2000 Trees Festival 2023: The Review – Thursday
From mosh calls to bubbling indie to transcendent post rock, Thursday of 2000 Trees 2023 had it all, and in spades.
Thursday morning marks the 2000 Trees debut for London based four-piece Cage Fight, appearing at The Cave bright and early with a healthy crowd drawn in to revel in the brutality. Blending straight forward hardcore riffing, heaped doses of crossover thrash and tinges of death metal, Cage Fight are stuffing as much action into the thirty minute set as possible. The sound was a bit washy at times due to the wind cutting through the tent, but its sparse at worst. Vocalist Rachel Aspe sounds just as monstrous live as on record and the instrumentals are tight and ferocious. The crowd evolves and grows as the set continues, starting with some polite head banging in time with the riffs, but by the time ‘Guillotine’ arrives they’re sent straight into a frenzy until the closing notes of ‘Hope Castrated’ end the set. – Harry Shiels
Meanwhile, down wind on the Main Stage, Gaffa Tape Sandy provide an apt and fantastic reminder of their joyous brilliance. Granted, new material from the indie-punk trio may be somewhat overdue now – with their last EP Family Animal now approaching it’s fifth anniversary – but tracks from the EP still get bodies animated under the midday sun. The airing of new material does prove the band have not spent the last several years resting on their laurels though, with the hopefully soon to be released likes of ‘Dead To Me’ and ‘Find Out What They Wanted’ seeing the band premiering a new angular, sharp, yet still inherently fun sound. It may be a relatively early slot for the band, but if the new tracks are anything to go by, Gaffa Tape Sandy will undoubtedly be back on this lofty stage soon albeit in a higher position. – Dan Hillier
Across site, Projector are running a little late and unfortunately become the first victim of the curse of sound/tech issues effecting The Axiom today. For the most part the band played without issue, their heavily early Sonic Youth and Pixies influenced sound drawing in a decent pull of revellers looking to check them out. Recent singles ‘Chemical’ and ‘Non’ sound massive live, with the band airing an unnamed track as well that has some strong Interpol vibes surrounding it. Projector had some minor technical troubles late in the set though due to Edward Ensbury’s pedalboard playing up, but they recovered incredibly well despite what must’ve been a frustrating moment. Closing with certified banger ‘ZERO’ and sounding great despite the issues, Projector’s 2000 Trees debut goes very well indeed and hopefully they’ll be back in the future. – Harry Shiels
Meanwhile, Ithaca’s main stage set feels like a triumphant moment after They Fear Us rightfully catapulted them immediately into conversations around the health of modern British alternative music. The metalcore quintet waste no time in opening with its title track, a delirious assault of barbed riffs and heartfelt melodies. It’s followed by an acerbic ‘The Future Says Thank You’ that has fists pumping and pits swirling at the front, while ‘Cremation Party’ goes off like a glitter-coated shrapnel bomb. The band are on electrifying form, but the sound doesn’t seem to be in their favour, as the wind blows it around and occasionally blunts their razor sharp edges. No ones fault, but despite this, it’s testament to how far the band have come and how phenomenally good they are that this is still nothing short of a resounding success, their performance losing none of the bite in translation to the bigger stage. – Will Marshall
Photo Credit: Jez Pennington | @jezennington
We warned you in our 2000 Trees preview feature that Lambrini Girls’ set should not be missed; this went exactly as expected. The Neu Staged is packed to capacity and overflowing as the queer-punk trio took the stage, wasting little time with introductions and launching straight into ‘Big Dick Energy’. Frontperson Phoebe Lunny spends little time on stage before breaking into the crowd to start stirring up trouble. The energy in the Neu Stage tent is electric, only stopping to breathe when they’re told, as Lunny crowd surfs, sits on crowd members shoulders and beckons everyone to sit on the ground with her before jumping up and throwing the pit in chaos once more. They blast through most of their recently released You’re Welcome EP spitting hard hitting truths and calling for equal rights for women and queer people before the whole band are crowd surfing out the tent after closing with ‘Craig David’. It’s carnage, and is it joyous. – Harry Shiels
Over in the Cave, Graphic Nature give 2000 Trees a lesson in violence with their drum ‘n’ bass flecked nu-metal. A shining example of updating the genre for the modern day, their frank explorations of mental health are backdropped by hefty, grooving riffs. Frontman Harvey Freeman is an imposing sight, towering over the stage and his bandmates while despatching guttural roars. The tent starts a little empty but swiftly fills, while the front is heaving, pits swirling and limbs flying from the start. The band playing in windbreakers only adds to the imposing presence, hoods up for all bar Freeman as the aural battering continues. It’s a reliably stellar set from one of the best bands bringing nu metal into the modern day, replete with their own unique twists on it and a dedicated fanbase that goes wild for them. – Will Marshall
Its rather surprising that Albany, New York indie/punk rock outfit Prince Daddy & The Hyena haven’t made it to 2000 Trees before, but thanks to their partnership with festival friends Big Scary Monsters, the band finally get to play for a large crowd gathering in The Axiom eagerly anticipating their set. Unfortunately for Prince Daddy they fall victim to the tech gremlins lurking about the stage today as well. The band are playing great, fitting somewhere between PUP and a sugar-driven Weezer with slightly less melancholy and self-loathing. Their infectious pop punk tracks meld with occasional additional instrumentation are hitting right with the crowd, but constantly throughout their performance the PA cuts out for noticeable periods, multiple times throughout. The band might not know its happening as the audience can still hear the monitor mix onstage and keep up regardless, but it soured what was otherwise a great set. – Harry Shiels
Photo Credit: Jez Pennington | @jezennington
Launching immediately into ‘Throw Your Heart Away’, Svalbard are as emotionally resonant as ever as shimmering melodies underscore the dual screams of guitarists Liam Phelan and Serena Cherry. They follow it with a ferocious ‘Disparity’, dedicating it to all their fans. It’s abundantly clear they’ve become a tightly honed unit, each cathartic song delivered with a unified outpouring of emotion. The beginning of ‘Open Wound; is delivered with delicacy before its searing crescendo, while brand new song ‘Faking It’ makes only its third live appearance and goes down a storm, echoing their earlier post hardcore roots in part before opening into melodious blackgaze territories. As reliably excellent as ever, Svalbard make a strong claim for one of the best sets of the day, even if it feels criminally under attended. – Will Marshall
This is the third time New York/Cardiff/London collection No Devotion have tried to make it to 2000 Trees. Often falling foul of scheduling conflicts, for the first time the band actually made it to play the festival. Unfortunately this was also the culmination of tech issues plaguing The Axiom. The sound from FOH for the most part is absolutely dire. There’ an overwhelming bass resonance that keeps dominating the mix, at points the PA sounded like it was powered by sparklers, the distortion crackling, consuming everything in its wake. The band are giving one hell of a performance but the issues are too much for most of the crowd to take, leading to a painfully thin bunch who stuck around to the end. Is it worth catching No Devotion on their upcoming dates opening for Kids In Glass Houses? Yes, their songs are great and they play their hearts out, but today is not a good day for them through no fault of their own. – Harry Shiels
On the NEU stage, Sugar Horse suffer from an overrunning Bob Vylan main stage set, their crowd even sparser, but they don’t seem deterred. The doomgaze quartet instead make sure their volume levels are as obnoxious as ever, with louder passages threatening even protected eardrums. A serene opening morphs into a ponderous cacophony, capped by morose vocals. Swathes of sound pour through the PA, the guitar and synth lines clearly audible even against the fuzzy, thundering bass. Slow and steady certainly wins the race; as the crowd filter away from the main stage, more than a few are captured by the cascading waves of sound, giving the band a far better audience – though still less than they deserve. Regardless of this, it’s another stunning performance by Sugar Horse, one of the UK’s best cult bands. – Will Marshall
Photo Credit: Mac Praed | @Mac_Praed
Another band stricken by issues beyond their control, The Wonder Years put on a valiant performance, but even the usually pristine band struggle to defeat the main stage’s sound woes. Not inaudible or messy, there’s just something off; everything is audible but it never comes together in a cohesive whole, instead sounding separated and messy. The band’s own efforts can’t be faulted; the likes of ‘Wyatt’s Song’ and ‘Low Tide’ still feel emotional, just robbed of most of their impact in spite of their subject matters. Ultimately it’s a shame; the band might be faultless technically and give it their all – with the rows down front returning it with fingers aloft – but poor sound makes it a lot less enjoyable than they should be. – Will Marshall
Immediately after this, there is a buzz about the main stage for Skindred’s first appearance at Upcote Farm. The band have drawn one of the largest crowds of the weekend to come and party with the Skindred sound system. Opening with ‘Set Fazers’, the crowd are immediately going bonkers, even more so when they move straight into ‘Rat Race’. Say what you want about their albums, but Benji Webbe is the most charismatic frontmen in the country and has the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand for the length of their set. There is a brief pause in the party as an audience member goes down and the band let security do their thing getting them out safely. By the time ‘Warning’ rolls around, everyone knows what is coming, clothes are in the air and the Newport Helicopter is in full swing before the moment even comes. – Harry Sheils
Meanwhile, The Cave get’s an masterclass in post-rock brilliance. They might clash with Skindred – and it does show a little – but And So I Watch You From Afar have a dedicated fanbase that show up for them come hell or high water. Those in the know are treated to a euphoric set of joyfully uplifting post rock. As danceable as it is intricate, the band make a normally niche genre sound effortlessly appealing. Despite the musical complexity, the band don’t stand still, in constant motion around the stage and each other without missing a beat, and the crowd cheer every song raucously. However, the best moment of the set – and potentially the day and weekend as a whole – comes with a perfectly timed rendition of ‘Big Thinks Do Remarkable’, with the entire tent chanting back it’s mantric refrain just as the setting sun streams into The Cave. It’s a truly life affirming moment, and whilst The Cave has already hosted some of the festival’s best performances so far, and ASIWYFA are no different. – Will Marshall
Photo Credit: Gareth Bull | @garethbull.co
A large crowd is gathering in The Forest to witness only the third UK appearance of Bat Sabbath since their initial apparition in 2011. No, this is definitely not Cancer Bats (and Daniel P Carter on Bass) covering Ozzy era Black Sabbath bangers. In their words, they are but envoys to invoke the spirits of the old gods of riff and offer tribute. Safe to say, they did a killer job. Ticking off the mainstream classics like ‘Paranoid’, ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Black Sabbath’; throwing in a few deeper cuts with ‘Children Of The Grave’, ‘Into The Void’ and ‘Symptom Of The Universe’. The band sound phenomenal, a harder guttural edge to the vocals and instrumentals, the crowd are singing along with every word and rocking out as hard as they can to such a rare showcase. Closing the set with ‘War Pigs’, the spirits of the old gods are surely pleased with such an offering. – Harry Shiels
Following this, if you want proof of how beloved The Bronx are, the overflowing tent at The Cave says it all. It’s practically one in one out to see the legendary hardcore punks, with many relegated to watching from the fringes. The band cheerfully take a tour through their back catalogue that now spans twenty years, pulling out beloved oldies like ‘Heart Attack American’ to enormous cheers. A near-constant sea of crowdsurfers make their way over the barrier throughout, no mean feat when the pit threatens to swallow almost the entire front of the tent, especially during ‘Under the Rabbit’. The Cave also continues its run of incredible sound, supercharging The Bronx’ already formidable punk to ever greater heights. “Punk, hardcore, metal, it’s a lifetime commitment, motherfuckers” grins Matt Caughthran at one point; with the band celebrating twenty years together on this tour, it’s a truth they live and prove every single time they step onto a stage sounding as vital as they always have done. – Will Marshall
Thursday night main stage headliners Soft Play (formerly known as Slaves) mark their live debut under a new name for their second time headlining 2000 Trees. First things first, respect should be shown to the Tunbridge Wells duo for their commitment to their Brit Punk ethos. They write the songs they want to write, about what they want, playing their instruments the way they want. They even take time during their set to mock their prior detractors for criticisms levied their way about their sound and their songs. That being said, Soft Play are not for everyone; for those outside of devout fans (who were having a whale of time down the front), the set came across as routine. The fans may be adoring this, but for those in attendance out of curiosity, it’s clear some are not engaged. Laurie Vincent’s guitar tones were frustratingly thin, on occasion having a heft behind it before switching back to focus on a thin, hi-end heavy and cutting tone. Drummer and lead vocalist Isaac Holman plays a very simple drum kit standing and he’s clearly running on empty by halfway through the set, taking a break to climb into the crowd during a guitar led ballad. The instrumentals and vocals sound fine, for what Soft Play wants it is probably spot on; but ethos, simplistic punk rock riffs and lyrical snark can only carry you so far when the energy doesn’t translate to outsiders. – Harry Shiels
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The Wonder Years