectly.
In a similar fashion, both Kevin Devine and Frank Turner (who is celebrating his album ‘Love Ire & Song’) each take on a new dimension in which the location feels like their ideal setting for their music. Kid Kapichi use the Wednesday slot to deep dive into their back catalogue. Hevenshe shake the trees at their root. And when you think 2000trees might have it all, Baby Lasagne deliver a touch of Eurovision eccentricity to the festival.
RØRY steps confidently in the Saturday headlining role backed by a bill boasting The Hara and As December Falls, too, who all feel destined to play a bigger role on the Trees bill in the coming years. The forest also plays host to a new phenomenon of silent sets from The Xcerts, who play live directly into the headphones of late-night revellers – an equal parts disorienting and oddly intimate experience.
Still, from stage to stage, the festival delivers. Some outstanding headlining sets match with a flurry of breakthrough acts, this year’s edition is one of their most complete yet.
It is another standout year for 2000trees. It is a declaration. In a summer scorched by both climate and cultural heat, Trees stand firm. Amidst a lineup packed with brilliant bands, it offers hope and voices to rally behind. While others play it safe, Trees take a stand and burn all the brighter for it.
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