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Preview: 2000 Trees Festival

Winner of the Grass Roots Festival award at 2010’s UK Festival Awards, 2000 Trees (12-14 July) has quickly become a staple part of the boutique festival scene. Since its early beginnings in 2007 with just a 1000-person capacity, this year 4500 people will don their wellies and head on down to Upcote Farm, Gloucestershire. And what a line-up they have to offer.

Headlining the 2-day extravaganza are the post-rock favourites 65DaysOfStatic  and Brummy indie cohorts Guillemots (pictured at top). But it’s not just the Main Stage bill-toppers to excite the crowd, TGTF faves Dry the River are also making an appearance as well as the new-found-folkies The Futureheads. But the biggest coup of the weekend is the booking of Hundred Reasons who 2000 Trees have tried to snap up for the past four years, and it’s finally happened. They’ll be performing their 2002 Top 10 album ‘Ideas Above Our Station’ in its entirety.

But that’s not all 2000 Trees has in its arsenal, since the introduction of the new ‘heavy stage’ last year – dubbed The Cave – interest has skyrocketed from alternative music fans. Invading The Cave this year are Three Trapped Tigers, Pulled Apart By Horses, Future Of The Left, Gallows, Rolo Tomassi and Lower Than Atlantis to name a few.

To keep the festival especially green, all of the bands are from the UK to cut down on fuel costs and emissions. And this summer weekend truly does showcase some of the best new music that Britain has to offer, from varying ends of the spectrum. And there’s a brilliant new-age hippy vibe, what’s not to love?

Unfortunately 2000 Trees is sold out this year, but there may still be competitions running to win tickets or you could hassle your friends with tickets into selling it to you. Because one thing’s for certain, it’s going to be a special weekend for British music.