Photo Credit: Alia Thomas
As we woke up on Saturday, we realised that this was it. Day four of 2000trees 2024 and our last full day in the fields of Upcote Farm.
After a morning debrief and planning session with our camping mates, we headed down to The Axiom to catch the first band of the day snake eyes. Their gritty-grunge tracks including scuttlebug and self-worth anthem lean got the slowly filling up tent on board. Drummer Thomas Coe-Brooker couldn’t hide the fun he was having from behind the drum kit during the tracks and during No Cars the energy for vocalist Jim Heffy was too much as he jumped into the crowd for a dance. Latest single in support of Music Declares Emergency and Greenpeace is a hard hitter about the impact our actions are having on the world, giving a reflective moment during their fun set. We had the macarena during a love song (another world), a wall of consensual hugging as walls of death aren’t Heffy’s vibe and an early in the day singalong with the infectious skeletons closer. What a start to our Saturday!
Panic Shack are fun. They’re the breath of fresh air on a drizzly Saturday morning as the Welsh quartet launch into an incredibly melodic I Don’t Really Like It giving a delightful reminder to people who give you a look which you well don’t like. The spoken style of vocals from Sarah Harvey at times made it feel like she was chatting to you as a mate, as Baby told us over and over about how babies just aren’t for her. We had a first as we heard a song all about sandwiches during Meal Deal and despite this being a fun set with some bounce along lyrics, for us we maybe just didn’t get it. That didn’t however stop the crowd having a great time during the carefree set.
Arriving back at the Axiom, the delightful harmonies of Indoor Pets filled our ears and the hook filled Hi got under the crowd skin getting them bouncing along. ‘The last time we played here there was only one tree!’ joked vocalist Jamie Glass. Highlighting tracks from latest album Pathetic Apathetic we had the fun, we had the stompy Dopamine Girls which sits happily with some of the indie anthem classics getting the crowd singing along. Indoor Pets were providing a lovely lunchtime packaged of soaring vocals, swirling guitar lines and simply sharp drums to keep everyone’s attention. We had a chat to Indoor Pets after their set and can confirm they’re as much fun off stage as they are onstage!
2000trees just isn’t the same without The Xcerts so this year to get two doses was a right treat. With such a stacked discography and a thirty minute set, it was never going to give everyone what they wanted but the trio did a pretty good job at pleasing everyone. Whether it was Shaking In The Water getting an all-crowd singalong going, Aberdeen 1987 dedicated to Murray Macleod’s dad after health issues which have seen him come out positively on the other side or the chaos-inducing Drive Me Wild introduction where we all knew what was coming next. During their set as a different era of their discography was shown, the evolution of the band was clear but one thing which has always remained is their ability to write lyrically impressive tracks with musical backing to match the vibe. Sometimes we wonder why The Xcerts aren’t playing higher up the bill or at bigger venues, but then we remember it’s the 3pm magic of a packed out mainstage crowd which is more important than all of that. Closing with Feels Like Falling In Love, close friend Josh Franceschi of You Me At Six made a surprise appearance to get involved in the fun. It feels like every time they perform at the festival, everyone is falling in love with them a little bit more and we can’t wait to see their love story with Trees continue.
‘Did anyone else get up at 2am this morning?’ asks Marshall Gallagher of Teenage Wrist. Given the silent disco was still in full flow at that point, many watching their set today in the packed out tent probably hadn’t even slept a wink at that point. As one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend, as soon as Sunshine kicked in we completely understood why everyone was telling us to check them out. Dark Sky was shoegaze twinged, with a heavy musical hitting from Gallagher and Anthony Salazar then we had Mary with a lighter, sing-along edge keeping everyone fixed. Closing with Earth Is A Black Hole, it was one last chance for the pits to open and the crowd to remind the duo why they need to keep coming back to the UK on a regular occasion.
Fans were delighted as Into It. Over It. came back to the UK for a run of shows after nine years away, alongside some headline dates it also saw them at 2000trees making this a special emo-pop celebration. After an unfortunate drum hiccup as opener Embracing Facts saw the drum break seconds in, they tried their best to turn it around as the crowd were slower than anticipated to warm to them today. With a set containing tracks such as Adult Contempt, Fortunate Friends and Proper; we’d expected non stop energy as the band came together to layer up a delightful instrumental section. Maybe fans weren’t quite over how long they’d been away, but despite this Into It. Over It. definitely had a great time.
Back at the main stage, Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls walked onto stage to a sea of cheers. Instructing the crowd to ‘get the pit going!’ they listened and delivered. The chant of ‘I don’t want to be in any gang that you’re in. I refuse to take part in gatekeeping people’s art’ from No Thank You For The Music saw smiles on faces across the field as we realised this was about to be something good. It was a punk-rock set with the punk-rock pits to match. ‘I feel like I’m home when we’re at 2000trees and friends we’re going to have fun,’ he explained early on. If I Ever Stray had a delightful vibe as people took to shoulders, began finger pointing and we took a step back to enjoy the gorgeous surroundings of the countryside we were sharing this moment with. A really fun fact was that after seeing Frank (who played the first ever 2000trees) at the festival in 2010, drummer Callum Green had gone full circle to be on the mainstage with him playing tonight. The Sleeping Souls collective work flawlessly on their own but their bond with Frank and the power it holds when unite is so special. From Letters about a long lost pen pal (who he recently reconnected with!) to the rarely played Worse Things Happen At Sea requested by 2000trees promoter James Scarlett who Turner could never say no to, it was an inoffensive rock show which was undeniably great to be a part of tonight.
We were able to catch the final part of Lonely The Brave’s set and on arrival something was definitely not right sound wise. The usually crisp vocals of Jack Bennett were barely distinguishable which took away from the loved emotive punch which their sets usually hold. Despite this the crowd were sticking with it, as Bennett finds his way around the stage as The Blue, The Green released nine years ago (!!) still whips the crowd into a frenzy. We just hope the next time we and others see them live, the sound quality will be back on their side.
Our final visit to the Axiom saw us seeing Creeper play an incredibly theatrical set but we wouldn’t have expected anything less. As Darcia the Vampire came on to remind us that it was coming home the next day at the Euros, a cheer erupted as the band arrived and opened with Further Than Forever. Speaking out about Trees feeling a bit like home to them and it being a privilege to play, it was clear how special tonight was for the band and their crowd. Down Below unleashed the loudest crowd we’d heard all weekend, running around the pits, causing carnage whilst not missing a single lyric being sung back. But taking it to Misery, a haunting track which really felt like it signified the journey the band have been on as fans both old and new, young and older carried the track allowing the band to step back and look on. It felt like the band’s hour long set completely flew by, with us and many others wishing more songs had been within their set but with their opener being almost ten minutes alone we definitely understand why we felt this way!
It’s hard to believe that this was Don Broco’s first time at Trees and they were going right in at the deep end by headlining the main stage at the festival. As Everybody kicked in, fireworks lit up the skies and earlier fancy dress winner Iron Maiden’s Eddie was crowd surfing across the field; we knew this was going to be a really special end to 2000trees 2024.
Pretty saw a ‘friendly, old school’ wall of death kick into play as a vicious energy took over the field as everyone knew this was their chance to give everything. Dedicating Come Out To LA to a fan who’d travelled over from the US just for their show, it was the moment we were reminded just how brilliant the dual vocals of Rob Damiani and Matt Donnelly are. Shouting out the importance of standing up to racism and looking out for fellow humans, in particular those in Palestine came with Uber. Over the years the quartet have been able to perfect their art as we spotted Tom Doyle and Si Delaney bounding across the stage taking in everything during ACTION where KID BRUNSWICK joined the band for a scream off at the end of the track! Offering up a little something for everyone from their discography, we had Priorities and we had Endorphins which was blended in with old fan favourite Thug Workout with the unexpected push up squad who were quickly told to get back up due to the mud and cold! The crowd were hanging onto every word, giving back as much energy as they were receiving from the band. We did have to laugh as we even saw younger kids in the audience chanting along to ‘Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker’ from Bruce Willis, lets just hope they don’t go repeating that when asked about their weekend…
Damiani opened up to the crowd about this being a quiet year live show wise for the band who are working on their fifth album and how honoured they were to close the stage tonight. At the start of the set we felt as if Damiani was holding back, maybe even nervous but as the set progressed this was all pushed to side and it was a celebration for all. Especially for Mangi who finished his GCSEs recently and was doing work experience with the band, coming out onto the stage for a group photo and a reminder of how much actually goes on behind the scenes for a show like this.
As we began to near the end of the set, Nerve took the tempo down a notch but increased the emotion as we found ourselves finding this time to reflect on just how incredible being around likeminded music lovers has been this weekend. Closing with the only song worthy of it, T-shirt Song caused the field to turn into a sea of shirts and anything else people could find being swung around their head. Don Broco proved themselves headliner worthy tonight as we had streamers, fireworks, confetti, incredible light shows and a superb live performance from the band.
After one last night dancing the days away under the stars at the silent disco, our trees adventure was over for another year.
If you’ve ever been to 2000trees you’ll understand what we mean when we say 2000Trees is a truly special place. The vibes are impeccable, you’ll leave with a new friend or two and you get a chance to experience some of the best live music around surrounded by the stunning countryside. When people say this is the best festival in the UK, they’re not wrong, we spoke to bands who said it, heard so many back this up on stage and always feel it ourselves. Every single person involved whether it’s the security catching the crowd surfers, the media team making everything run smoothly back stage or the fans who are making sure to give everyone they meet a warm welcome; they all make 2000trees what it is. 2000trees forever and ever. See you at Upcote farm in 2025!
You can read our review of Wednesday and Thursday here and of Friday here.
Written By: Nicola Craig
Photo gallery featuring Snake Eyes, Michael Cera Palin, Panic Shack, Indoor Pets, Dune Rats, The Nightmares, The Mysterines, Cleopatrick, Death From Above 1979, Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls, Kid Bookie, Creeper, Wargasm and Don Broco.
