Photo: Refused at 2000Trees Festival 2016 © Sophia Kaye
Saturday. The final day of what had been (and continued to be) an excellent 2000Trees Festival. Festival haggard, but with a grin on my face I met up with my friends once again and headed down to the main stage to begin our day with something loud, heavy and cathartic. No easing in. Go hard or go home...or something?
The St. Pierre Snake Invasion have become something of a rite-of-passage at 2000Trees in recent years. From a fleeting glimpse three years ago, the Bristol band were now one of the bands I was most looking forward to on this final day. The only unsigned band to perform on the main stage all weekend (a surprising statistic given Trees’ support of the underground), they proved why they deserved their place with thrashing post-hardcore. With a sound very much in the vein of Future of The Left and Reuben, they were always going to go down well here and it was great to see such a good turnout for them. The St. Pierre Snake Invasion brought the sound that formed the foundations of 2000Trees over ten years ago back to the main stage and ruled with a smile and a ‘don’t give a fuck’ attitude. They made their point in a loud yet succinct fashion; the brilliant ‘Rock and Roll Workshops’ saying everything they needed to say in under two minutes.
Fellow noise peddlers HECK followed them on the main stage, making for a noisy early afternoon wake up for the bedraggled festival masses. The artists formerly known as Baby Godzilla are infamous amongst festival-goers for their antics. During their last set at 2000Trees they introduced an industrial dumpster to the crowd inside The Cave and, of course, chaos ensued. They wouldn’t be contained by the main stage either, clambering into the crowd from minute one, before making their way towards the sound desk and even performing on the riser in the middle of the crowd. It was hectic, maniacal and incredibly fun to watch. However, I fear the band turning into one-trick ponies. That people will watch them because of their antics, forgetting all about the fact that they’re a band in the process. The spectacle is great; real rock and roll antics in a day where many bands are confined to a massive stage. However, if this is at the detriment to the music then it might be time for them to reel it back in - or has that ship sailed?Photo: HECK at 2000Trees Festival 2016 © Sophia Kaye
From the unbridled noise that was HECK, I moved over to The Forest for an acoustic set from Jamie Lenman. The first of two sets today, Lenman figured he’d have some fun here and performed a string of sing-along covers that ranged from Beatles classics to theme tunes for Australian soap operas ‘Neighbours’ and ‘Home and Away’. Cutting a royal figure in his three-piece suit, he didn’t exactly look fit for the forest but certainly embraced the intimate nature of the setting. He laughed and joked with the crowd, before slipping into another unlikely cover and seemed like he was having a great time. A legend amongst 2000Trees goers, Jamie took this time to put smiles on people’s faces and deviate from the seriousness and self-promotion that festivals can breed. It was a breath of fresh air and provided a nice break before heading back to the main stage.
Creeper’s ascent over the past twelve months has been fantastic to watch. Recognised as one of the foremost talents in British pop-punk last year, the band have only reached new heights in 2016. With the Callous Heart flying high on the main stage and what seemed like thousands on the backs of festival goers, Creeper have most certainly arrived. Dressed head to toe in black, they tear through a set of horrorcore tinged pop-punk songs with ‘Black Mass’ and it’s incredible opening bassline sticking out in my mind. ‘VCR’, a track from the band’s first EP, sends the crowd wild too whilst the a capella ‘Misery’ sends them into stunned silence. The range that Creeper possess is incredible and their standing as one of the most popular British bands around right now is well deserved.
Sam Duckworth’s Recreations is where I hung my hat next; sitting down just outside the Neu Stage (tucked away just left of the main stage). Quirky and thoughtful, the multi-instrumentalist put on quite the show with his constantly building soundscapes. A blend of pulsing synth, electric guitar, bass, and occasional audience participation, it seems like more than one man could pull off cohesively on stage. Quick switching was the key here and Duckworth had it down to a science. From the simpler (by comparison) ‘Pipe Down’ to the more chaotic ‘Red Spex’, Recreations gave the Trees crowd a set unlike any other we might get all weekend.
From the somewhat experimental to the tried and tested. Ash’s appearance on the main stage was a nice surprise mainly because, in all honesty, I’d forgotten they were playing. Shame on me, I know. A staple of 90s and early 00s British rock, the band returned with a bang last year - after a seven-year absence - with the suitably titled Kablammo! Alternating between old and new in the beginning,‘Go! Fight! Win!’ was coupled with, bonafide hit, ‘Girl From Mars’, which lead into the punkier ‘Jack Names The Planets’. The latter enjoyed mass singalongs, with the audiences attention dipping slightly during newer material. The band themselves were tight and looked far from the jaded indie band trying to fit in that I’d anticipated them to be (again, shame on me). Closing with ‘Burn Baby Burn’, they sent everyone away happy and with that song stuck in their heads for hours afterwards. So. Damn. Catchy.
Photo: Jamie Lenman at 2000Trees Festival 2016 © Sophia Kaye
Jamie Lenman’s second / proper set on The Axiom followed shortly after. Alas, there were no soap opera singalongs this time, just Jamie (looking his usual dapper self) and his acoustic guitar for a set that was way more Memory than Muscle. Reuben songs and a Frank Turner cover aside, every song in the set came from the softer side of Lenman’s masterpiece of a double album. This proved disappointing for some hoping to hear something much heavier, however the tent was still packed out for a man who is considered a legend amongst the 2000Trees faithful. Having not seen Jamie play in quite a while, it was great to hear songs like the bleak ‘Shotgun House’ and nostalgic ‘I Ain’t Your Boy’ again. Of course, it was the Reuben numbers that caught the most attention though, with the tent erupting for ‘Moving to Blackwater’ and, set closer, ‘Let’s Stop Hanging Out’ - the fact they were acoustic no longer mattering.
The night and the festival closed with Refused; a band that was a surprising and exciting addition when they were announced way back when. Like Alkaline Trio the year before, I worried that the occasion would be lost on the 2000Trees crowd. Legends and pioneers within the punk and hardcore genres, Refused are incredible and watching them here made me realise their crossover appeal. For all of the harsh vocals and battering instrumentals, there is sheer showmanship, charisma and style to match it. Despite their roots, Refused play like an arena rock band - only better. Dennis Lyxzen might be the best frontman in the business. His burgundy suit standing out amongst a sea of bright lights and darkness. He danced around the stage, throwing and catching his microphone with graceful precision. He was on fire. The whole band were. Having watched them twice before, I know how good they can be, but this felt better. The was set list filled with older gems and peppered with tracks from their latest album Freedom. The transition between the classics and newer material was seamless; The bluntness of ‘Rather Be Dead’ mixing well with the more polished ‘Elektra’. However, it could only be ‘New Noise’ that really stole the show. Closing the set, it filled the field in front of the stage like a thick fog. Dense yet controlled, it faded as Dennis yelled the iconic “The new beat” lyric to the sky.
Needless to say, 2000Trees rang in their tenth birthday in style. Yet again organisers departed from what people might expect and still they made sure people wanted to come back. The array of acts and the divergence in style, scene and genre on display is phenomenal. For ten years Trees has championed underground music and it continues to do that whilst evolving into a staple of festival season for so many people. You could argue that bands like The Bronx and Refused take that big headline slot away from a British act, but using these big names to grab people’s attention has paid dividends and only allows the festival to expand without compromise. 2016’s festival was one of the best I’ve been to and I can’t wait to get back there next July.
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Photos: Refused at 2000Trees 2016