Wychwood 2025 – The Giant Review!

© Gobinder Jhitta for Wychwood

This year marks Wychwood Festival’s 19th anniversary having first taken place in 2005. With 204 UK festivals closing altogether since 2019 it’s great to see a much-loved festival continue to thrive and a testament to the organisers’ hard work to keep Wychwood delivering the goods year in year out.

As a festival with more than one eye on nostalgia, the line up promised blasts from the past in the shape of Shed Seven, Daniel Beddingfield and James, but also emerging talents and fan favourites – meaning there really was something for everyone at Wychwood.

For the third consecutive year the festival site sits at the north end of the famous Cheltenham Racecourse, with Cleeve Hill overlooking the site and the Malverns off in the distance to the west. It’s as pretty a location for a festival as you’re likely to find and bathed in sunlight it scored top marks for aesthetics.

Although the festival site is technically on the racecourse site, and that’s where most attendees would enter, it’s basically in the small village of Southam. This location isn’t without its challenges and following a handful of noise complaints submitted by residents on nearby streets following 2024’s event the local council reviewed the festival’s licence council at the end of March.

Thankfully sense prevailed and, with assurances from the organisers who had been forced into making adjustments to the layout of the festival site by the wettest spring in almost 40 years last year, the licence was renewed with additional monitoring and changes to the layout of the site put in place.

For anyone not driving to or camping on site, the local Stagecoach operated D bus service runs from Cheltenham Spa train station, through the town centre and out to the park and ride at the racecourse. A day ticket costs £4.60 and lasts until 1am the next day with regular buses through the day and the last bus leaving the bus stop at the top of Evesham Road (next to UCAS) at 00:31.

The pickup/drop off point in the racecourse grounds has been moved closer following challenges exiting site last year, and local taxi firms such as Starline can be booked either direct through their app or using the Uber app.

DAY ONE – FRIDAY

Gates open to campers at 9:30am on Day One, and by the time the gates to the arena open at 12pm the eager beavers in the queue are more than ready to make their way into the colourful embrace of Wychwood.

On day one the first bands start on the Sam Shrouder Main Stage at 2pm. The stage, named after the co-founder of Wychwood who sadly passed away in November 2023, sits at the far end of the arena. Most of the catering options, more of which later, are in the middle of the site and flanked by fair rides and with bars both sides – including a VIP area which guests can upgrade their tickets to access.

© Joshua Atkins for Wychwood

As with last year The Garden stage’s big top sits at the opposite end of the site to the main stage closer to the campsite. The fairground rides dotted around site seemed to have heeded some of the

noise complaints from last year and were noticeably less oppressive – allowing for music to flow across site and give this reviewer the reminder of who was on next and where I needed to be!

Howlin’ Pete’s sat on the edge of the Village Green area where once again Wychwoodians were offered a multitude of workshops teaching all manner of new skills from belly dancing, to samba drumming, yoga sessions, screen printing and circus skills.

Heading over to the merch tent I was delighted to see that the merch makers had extended the largest size of the official festival T-Shirts by an entire X to XXL! With jukebox prints on a black tee featuring the bands performing, I Heart Wychwood shirts in white and a light blue option with yellow and red font available at £25 for adults £20 for youths, there were mementos galore to take home.

Shon Douglas for SFG

For those failing to prepare, and as such preparing to fail, hoodies (£38 for adults, £28 for kids), ponchos (£5) and ear defenders (£20) were all available – with the hoodies proving very popular with the chilly nights once the sun went down. The ever-popular lanyards with stage times on (£7) were also spotted around plenty of freshly sun screened necks.

First up on the Sam Shrouder Main Stage were Bristol-based Pocket Sun – one of over 2,250 applicants to the festival’s Apply to Play scheme and the first of eight to perform over the course of the weekend. Aptly named and with their dreamy jazzy synth-pop sound welcoming the audience in, the band’s cover of ‘Smooth Operator’ was one of the best of the weekend.

After that it was off to find sustenance and having completed a couple of circuits of the site I opted for The Duck Shed’s ‘The French Duck’ – slow roast pulled duck, grilled Raclette cheese, onion chutney, cornichons and rocket in a burger bun (other options were a wrap or salad box). It was a bit lacking in raclette but absolutely rammed with duck, which more than made up for it…Raclette would also feature in another format later in the weekend.

Shon Douglas for SFG

Back over on the main stage and locals Sophie & The Sticks, a three-piece comprising of Sophie (on vocals and keys), The Sticks (Leah on drums) the ampersand (Jon) on bass guitar, were up for their slot. The band describes their sound as ‘moody, soulful pop’ and Sophie’s vocals channel Stevie Nicks in places. With plans to record new music in the summer, there’s definitely more to come from the group.

This year the most notable switch to the order of proceedings was the decision to bring comedy forward from the usual late-night slot to a lunchtime kick off. It was always a bit of a shame for headline comedians to be on around 11pm as folks made their way home or back to their tents, so the opportunity to enjoy some comedy during the daytime was definitely a plus.

Local comic Bridget Christie headlined day one. The Taskmaster star asked a packed tent if any of them had seen the cheese rolling on Bank Holiday Monday and informed those gathered of her wishes to have her ashes rolled down Coopers Hill when she dies. I can only assume in some sort of Morbier-esque set up with Bridget’s ashes creating a seam through the middle, replacing the more traditional Double Gloucester. Who knows, but the visual created had the audience in stiches.

Across to the Village Green and in Barbara’s Storybox, authors and illustrators do live readings book signings. The Storybox was re-named this year after its founder, Barbara Pendrigh, passed away in January following a long battle with cancer. The Storybox brings lots of joy to children and their families and the team did her proud with an expertly curated lineup of performances for all to enjoy.

© Joshua Atkins for Wychwood

Roving Crows’ performance was packed with foot tapping Celtic-influenced folk music which got the crowd moving. The four-piece closed out with a phenomenal Irish folk rendition of Avicii’s ‘Wake Me Up’ to finish their set which sounded absolutely epic from every corner of the arena.

Across to The Garden stage next to catch Cheltenham’s Truck. They brought a truckload (sorry) of loyal local fans with them who sang along to the 90’s influenced rock which channelled elements of The Lemonheads and Dinosaur Jr. Latest single ‘Spit It Out’ was recorded at Abbey Road but judging by the music video to the hook-laden ‘Treading Water’ filmed on the streets of Cheltenham, they’re far more likely to make the most of pedestrianised areas than cause a traffic jam like that inconsiderate OTHER Fab Four…

Keeping the retro vibes going was Daniel Beddingfield. It’s been a bit of a renaissance for the Beddingfield’s this last year, with a remix of Natasha’s ‘These Words’ receiving over 170million streams on Spotify and then Burnley FC players singing ‘Unwritten’ as they sealed promotion back to the Premier League.

Daniel bounded on stage in brightly coloured pink and blue outfit and no shoes, a fact he acknowledged as a nod to his Kiwi heritage. He kicked off the set with a UK garage homage including the mega hit ‘Gotta Get Thru This’ moving through genres including Jungle (M-Beat and General Levy’s ‘Incredible’) and drum and bass he climbed the barrier and joined the crowd who were loving the energy – if not some of the colourful language.

© Gobinder Jhitta for Wychwood

A cover of ‘These Words’, a massive sing along to ‘In Your Arms’ and ‘If You’re Not the One’ gave Beddingfield’s voice a workout, surprising himself at hitting a high note having recently had his wisdom teeth removed. With a new single (‘Get Some’) and festival slots galore, 2025 looks like Daniel will be having a whale of a time for the foreseeable.

The ever-popular Scouting for Girls made their Wychwood return having last played in 2023. Now, I’ll admit I was a BIT of an indie snob about the boys when they released their self-titled debut album but I’m a definite convert. At one point a fan held up an “I HEART SFG” sign and for a brief moment I thought it was love for Summer Festival Guide, and maybe it was…

Speaking with Summer Festival Guide after their show, frontman Roy Stride revealed the band had to lean on the contents of their debut album due to an enforced change in line-up which brought back guitarist Jamie O’Gorman who only knew the band’s earlier material – making the setlist an easy pick!

With certified hits ‘Heartbeat’, ‘This Ain’t a Love Song’, ‘Posh Girls’, ‘Elvis Ain’t Dead’ and an epic closer with ‘She’s So Lovely’ to pick from, there weren’t many complaints in the crowd. A rowdy cover of ‘Come On Eileen’ added to the weekend’s excellent covers list and with that the band were done – smiles etched on the crowd’s faces and those in the know more than ready for one of the highlights of the weekend…Barrioke!

Shaun Williamson aka Barry from Eastenders has carved a niche for himself with Barrioke – taking his version of karaoke on tour to festivals across the land and filling tents and rooms wherever he goes. Despite hopes for a main stage slot, Barrioke was again in Howlin’ Pete’s which was overflowing with fans craning their necks to catch the man himself in action. Bedecked in a shiny red jacket and every bit the showman, Shaun gave the fans what they wanted and is surely a permanent fixture in organiser’s planning.

© Joshua Atkins for Wychwood

Despite being on at the same time as the Barrioke behemoth, Gloucester collective Dub Catalyst dominated The Garden stage with their eleven members and a tent filled with a dub hungry crowd. A later slot and dub-adjacent acts performing meant there was a real party mood at Wychwood which the band gleefully played up to. If you get chance to catch them this summer then do!

Back at the main stage The Lottery Winners rocked up on stage in matching denim jackets with their names embroidered on the back creating a whole lot of wardrobe envy in this reviewer. Kicking off their set, frontman Thom Rylance apologised for his exuberance – saying “Sorry I got carried away there – I feel like Freddie Mercury, but fatter!” before living out his own version of Queen’s iconic Wembley set for Live Aid.

© Gobinder Jhitta for Wychwood

I’m late to this particular party, but The Lottery Winners were excellent! A singalong of ‘Worry’, followed by the 80’s tinged ‘You Again’ brought the sun out as the golden hour slot delivered again. Frontman Thom has genuine star quality – especially when giggling through a cover of Snow Patrol’s ‘Chasing Cars’, asking the audience to “Pretend it’s a hit” before each song and berating the same crowd for chanting the name of other band members “I DON’T LIKE IT”.

Buoyed by the joyous set I headed off to get some food before the last band on the main stage, visiting Harissa & Lemon for a Lamb Shawarma salad box. It was absolutely delicious, with perfectly seasoned lamb and a delicious salad dressing. I could happily have had a second portion but it was headliner time!

Shon Douglas for SFG

Shed Seven were this year’s Friday headliners. With more than a smattering of Shed Seven t-shirts on display throughout the day, it was clear the York natives would be playing to a partizan audience and you could tell they loved every minute of it as they ripped through a 15-song set mixing new and old, including the anthemic ‘Speakeasy’ and ‘Disco Down’.

Reminiscing about performing ‘Going for Gold’ on This Morning in Liverpool after a night of excess, Witter stated he associated the song with Judy Finnegan and the desire to vomit.

At one point lead singer Rick Witter went through a list of dedications, celebrating birthdays, weddings, wishing fans well from ill health – showcasing their bond with their fanbase which is as strong as it was in their 90’s heyday.

To close the set the band delivered a barnstorming ‘Chasing Rainbows’ which the crowd sang back at them with arms aloft and voices straining into the night’s sky. Included in the crowd was a young boy called Lucas who had been introduced to Shed Seven by his York-born Dad and knew the words to LITERALLY every song. Recognising the youngster’s gusto, guitarist Paul Banks handed a guitar pick and setlist down to the pit for him – something the lad will never forget!

© Gobinder Jhitta for Wychwood

And that was that. Day one drawing to a close with fans still singing Chasing Rainbows as they made their way for another drink, some food before bedtime, back to their tents or to the waiting taxis – all ready for another day of it on Saturday!

DAY TWO – SATURDAY

Wychizens were welcomed back to Cheltenham Racecourse by another scorcher, giving attendees chance to break out their finery – including lots of Hawaiian shirts, cowboy hats, sequins, floral prints, jazzy leggings, Superhero costumes, fox paws and tails and a LOT of face paint.

Saturday saw a definite increase in numbers on site as day ticket holders descended on the racecourse for a packed day and firing out of the blocks with all the energy you’d expect was Joe Wicks PE. Joe became an icon during Covid for his daily early morning workouts and the muscle memory was still there for many of the crowd.

© Gobinder Jhitta for Wychwood

More than a few parents had a thousand-mile stare in their eyes as trauma of the pandemic and working from home with kids came flooding back. Still, they put their backs, glutes, quads, and shoulders into it and earned whatever refreshments they sought out. Having not participated, but still feeling in need of a boost, I opted for an iced americano (with an extra shot) from the Character Coffee Roasters van to the right of the main stage for £4.75.

On my way back to the main stage I managed to avoid a fine from the Wardens of Wychwood, even sneaking a photograph before their “No Photographs” sign could be presented. The Wardens were on patrol throughout Saturday and enforcing the “rules” including walking without due care and attention; wearing a loud shirt in a built-up area; possession of an offensive child or whistling an infectious song.

Shon Douglas for SFG

Three members of Doreen Doreen arrived on the main stage beginning with the instantly recognisable riff of AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ transforming into Van Halen’s ‘Jump’. What followed was a sequinned, leopard printed, feather boa’d fever dream of a show as they smashed through an hour-long set filled with disco, rock and pop covers – including ABBA, Shania Twain and Queen. The crowd danced throughout and Doreen Doreen legacy remained long after their set ended as pink feathers from their boas were left strewn across the stage.

Lee Ridley, also known as Lost Voice Guy, headlined Saturday’s comedy. The Britain’s Got Talent winner filled The Garden, wearing an “I’m Just in it for the Parking” T-Shirt and introducing himself as a “Stand up comedian who also struggles to stand up” had the crowd chuckling in the already quite humid tent.

© Joshua Atkins for Wychwood

A tragic overnight crash on the M5 led to a significant closure on the approach to Cheltenham which meant Lack of Afro were forced to cancel their slot. While this left a gap in the main stage schedule it granted an opportunity for Aderyn to shine in front of a busy Garden stage.

The Welsh native arrived on stage with pink knee-high boots and pale blue outfit and was joined by her band wearing fetching pink glittery waistcoats. If Doreen Doreen were in need of any extra members then Aderyn and band would definitely qualify in the aesthetic stakes. Recent single ‘Foreverever’ started off a set of spiky, hooky, infectious indie-pop songs about love and loss and culminated in ‘Chip Shop Boy’ – an ode to yearning for, well…a boy who worked in a chip shop.

Speaking of…the thought of chips sent me on a mission to find a gluten-free/vegan option to see how people with dietary requirements are catered to at the festival and found Chickenish Vegan Fried Chicken. Serving burgers, loaded bites and loaded fries. I opted for a meal deal option for a pretty punchy £20 which consisted of a portion of Spice is Right loaded bites in gochujang mayo, crispy chilli oil, spring onions, sesame seeds and coriander with fries and a can of coke. It was really good and saw queues throughout the weekend.

Shon Douglas for SFG

After the understandable pause in main stage proceedings, Mali natives Songhoy Blues were next up although there was some confusion at the start of the set when it wasn’t clear as to whether they’d started or if they were still sound checking. This meant we were treated to a mash up of their blues and afro-rock with Technotronic’s ‘Pump Up The Jam’ which was eventually hushed by the DJ.

A 45-minute set of funky guitar riffs, pulsing basslines and traditional instruments blended together into their unique desert blues sound and gave the audience a real treat as the sun continued to belt down.

Then things get a little bit peculiar as The Ogretones, the UK’s premier Shrek themed cover band, turned Howlin’ Pete’s into their very own swamp. The group, dressed as much-loved characters from the film franchise including Donkey on bass, the Big Bad Wolf on drums and the Gingerbread Man on keyboard rolled out the hits including ‘Accidentally in Love’ and ‘All Star’ before closing out with a singalong of ‘I’m A Believer’.

At one point the band split the audience in half for a ‘Wall of Death’ dance off to a cover of Nancy Sinatra’s ‘These Boots Are Made for Walkin’’. The band acknowledged that some of the audience may die, but it was a sacrifice they were willing to make. Much like Ogres, the band are like onions – no, they don’t stink – they have layers!

Cheeks hurting from smiling for the last hour, it was over to the main stage via a refreshment. The arena had bars in every corner, with cider, ales, lager, Guinness, wine, spirits and cocktails (including a Pimm’s stall) galore on offer. I was also impressed the with amount of non-alcoholic and gluten-free options available. A pint of Stowford Press (£6.75) complete with a Wychwood 2025 reuseable plastic glass for £2 in hand and it was time for Ibibio Sound Machine.

© Gobinder Jhitta for Wychwood

Lead vocalist Eno Williams led the band through a high-energy, funk filled set complete with singalongs, crowd participation and the brief spell of cloud gave way to the sun again and the vibe-o-meter went up to max! Williams is a captivating performer and with the incredible Alfred Bannerman on guitar, the band were really giving it full beans up there. The insanely funky ‘The Talking Fish(Asem Usem Iyak)’ made me feel like I was John Shaft and that’s about as big a compliment I can give.

Things were really ramping up now as the evening drew in and Public Service Broadcasting arrived on the main stage with no small amount of intrigue amongst the crowd. With an extensive back catalogue of concept albums on subject matter ranging from the collapse of the coal mining industry in South Wales to the space race and the story of Amelia Earhart’s final, ill-fated journey in 1937 it was hard to know what their hour-long set would bring.

Judging by the amount of PSB t-shirts in the crowd there will have been a lot of happy campers (and day ticketers) after the show as their set included new material as well as the hits, including ‘Spitfire’, ‘Go’ and closing with a sky scraping ‘Everest’.

© Gobinder Jhitta for Wychwood

It was time for another food stop and this time it was Think Greek. The queue had been pretty constant throughout the first couple of days, but having seen other people’s orders I was committed so joined the queue. A minor battery issue for the payment machine caused a bit of a delay, but the wait was well worth it! I chose the Pork Souvlaki portion which came with two skewers of grilled pork with pitta, sauce, salad and chips (£15).

Shon Douglas for SFG

It was really good and set me up for the rest of the evening which began with indie darlings, The Magic Numbers who were playing out the sun setting with their honeyed harmonies and folk-pop sound. The Garden Stage was packed to the rafters with fans spilling out of the tent as they started with ‘Forever Lost’ before a set mixed with songs from their self-titled debut, including the bittersweet ‘I See You, You See Me’ and ‘Love Me Like You’ to second album Those The Brokes lead single ‘Take a Chance’, 2014’s ‘Shot in the Dark’ and most recent album Outsiders with ‘Ride Against the Wind’.

© Gobinder Jhitta for Wychwood

As the band’s vocal melodies drifted over the area it was time for our Saturday night headliner, certified legends James.

The Manchester group have a career spanning 42 years and they have an enviable back catalogue to pick from, although distilling it down to an hour and 45-minute-long slot is an unenviable task. Their production team had made some changes to the stage layout, including a runway into the pit to allow the band to get up close and personal with the partisan James fans in the crowd.

Frontman Tim Booth emerged on stage with a long brown coat and woolly hat announcing his expectations for the festival setting were slightly different to what he was confronted with: “I pictured some sort of forest wilderness at Wychwood, so planned a set full of more spiritual numbers, rather than the blockbusters.”

Booth lasted all of one song (‘Getting Away With It’) with his woolly hat before casting it aside, strolling down the walkway and taking the hand of fans as he walked past not missing a beat. The crowd’s energy was through the roof and the band were feeding off it.

© Joshua Atkins for Wychwood

A breathless set made up of new (‘Way Over Your Head”), old (‘Tomorrow’) and older (‘Ring the Bells’) satisfied all but a couple on the way off site who complained they hadn’t played ‘Sometimes’. The band rolled out their biggest hits ‘Born of Frustration’, ‘Sit Down’ and ‘Laid’ to suck in even the impartials out there in stage-lit night and then it was time for James to bid the crowd adieu, saying

good night to the “Witchy, woody, woodians” with ‘Sound’ from 1992’s Seven and departing the stage to the adulation of their audience – many of which came purely for the draw of James.

The neon glow of fairground rides and silent disco headphones plotted the way off site and in a pretty swift exit I managed to power walk from the day pass exit point, through the racecourse site and across the road to the Racecourse Roundabout bus stop at the top of Evesham Road to catch the D bus back into town in 28 minutes – a new PB. Day two, mission accomplished!

© Gobinder Jhitta for Wychwood

DAY THREE – SUNDAY

A brisk wind and grey skies greet day three’s attendees but patches of blue gave hope that the sun would show its face later in the day. In the short term the merch tent did roaring trade in hoodies while others brought out the DryRobes with a look of sheer smugness etched on their faces (more so than usual).

To kick things off Roscoe Street did their best to bring the sunshine and the main stage audience were getting into the spirit of things as sax solos and funky riffs from the five-piece who met while studying in Liverpool and had been busking on site the night before to drum up a crowd which looked to work wonders!

On the hunt for coffee I caved to the lure of a festival breakfast (I’m only human) and opted for a breakfast crepe filled with bacon, cheese and chilli jam from the accurately named Coffee & Crepes. It was delicious and set me up for a bumper Sunday.

Shon Douglas for SFG

Moving over towards the Village Green I stopped off in the Artists and Makers tent to see what was on offer and finding a treasure trove of creative, handmade pieces from Emily Laura Designs, Tinkermade and Delilah and The Moon – as well as making classes where you could make your own mini lampshade fairy lights with Jen from All Agog or even a floral crown with Kelly from Perfect Petals.

A circus workshop from Solo Circus welcomed attendees at The Mountainside with a knowing “Hello bedraggled parents of Wychwood!” before lauding them as the true hardcore owing to late nights and early mornings on the campsite. The ripple of chuckles/gentle sobbing from the assembled adults would suggest the nail was hit squarely on the head with the observation.

Next up on the main stage were another of the Apply to Play bands, Big Sky Orchestra. Originally from Birmingham, the band are scattered around the country but as a self-identified Jam Band, the group come together to tour and record new music – with a studio session upcoming.

Despite frontman James claiming not to have brought the weather with them the wind did its bit, giving the folicularly gifted group the wind tunnel effect you’d have to pay extra for normally – and adding more than a shred of rock god to lead guitarist Benedict’s solos. The effortlessly cool looking five-piece delivered a half hour set of Americana influenced, 60’s and 70’s twinged songs – transporting you from a windy field in Gloucestershire to a sun kissed Californian coastal trail and leaving a lot of people very impressed.

© Gobinder Jhitta for Wychwood

The music came thick and fast and next up it was Wychwood mainstays Thrill Collins. They’ve probably played the festival more times than the festival has run, but it wouldn’t be Wychwood without them. Scamps that they are, a brief flirtation with the idea of starting beef with the UK garage scene was swiftly dismissed by frontman Robbie as they “look quite strong”. Their infectious energy and giddy genre-hopping mash ups were the perfect accompaniment to the now sun-soaked festival.

Wandering around the site in fetching, brightly coloured tank tops, The Barsteward Sons of Val Doonican were drumming up interest ahead of their set. With the voice of X Factor Peter Dickson announcing their entry to stage, claiming to be “bigger than Fleetwood Flippin’ Mac” and threatening to “Butcher all your favourite songs in tank tops” while keeping the legacy of their father (Val) alive the group had a lot to live up to.

Shon Douglas for SFG

Thankfully the main threat came from the potential for an errant spark or ember to land on stage, igniting the polyester knit and causing a catastrophe – but mercifully we were spared disaster and the set filled with comedy interpretations of much loved went unimpeded. The sheer variety of patterns on show sent me reeling towards The Garden stage in need of something to steady the ship.

That duty fell to punk rockers iDestroy who duly delivered with a set of chaotic, energetic, party-punk songs including standouts ‘Petting Zoo’, ‘100 Sounds’ and ‘Headphones’ giving fans of the heavier sound a much-needed fix. I hadn’t managed to see them at 2000 Trees last year, so made it a mission of mine to enjoy them in the more genteel setting of Wychwood and they didn’t disappoint.

One band I did see at Trees was festival highlight Skinny Lister. Their foot stomping show treated a crowd packed with Skinny Lister merch wearers to 45-minutes of shanty-punk that was brimming with energy and good times. ‘Trouble on Oxford Street’ gave even the uninitiated chance to join in with a “ba ba ba ba badaba” as did ‘Rollin’ Over’ and ‘Wanted’. Band members Lorna and Max’s dad ‘Party George’ took a moment away from Grandad duties to join on stage for his song ‘William Harker’ and looked like he was having the time of his life.

As the band Introduced ‘Arm Wrestling in Dresden’ Lorna announced it was time to take on audience members in an arm-wrestling competition. Jumping down from the stage in her brightly coloured leotard she took on men and women alike, crushing all comers and leaving us in no doubt who the champ was!

Shon Douglas for SFG

New album ‘Songs from The Yonder’ has just landed in the Top 5 of the Official Folk Albums Chart and with a UK/Europe tour this November and December there’s a lot more fun to be had for all involved!

Backstage the group caught up with the next main stage act, Fisherman’s Friends for a rendition of ‘John Kanaka’ – a traditional sea shanty dating back to the 19th Century. The wafting scent of fish and chips from the repurposed London Bus caught on the wind and you could well be forgiven for thinking you were by the seaside.

The internationally renowned, multi award winning, multiple film inspiring collective arrived to rapturous applause from a crowd now fully into their stride. The Breton shirt-clad nontet (had to look that up) have been touring hard to mark 30 years in the biz with a monster 34-date voyage across the country – including back to Cheltenham in October.

Closing out their set with ‘What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor?” I was inspired to make another visit to the bar before intrigue lured me towards Howlin’ Pete’s for Feminem.

Not sure what to expect I was met with the cape wearing force of nature that is comedian Tracey Collins and her alter-ego Feminem. She was soon joined by a group of backing dancers plucked from the audience including the sequinned M.C. Oldboy. The recruitment criteria appeared to be a combination of aesthetic and the quality of their Tesco meal deal order but whatever credentials were needed the crew delivered.

Shon Douglas for SFG

The whole set was hilarious from start to finish and the “peroxide prophet with the fastest lips in the North” more than justified the curious and their decision to visit the tent – genuinely brilliant.

For the second year on the bounce, Thomas Bradley Project from Liverpool played The Garden stage with frontman Thomas Bradley’s traditional folk/rock sound following perfectly on from Big Sky Orchestra’s slot earlier in the day.

On the main stage it was Lucy Spraggan’s turn. Arriving on stage in a pale blue suit Spraggan was ready to put on a show and with several albums worth of material behind her since her audition on X-Factor in 2012 as a 20-year-old, she has plenty to pluck from. The anthem to hangovers ‘Last Night (Beer Fear)’ probably touched a nerve with a few of the more fragile audience members, but you can’t deny it’s a banger – but there’s a lot more to Spraggan’s back catalogue than just knowing, wit-laden songs.

The heartstring tugging ‘Tea & Toast’ caused more than a few tissues to come out while reflective ballad ‘Balance’ from the album of the same name shows the emotional sensitivity in Spraggan’s writing. At the same time 2024’s uplifting ‘Run’ and its lyric ‘I wanna feel invincible’ and epic new song ‘Unsinkable’ showcase an artist feeling (and looking) strong and ready for what is to come. There’s a new album (‘Other Sides of The Moon’) out later this month, multiple summer festival slots and a tour in the autumn to come and judging by this performance Lucy is ready to seize the opportunities ahead and make the most of them. Good for her!

A food stop was next up and a portion of Raclette and smashed potatoes (£12) from The Melted Cheese Company which was frankly incredible and fulfilled everything I needed from food at that point.

Shon Douglas for SFG

The Zutons started the evening proceedings and gave us a brilliant set filled with songs from their debut album Who Killed The Zutons? including ‘Zuton Fever’, ‘Pressure Point’ and ‘You Will You Won’t’.

Even though the rain started to fall during ‘Why Won’t You Give Me Your Love?’ there was no dampening of the atmosphere, and saxophonist Abi Harding’s rendition of Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’ was another of the best covers from the weekend and led up to the original ‘Valerie’ which is still the best (fight me Mark Ronson!). I haven’t seen them since 2006 but they still put on a show and those hits stand the test of time.

© Joshua Atkins for Wychwood

Speaking of things that have stood the test of time, Goldie Lookin’ Chain travelled the short distance down the A48 from Newport to Wychwood and filled The Garden stage with their unique blend of comedy rap. The performance unlocked a part of my brain left hitherto untouched since the early noughties and lyrics from the rap collective’ debut record ‘Greatest Hits’ were soon pouring out of my mouth. ‘Guns Don’t Kill People, Rappers Do’ live STILL goes off.

Sunday night headliners Doves close out the weekend starting at the earlier slot of 8:45pm to ensure compliance with licencing restrictions. The band is touring without frontman Jimi Goodwin who announced in November 2024 that he wouldn’t be taking part as he continues to focus on his wellbeing. All of us at Summer Festival Guide wish Jimi well in his recovery.

Founder members and twin brothers Jez and Andy Williams shared vocal duties during the performance, which included soul stirring anthems ‘Kingdom of Rust’, ‘Pounding’ and ‘Black and White Town’.

© Gobinder Jhitta for Wychwood

The band are stalwarts of the indie music scene but were faced with a bit of a thin crowd to begin with as other acts slots overlapped – however by the time they played ‘Cold Dreaming’ from this year’s album ‘Constellations for the Lonely’ the crowd the band deserved had appeared.

As the wind whipped across the stage, said crowd attempted to get an inflatable beach ball bouncing around in what can only be described as something of an exercise in futility. Still, they persisted until the ball’s state of inflation became compromised and it cut a rather forlorn figure in the photographer pit.

Shon Douglas for SFG

Undeterred by the inflatable distraction Doves plated a show you would expect from such consummate pros with their enviable back catalogue, including a personal favourite in the phenomenal ‘There Goes the Fear’ to cap off another excellent Wychwood Festival weekend.

I’ve said it before – in fact here on this very website – but I’m sure as heck gonna say it again, Wychwood Festival is an absolute gem! Judging by the comments on social media it isn’t just me that thinks so. Everyone involved in the festival, from the set up crew, sound and lighting engineers, band bookers, back-office staff, volunteers and security teams should be proud of the event they delivered. Where snagging issues were reported they moved quickly to resolve them, and the feedback from last year was clearly taken on board and acted on.

© Gobinder Jhitta for Wychwood

Against a backdrop of spiralling costs in everyday life, the organisers are also intent on keeping prices affordable for those seeking escape and have frozen ticket prices for the fourth year in a row ahead of 2026’s edition. With a variety of payment options, including payment plans and a ticket for life option, plus free entry for under 10’s, there aren’t many festivals that deliver such value for money.

Sure the food can come up pricy, and if you’ve bairns in tow you’ll undoubtedly find yourself wincing as the activities, ice cream and other sugary treats start to add up, but Wychwood continues to shine as a genuinely family-friendly festival. There are loads of free activities, kid-centric content on multiple stages every day, and with an immaculate vibe there are much more expensive and less wholesome ways to spend your time and money.

In a year when so many festivals have been forced to cancel, we’re incredibly lucky to have Wychwood still going strong – here’s to next year!

Shon Douglas for SFG

2000 Trees – 2024 Edition, REVIEWED!

‘twas the week before 2000 Trees and all across the nation, the ground was being soaked by loads of precipitation!

After one of the wettest starts to the year in recent memory, hearts were sinking among ticket holders as yet more torrential rain hit the site in the days leading up to kick off – however fears were soon allayed as arrival day saw a sunny start and mostly dry conditions underfoot, even if there was a bit of mud about.

2000 Trees is a much-loved music festival that has lost none of its independent spirit since it was formed by a group of like-minded friends in 2007. The passion felt for the festival is such that multiple attendees referred to its arrival as “like Christmas” – although the weather in the build-up was more akin to monsoon season!

There are a number of ways to get to Upcote Farm, which is about six miles from Cheltenham, including a shuttle bus running on Wednesday and Thursday from Cheltenham Spa railway station direct to site and bringing you back on Sunday for £15 return. The Big Green Coach company also offered coach travel to the festival from further afield.

A taxi to site with a local company (Cheltenham hasn’t really embraced Uber yet) cost £24 which wasn’t altogether unreasonable considering my pre-festival faffing in the build-up and being keen to catch the first band on stage at 3pm.

Many drove, with car sharing encouraged – particularly given the nature of the small B road leading into site – while Campervans were again situated near the entry at the top of the site.

© Joe Singh for 2000 Trees

WEDNESDAY

The site itself is within Upcote Farm, a working farm which also hosts a five-mile trail run in Autumn called Run Upcote. The entrance to site involves a few uphill and downhill bits, as well as a narrow bridge, which made my having packed so much a bit of a rookie error, but entry into the festival itself was smooth and volunteers greeted arriving revellers with smiles and cheerful dispositions.

After meeting up with friends, checking in with the Trees team and setting up my tent it was on to the matter at hand – a weekend of brilliant music!

All of the performances on day one were split between The Word stage and The Forest with the main stage area cordoned off until the next day. This made it easy to quickly slip from set to set and not miss too much of anyone. As a matter of fact, Trees’ relatively small size is REALLY helpful in that respect. The organisers produced a super handy clashfinder to help make those difficult decisions but you’re never more than a five/ten-minute walk from one stage to the next – meaning the sort of cross site marathon you’d expect from Glastonbury are not an issue here.

There have been some changes made to the Forest area for 2024, creating more space and with an accessibility viewing platform to allow viewing from further back and its own bar the Forest proved a real favourite over the week.

Kicking off the weekend were Exit Child in the Forest. Continuing with the festive theme, singer and guitarist Anya Pulver proudly stated “This is my family’s Christmas – it’s the best time of the year!” before firing through their half hour set with the bit between their teeth, despite a few initial sound issues. Earlier in the year the band announced that they were calling it a day after Trees and gave this last show their absolute all – leaving the crowd wanting much, much more.

Exit Child © Joe Singh for 2000 Trees

Following the end of the set I headed to The Word tent but it was already overflowing with enthusiastic fans watching Kite Thief so I took a wander to the merch tent to see what was on offer and the answer was A LOT! From limited edition prints to Trees football shirts and band t-shirts there was something for everyone – including a corner selling vinyl. Picking up a Manchester Orchestra print (which handily came pre-tubed) I dropped back to the tent before getting myself back into the Forest for the frankly excellent Pet Needs.

The Colchester four-piecebrought huge amounts of energy and a heck of a lot of fans tree-lined Forest, encouraging them to make the most of fresh voices to set the bar for the rest of the festival. With earworm singalongs ‘Punk Isn’t Dead; It’s Just Up For Sale’ and ‘Tracy Emin’s Bed’ they duly delivered and teed up Lambrini Girls for their own raucous showing.

Lambrini Girls © Joe Singh for 2000 Trees

Frontwoman Phoebe Lunny kicked off proceedings by asking the assembled throng “Who’s ready to fuck?” and the punk rockers duly set about showing us the time of our lives. One of the themes of the festival was support for minority groups, and Lambrini Girls led from the front. Their set covered issues of sexual assault, calling on the crowd to “Believe victims” before ‘Boys in the Band’, shouting “Fuck TERFs” before ‘Terf Wars’ and calling for a Free Palestine. Their set was a highlight of the weekend and judging by the number of T-Shirts on show over the weekend they’ve a load of new fans on board.

The crowd was simmering nicely before Glasgow’s Dead Pony arrived with the first of two sets of the weekend and was soon at boiling point. Entering to The Prodigy’s ‘Voodoo People (Pendulum Remix)’, the band started casting a spell over the crowd from the off with an urgent ‘Ignore This’ from the new album of the same name. A blistering half hour set followed, including the frankly epic ‘MK Nothing’ and ‘MANA’ before a brief cover of Nirvana’s ‘Teen Spirit’ gave way to a thumping ‘Zero’. Honestly, the band’s electro-rock sound wouldn’t be out of place in a mid-2000’s Zombie thriller with Milla Jovovich kicking the arse of the undead and I’m here for it!

The Xcerts © Joe Singh for 2000 Trees

Keeping things north of the border, Scottish three-piece The Xcerts returned to 2000 Trees once again. Described by the organisers as “bona fide Trees royalty”, the band have a fanatical following and the Forest was packed out for the band’s set. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of their third album, ‘There Is Only You’, the band played the record in its entirety – ending on a beautiful piano-led rendition of the album’s title track and teeing up Thursday’s mainstage set by assuring the crowd they’ll be playing eight songs they know well. “It’ll be flawless!” they promised.

In a bit of a departure from the festival’s usual position on sporting events, and following a whole lot of requests, the Trees organisers arranged to show the England vs Netherlands Euro 2024 semi-final clash in Axiom. This was my cue to check out the bar.

There are several around site, including a very swish Arbor tent and a Westons Cider bar with hay bales beneath a large oak tree near to the main stage. The bars offered lager, ale and cider on tap – as well as a non-alcoholic beer. Spirits, mixers, cocktails, wine and shots were all available – with White Russians proving particularly popular in the Forest.

Dream State were grateful for the crowd members making the choice to come and see them, describing it as a battle between “festival purists and football fans”. To help accommodate all comers, the band had set up a small screen on the stage, as well as a football net and lead singer Jessie donned an England shirt while guitarist Aled rocked a Netherlands kit and Wales bucket hat. While there may have been split loyalties on stage, the band’s heavy set unified all into a maelstrom of energy as Jessie’s vocals veered from melodic radio friendly tones into stirring the pit of your stomach growls – no more so than on 2019 single ‘Hand in Hand’.

Dream State © Joe Singh for 2000 Trees

Closing out Wednesday’s schedule before the Silent Disco took over were Lancashire rockers Boston Manor and what a close to the day it was! The Forest was packed out and vocal cords that had been warmed up all day were given a beasting akin to a sociopathic PT screaming at you in the gym by a powerhouse performance.

Kicking the set off with recent releases ‘Sliding Doors’ and ‘Container’ and adding some older hits such as ‘Laika’ the five-piece ploughed through a breathless show, rammed with heavy guitars and soaring vocals – especially during a massive singalong version of ‘Passenger’. Unfortunately, technical challenges during their set the next day cut the show short but with an eight-date headline tour across the UK in September to support the release of new album ‘Sundiver’ there will be plenty more chance for fans to see them in action in 2024.

With that, and darkness well and truly upon us it was time for the Silent Disco. In a first for me there was a channel allowing headset holders to listen in to a live performance from an act performing in the Forest creating a bit of a surreal scenario where the drummer’s tapping could be heard but no vocals unless you were on the right channel during Cody Frost’s performance. You can pre-order the headsets for £26 (£20 of which is refunded after the event) and then collect using a barcode or buy them on site for £28.

In classic “going too hard too soon” conduct, my friends and I threw ourselves into Silent Disco HARD and had a total blast. Seeing so many people with their headsets glowing, including members of staff who had worked so hard to get the festival set up in time, was a real grin inducer – as was the elder emo friendly playlist!

THURSDAY

Emerging into another beaut of a day and with the remains of several of the best French fries I have ever eaten courtesy of Smoking Buns underfoot, I headed into the now fully opened site to have a look around at the main arena.

The main stage sits between rows of food vendors creating a large bowl and allowing a decent view from the sound stage and beyond – including the VIP area’s viewing platform. During this explore I noted a few changes to the scheduling due to withdrawals – including Death Lens and Snayx – which meant some of the bands started an hour later giving me more time to check out the rest of the site.

I headed over to The Word tent to see what was on offer. On day twoit gave way to a range ofactivities for kids such as face painting, yoga and singalongs, as well as comedy in the evenings. Its proximity to the camping area and being between the main festival and Forest stages meant it felt like a bit of a bolthole from the hectic goings on of a busy site.

Further beyond there still and deeper into the woods is the Forest School where a team of experts introduced people to ways of interacting with nature, including den building and bug hunting. It was another peaceful corner of the site helping parents keep their kids entertained in between sets.

© Joe Singh for 2000 Trees

On top of these activities there are also a play area and crazy golf – meaning there was loads to do for the youngens. In fact, there were a LOT of kids at the festival, most of whom were living their best lives in fancy dress, face paint and raising their tiny devil horns to the sky saluting their favourite bands. If you’re a parent pondering a festival with a child, then you can do far worse than 2000 Trees.

The night before I’d loaned my charger to a friend which meant my phone battery was running low, but thankfully the charity, Temwa, were on site offering a phone (and vape) charging station. For £6 you can fully charge your mobile and when the charity’s profits go towards works in remote, rural areas of northern Malawi, it seems a small price to pay.

Other charities at the festival included Frank Water who offered unlimited cold, filtered water refills on site for £5 (or sparkling/flavoured for £6), Safe Gigs for Women who work with venues, promoters, artists and gig-goers to fight sexual assault and harassment at live music events and Metal For Good who use the positive values of rock, metal and other alternative subcultures to make a positive difference in communities. Seeing so many charities at the festival, with people donating and buying their merch, added even more to the feel-good factor on site.

One of the bands I was most keen on seeing during the festival was Spanish Love Songs. The LA band had two slots on Thursday, kicking off with a stripped back solo acoustic performance from frontman Dylan Slocum in the Forest just after midday.

Spanish Love Songs © Jez Pennington for 2000 Trees

Clearly anticipation for the performance was high, as the glade was full to the rafters. Borrowing wife and bandmate Meredith Van Woert’s guitar and with a setlist written on his phone (“No you can’t have it”) Slocum led the assembled throng through a ten-song set that delivered more than a few tears.

Brave Faces Everyone’s ‘Losers’ had fans screaming “It gets harder doesn’t it?” into the canopy above, with further leaf shaking vocals during ‘Otis/Carl’ and the always brilliant ‘Losers 2’. At one point Slocum asked the audience if they wanted to hear an “upbeat or a sad song?” and was met with a wall of noise screaming back in unison “SAD” – to next to no surprise from anyone attending – before duly delivering with ‘Exit Bags’ from 2023’s No Joy. The set ended on a – well, haunting version of ‘Haunted’ which only served to add to the anticipation for SLS’ Axiom set later that day.

While watching Dead Pony’s epic main stage set, I sampled Bunnyman’s Bunny Chow for lunch. The stall offers chilli and nachos, as well as the genuinely thrilling ‘Bunny Chow Bread Bowl’ – a hollowed out garlic bread baguette filled to the brim with delicious chilli and topped with the garlicky innards of the baguette and sour cream. It was both incredible AND portable, meaning I could watch on as Dead Pony’s singer Anna Shields made the most of the extra space on the main stage to put in another energy-laden show that had the crowd bouncing.

The next highlight was Canadian rockers NOBRO out of Montrealwhotook the Neu tent by storm during their 30-minute set. Opening with the gospel-tinged intro to the fun as all hell ‘Better Each Day’, the band’s influences Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney shine through on tracks ‘Where My Girls At’ and ‘Set That Pussy Free’. The show included bouts of crowd surfing and jumping off drum kits lending a classic rock vibe – which is probably the only time you’ll ever see that alongside bongo playing. Multi-instrumentalists, the gang switch around for “Don’t Die” by which point they were clearly showing off while having the best time of their lives – and they weren’t the only ones.

NOBRO © Joe Singh for 2000 Trees

Having not yet had my fill of Spanish Love Songs I joined a packed-out Axiom tent for a set filled with anthemic, fist aloft, scream-a-long hits. Joined by the rest of the band, Dylan Slocum spoke about being due to play in 2020 but being denied by Covid. Describing 2000 Trees as being “like someone took the inside of my brain and put it in on show”, Slocum proclaimed Trees as “the best festival in the world” while delivering one of the best shows of the weekend.

Effortlessly mixing new material with old, the passion and volume of singalongs to fan favourites ‘Buffalo Buffalo’ and ‘Routine Pain’ made the hairs on my arms stand on end, with closer ‘Brave Faces, Everyone’ putting a final, resounding ‘period’ down on a day that belonged to SLS.

Kids in Glass Houses were next on the main stage and ready to give the crowd what they want, bringing a dose of nostalgia of simpler times gone by to a sunbathed stage. The set included new single, the synth-tinged banger ‘Theme from Pink Flamingo’, but it was the hits from Smart Casual that really caught the attention as ‘Easy Tiger’ slipped into the instantly recognisable intro to ‘Give Me What I Want’ and we had lift off!Acknowledging they had been away for a while and ruminating being adults, the band announced they had no plans to accept such things, defiantly stating: “Nah, fuck it! Let’s record a new album – HERE’S TO POVERTY!”

Another of the bands I had been really looking forward to was Manchester Orchestra. Despite being on the indie-rock side of the line, 2000 Trees is the only UK festival show the band is playing which shows the two-way love affair between parties is real. The Atlanta band’s opening salvo of ‘Pride’, ‘Bed Head’ and ‘I Can Barely Breathe’ saw amps turned up to 11 and any doubts as to their rock credentials were soon dispelled.

Manchester Orchestra © Jez Pennington for 2000 Trees

A fearsome rendition of ‘Cope’ was followed by a stunning, spine-tingling ‘The Maze’ and then Brian Fallon of Thursday night’s headliners The Gaslight Anthem joined the band on stage for ‘The Gold’. As Fallon and MO frontman Andy Hull’s voices intwined into the evening sky it felt like hearts and minds had been won over. Signing off, Hull thanked the crowd for “accepting us as we are” –

My first big clash occurred with Los Campesinos! and Hot Mulligan going head-to-head – and with it being LC!’s first grass festival ten years I opted to head to the Forest and hoped they wouldn’t be disappointed that the forest floor was covered in woodchip and not grass…

An exuberant set opened with the single ‘A Psychic Wound’ from the band’s new record All Hell before charting every chapter of the band’s almost 20 years in the game. With a limit of 50 minutes the band made no apologies for the frenetic pace as they rattled through song after song, including ‘Romance is Boring’, ‘Avocado, Baby’, ‘Straight In at 101’ and ‘Hello Sadness’ which were all greeted with top of the lungs singing. The last time the band played 2000 Trees was in 2011 and a lot has changed since then – but the band’s politics haven’t. They’re still defenders of the oppressed, with a flag hanging at the front of the stage stating ‘Freedom for Palestine. End the occupation. Stop the Genocide’ lending their voice – as so many other bands over the weekend did – to supporting those without one.

Hotfooting it back to the main stage for The Gaslight Anthem to catch the New Jersey rockers make their Trees debut, Brian Fallon and band got the ball rolling with the anthemic ‘Great Expectations’, ‘Handwritten’ and ‘American Slang’ before taking requests from members of the crowd holding up signs.

Gaslight Anthem © Joe Singh for 2000 Trees

Their triumphant set spanned 20 songs in all, ranging from debut album The 59’ Sound through to 2023’s History Books and drawing from their extensive back catalogue throughout. During ‘Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts’ Fallon tweaked the lyrics to “Buy a house in England, especially how you played the game last night. It’s so expensive in London, you definitely need double income, or we could sleep on the beach all night” simultaneously drawing chuckles from the crowd and stabbing straight at the heart of some of society’s many issues.

The crowd was already at fever pitch before the band closed their set with the almighty “45” (ably supported by Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra) and a throat shredding ‘The ’59 Sound’ to draw a line under one of the most anthemic nights in Trees history. But the music didn’t stop there.

In 2018, Scott Hutchison was due to play 2000 Trees with Frightened Rabbit and his side project Mastersystem but lost his battle with depression and heartbreakingly died by suicide. From Scott’s death a legacy has emerged, with his family setting up a mental health charity Tiny Changes in his honour. Trees also pays tribute to Scott in the shape of Camp Frabbit – one of a number of stages dotted around the campsite where musicians play after hours sets.

Pet Needs returned to play a set, drawing a sizeable and enthusiastic crowd along who delighted in fulfilling the band’s desire for a Wall of Death in between the tents and guylines – even if it was carried out in the gentlest of manners by bodies already aching and fatigued after a long day. At that point it was time to retire ahead of another jam-packed day of music.

FRIDAY

Day three brought an overcast and cooler start with it, which required the addition of another couple of layers in the wee smalls of the morning, along with a few threatening clouds – but thankfully still no rain!

Over in the Forest Eighty Eight Miles capped off their set withan epic cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’, while Bex helped early risers loosen up with an energy-filled set on the Main Stage and four-piece hardcore band Fangs Out packed out the Cave tent with a super heavy portion of rock for breakfast – including ‘Get Grim’ with the call to action of “Let’s all get grim, There’s nothing to it! Savour the sorrow and rejoice in ruin!” which the crowd dutifully obliged in!

Artio were a band on a mission as theydemanded the mid-morning crowd indulge them with a mosh pit. If the vibe check was ever needed at 2000 Trees, here was another act using their platform to lend their voices to supporting the Trans community – announcing ‘Head in the Sand’ as a song about leaving Trans people alone.

The Main stage introduced Norway’s Sløtface to a crowd still jacked up from Bex’s set and kept the momentum going. The band last played Trees in 2018 and in that time there has been a lineup change but the band are still super slick, and their power punk sound led by frontwoman Haley Shea gets the crowd bouncing. Thanking them for coming out early to see them play at their “favourite festival”, Haley reflected on comments she received about how refreshing it was to see a woman in her 30’s fronting a band – a comment that came mere days after turning 30. Saying “I know they meant well, but it hurt” she offered a shoutout to any over 30’s camping at the festival as “the real heroes” before enjoying a very wholesome mosh pit at the front of the stage.

I joined a mysterious queue outside the Marshall Funhouse signing tent which led to a free t-shirt printing service offered by Marshall amps and an amplifier mascot that emerged from behind the presses to entertain both children and adults alike – even if their spatial awareness was found a little wanting…

The Rumjacks arrived on the main stage from the land down under, but their Irish folk infused set could well have pegged them as men from the Emerald Isle rather than the other side of the world. Remarking on “play between a pie shop and a sausage roll shop” and how it made them feel at home, the band got a huge amount of people dancing along to their raucous brand of Celtic punk – especially the penny whistle solos!

The Rumjacks © Joe Singh for 2000 Trees

Lunch was calling and on recommendation from a friend at the festival I visited the Paellaria stand and for £12 got a big portion of tasty Paella with chorizo to fill the belly for the rest of the day.

Having followed one recommendation for lunch I followed another for my next act – heading into the Forest to see Katie Malco.

A lot of people were taking the opportunity to sit down for the set which offered a welcome sonic pace change, kicking off with the Phoebe Bridgers inspired ‘Fatal Attraction’. Proclaiming herself as a “miserable bitch!” Malco’s half hour set drew a reverential hush from the gathered audience before fulfilling her ambition of shouting “2000 Trees! I’ve always wanted to do that!”.

2000 Trees organisers always put together an official playlist in the build up to the event, including bands from across all stages, of all sizes and types. On listening to that I heard As December Falls and was wooed by their pop punk/early Paramore-esque sound so made sure I was in place for their Friday afternoon main stage slot.

As December Falls © Jez Pennington for 2000 Trees

Hailing from Nottingham, the band last played Trees a couple of years ago and clearly left a mark as the crowd was packed out. In a set filled with rocky bangers the audience moshed, crowd surfed, clapped and “woah oh’d’ along to the catchy tracks including latest single ‘Mayday’ and the call and response of ‘I Don’t Feel Like Feeling Great’ – having a frankly excellent time in the process.

Over in an incredibly busy Cave were unpeople. The crowd were clearly pumped up for a band that recently supported Metallica and they provided a set filled with heavy rock, kicking off with ‘Waste’ from their self-titled debut EP. The band clearly had a ball on stage; “We’re gonna have some fun now” they threatened – and they weren’t the only ones.

Changes to set timings, delays and technical issues are all things that occur at festivals – but having your set cut short by the wheel coming off your van is probably one of the stranger causes! And that’s exactly what happened to Crawlers. Lead singer Holly Minto said the band nearly died on their way to the festival – “One minute you’re eating your Greggs on the M6 and the next your wheel flies off!”. Despite this undoubtedly traumatic event, the band did brilliantly to play even more so to put on such an impressive performance. Hopefully they’ll be back in 2025 to play a full set – maybe staying over the night before next time…

In the Neu tent, Belgian boys Ramkot are here in the UK for only the second time, and they are here to rock! The band waste no time getting stuck into things and their bass heavy sound is a perfect whistle wetter ahead of Death from Above 1979’s set the next day. With a set mostly made up of tracks from last year’s album In Between Borderlines including ‘Exactly What You Wanted’, ‘Tied Up’ and ‘One More’ the Ghent natives are ones to catch when they return to tour in 2025.

Nova Twins are one of the biggest draws of the weekend over on the main stage. The duo takes to the stage in matching outfits and blast through a 10 track set at blistering pace. “Where all my boss bitches at?” asked singer Amy Love before ‘Cleopatra’ – the bossest bitch of them all! One of the most surprising things about their set was the age profile of some of the audience – little ones no more than 6 or 7 years old on their parents’ shoulders throwing shapes with the best of them and clearly enjoying the energetic performance from Love and bassist Georgia South. The pit was full of people losing themselves in the performance, just as well when both members went for a crowd surf – not missing a beat of set closer ‘Choose Your Fighter’ as they were held aloft by adoring fans. Saluting 2000 Trees, Amy Love declared “It takes a lot for women to play the main stage, even more to headline. Keep supporting women!”

Nova Twins © Carla Mundy for 2000 Trees

As names befitting a festival goes Bears in Trees rather nailed it, thankfully while there are plenty of the latter at 2000 Trees we were mercifully lacking in bears. What we weren’t lacking in during the South London foursome’s performance was fun. The self-styled ‘dirtbag boyband’ had the crowd in the palm of their hands with keytar solos and dance routines during ‘Hot Chocolate’ before further engaging the crowd by getting in amongst them during ‘Heaven Sent is a Coffee Cup’. Beaming faces leave the darkness of the tent and head back out into the evening light.

In the first of two sets this evening grandson, AKA American-Canadian Jordan Edward Benjamin, emerges on stage with a backdrop of Joe Biden and Donald Trump in a passionate clinch which is still etched onto my eyeballs a week later. His 45-minute set charted an extensive, genre-hopping back catalogue of sound which splices rock, hip-hop, and electronic including ‘Drones’, ‘Something to Hide’ and ‘Despicable’. An acoustic version of ‘Bury Me Face Down’ gives a teaser of the Forest set to come, albeit this one comes with an inflatable alien held aloft.

The Neu tent was packed out for CLT DRP so I headed to the Arbor bar next door to listen in while supping on a few delicious beers and indulging in a much needed sit down. Turns out, knocking on for 40 years old, being on my feet all day and camping takes its toll more than it ever used to!

Revitalised I followed the rest of the festival to the main stage for Bob Vylan. It wasn’t just the festivalgoers making their way to see the duo, as soaring birds of prey spiralled around the main stage to catch their own glimpse of an epic set.

Bob Vylan © Joe Singh for 2000 Trees

Bobby Vylan begins the set with some light stretching and meditation, encouraging the crowd to join in – which this achy thirtysomething duly obliged in – before renaming the festival “Vylanfest” in honour of their having appeared for three years on the trot and rising up the bill with every year. As Bobby says, “it’s unprecedented and that’s why we’re commandeering this festival”. Bob Vylan go by many names, including: The Most Important Band in Britain, Two Bobs in a Pod, The Cutest Band in Punk Rock, the Slam Dunk Mafia, The Metallica Murderers and the Fred Perry Mafia. What they stand for is to give the people watching their shows the time of their lives.

The set was filled with hits including ‘GYAG’ and ‘Ring the Alarm’ which triggered crowd surfing en masse, including Bobby and his daughter and the littlest Bob – Moonrise Vylan – with a request from the frontman that the crowd look after her (and they did!). Lending her the mic and encouraging her to address the crowd, the littlest Bob asked: “Can I swear?” and when Bobby gives her permission, she shouted: “Let’s fucking go!” followed by a cackle for the ages. Representation is important to Bob Vylan, with a Palestine flag draped on stage and chants of ‘Free, Free Palestine’ they also urged the men in the crowd to step back and allow women and non-binary people down to the front of the stage to mosh without fear of getting clobbered. Ending on Wicked & Bad, Bobby Vylan split the crowd in two and made his way to the sound stage before jumping into the crowd and being carried all the way back to the main stage “where he was supposed to be” – and judging by this performance there are many more main stages to come for this epic duo.

Hunger struck and a pizza from Pommarola Pizza Gardens was calling. I’d had an energy boosting espresso from there the day before and the sight of pizza stuck in my mind, so a ‘Garden’ pizza (the works) for £18 was my choice. It was delicious, with a crisp Neapolitan base and tasty toppings. The only downside was the wait, with everyone seemingly having the same idea – but it was worth it!

The benefit of the pizza stand’s location is that it sat directly opposite The Axiom meaning I could hear Hot Milk in action while stuffing my face. The tent was packed out and Hot Milk have headed back to the UK from touring the US supporting Blink-182 just for Trees. Kicking off with ‘HORROR SHOW’ and seamlessly segueing into a huge singalong for ‘BLOODSTREAM’ the band have the audience in raptures. Arms aloft, crowd surfing, bouncing non-stop and throwing as much into it as Hot Milk themselves the fans definitely made this feel more headline show than support – and they’ll be there before long.

Hot Milk © Tom Pullen for 2000 Trees

I was torn at this point as to who to see. Metal supergroup Empire State Bastard held court in the Cave and Aussie garage rockers The Chats took to the mainstage for the headline slot. Having been impressed by grandson’s set earlier on I decided to tweak my plans and left The Chats shortly after their set began to head into the Forest once more for a stripped back, acoustic set that delivered the perfect antidote to the rowdy Aussie garage rockers.

After the Forest it was to one of the campsite stages and Camp Turner to bathe in the bearded delights of Sweetchunks who’s comedy songs had the crowd in stitches and singalongs to songs such as ‘Greatest Love song in the World (I Would Punch a Bear for You)’, ‘Bees’ and an ode to the accidental purchase of a submarine instead of a new van for touring in ‘Independent Nuclear Deterrent’. I’ll be honest, the chorus is seared into my psyche even now.

SATURDAY

We woke to the pitter patter of rainfall on canvas and feared the worst for the day ahead, but by the time The Meffs took to the main stage at 11am it had all but cleared giving way to another sunny day.

The Meffs asked the crowd whether they were “ready for some noise?” and the baying crowd was fully up for it. An epic cover of The Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’ was a highlight of the set, while ‘Clowns’ (an ode to the government) and ‘Wasted on Women’ were filled with furious energy.

Snake eyes brought a great backdropto the Axiom tentas well as a well-oiled indie-punk sound that the band describe as ‘grit pop’ and wouldn’t sound out of place on a FIFA (or whatever it’s called now) sound track.

Snake Eyes © Abbi Draper for 2000 Trees

Into the Forest once more and this time Tokyo Toy Company straight out of Bristol. Energetic front man Rhys Worgan led from the front as the remaining five members of the band filled up the Forest stage and played a chaotic set of ‘math rock’ that brought out the cover of the weekend – ‘A Thousand Miles’ by Vanessa Carlton!

Saturday is fancy dress day, with this year’s theme being 2000 Screams – encouraging revellers to embrace the horror and bring their most terrifying looks to this corner of Gloucestershire. This reviewer opted for Shaun of the Dead and set about finding Zombies to dispatch, via an unsuccessful hunt for a Cornetto and a much more successful search for lunch in the shape of No Fricken Chicken’s Three Piece of ‘Chicken’ and fries which came in at £10.50.

One of the weekend’s highlights was the newly formed Interlake, featuring David Jakes of Lonely the Brave (who were also performing with their new singer) and Jack Wrench of Arcane Roots. Jakes left the band due to anxiety in 2018 and while he’s still clearly not totally comfortable being on stage, hiding himself away behind his bandmates, his talent was in no doubt whatsoever. The performance brought tears from crowd members – of which there were a LOT! Closing the set with a vicious cover of Nirvana’s ‘Breed’ the band are clearly supremely talented musicians and it’ll be exciting to see where they go from here.

Sadly, Indoor Pets turned out to be a band rather than an immersive pet-fest with a load of housebound cats, dogs, hamsters and such as I had hoped – but they were a lot of fun nonetheless and didn’t require any antihistamines to be enjoyed. They’ve been around for a while but with their first new record (‘Pathethic Apathetic’) in five years released earlier in 2024 they’re on a bit of a comeback after an agreed hiatus. New songs ‘Fidget Panic Restless Static’ and ‘London (Love to Hate)’ are laden with energy and catchy hooks – it’s a breathless, fun filled set and over all too quickly.

Indoor Pets © Jez Pennington for 2000 Trees

In the first of THREE, yes THREE, appearances of the day Frank Turner has filled the Forest for a Q&A and live set as part of the Mark and Me podcast recording. Turner and Trees have history. Literal history. He was there at the first Trees in 2007, has been immortalised with an acoustic stage in the camping area and has played the festival roughly 100,000 times in the years since. While most of the hour-long slot was taken up with questions, both from the crowd and interviewer, Frank did manage five songs including ‘The Way I Tend to Be’ and ‘Somewhere Inbetween’ as well as a Million Dead song – ‘Smiling at Strangers on Trains’. Frank also teased a potential 25th anniversary reunion for Million Dead and if it happens you can bet it’ll be at 2000 Trees.

Having laid waste to the Forest on Wednesday evening, it was the main stage that was in The Xcerts path of destruction and they were absolutely bang up for it. The crowd is packed out and bristling with excitement. Kicking off with ‘GIMME’ the boys were ready to thrill fans and win some new ones with a belter of a set. Ending on the ever anthemic ‘Feels Like Falling In Love’ the band were joined on stage by You Me At Six’s Josh Franceschi. They promised it’d be flawless, and it totally was.

I managed to catch the end of Teenage Wrist in the Axiom tent which was absolutely hoaching with bodies. Finishing their set with ‘Earth Is A Black Hole’ the two-piece know how to rock the stage! I definitely need to make sure I catch the full set next time the Los Angeles natives are back in town.

Liverpudlian alt-rockers The Mysterines hit the main stage next bringing their brooding rock sound to rural Gloucestershire. The set was over in a flash, but the time they had on stage was filled with a mix of new material from latest album Afraid of Tomorrows (‘Sink Ya Teeth’, ‘The Last Dance’) and the likes of the gigantic ‘Hung Up’ from 2022’s Reeling. It does feel like they’d maybe have been suited to a later slot, or in one of the tents so the darkness could truly allow them to thrive – but festivals are a lottery and they rolled with the punches.

Into it. Over it were a recommendation pre-festival so I went with an open mind (and ears) to hear what the Chicago-based rockers had to offer. Well, they’re bringing mid-western emo to the Axiom and that is definitely my cup of tea. Last year American Football played and I missed it, so I felt like the 2000 Trees stars had aligned and had delivered unto me the sounds my ears had been longing for all weekend. The band released a new record earlier in 2024 (Interesting Decisions: Into It. Over It. Songs (2020 – 2023) ahead of a UK tour which kicked off at Trees but none of those tracks made the setlist. Instead, the set explored the band’s extensive back catalogue and closing with ‘PROPER’ from the 2011 LP of the same name Into it. Over it gave this and many other elder emos in the crowd exactly what they wanted for an early evening show.

Strapping in for a big night ahead I manage to convene with friends (the phone signal at Trees is basically non-existent) before heading to see Canadian two-piece Death from Above 1979 at Axiom.

I last saw them in 2015 and it is seriously good to see Jesse F. Keeler and Sebastien Grainger back at it. The show at Trees is part of a 20th anniversary tour of You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine which the band plays through from start to finish and it’s an absolute masterclass. The minute Keeler’s signature bass sound fires in along with Grainger’s frenetic drumming and yowling vocals its hard and fast ‘til the last. Having belligerently thundered through the album they close out with 2021’s ‘One + One’, Outrage! Is Now’s ‘Freeze Me’ and the sexy as hell ‘Trainwreck 1979’. It’s a brutal, heavy as hell set and it’s totally thrilling to see them going so hard. Welcome back, chaps!

And now for something entirely different, but no less brilliant. Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls are on the main stage to the delight of a considerable crowd. The set is packed with a mix of new and old – with this year’s release Undefeated taking pride of place both in terms of the song selections and the massive fabric backdrop. All eras of Frank are on show though, including ‘Worse Things Happen at Sea’ from 2007’s Sleep is for the Weak as requested by 2000 Trees founder James Scarlett on his 2 Promoters, 1 Pod podcast, ‘The Next Storm’, ‘Haven’t Been Doing So Well’ and ‘Recovery’.

Frank Turner © Gareth Bull for 2000 Trees

The audience loved every minute of Turner’s set – singing back every word, crowd surfing and even engaging in a circle pit. It’s perhaps a surprise that Frank isn’t headlining over the weekend, but with multiple performances (more of that later) it probably suited him to come on a bit earlier.

As darkness began to take hold local legends Thrill Collins came to blow people’s minds with their whirlwind set of immaculate covers. Having played Wychwood Festival and Glastonbury already this summer, 2000 Trees was next up for the boys and they came to burn the mother down! A series of kids got their first taste of crowd surfing, although with security being a little short handed and Creeper and Holy Wars on at the same time the band had to request the crowd surfing stopped. While the crowd surfing did come to an end, the good times did not. Their now patented UK Garage mash up of ’21 Seconds’, ‘Rewind’, ‘7 Days’ and ‘Gotta Get Thru This’ to name a few triggered some confused looks from an American friend but the millennial Brits in the crowd were spitting bars back with gusto. There’ll be some saying I missed a trick not seeing the other acts on, but Thrill Collins are always box office and I regret nothing.

Thrill Collins © Abbi Draper for 2000 Trees

Don Broco were the last of the weekend’s headliners and the anticipation among the crowd was palpable before Rob Damiani and co got things started with an incendiary (well, there were fireworks!) ‘Everybody’ – launching the assembled throng into a fervour for the next hour and a half.

In a set packed with the hits including ‘Come out to LA’, ‘Bruce Willis’ and ‘Manchester Super Reds No. 1 Fan’ there was something for everyone from the band’s extensive back catalogue. They brought out Kid Brunswick for ‘ACTION’ before ending on ‘T-Shirt Song’ and another headliner worthy fireworks display. As the boys saluted the crowd with an “It’s coming home!” and sent fans off into the night, ‘Three Lions’ filled the air in anticipation of the next day’s ill-fated Euro 2024 final between England and Spain. Though the football team couldn’t deliver, Don Broco definitely did – cementing the band’s status as one of the hottest bands in Britain with a powerhouse set.

Don Broco © Jez Pennington for 2000 Trees

Over in the Forest, Skinny Lister were offering an altogether different kettle of fish…or rather jug of unidentifiable spirits to a boisterous audience and the energy-filled set full of sing-along folk tales was frankly mental! They’re the ultimate party band and not a soul was left behind as the good ship Skinny Lister kept the good times rolling to the sound of accordions on tracks such as ‘Rollin Over’ and ‘John Kanaka’. If I had to sum the set up (beyond mental) then life affirming would be my summary – if you get the chance to see them in action then go, and be prepared for a whale of a time!

As people started making their way back to their tents to pick up their headphones for one last Silent Disco, Frank Turner thrilled hundreds of fans with a show on Camp Turner’s stage. The congestion on the throughway did lead to a few grumbles, but it was hard to hear them over die-hard fans singing along to tracks that hadn’t made it into his main stage set or Q&A in the Forest earlier in the day – including a cover of Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’ and

This was my first time at 2000 Trees which is a bit embarrassing considering I live down the road, but it won’t be the last. The vibe throughout was immaculate, with friendly staff and volunteers, cheerful festival goers, great music, a huge array of food and drink to sample and a frankly lovely setting.

The official Facebook group for the festival was filled with celebratory posts in the days after – all congratulating the organisers for putting on another epic weekend of rock music and sharing their memories (and sometimes lack of) with other attendees.

If you haven’t been before, check 2000 Trees out – this first timer is a total convert. All hail Trees!

Don Broco © Jez Pennington for 2000 Trees

Deichbrand Festival 2018 – Full Review!

Deichband festival is a festival with a bit of a twist. Located just a few km from the coast of the North Sea, Deichbrand has branded itself as the festival ‘on the North Sea’. And while this is not completely true, it does do hourly trips to the sea, where punters are offered the chance to try paddle boarding and surfing. In previous years there’ also been the opportunity to fly over the festival in a helicopter, though they’ve had to cancel it this year for various reasons. Though a lot of people were upset, most of the punters I spoke to say they were glad they weren’t going to have to deal with a helicopter over their campsite every twenty minutes.

There’s a huge variety of food a drink across the main site and throughout the fields with the smaller stages. The food ranges from typical German fast food dönner (similar to our donner kebabs) through to a Pakistani company serving tradition food, the noodle place and of course the German favourites of ‘pommes & wurst’ (sausage and chips), burgers (including wild boar and rib burgers) and ‘pommes am stiel’ – chips on a stick. There’s also vegetarian options, and what’s more, there’s variety in that as well. There’s your standard pasta – in this case gnocci – but there’s also vegetarian kebab wraps with halloumi or vegan ones with falafel.

As with every German festival, Deichbrand supports ¡Viva Con Auga! A charity that improves the drinking water and supply in developing counties such as Cuba, Kenya and Nepal. To help with this almost all German festivals have a ‘pfand’ (deposit) of €2 for all the cups bought at the bars onsite. You then have a choice to return the cups to the bar and get your ‘pfand’ back – in which case, well done on cutting down on waste – or, you can give it to one of the many volunteers onsite who will then recycle it for you and get the ‘pfand’ for their charity. So it’s really a win – win for the environment and the charity. It’s an excellent idea, and though I’ve said it before it’s worth mentioning again, it should be implemented at UK festival in order to cut down on the waste that festivals always cause.

As well as the music, Deichbrand offers a number of workshops, which though common in UK festivals isn’t something I’ve seen much of abroad. There’s the classics, masseuse training, morning yoga and circus school, as well as a few more unusual act ivies like  beer yoga (like normal yoga but you’ve got a cold beer in your hands and you can’t spill it) rock-climbing and parkour sessions.

Deichbrand is a small festival, with four stages, two big ones (fire and water). The first act of the afternoon is double act the 257ers. And when I say double act I mean it in the comedic sense. The band have produced five albums, which pretty solidly consist of comedy songs. Their last album ‘Mikrokosmos’ (Micro-cosmos) reach number one in the German charts, with songs such as ‘holz’ – an entire song dedicated to how much they love wood. Not the kind of wood you’re thinking off right now, just normal wood. From trees. I know, they are a bit weird. But that’s why we love them. Their performance is littered with costume changes, including going from their Adidas shirts into their captain kit for their Pirate song (a weird sea-shanty type song) and into orange (Dutch) football tops. The costume changes do take a minute or two, and while they get changed we were entertained by their DJ who played an interesting mix of songs, from Whitney Huston to Crazy Frog back to Papa Roach back through to Beyoncé. He then got out from behind his decks and gave one end of a massive tube to the crowd, while he poured beer down his end, creating a kind of oversized beer straw for the people in the crowd. During the next song, the 257ers got down from the stage and sprayed a foam cannon out to the crowd, who were going wild and feeding off the energy that was being thrown from the stage. During one of the mosh pits they’d encouraged the audience to create they spotted a man in a knitted octopus mask, and shouted ‘Zoidberg! Three years!’ – Apparently this guy always goes to festivals with this mask on, and it’s paid off. 257ers noticed him, and they’ve even made note of how many times they’ve seen him. I think it was pretty cool that not only did they notice him but they also made a point of pointing him out.  They’ve also got songs like ‘Holland’ which is an ode to the country of its namesake, with lines like ‘Nobody’s aggro, everyone’s tripping, Holland is the boss, I think windmills are cool’ which, I mean. They’re just such good fun, both to listen to and to watch up on stage.

fri - 257ers - watermark-13_1

fri - 257ers - watermark-13_1

Friday evening was officially started by Scottish singer Amy Macdonald, who played a fantastic set. Though many of her songs are sung with an American accent, as soon as she spoke to the audience it was clear that she is Scottish through and through. The audience knew this, which was evident from the amount of St. Andrews’ crosses strewn across the crowd. Macdonald commented on the weather (and the dust) and how she couldn’t cope Scottish skin. During her set she tried to read a few signs in the audience, a classic ‘we love you’ sign that she comment on and thanked the people that wrote it, saying it ‘looked like it’d taken them ages to make’ and she saw a sign further back that she commented on but couldn’t read. Later in her set she spotted someone holding a sign and asked them ‘you’re asking to sing someone else’s song on stage? What would I get out of it? It’s not in my setlist’ – someone in the crowd had made a sign asking if they could sing Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in The Dark’. Macdonald then conceded, saying ‘alright then, get up here’ and this guy was brought up onto the stage. He was completely star struck, as you would be, Macdonald kept asking him his name and all he could do was gasp. Eventually, with some whispered encouragement from the guitarist, this guy manage to speak into the mic and tell us his name was Patrick. Macdonald then said they couldn’t do the whole song, but they could do a verse and a chorus. So, they started singing as Macdonald played along with her guitar, and it turned out that Patrick could sing. And I mean *sing*. He had an absolutely amazing voice, and what’s more is that it

harmonised perfectly with MacDonald’s. It’s not hard to imagine how WILD the crowd were going as soon they realised he could sing. It was evident he was still star struck, but the fact that he managed to not only sing, but sing well in front of an audience easily 5,000 strong. After they sang together Patrick was quickly ushered off the stage beaming and passed onto security backstage, where he was greeted with high-fives. Macdonald resumed the show and finished off her set with her chart topping single ‘This is the Life’.

 

Casper headlined on Friday night, and, unusually for him he came on stage full of colour. He was wearing a yellow jacket and seemed a bit livelier than in previous times. Whether this is a move away from his generally darker rap or just a blip, is still undecided. The amazing light show was the perfect ending for the energetic day that had been Friday.

Saturday

Saturday afternoon started off with London shanty punk band Skinny Lister jumping on to the stage and immediately energising everyone in the area. Skinny Lister have the ability to turn a gig, no matter the size, into a party where it feels like everyone’s been invited. A lot of the crowd clapped and swayed along in time to the music, but part of the crowd (arguably the better part) started dancing, jigging and stomping along to their hearts content. The jumping/dancing/jigging caused all the dust in on the ground (which I have decided is probably at least half of the entire world’s supply of dust) went up into the air, obscuring the band and pretty much everything else. They did comment on it, vocalist/guitarist/stomp-boxist Dan Heptinstall saying ‘we’re in the Deichbrand Dustbowl’ and vocalist Lorna Thomas later commented that they’ll be touring (though probably not until the new year when the next album is due to be released) and we could go and see them in a less dusty setting. As always, Skinny Lister provided the audience with refreshments in the form of a jug with a mysterious mixture of what one can only assume is just alcohol. The Jug (affectionately referred to as the 7th member of Skinny Lister) was passed around the audience as everyone took a sip on it, before being passed back up to the stage – now empty. The free alcohol is one of the bonuses of seeing Skinny Lister live, though the main draw is the amount of positive energy that comes pouring off the stage when the play. It’s also worth going just to watch double bassist Scott Milsom lift his double bass over his WHILE playing it. It’s a pretty amazing thing to watch.

sat - skinny lister - watermark-10

sat - skinny lister - watermark-10

The next act of the afternoon are indie pop band Von Wegen Lisbeth from Berlin. Von Wegen Lisbeth are a quirky pop act, using steel drums and xylophones in their music as well as the standard keyboards, guitars bass’ and drums. They had the stage covered in greenery, plastic leaves, vines and branches littered the set.  Behind them they had the letters ‘V’ ‘W’ and ‘L’ lit up on big squares – you’ve got to admit that’s a lot easier than spelling out their lengthy name.

As we wander towards the end of the evening the Fire Stage is hosting Brummie indie-rockers, The Editors. Their dark, synth-y sound and ambiguous lyrics do feel slightly out of place in the afternoon sun, it’s still 24℃. What’s more, is that they came on stage to Abba’s ‘gimme gimme gimme (a man after midnight)’ – again, a stark contrast from the broody and moody set they are known for. They opened their set with the first track of their new album ‘cold’. In fact, a lot of their set was taken from their new album, ‘violence’ as was the back-drop for the show, three naked and dirty people wrapped around each other. It’s very…Hannibal-esque, actually. But I guess that does fit with their image. They did of course play crowd favourites, including ‘Sugar’, ‘Munich’ and ‘Papillion’. They ended their set with Magazine, another one from their new album. It was a really good set, overall. It would have been nice to have a little bit more interaction with the crowd, but apart from that it was a nice, standard Editors show.

As the sun had finally set the crowd gathered around the fire stage for the final act of the night. The Killers. The band coming towards the end of their European tour – which this time around has included the festival circuit, playing at the Isle of Wight Festival as well as TRNSMT in Glasgow and Summer in the City in Dublin.

They opened with their newest track ‘The Man’ and the crowd due fully danced along, but once they’d finished, lead singer Brandon Flowers asked the audience if they were ready to party with the killers – all in German, which was pretty impressive. After the resounding ‘JA’ from the audience they went straight into ‘Somebody told me’ which had the entire crowd going absolutely mad. They followed it with ‘Space man’ and Flowers’ was dancing across the stage, in full glory with his gold and black shiny jacket. Clean shaven and boy-faced, he looks decades younger than his bandmates, all of whom are bearded and looking somewhat grizzled. As he danced around the stage the dust had been blown onto the stage and by the third song – – Midnight Show – (a throwback from the 2004 album Hot Fuss) Flowers’ had a facemask made entirely of dust and dirt. The set list was a good mix from all their albums, though after his attempt at German Flowers’ was lacking on the audience interaction. However, this was probably because he didn’t have much breath left what with all the singing and jumping and running the entire length of the stage for each song. Something should also be said for the visuals, the lights were great, as most big production shows are, with enough lasers and strobes to fill a boat. But what was really nice was the attention to detail. The confetti shot out of the cannons the second time round was in the German colours, which I thought was a nice touch. The first lot of confetti was pink, and I think it surprised everyone when it came out at the start of ‘somebody told me’. I don’t know what it is, but we in the crowd never seem to expect confetti at the start of a show. In the middle of the set they played ‘Runaways’ which bled seamlessly into ‘Read my mind’ which then again blended into ‘All these things that I’ve done’ which was not only incredibly interesting and pleasing to listen to, but also really quite impressive.

As well as the band on stage, they had three women doing the backing vocals, all of whom had absolutely stunning voices and really gave some depth to the whole show. They finished their set with ‘When you were young’ to 50,000 voices singing along, and fireworks coming down from the top of the stage. They thanked the audience as they walked off stage. No one left the arena, we all knew what we were waiting for. We couldn’t see The Killers and have them NOT play it. We waited, anticipation building, cries of ‘encore’ and ‘one more song’ erupting now and again from various pockets in the crowd. The screen on the stage went black. The large, orange words appeared on it. Three words. Are. We. Human? They came back on to cries and cheers and woops, as we knew they would. The first few notes were played, and though it wasn’t the song we’d waited for, the crowd still went mad, dancing and moshing and singing along. Once it was over there was barely a pause before Flowers’ started singing – with heavy auto-tune – ‘coming out of my cage and I’ve been doing just fine…’ and the this was it. This is what almost everyone there had come to see. The first verse was done with heavy auto-tune – it was a remix, what this effectively meant was that we got an extra verse. Once the auto-tune verse had finished, Flowers’ started singing without it, and ended the night in a spectacular way.  

Sunday

I wasn’t sure why Alligatoah was playing early on the Sunday morning. Well, early in the festival bubble, he was onstage at 12pm, and the first act of the day. I knew a couple of songs from him, and though he was performing an acoustic set, I still wasn’t convinced that he was the right person to start off Sunday afternoon. However, any doubts I had were quickly put to rest. He had an extensive set for an early afternoon act. The stage was set up like a building site and Alligatoah was wearing blue overalls and a builder’s hat. Throughout his set he clambered up and down the ladders and across his ‘building site’ and when he started singing ‘Willst Du’ – one of his more famous songs – he was singing it to a traffic cone in a very loving manner. His set was full of character in a very gentle way. He was friendly to the audience throughout his set, and the lazy Sunday morning vibe was helped by the fact the crowd in the first wave were all sitting on chairs that had been set up for them – presumably by the festival rather than the artist. Alligatoah also explained that he should have had a red balloon at the top of his building site set so it looked like something out of Stephen King’s IT, but it had blown away. Halfway through the set Alligatoah revealed that one of the bin bags that had been put on the stage around the building site set had been hiding a piano, which was actually a pretty cool reveal. I was impressed with the set and thought it was the perfect kick-off for the last day of the festival.

sun - alligatoah - watermark-27

sun - alligatoah - watermark-27

Not knowing any songs from Bosse, I was unsure what to expect from the singer. I’d heard that he was really good and was surprised at the range of people in the audience that came to see him. It seemed as if Bosse ws something that everyone was excited for. The crowd was a mixture of all ages and people from all walk of life. The sizable band came on stage, followed shortly by Axel Bosse, running onto stage. Wearing a ‘Refugee’s Welcome’ Shirt, he danced around on stage like a man possessed. He didn’t seem phased by the heat which I can only imagine was even more intense on the stage that it was off it, he ran from each side of the stage and onto the catwalk, all the time dancing and singing and not pausing to take a breath.     

SDP are a two-man band (not including the drummer and a dj of course) who have an astounding amount of energy on stage. The lyrics to the songs range from the heartfelt (Candlelight dönner) to the ridiculous (deine freundin) to the absurd (ne leiche). And of course no SDP set would be complete without stage antics, blow up sex dolls and fireworks and pyrotechnics. Honestly, it’s like giving over-grown children full control over their own birthday party.  Halfway through the set they brought out their sex doll (see what I mean) and tried (and failed) to perform CPR on it, before launching in to ‘Ne Leiche’ (literally – ‘a corpse’).  

Final act of the evening – and the weekend – were German super band – Die Toten Hosen. Everyone in Germany (and Argentina for some reason) knows about Die Toten Hosen. Toten Hosen have been around for over 36 years, one of the bands that started the punk movement in Germany in the 80s during the latter years of the cold war. The band have been prolific since their creation in Düsseldorf, releasing albums every few years which means their back catalogue is impressively huge. Their set included the best songs from their discography, including old favourites like ‘Bonnie & Clyde’, ‘Pushed Again’ and ‘Paradies’ as well as classics from their early, un-polished days, like the show opener ‘Opel Gang’ and of course songs from their new album. They also played a number of covers that are new for this tour, most notably ACDC’s ‘T.N.T’ as well as Iggy Pop’s ‘The Passenger’. Toten Hosen frontman Campino has boundless energy – especially for a man his age – and routinely got up close and personal with the crowd. As you would expect with a band that size there was of course two encores, and the night was ended with two classic Toten Hosen songs, ‘Tage wie deise’ (this is the day) and a cover of the Liverpool FC anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, which might seem a bit odd to people not familiar with band, but there is a reason for this strange choice of song to finish off a weekend in Germany. Campino is and has always been a big fan of Liverpool FC, and they’ve been including it in their set for at least the last 20 years. It was a perfect ending to the festival, the entire crowd was singing along and we all got swept up in the moment as they finished the show and the festival.

Deichbrand is a great little festival that’s had a solid line up since it was founded in 2005, and this year didn’t disappoint. Everyone is so friendly during the festival and it is a festival that holds itself to an extremely high standard. I would recommend anyone that’s into rock, rap and pop should go and experience the only festival on the North Sea.

Nozstock: Wu Tang Clan, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas to headline.

Nozstock is thrilled to reveal a very special headliner for this summer: NY-based Wu-Tang Clan, who not only proved to be the most revolutionary rap group of the mid-'90s but are arguably the greatest ever hip-hop group of all time. Individually its family of members are all lyrical stars, including RZA, Ghostface Killa, GZA and Method Man, and together they are a thrilling, provocative and wild stage presence. Last year’s Once Upon A Time In Shaolin album, which only had one physical copy, further illustrated their continual reinvention. Wu Tang Clan are taking Nozstock to a different level in July.  

The festival is also very proud to announce true Motown sensation Martha Reeves and the Vandellas as one of the headliners on the Orchard Stage. They have charted over 26 hits, ten Billboard R&B singles chart Top Ten hits and two Number Ones, and their classic ‘Dancing in the Street’ entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. True veterans of soul, they headline a bill that focuses on top talent across multiple genres.

Across the weekend trail-blazing hip-hop, bass music, grime, dubstep and raucous beats come from a brilliantly diverse range of DJ and live acts. Dr Syntax and Pete Cannon have produced for Action Bronson and Punchtown, whilst the Dead Players trio of Jam Baxta, Dabbla and Ghost Town are the chameleons of rhyme. They are joined by Ruffnek Diskotek w/Dub Boy, Dutty Inspectors and Ghost Writerz, Mr Woodnote & Eva Lazarus, Smokey Joe and The Kid, Gypsy Hill, Solko, Sounds of Harlowe, Octo Pi & Koncept, Scope, Modify Perspective, Remidy M.C and Trafic M.C and many more to be announced.

 

Across the whole weekend, Swing Theory stages action from Electric Ballroom Promotions, Swingmajig and Ragtime Records. They are hosting the likes of Wolfie Razzmatazz, Madam Electrifie, C@ In The H@, Jenova Collective, The Chicken Brothers, Clan Dextine, F Block, Velocity Raptor, M.O.B, Mr Jay, Sir Jasper, Jest FX and Billy Chillfingers who between them cover everything from electro-swing, vintage rock and roll, breaks, techno, glitch hop, ghetto funk and loads more.

Bingley Music Live announce Razorlight

Taking to two of our three stages in Myrtle Park from 31st August to 2nd September, they’ll be joining: Nero, DJ Fresh, The Pigeon Detectives, Hard-Fi, The Charlatans,Maverick SabreDelilahKids in Glass HousesKatzenjammerThe Idiot B*stard Band, StooSheYes Sir Boss, Miles & Erica, Skinny ListerCitizens, King Charles,The ChevinSadie and the HotheadsEllen and the Escapades and The Lancashire Hot Pots.

Razorlight

Razorlight secured their headine status shortly after the release of debut album Up all night in 2004. Since then Johnny Borrell’s band continue to make an impact on the indie rock scene with their brilliant pop songs, exceptional live performances and confident swagger. Expect Razorlight to tear the place up with a stream of massive hit singles including AmericaIn the morning, Golden Touch and many more that are guaranteed to get the Bingley Music Live audience fired up.

Next up, we have one of the world’s truly great performers, Detroit’s finest diva and Motown legend Martha Reeves. A sensational vocalist with undeniable star quality, Martha continues to delight audiences with an incredible back catalogue consisting of some of the 60’s most enduring hits including Nowhere to Run, Jimmy Mack and Dancing in the Street.  Her live appearances during 2010 earned her two nominations for the UK Festival Awards, as ‘Best Headliner’ and ‘Feel Good Act of the Summer’. Come to this year’s Bingley Music Live and catch some of that feel good vibe for yourself.

Recently reunited after a 6 year break, Liverpool’s Space are set to make a triumphant return to the stage at BML. Bringing their unique brand of darkly humorous pop to the proceedings you can expect all your favourite 90’s hits such as Female of the Species,NeighbourhoodAvenging Angels and The Ballad of Tom Jones as well as new material from their new album Attack of the Mutant 50ft Kebab. Brilliantly bizarre!

For those looking for a much rock-ier tip there’s the Sheffield based Black Spiders.  Their debut album Sons of the North released in 2011 received plaudits across the board, with Rock Sound Magazine proclaiming “their apocalyptic… axe assault is awe-inspiring.” They’re busy thrilling audiences across the UK and mainland Europe and have up coming gigs at Sweden Rock festival, Download as well as BML. One of their tour highlights so far was being selected to open for Ozzy Osbourne.  We look forward to some serious moshpit action.

New kid on the block, Jake Bugg, has had an already impressive musical adventure since his appearance at Glastonbury last year at the tender age of 17. A confident singer-songwriter, Jake recently featured on ‘Later with Jools Holland’ performing his new singleLightening Bolt. We highly recommend you check out Jake’s distinctive voice and mature lyrical content. 

Also confirmed for the Raise the Roof stage we have We Were Evergreen. This Parisian, alternative folk-tinged, indie-electro-pop trio are currently creating a huge buzz in the UKwith The Evening Standard hailing them as “the rarest of things: a band with something new and brilliant to offer.” Listen out for new single, Baby Blue, which is due for release on 4 June.

Festibelly announce Kitty Daisy & Lewis, Skinny Lister and more!

Festibelly fav James Yuill, Mr Nice aka Howard Marks, Balkan folk troop The Trans-Siberian March Band, rising French band We Were Evergreen, and London collective Reggae Roast – many more acts are still to be announced. 

As well as the usual dazzling selection of musical talent on the main stage, the Festibelly field will play host to a number of venues and attractions including Terrapin Station, Le Disco, brand new Le Roller Disco, Massive In China and Autumn Shift – together creating a kaleidoscope of psychedelic gypsy to dirty disco, wrong cabaret, circus performance, wonky gameshows, cosy cafés, poetry, painting and more. This year Festibelly flings its arms wide open to those with young Festi Critters, bringing new kids entertainment area The Owlery to site. 

As ever, Festibelly stays close to its grassroots ethos and remains brand and sponsorship free and is always guaranteed to have friendliest Festi-goers to be found. Previous artists to play Festibelly include The Big Pink, New Young Pony Club, Ghostpoet, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Rob Da Bank, Drums Of Death, Man Like Me, Hollie Cook, James Yuill, She Keeps Bees, Greco Roman Sound System, Psychemagik, Reggae Roast, Oh Ruin, Johnny Flynn, King Charles, My Tiger My Timing, Tek-One, O Children, Skinny Lister and Toy.

Catch Festibelly warmup events this summer at London’s The Lock Tavern, Bournemouth’s 60 Million Postcards, Southampton’s The Orange Rooms and Festibelly Local events in its hometown of Lymington, Hampshire.

Event: Festibelly 2012
Location: Undershore, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 5QA
Date: Saturday 25th – Sunday 26th August 2012
Times: Gates open 9pm 25th August – close 2pm 27th August
Ticket Price: Weekend ticket: £55 // Sunday ticket: £38 – on sale 9th April via festibelly.com
Capacity: 3,000

Nero, Kids in Glass Houses and more set for Bingley Music Live

Taking to two of our three stages in Myrtle Park between August 31st and 2nd September these latest additions join: DJ Fresh, The Pigeon Detectives, Hard-Fi, The Charlatans, Maverick Sabre, Delilah, The Idiot B*stard Band, StooShe, Yes Sir Boss, Miles & Erica and The Lancashire Hot Pots.

NeroGuaranteed to instill some full-tilt revelry, Nero bring their expansive electronic soundscapes to proceedings on the Main Stage.  With three successive singles selected as the ‘Hottest Record in the World’ by Radio 1's Zane Lowe, the London dubstep pioneers are enjoying a meteoric rise. Having recently told the Wall Street Journal that dubstep is, “almost the new rock… we sort of feel like rockstars now,” you can expect nothing less than a blindingly awesome performance.

Also on the Main Stage, energetic Welsh rock band, Kids in Glass Houses bring their blazing guitars to Bingley. Having charted three top 30 albums in four years, this relentless five-piece serve up a heady mix of monster riffs, hook-laden anthems and sing-along choruses; all delivered at maximum volume.

Delivering sets on both the Main and the Raise the Roof stages are the all-female Norwegian four-piece, Katzenjammer.  Famed for mixing musical genres and switching instruments at a frenzied pace, their sets includes as many as 25 different instruments. Their latest album A Kiss Before You Go follows three years on the road and is shaped by multiple influences all wrapped up with Katzenjammer’s distinct character.

Bolstering the folkie vibe on the Raise the Roof stage are Skinny Lister. This eclectic, earthy sounding five-piece group has truly blossomed into something exceptional after a period of extensive touring. Their live performances deliver a galvanized, singular sound. Fronted by Yorkshire-born songwriter Dan Heptinstall and saucy female vocalist Lorna Thomas, gigs are a riot of sound and fun. So prepare to be infected by their jovial, foot stomping, high kicking free for all.

Vibrant psyche-inflected folk-popster King Charles has been proclaimed ‘too cool for the charts’ by the Guardian. Having toured with Laura Marling, Noah and the Whale and Mumford and Sons, the classically trained cellist, chorister and winner of an International Songwriting Competition, is set to release his debut album Loveblood on 7th May. We’re waiting in eager anticipation to see what all the fuss is about.

Big Heart, Big Sounds

Now in its 6th year, Bingley Music Live has firmly established itself on the festival circuit; consistently impressing audiences and performers alike with its intimate, friendly atmosphere and professional organisation. The chance to really get up close and personal to your favourite bands is one of the event’s stand-out features and means that festival goers can eagerly anticipate getting to the heart of the action.

The newly improved Raise the Roof stage will include a bigger tent, beefed-up production and a new musical policy to provide a point of difference to the main stage while maintaining a high calibre of bands. This year also see the introduction of a new third stage. Organised in association with the Musician’s Centre the new stage is dedicated to local talent and will focus all its attention on uncovering the latest unsigned talent. Details of how to apply will be revealed soon.

BML also benefits from its amazing venue, Myrtle Park, the perfect festival location. Set in a natural amphitheatre and bordered by stunning mature woodland near the pretty river Aire, first timers are always blown away by the beauty of this hidden gem.

With its picturesque backdrop BML is a great destination for families of all ages wanting to share the festival experience. Not only is there space to chill out under the shade of a tree there are also a whole host of specially organised kids activities in a dedicated family area which are being further improved for 2012.

For those looking for a little luxury or an alternative destination to celebrate a special birthday or hen-do then BML VIP ticket is a must for you! Receive exclusive treatment including; priority parking, jump the queues into the VIP area including bar and luxury loos. There’s an escorted back stage tour + a delicious festival hamper including wine per person and a goodie bag all for £250 per person per day.

Throwing its gates open to over 15,000 happy revellers per day for three glorious days of diverse music, Bingley Music Live not only delivers ‘Big Heart, Big Sounds’ but also has a reputation for offering real value for money. At just for £45 for a three day ticket Bingley Music Live is a must for celebrating the end of summer in style.