2000 TREES FESTIVAL part 1 – 10TH TO 11TH JULY 2024
This is my first visit to the Trees Festival, and it’s a beauty!!! It’s easy to get to by public transport – there’s a shuttle bus from the station – and the site itself is nestled in the gorgeous Cotswolds countryside. Upon arrival, the site is easy to navigate, and the stewards, security and other staff are friendly and welcoming. So, it doesn’t take long for me to pitch my tent and become embroiled in the action.
Wednesday is essentially a ‘soft opening’ for the festival, with only two stages in operation. They are both very close to each other but not close enough for the sound to bleed. The bands are timetabled, so, in theory,, it is possible to see every artist who is playing today. I arrived a little later than intended, so the first band I saw was Brighton’s Lambrini Girls. I’ve seen and reviewed them quite a few times, and I’m pleased to report that they are their usual anarchic selves.
They open with Mr Lovebomb, the instrumentation for which is initially just bass and drums as vocalist/guitarist Phoebe Lunny is immediately in the crowd communing with her public. Terf Wars, which follows, was educational for me the first time I heard it, as I had no idea what a terf is. It is, dear reader, a ‘trans-exclusionary radical feminist’. I must confess that I had to look it up. Listen and learn with The Lambrini Girls! God’s Country is a recent single, and Bad Apple is about the police and how the force, in general, needs to be cleaned up. This is a great set. It’s entertaining, the music is good, and the lyrical content gets people thinking and talking, which has got to be a good thing, right? If you have yet to see the band, do so.
Whilst Trees is most definitely a ‘rock’ festival, the breadth of genres represented is impressive. Also, this is a modern rock festival, with most artists playing dating from the 21st century. It’s unlikely that you’d find Uriah Heep here, for example.
The next band I see, Enola Gay, illustrates this breadth of genres well. They exhibit elements of psychedelia, shoegaze, post-punk, and hip-hop. Who do they sound like? They sound like themselves! They have a very individual sound and are difficult, if not impossible, to classify, as most of the best bands are. They come from Belfast, which is another point in their favour.
I pop around the corner to the Forest Sessions to see Dead Pony from Glasgow. Their music is pleasingly riffy. However, there’s quite a bit on the backing track: synth, distorted male vocals, some rhythm guitar and some backing vocals. Nevertheless, the band’s overall performance soon blows away any concerns I might have had about them. Vocalist Anna Shields has one hell of a voice. She also moves around like she’s got springs on the soles of her feet. It’s hard to keep track of her. One minute, she’s in the photo pit. Next, she’s back on the stage. They certainly have the audience with them. They play the intro to Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit and get everybody to jump. They are undeniably a shit-hot live band. They have an album out entitled Ignore This, play the Reading and Leeds festivals at the end of August, and tour the UK in December.
Another genre variation is represented by Frozemode, which is essentially a rap band with rock backing—rap-rock if you like. They comprise a drummer and bassist with three vocalists/rappers and are engaging and energetic. One to watch, I think.
More aural stimulation is provided by The XCERTS, a Scottish pop-punk band I’ve seen described as ‘alternative’. Fair enough, but they sound to me as if they owe a quite substantial stylistic debt to Green Day. There’s also quite a bit of Idlewild in the mix too. However, whatever their influences, they’re an excellent live band. Guitarist/vocalist Murray Macleod especially putting everything into his performance. They’re celebrating the tenth anniversary of their album, There Is Only You, which sounds pretty good. They’re going to play the whole thing over the course of the weekend, as they have another set the next day. I miss that one, unfortunately. However, they are on tour throughout August.
Next up are The Wytches, who I last saw at the Victorious Festival in Southsea almost ten years ago. I must confess that on that occasion, I wasn’t terribly impressed. They’re much better today, though, and they’re almost like a different band. Indeed, at one point, I wonder whether they are, in fact, a different band! They’re not; they’ve just had the best part of a decade to improve. They’ve matured musically. They’re tighter and more powerful. When they start they’re playing to quite a small crowd. The crowd soon grows, though, and deservedly so. I look forward to seeing them again in the not-too-distant future.
Dream State begin to bring Wednesday’s proceedings to a close, with just headliners Boston Manor to follow. Dream State are tight and powerful, and their musicianship, as is their material, is brilliant. There are backing vocals on the backing track, but that’s a minor quibble. They’re clearly football-friendly and chuck inflatable balls into the crowd. Despite the fact that the band come from South Wales, vocalist Jessie Powell is wearing an England shirt. The band don’t ignore the entertainment side of rock ‘n‘ roll, and Jess duly goes crowd surfing. Indeed, Jess returns to the stage sailing over the crowd in an inflatable My Little Pony dinghy! Bless.
The day is rounded off by headliners Boston Manor. Boston Manor is a stately home in Brentford, West London. The band come from Blackpool, so I’m not sure why they chose this name. Still, why does any band choose any name??? They’re a classic five-piece featuring a lead vocalist, two guitarists, a bassist and a drummer. Their music is a mixture of emo and pop-punk. They take the crowd with them with apparent ease. They tour the UK in November. Worth a punt, I’d say.
Thursday, the festival’s first full day, starts with a pub breakfast for photographer Cris Watkins and myself, as indeed does Friday and Saturday. I should stress that these are alcohol-free breakfasts. It’s simply a way of preparing ourselves for the toil that lies ahead. We work bloody hard you know! Honest!!!
First band of the day is Shooting Daggers, who label themselves as ‘London Queercore’. They are a truly international band, with guitarist Sal Pellegrin being French, bassist Bea Simion hailing from Italy, and drummer Raquel Alves being Spanish. They are angrily non-binary. Regardless of their leanings or origins, the most important thing about Shooting Daggers is that they’re a bloody good band. They’re hard, tight and frequently fast. Sal’s vocals are mostly shouted but are crystal clear. She puts her vocals through three pedals, producing various effects. Most of the songs have a definite punky edge, but one is a veritable skater anthem. They have an album out called Love & Rage and support Unbroken at Tufnell Park Dome on 22nd November.
Next up is the amusingly named Meryl Streek, who is from Ireland and is apparently an avant-garde punk. I couldn’t hear any hint of the avant-garde in his performance, which I consider no bad thing! His performance is preceded by a recording of somebody speaking about the Roman Catholic Church child abuse scandal. What then follows is him singing and shouting over a backing track. Unfortunately, most of what he sings is not easily discernible. He’s clearly really bloody angry, though.
Back in the pastoral surroundings of the Forest Sessions stage, Berries is just finishing their sound check. I make no bones about it: Berries are one of my favourite live bands. They’re currently working on their second album, which I really hope will help to grow their audience. They certainly deserve that. I hear somebody compare them in the crowd to The Red Hot Chili Peppers. That isn’t a comparison that I’d heard (or thought of) before, but on reflection – it works! They have plenty of new material, including Watch It Work, their new single, which is released on 30th July. They really cook live. Guitarist/vocalist Holly Carter and bassist Lauren Cooper always look delighted to be on stage. Drummer Lexi Clark also looks delighted. She’s the machine that drives the band. She drops a stick, replaces it, and doesn’t miss a beat – awesome!!! They have an eight-date tour in late October and early November. Go see ’em!
I am next entertained by Knife Bride, a recent Brighton band. However, you wouldn’t know that they hadn’t been together for that long from their sound. They describe themselves as “Nu-Gothika”. I would describe them as very metallic in a slow metallic way, so that equates to goth. They have a very powerful and melodic singer in the shape of Mollie Buckley, who also dances very expressively and artistically. Occasionally, some quite challenging time signatures make for an interesting listen.
From Montreal, Canada, come Nobro, who are purveyors of riff-driven garage punk. They are a four-piece, including a keyboard player/percussionist. Early on, they play Set That Pussy Free, the opening track from their current album Set Your Pussy Free. They bring on a friend to play bass. Apparently she’s been on secondment to Borneo with her job. The song she plays sounds quite glam metal. The band swaps instruments and roles pretty much between every song. So much so that it’s difficult to remember who started off where! They’re versatile as musicians, and there are no lines of demarcation within this band! At the end of their set, they play faster so that they can fit another song in. This, dear readers, is entertainment.
The next band to be spewed out from the revolving door of bands appearing in front of me are Gallus, who are Scottish, fast and punky. Vocalist Barry Dolan is in the crowd before anyone can say “no crowd-surfing”, which is actually a phrase I don’t hear uttered at all over the weekend. Barry achieves the minor miracle of being shouty without losing a sense of tunefulness. I have absolutely no idea how he does this. Gallus are a great live band who leave me utterly adrenalised!
I toddle over to the main stage now for Manchester Orchestra, who somewhat confusingly are not from Manchester at all, but are from Atlanta, Georgia, USA. To a degree they remind me of US’ college rock bands in their later years. However, unlike some of those bands their energy hasn’t dissipated. Their music is surprisingly riffy and chunky but with sweet harmonies. In short, they rock!!!
Some time ago a friend recommended that I see Los Campesinos! They’re on at the Forest Sessions stage, so I take the opportunity to lose my Los Campesinos! cherry. I must confess that I’m really impressed. The band are from Cardiff and have been operational since 2006, so are one of the older bands playing here. They remind me of a much harder Belle & Sebastian, which really is no bad thing. They still have plenty of energy, as vocalist Gareth David Paisley demonstrates by leaping into the photo pit. Los Campos (I hope that they don’t mind me calling them that) even debut a new song. Proof, should you need it, that old bands never die!
Headliners at the Forest Sessions stage are ALT BLK ERA, who are a revelation. I catch them soundchecking: two female singers, a guitarist and a drummer. The band’s core are the singers, sisters Nyrobi and Chaya Beckett-Massam from Nottingham. It’s essentially their project. When they actually perform, they’re dressed in Victorian costume. It’s all very theatrical, and this is very much a show. Their performance is incredibly atmospheric. The music doesn’t fit any particular genre, and immediately, they’re the most interesting act at Trees so far.
Come On Outside is an unreleased song from their forthcoming album Rave Immortal, due in January. The song is about the feeling when you want somebody to take your hand and tell you that everything is going to be okay. Straight To Heart, meanwhile, is about a chronic illness that one of the singers had and how her friends deserted her. Single My Drummer’s Girlfriend is probably the best-known ALT BLK ERA song so far. It’s a proper indie banger, but it is not typical of their output. Indeed, from what I’ve heard tonight, there is no such thing as a typical ALT BLK ERA song. I keep thinking about what their stage show could be like with some real money behind it. I can’t wait to hear the album. Roll on January.
After being wowed by ALT BLK ERA, I head to the main stage to catch the end of The Gaslight Anthem’s headline set. Their Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band fixation is clearly still in place, so all is well with the world. I stumble off to bed.
Words: MARK KELLY, Photos: CRIS WATKINS
You can read part 2 HERE.
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