2000 Trees 2018 (Festival Preview)
British festivalgoers are spoilt for choice year after year, but 2000 Trees remains top of the list for connoisseurs of alternative and underground music. Its lineups are legendary, each day carefully scheduled to ensure minimal clashes and more time spent watching bands, not tearing your hair out trying to decide between two firm favourites.
Thursday (July 12) is a case in point. Shvpes, Palm Reader, Press To MECO, Vukovi, Brutus, Boston Manor, Arcane Roots, Turnstile, Marmozets, Black Peaks, At The Drive-In, Dave McPherson, and late-night party masters Thrill Collins make up a day-long orgy of incredible music that nobody in their right mind would turn down. And that’s just day one.
Since the following two days will see tents in campsites (of course) and brains rested from early nights (yeah, right), they’re much busier. Friday highlights are guaranteed to include fast riser Grumble Bee, the mind-bending Vodun, the ever-classy Jamie Lenman, a bit of face-frying instrumental post-rock from And So I Watch You From Afar, and Ho99o9 levelling The Cave with their insane hip-hop and hardcore crossovers. Then you still have some solid rock from Blood Red Shoes, Mallory Knox, and Twin Atlantic – plus horror-punk courtesy of Creeper, and simultaneous crushing post-sludge delivered by the heavily (and deservedly) hyped Conjurer.
By the time Saturday rolls around, one Friday night Silent Disco session already over, sleep deprivation may start to set in – but fortunately The Xcerts will be playing an acoustic set on the Forest Stage before bounding onto the Main Stage for a full-on rock show later in the day. Blood Command and Queen Kwong will provide ample opportunity to dance and rock out at the same time; Basement will use waves of high-gain guitars to wash the Main Stage crowd away; and Black Futures may have a relatively short set planned, but it’s guaranteed to be all the more intense for it. From there, we’re left with the inimitable SikTh while Main-Stagers Moose Blood offer something for fans of less intense tunes – and of course there’s no forgetting underground legends Hell Is For Heroes, or the final all-night festivities to be sparked by Enter Shikari and continued for the duration of one more Silent Disco.
In short, 2000 Trees 2018 is going to be absolutely awesome – and the above are but a small selection of the 120+ acts set to fill out the festival. If you love the sound of loud guitars making unique noises and the thought of sharing a famously welcoming atmosphere with 10,000 fellow fans, you’ll understand why people return to 2000 Trees over and over again.
Tickets can be ordered via the official 2000 Trees website.
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