2000 Trees Festival 2022
at Upcote Farm in Cheltenham, UK
photos and words by Erin Connolly

On Friday morning, sunscreen smothered, plasters applied and ear protection packed, I made my way to the much-appreciated air-conditioned train to Cheltenham. After a relatively pricey taxi journey, I arrived at Upcote Farm, sun beaming and music faintly echoing in the background. Arrival and accreditation at the festival was smooth and painless, the staff were very welcoming, relieving any pre-festival anxieties I had. Sadly, I could only make the final two days of the festival, so I decided to make the most of it and enjoy every moment.

As I walked out of the security tent into the field, I was welcomed with the smell of lovely food, tattooed arms adorned with band T-shirts, and the sounds of multiple bands playing on the different tented stages. When my senses adjusted and I processed that I was finally at 2000 Trees, I made my way to my first band of the day.

This band came in the form of James and the Cold Gun. The Welsh alt rockers brought incredible riffs and energy, setting the tone for what was to come. With punchy vocals, strong bass and whirring guitars, their sound was an amazing amalgamation of grunge, punk and rock … I’m all for that! 

Petrol Girls then followed. Boasting members from Austria, Lithuania and the UK, this London-based group really stepped up the political intensity with their set. Feminist protest speeches were littered between songs as they both entertained and educated on hard hitting subjects through the medium of their raging set. As a punk lover myself, I sometimes feel intimated by punk crowds, full of rather tall men crowd surfing and throwing themselves around the mosh pit. Because of this I was grateful when vocalist Rem asked the crowd to split, with women, non-binary and trans people to be front and centre. It felt like a community of people with similar ideals, dancing, crying and hugging each other! It’s fair to say that it’s a performance I won’t forget for a while. 

What followed was one of the crazier sets you are likely to see. After 5 years away from the scene, HECK once again destroyed the CAVE stage. The former Baby Godzilla tore the tent up and left everything they had with the audience. Whether they were running around the stage, running through the crowd, or even climbing the scaffolding and touching the roof of the tent (yes that’s right), the screaming and energy followed. Yes, members of the group had other projects on the go during their hiatus, but this is a band that has not missed a step during their half decade away. Needing a break from the carnage of the HECK set, we decided to go and try out some of the food vendors. After a little breather we happened upon Kid Brunswick commanding the crowd, lowering them all to their knees in the NEU tent. It was interesting to see the different crowds at each gig and it was very clear that Kid Brunswick had a very young and loyal following.

As the evening drew near, we enjoyed a few more amazing performances from the likes of Calva Louise tearing up the forest stage, Bob Vylan annihilating the NEU stage and Turnstile uniting all. Calva Louise was an amazing refresher and our first time we set foot within the forest, a pre cursor to hopping into the hardcore crowds such as Bob Vylan and Turnstile. Bob Vylan is a band I have wanted to see for a long time and whilst I enjoyed what I saw, I couldn’t stay for long. With their popularity almost enough to fill the headline stage, the small NEU stage was definitely not big enough to accommodate all of their adorning fans. This meant that the mosh pit opened up a lot more than it normally would, I was practically pushed out of the tent! After a refreshing cool down with a nice cold lemonade, we made our way to the main stage to get a good spot for Turnstile. 

Turnstile was like nothing I’d seen before. Their music is magical enough in its own right, but I’m referring to the overwhelming outpouring of love and respect between the band and the fans. I don’t think there is a phrase for it so I’ll make it now! The way I would describe it, is Love Moshing. The dancing spread to each side of the field and the moshes split the centre crowd in half. Their whole set was a feel good one, creating a sense of community surging throughout those in the audience.

After a nice sleep in a comfy Airbnb bed (sorry for making you jealous), we headed back into the festival to kick off our second day with the wonderful Welsh female punk band Panic Shack. This fun, punchy and witty band started the day in the best way possible! Even though I had my camera with me, I couldn’t help having a little head bang when their very catchy song ‘Mannequin Man’ was played.

In the late morning to the early afternoon we watched performances from the quintessentially British punk band Hotel Lux, the iconic Angel Dust and trailblazers Nova Twins. As we waited for the London duo to join us on stage (after a technical issue), we slathered sunscreen on our necks as the sun really started to heat up. Nova Twins energy was incredible, hardly staying still for the whole set!

We then ran to see cult favourites Phoxjaw slay the stage on their second set of the weekend! Their unique and magical brand of metal was awesome to see live at long last and I’m confident to call these fellas a true group for the future!

The Chats graced the stage next and embraced the summer sun as if they were still back home in Australia. I bumped into their drummer prior to this and I can confirm that they are lovely people. They blistered through their set, rattling off hit after hit and warming the main stage perfectly for the few bands left to follow.

At this point on the Saturday, we hit a bittersweet moment. Only a matter of hours remaining of this experience before having to wait another 12 months for this weekend to come around again. It felt like the right time to sit back a bit and enjoy this night at a slower pace and preserve energy for the ultimate headliners to come. This is when Baby Dave came a calling. He and his group of misfits fused the Forest Stage audience in what felt like a landmark moment for this blossoming group. Ambling about the stage and popping into the crowd at points to say hello, the former Slaves frontman left a big grin on your face and allowed you to charge your batteries before heading off for the final few acts.

Speaking of the final few acts, we stopped off on our way to the main stage to check out The Wytches. This was our final stop en route to seeing the afore mentioned perfect headliners.

Idles. What else do I need to say? They are a band I can now tick off my musical bucket list, I can’t quite believe I have now seen them live! It was quite easy to see the demographics of the individual bands by looking at the audience, however this was not the case for Idles! There were children, teenagers and adults all singing, holding hands and dancing along! With gritty vocals, impeccable stage presence and gnarly guitars, they were the perfect end for the festival!     

2000 TREES FESTIVAL 2022

JAMES AND THE COLD GUN

PETROL GIRLS

HECK

KID BRUNSWICK

BOB VYLAN

TURNSTILE

HOTEL LUX

NOVA TWINS

PHOXJAW

THE CHATS

IDLES