Forever home to the underground—whether it’s hardcore, punk, alt-rock, or everything in between—the 2000Trees Festival is a four-day event championing breakthrough and DIY acts that challenge the status quo. This year, the lineup was stacked with some of the most exciting, genre-bending hardcore and alternative projects the indie music scene has to offer.
CONE made the trip to Cheltenham to seize the weekend’s fiercest moments. Dive in and relive our most unforgettable highlights below.
Friday, July 12
Mallavora
Mallavora kicked off Friday morning on the main stage with a heavy-hitting metalcore set. Casting spellbinding magic, vocalist Jessica Douek enticed the crowd with clean screams and venomous pig squeals. During their hard-hitting track “Skin,” London feminist-punk artist Bex sparked a surprisingly polite circle pit. The band also debuted their upcoming single “Smile” and welcomed Jen from Jen and the Degenerates to the stage for some punky backing vocals.
Thank
At the NEU stage—a sanctuary for the underdogs—sweaty, zombie-like bodies bobbed and swayed in unison. Hardcore outfit Thank plunged headfirst into their gritty opener, “Dead Dog in a Ditch,” setting a fierce tone from the first note.
On bass, Naomi Macleod—known for her work with Empire State Bastard—took over, chugging through the set with ease. Stepping in for Thank’s usual bassist, Cameron Moitt, she seamlessly blended into the band’s aura.Their NEU stage set was raw, feral, and totally gripping. When “Commemorative Coin” hit, it spiraled into a disorienting storm of chaotic vocals and soaring guitars. Thank’s set was an unyielding journey deep into avant-garde noise rock.
Witch Fever
Witch Fever’s frontwoman, Amy Walpole, had the crowd under her spell with effortless vocals on “Congregation.” The live rendition was just as grungy and ethereal as the recording, but “Reincarnate” cranked up the energy and sparked their first mosh pit of the set.
The whole vibe was mysterious and witchy. “Blessed Be Thy” rang out dark and cunning, its reverb echoing through the stage. Mid-set, Walpole paused to call out Matty Healy for his recent comments at Glastonbury. The 1975 frontman had mentioned, “We want [our gigs] to be about love and friendship,” and not politics. Witch Fever’s singer proceeded to explain that while “love and friendship sustain us,” it doesn’t “make us forget the boot on our neck.” She urged the crowd to stay alert, to speak up. “Fuck Matt Healy. Say something useful,” she added. Immediately after, the group thrashed into their feminist anthem, “Bully Boy,” a gutsy and powerful follow-up. This is real punk. Call out the fakes. Compliance is easy. It takes real courage to speak out.
Taking Back Sunday
Suit and boots on, alt-rock New Yorkers Taking Back Sunday took the stage with undeniable swagger. They kicked off with the banger “A Decade Under The Influence,” quickly sending fans into a frenzy of screaming and jumping.
Their Friday night headline set was a burst of light and energy, delivering a nostalgic setlist of euphoric and playful emo-pop anthems. “Liar (It Takes One To Know One)” exploded with huge energy as fans sang every lyric from their chests.
Taking Back Sunday closed out 2000Trees’ Friday lineup with a string of anthemic, sing-along hits. One smash hit followed another as fans swayed, falling into each other’s arms and singing passionately beneath the falling night and glistening moon. It was the perfect, dreamlike ending to a surreal day of incredible live music.
Saturday, July 13
Love Is Noise
A false-start had fans at the front cheering “Love Is Noise” in solidarity. “2000Trees, we’re having technical difficulties, but we’re gonna make this happen,” frontman Cameron Humphrey assured the crowd. The band tore through The Cave stage, unleashing riveting drum pelts at neck-breaking speed and hellish screams during “Hole in Me.” Humphrey then launched into “Jawbreaker” with a karate kick, matching his vocals with raw intensity and relentless energy.
Unfortunately, Love Is Noise had to cut their set short due to issues with their backing track. It wasn’t the show they planned, but even in a shortened set, they delivered an epic performance.
Employed To Serve
Setting a heavier tone, Employed To Serve ripped through the Trees main stage. “Eternal Forward Motion” summoned a flood of fans—a guy in a full-on Batman suit even crowdsurfed during the song’s outro. Forget saving Gotham, there’s a metal show that needs his attention.
“Circle of Love” filled the space with relentless blast beats and obliterating guitar chugs, while “Sun Up To Sun Down” brought a groovy rhythm. At lead vocalist Justine Jones’ command, the crowd split clean in half, and of course, parted willingly, before crashing into one another for a brutal wall of death. Closing out with “Whose Side Are You On?” Employed To Serve delivered an annihilating main stage show.
VUKOVI
A nice fan donated some Crocs to her, and she spent the entire show laughing about it. “I can’t believe I’m wearing fucking Crocs.” “Those taking pictures don’t get the Crocs in, alright.”
Despite the 30-degree heat, VUKOVI’s frontwoman, Janine Shilstone, stormed the stage barefoot. After dancing around for a while, she admitted the ground was scorching and unbearable on her feet. A good samaritan fan came to the rescue, offering up a pair of Crocs that she wore for the rest of the set. “I can’t believe I’m wearing fucking Crocs,” she shouted, laughing slightly. “Anyone taking pictures—don’t get the Crocs in, alright?”
Although the set had a bit of a chaotic start, Shilstone’s vocals were undeniably on point. “CREEP HEAT” leaned into prog and experimental territory, while “MY GOD HAS GOT A GUN” offered a different tone of seductive basslines and swaggering chorus hooks. From start to finish, Shilstone radiated rock star energy. “I’m coming in. I’m fucking coming in. You better fucking catch me,” she belted before diving into the crowd for “La Da Di.”
letlive.
On Saturday night, letlive. made history. After officially parting ways in April 2017, it seemed unlikely fans would ever experience the band live again. But with their first return to Trees in over a decade, the hardcore-meets-melodic punk outfit delivered a show for the books.
Friends and family lined the edges of the stage to witness the moment. “To those of you who knew, letlive. then and letlive now. Thank you for giving us this space,” frontman Jason Butler said. “This is a festival song. We didn’t know it at the time,” he added before the band thrashed into “The Dope Beat.” Butler closed out with guttural death-fry screams, then launched his microphone into the air and caught it clean.
The crowd came together for a special moment during “Muther,” breaking into the outro seconds after the band played the first few chords. That moment clearly meant a lot to Butler, who told the audience he’s been chasing a lot of “firsts” on this reunion tour. And this was the first time a crowd has guessed the next song and started singing it before the band could.
Plenty of other moments unfolded during the set. At one point, a crowdsurfer dressed as a Marshall amp joined the band on stage. Later, Butler closed the night by climbing the stage rigging in his boxers, belting out screams. Sadly, the sound was cut off by this point, likely for safety reasons, since it’s not clear there was any agreement about the singer climbing the scaffolding.
Overall, letlive. put on a groundbreaking show that felt like a headlining performance. Every song had its special moment in this once-in-a-lifetime show. Many cheers were roared, and many tears were shed.
Byline: Laviea Thomas
Lead image photo credit: Joe Singh