The 10 Best Performances From This Year’s 2000 Trees Festival

Credit: Gloucestershire Live

2000 Trees is my favourite UK festival, bar none. Three days of some of the most incredible bands the world has to offer set amongst the rolling hills and lovely forests of the Gloucestershire countryside? With a load of bacon rolls and cider? Yeah, don’t mind if I do. 2019 marks my third consecutive year at Trees, and it’s potentially the strongest in terms of line-up; I don’t think I saw a single bad set throughout the entire weekend, making this an incredibly difficult list to make. Out of the 40 bands I managed to catch, though, there were certainly some standout performances worth writing about.

Just briefly, I want to give some honourable mentions to the bands who narrowly avoided making the top ten amidst some strong competition. Haggard Cat, to no-one’s surprise, put on yet another incredible show early on the Thursday at Trees (despite some comedic mistiming on their confetti cannons), and get a great crowd reaction to boot. The new material they play sounds brilliant, and the bluesy two-piece further establish their place as a new staple of the UK festival scene. Later the same day, I see Comeback Kid for the second time in a week, and whilst their set on the Cave doesn’t quite match up to the intimacy of their gig at Boston Music Rooms a few days prior, it’s still nothing short of wonderful. The band feel like legitimate hardcore legends at this point, and for good reason.

On the Friday, Drug Church and Rolo Tomassi play back-to-back on the Cave, and both stand out for different reasons. The sheer punk-rock energy of the former (along with frontman Patrick Kindlon’s cheeky banter and effortlessly cool stage presence) ensures that songs such as ‘Foam Pit’ and closer ‘Weed Pin’ are highlights of the day. Rolo, on the other hand, are positively otherworldly. Last year’s record, Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It, has elevated them to a whole new level, and it feels like the band should be headlining stages like this in the very near future. Saturday is also chock-full of killer sets, with Lotus Eater putting on easily the most aggro performance of the weekend. Violently-Glaswegian vocalist Jamie McLees is hilariously up-front, telling the spin-kicking maniacs down the front that he secretly likes seeing people get hurt, before the band around him launch into breakdown upon breakdown. The St. Pierre Snake Invasion’s Cave-sub-headlining slot is triumphant and endlessly fun, as they celebrate the release of their new record by playing songs from it with bounds of energy and visible excitement.

I could go on, and chat shit all day about Brutus, Can’t Swim, Mongol Horde, While She Sleeps, and plethora of other artists, but let’s get down to it. Here are the top ten.

Number 10 - Soeur (Thursday, The Cave)

First up are a band who continue to get better every time I see them: Soeur. The Bristolian three-piece have done remarkably well in recent years to hone in on a sound which is uniquely theirs; catchy pop hooks nestled between thick, grungy riffs and math-rock rhythms. As soon as they open with the first unstoppably danceable riff of ‘No Fire’, the band have the audience on tenterhooks and don’t let them go until the final blitz of ‘Fight’ has faded from the speakers. Their on-stage dynamic works wonderfully; dual vocalists and guitarists Tina and Anya play off each other exceptionally well, with ever-complex drums holding it all together at the back. The set feels like a big moment for Soeur – there’s not a minute goes by that doesn’t see one of the members grinning from ear to ear at the packed tent in front of them - and it's only trumped by the significance of their main stage performance on Saturday (which I only manage to catch the end of). As exciting as it all is, there's a real sense that this is only the beginning for the band.

Number 9 – Higher Power (Saturday, The Cave)

Photo by Jez Pennington

Rightfully one of the biggest names in modern UK hardcore, Higher Power put on an absolutely brilliant set at Trees this year. With a unique style of classic, 90s-inspired hardcore doused in grunge and crossover thrash, the Leeds-based crew inspire no shortage of two-stepping and spin-kicking down the front from their small-but-dedicated fanbase. Utilising his signature repeated mosh-calls of "Where the freaks at?" and "For the moshers!", vocalist Jimmy Wizard eggs them on, and exudes a mountain of charisma at the same time. At one point, he climbs down to the barrier in order to get into the faces of those in the front row - an action which results in a pile-on, demonstrating that hardcore kids won't let something as simple as a barricade prevent the creation of the sweaty-club-show feeling that this band deserve. Higher Power stand out amongst their peers not only because of the originality of their music, but also because of the driving sense of personality they possess as a band. They're the British answer to Turnstile, and if you keep on reading, you'll understand how much of a compliment that is.

Number 8 – Indoor Pets (Friday, Neu Stage)

One of the best things about 2000 Trees is that they champion bands who should, for all intents and purposes, be fucking massive – but for some reason, are not. On the strength of their songwriting, Indoor Pets are a prime example. Fronted by the ever-charismatic Jamie Glass (how can a man with such small hands craft such huge choruses?), the four-piece play a pretty unique brand of pop-rock that revolves around sticky hooks and big, bouncy riffage, and they're absolutely on fire on Friday night. This is a band who play songs so huge that you could picture them headlining Reading Festival (see 'Electrify', 'Teriyaki', and 'Cutie Pie, I'm Bloated'), but also possess an utterly unique vibe that makes them feel almost like a punk band; their music in a live setting is more chaotic and heavy than on record. It's still poppy, sure, but it's also engaging and exciting in a way than most of their peers would kill for. I only catch the first three quarters of this set (Cancer Bats were calling me), but nonetheless, I find myself humming the songs from it over and over for the remainder of the weekend.

Number 7 – Turnstile (Thursday, Main Stage)

Photo by Abbie Shipperly

Turnstile are just one of those bands who can do no wrong in a live environment. This being the fourth time I’ve seen the Maryland hardcore upstarts, I know what to expect to a certain extent... but that doesn't stop me from being impressed all over again. With an opening riff-laden 1-2-3 punch of 'Generator', 'Drop', and 'Real Thing', it's easy to see that Turnstile are their usual incendiary selves, and they sound even better outdoors (and in the sun). The word of their prowess as a live act must have spread around, too, because they pull one of the biggest main-stage crowds of the entire festival. On stage, though, as always, bassist Franz Lyons is the one to watch, exuding ridiculous amounts of energy and getting the masses riled up like a commander leading troops to battle. Around him, Brendan Yates, Daniel Fang, Brady Ebert, and Pat McCrory are all doing their best to outdo one another in regard to power, kineticism, and brilliant instrumentation. Most hardcore acts would struggle on such a large platform in a festival setting; instead opting for the heat and intimacy of a smaller tent. Turnstile, though, do just as well here as they would do in a 300-cap no-barrier club show, because they're a band who transcend every boundary and cross every line put in front of them.

Number 6 – A.A. Williams (Saturday, The Forest)

The only purposeful venture I make toward The Forest Stage over the weekend is to see A.A. Williams, and it’s absolutely magical. I’ve never heard the setting so quiet - usually there's a constant unwanted murmur from pricks at the back who decide the best place to chat is the acoustic stage, but this time you can only hear the rustle of leaves, the occasional click of a camera shutter, and every aural detail of the performance. Backed by two other instrumentalists for the majority of the performance, Williams creates an atmosphere which is at once haunting and angelic. Porcelain vocal lines drift over slowly-progressing soundscapes, and the utilisation of dynamics is one of the set's biggest strengths; the quietest moments focus the attention of the attendees so sharply that when a crescendo comes in, it feels almost emotionally overwhelming. In the midst of all the noise and excitement of 2000 Trees, A.A. Williams provides half an hour of real, awe-inspiring beauty.

Number 5 – Orchards (Thursday, The Axiom)

Photo by Jez Pennington

If you could hear happiness, it would sound like Orchards. The Brighton math-pop quartet take to the Axiom early on Thursday afternoon, and it’s a sun-soaked performance driven by pure joy and big hooks. As with Soeur earlier in the day, this might well be one of the biggest – and most involved – crowds the band has ever played to, and the fact that you can see how psyched they are about it just adds to the atmosphere that their bubbly, upbeat tracks create. With some glittery, pink inflatables (which survive to crop up in the audiences for other bands across the weekend) thrown out into the crowd setting the tone, songs such as 'Peggy', 'Darling', and 'Double Vision' are vibrant bursts of colour made all the more enjoyable by the exuberant stage presences of vocalist Lucy Evers and guitarist Sam Rushton. Disaster almost strikes as the powers-that-be look to stop the set before the very last song, but when the band urge those backstage to let them finish up (and they finally relent), the version of 'Luv You 2' that closes the performance is one of the most exciting, joyous, and memorable moments of the whole festival. 

Number 4 – Palm Reader (Thursday, Neu Stage)

Palm Reader have almost become a house band at 2000 Trees over the last few years, and I’ve seen them there every year since 2017 (each time better than the last). It’s incredibly infuriating that they’re still not at a level past sub-sub-headlining the smallest stage at a medium-sized festival, because honestly, I consider this band the gold standard for British heavy music. Their performance on the Neu stage here bolsters that view tenfold, as the Nottingham five-piece put on a metal masterclass focused around their seminal 2018 record, Braille. Every single member puts their absolute all into every song; with Josh McKeown's always-impassioned vocal delivery flanked by mesmerising guitar and basswork (and furious crowd incitement) from Andy, Sam, and Josh. Dan Olds, even from the back of the stage, is the driving force around whom the others revolve, pounding his kit into oblivion through immense tracks like 'Always Darkest' and 'Swarm'. This is the best crowd reaction the band have ever received at Trees, too - a promising sign of things to come. Toward the end of the set, Josh announces that Palm Reader are working on their fourth record, and (after a show so brilliant) one can only hope that this will be, at long last, the breakthrough that they've deserved for so long.

Number 3 – Raketkanon (Friday, The Cave)

Photo by Jez Pennington

Raketkanon are not your average band, and they sure as hell don’t put on an average festival set. Everything is off kilter even before they play a note - from the smoking guitarist playing a headless six-string to the minimalist percussion set-up; from the giant, angular, flashing scrawl of a backdrop to the weird stage blocking, this is a band who know how to get inside your head. Then they launch into ‘Fons’, and it’s outstanding. In the bridge of the song, the band encounter some technical difficulties, but they just extend it seamlessly until the issue is fixed (whilst frontman Pieter-Paul Devos asks if anybody in attendance has weed they can buy). As the Belgians blast through some of their oddest and most compelling tracks, Devos throws himself into (and around) the crowd whilst wearing one of Orchards’ inflatable donuts from the day before. The band's new record, RKTKN #3, serves them well here, with synth-heavy songs like 'Harry' and 'Hannibal' standing out as highlights amongst their classics. This set is the perfect storm, and it ends up being one of the best performances of the weekend. 

Number 2 – Every Time I Die (Saturday, Main Stage)

If the idea of Every Time I Die (one of the best bands in the world) playing Hot Damn! in full followed by a ridiculous run of big-hitters doesn’t appeal to you, then you might not actually like music. Especially considering that those big-hitters are ‘Underwater Bimbos’, ‘We’rewolf’, ‘Decayin’ With the Boys’, ‘It Remembers’, ‘The Coin Has a Say’, ‘No Son of Mine’, ‘The New Black’, and ‘Map Change’. Goddamn.

Photo by Gareth Bull

From the moment the Buffalo icons take to the main stage as sub-headliners on Saturday, it’s clear that we’re in for a special show. They rip through the first three tracks off Hot Damn! with reckless abandon, creating an immediate frenzy in the crowd down the front and demonstrating just how many people have been waiting with bated breath to see this band destroy 2000 Trees. There's just as much of a reaction for the album's deep cuts as there is for setlist mainstays like 'Floater';  the album's closer, 'Pornogratherapy', is a particular highlight, as frontman Keith Buckley confesses that it might well be the last time the song gets played live. As the track reaches its home stretch, Buckley launches the microphone from the stage into the audience and leaves the fans to do the honours. This brilliant moment spawns some technical difficulties, but once it all gets up-and-running again, the aforementioned run of classics which closes out the set is godly. Each member gets their own spotlight, from Andy Williams' incredible, muscle-bound riffs to Jordan Buckley's shamelessly in-your-face stage presence taking centre-stage at the end of 'Map Change'. It's an incredible show from one of the greatest bands to ever do it, and I can only pray for them to return to Trees in the near future (and maybe even headline next time). 

Number 1 – The Armed (Saturday, Neu Stage)

There is no band on planet Earth who can hold up to the insanity of a live set by The Armed. I arrive at the Neu Stage five minutes before they come on, still sweating from ETID (who had finished up moments before), to find a man in a ghillie suit sat alongside vocalist Cara at a table laid out with croissants, French cheese, and beer. In the middle of where the pit is sure to be. And it doesn’t get any more normal from that point on. I must confess that as a reviewer, I'm not particularly professional during this set. By that, I mean that at various points throughout, I jump off the table onto the crowd, get carried around the audience by the band's seven-foot frontman, and manage to get onto the stage to take the position of a vocalist for 'Fortune's Daughter'. Apologies if it's all a bit of a blur from my perspective.

Still, it's all par for the course at a performance from The Armed. With various members of the collective tormenting everybody in the audience (even those who think they're safe, lounging outside the tent), the soundtrack to it all is absolutely perfect; a typhoon of wild synthesisers, riffs, complex guitar passages, and intense drumming, all at once bastard-heavy and incredibly intricate. The band's second album, 2018's Only Love, was my record of the year, and cuts taken from it - like 'Witness' and 'Role Models' - are bouts of unstoppable madness when played live. Older ragers such as 'Future Drugs' are equally excellent, but plant more of a focus on Converge-esque instrumentation than usage of electronics. Either way, the blistering noise which constantly batters the audience is not for the faint of heart, especially with strobe lighting and fog machines adding to the chaos. The whole thing feels more like a hallucination or an out-of-body experience than a 45-minute festival set. It's one of the best 2000 Trees performances I've ever seen, and The Armed deserve their place at the top of this list.

Photo by Ben Morse