Next weekend sees the return of 2000 Trees festival to Upcote Farm in Cheltenham. Consistently one of the best festivals around, last year the world started catching up with them: both Kerrang! and Total Guitar named it the coolest festival in the country. It’s an absolutely essential date in the calendar of the discerning fan of DIY punk, emo, indie rock and metal, not to mention fans of festivals you can walk around in 15 minutes, bring your own beer and enjoy the nicest toilets on the circuit, not to mention feeling like a real part of a community. This years lineup is typically strong, especially the opening day, so our advice is to pack your suncream and a reusable water bottle and get there early. Here are ten bands not to miss.
False Advertising
Thursday @ Axiom
Coming off the back of last year’s SXSW and the Cure personally inviting them to play at Meltdown, Manchester grunge-pop heroes False Advertising will no doubt be showcasing their forthcoming new album. Get there early!
Phoxjaw
Thursday @ Neu
After stealing the show last year with their melodramatic take on At the Drive-In-style tangled riffing, Phoxjaw are unmissable.
Nervus
Thursday @ The Cave
Nervus do that classic thing of making fun, riffy indie rock with super personal, heart-on-sleeve lyrics. See you down the front for a dance to songs about life as a trans woman.
Petrol Girls
Thursday @ The Cave
Petrol Girls are hardcore in every sense. Sure, musically, anyone can do that, but lyrically they come wrapped in content warnings for sexual violence and harassment. Music for survivors.
itoldyouiwouldeatyou
Friday @ Neu
itoldyouiwouldeatyou fill the stage like their name would fill a word count if they believed in the space bar. They’re a seven-piece and they make lovely twinkly emo to be sad to
Rolo Tomassi
Friday @ The Cave
Rolo Tomassi have quietly become elder statespeople of noise rock over the past decade or so. Their heady mix of punk, jazz and prog has often been mimicked but rarely bettered.
Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam
Saturday @ Neu
Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam are as prolific as their name is daft, pumping out short and sweet albums packed with ramshackle punk fun. Get your dancing shoes on.
Muncie Girls
Saturday @ Main Stage
Muncie Girls’ Fixed Ideals was one of the best albums of last year (number 51 in our album of the year poll, they were robbed!) so if you’re into politically aware indie punk this will be right up your street. And if you’re not, why not?
Martha
Saturday @ Main Stage
They’ve been called “the world’s best straight-edge, vegan, anarchist rock band” which makes Martha sound very serious indeed, but if you don’t leave their set with the biggest grin on your face then I owe you one.
The St Pierre Snake Invasion
Saturday @ The Cave
The St Pierre Snake Invasion describe their latest album Caprice Enchante as “an endeavour, a labour of love, an arduous task finally completed and ready to be let loose on the world”, and that commitment drips from every pore of their blistering hardcore.
2000 Trees takes place 11-13 July. Tickets are available here.
