Blistering heat and brilliant bands collided in style at 2026’s 2000trees Festival. A highlight of every summer – we really can’t wait to see what they pull out of the bag for next year’s 20th anniversary – there’s so much to enjoy at Upcote Farm every July. Will you find your new favourite band, or reconnect with an old favourite? Can you last the distance at the silent disco and get up for yoga in the Forest the following morning? Just how many of the food stalls are you going to try?

We’re focusing on the bands. With a line-up this stacked, you’re inevitably going to miss out on some awesome acts, and that’s to the festival’s credit, but we’re so excited by the bands we did get to see – and will be sure to check out many of those we didn’t have time for.

Thursday 9 July, 2026

Max temperature: 33°C
Step count: 20,188
Sweet treat of the day: Rhubarb crumble with custard

We kicked off our weekend on the Main Stage with Buds, who were in celebratory mood despite their singer Dan suffering from a nose bleed and vocal issues. As goodie bags and bubbles were shared with the early morning crowd, the band focused on delivering half an hour of wonky pop hooks and chunky riffs – somewhere between Interpol and Tellison, albeit with the odd foray into a heavier sound, with plenty of healthy screaming on show. London four-piece Tooth followed with their catchy Title Fight-meets-Tigers Jaw hooks and observations on innocence and how ‘The city swallowed us and spat us out’ (‘Schoolyard’).

Melanie Baker opened her set with a song that had a touch of Sharon Van Etten’s sensibilities before heading into a bouncier direction with the likes of recent single ‘HAHA!’ and ‘Real Life’: ‘I wanna be a passenger princess, drive me around’. Oozing Geordie charm, Melanie regaled the crowd (including many from the North East) with stories of what her songs are about and the Britpop meets Wet Leg sound. We trekked up to the Forest to catch Night Swimming, a Bath/Bristol band that have been on our radar since first covering ‘Five-Year Plan’ back in 2024. They debuted a new song called ‘Active Resilience’, its brooding bass line hinting at darker things to come, while the haze on stage perfectly complemented their goosebump-inducing (even in this heat) and dreamy Cocteau-twins-esque shoegaze atmospherics.

We highlighted Norwegian trio Hammok as one to watch ahead of the festival and were not disappointed. Post-hardcore from Oslo, it took all of 11 minutes for the bassist to jump into the crowd – and we don’t think he wanted to go back to the stage. A high-intensity half-hour with football banter ahead of the World Cup quarter final, the band sound something akin to Refused jamming with At the Drive In. It was back to Forest for one of the annual Alcopop! Records scene-stealers. This year it was the Glaswegian post-punkers, Doss. Frantic and frenetic, they roared a pledge of ‘making all your dreams come true’ and proudly declared ‘we are Glasgow’ in a set that reminded us – at different points – of bands as diverse as Kneecap, The Fall and Future of the Left.

Cowboy Hunters are all talky guitar pop meets electroclash with synthy samples and talk of Beyonce and a song that rallies against AI, while Mariachi El Bronx brought the party vibes to the Main Stage right at the hottest point of the day. The first of the band’s two very different sets, they opened with a double whammy of ‘Forgive or Forget’ and ’48 Roses’ while so many in the crowd donned sombrero hats and downed Tequila. It was a communal moment and added a festive atmosphere to the festival. The Isle of Wight’s Coach Party delivered 35 minutes of indie-pop hooks to die for, defiantly encouraging the audience to move and have a dance despite the heat.

We’d been excited about Bleech 9:3 from the moment they were added to the line-up and their set in The Cave tent did not disappoint. With their grungey yet melodic riffs bringing to mind both Reuben and Fontaines DC, the band have plenty of important things to say – and the passionate crowd were inclined to agree, given the gusto with which they sang the words back at the band. Pool Kids are coming to the end of a two-month tour but were still smiling as they delivered a set filled with mathy moments, potent post hardcore flourishes and shades of the emo revival.

The Bronx were on double duty, with an early evening Axiom tent set following the unbridled joy of the earlier Mariachi set. As Matt Caughthran prowled the stage, encouraging the crowd to put their arms around each and jump or crowdsurf, he also had plenty to say about the division in the world and how a Bronx rock show is for everyone. A brutal yet pulsating assault on the senses, this showed a band that have still got the passion and belief in their music, over two decades since smashing through the rock scene with their debut album.

Although you could barely see them through the lights and smoke effects, the sound of Superheaven was simply sublime. The thickly distorted and atmospheric guitars were loud and clear, with the band effortlessly switching genres from a more pining aesthetic to punchy and aggressive. They could be the meeting point between Manchester Orchestra and Pearl Jam… With that, we took our weary feet back home safe in the knowledge there were two more days like this to come.

Friday 10 July, 2026

Max temperature: 34°C
Step count: 16,011
Sweet treat of the day: Split Screen Ice Cream double cone – blackcurrant and clotted cream/cherry

Norwich five-piece Suds opened the Main Stage on Friday with their brand of mathy pop and bouncy bass lines. It was the BSM signing’s biggest gig to date but they soon shot through the nerves with great vitality, the debut album’s ‘The Great Overgrowth’ being a standout track. One moment, they’re delving into a nostalgic emo sound, the next they’re making everyone dance. It was great to see. Following Suds was Guillotine. Arriving on stage to ‘Laura Palmer’s Theme’ from the Twin Peaks soundtrack, the scene was immediately set as the expanded five-piece filled the tent with bowed guitar, swirling atmospherics, clattering breakdowns and words filled with anxiety: ‘I forgot how it felt, I must be someone else’; ‘I just don’t feel quite right’. Their next album ‘A Lesser Key’ is released this Friday (17 July) and we can’t wait to hear more.

Sister duo Bratakus had travelled down from the remotest of areas in the Highlands to the West Country and were determined to make their 30-minute set count. After a false start with opening song ‘Final Girls’ being delayed by technical issues, the two-piece broke out the angry Reuben-esque riffs and made their voices heard as they tackled important subjects. From offering support to the trans community in the current hostile climate to the anthemic ‘Turnstile’, a song that shoots back at unfair criticism at how the sisters have dressed, everyone was on their side as they declared that being punk is being true to yourself and not caring what anyone else thinks.

It was time for a change of pace with the art-rock theatrics of Bristol’s Sans Froid. With their drummer at the front and woozy, wonky time signatures battling with timeless melodies and Dutch Uncles-style bass lines – plus the off flourish of folk music – the band are theatrical, exciting and already seem to be establishing themselves as the next cult heroes of trees. It was back to The Cave to catch Reclus.E – a truly magnificent band formed by Daniel P. Carter and Tummyache’s Soren Bryce. Their wide-ranging set spanned through different influences, a touch of ’70s melodic pop colliding with gritty Sonic Youth riffs and even a touch of hardcore – often in the space of one song. There was even time for a glorious glam rock stomp at one point.

As expected, SLAG delivered a special set amongst the trees in the Forest. Looking resplendent in their pink and black outfits, the Brighton five-piece had people singing and clapping along virtually from the first note – much to their surprise and delight. With sugar-sweet hooks and big choruses, the band are sure to rise up the stages in trees to come. Saturdays at Your Place inspired plenty of dancing with their new song ‘What Am I Supposed to Do’, while every song from their UK breakthrough record ‘Always Cloudy’ was sang back with power and passion.

Mould maybe not so subtly hinted that they may have been responsible for one of their huge album posters going missing. Their delightfully ramshackle yet catchy Cribsy-style indie-punk songs are filled with charm and sing-along moments: ‘Running out of backbone’. Back to the main stage for the unbeatable double bill of Militarie Gun and Sunny Day Real Estate, the former drawing a huge crowd and plenty of singalongs, especially when Circa Survive frontman Anthony Green joined them for ‘Thought You Were Waving’ and the closing ‘B A D I D E A’, and the latter cementing their status as godfathers of emo. Playing the day before their support set to My Chemical Romance at Wembley Stadium, the Seattle band delivered an hour of haunting and melodic sounds, closing with the timeless ‘In Circles’ and ‘The Rising Tide’.

Trees legends Arcane Roots returned to Upcote Farm with a big slot in the Axiom. Expanded into a five-piece for this reunion (with two drummers!), the first 15 minutes of their set – starting with this year’s ‘A Wave, Across the Sea’ – was seamless as the alt-rockers powered through. It got better from there with Radiohead-esque glitchy moments being added to their pulsating, anthemic tones. Funeral for a Friend closed Friday by bringing out the hits on the main stage, Holding Absence’s Lucas Woodland now fronting them – and being completely honoured to do so. He’s got the vocal chops, too, with ‘Rookie of the Year’ and ‘She Drove Me to Daytime Television’ still vital over two decades after their initial release.

Saturday 11 July, 2026

Max temperature: 31°C
Step count: 18,993
Sweet treat of the day: Kinder chocolate cookie

With the England v Norway World Cup quarter final second half confirmed to be aired on the big screen following Neck Deep’s headline set (albeit with silent disco headphones), there was more anticipation than ever for the final day of this year’s festival. We kicked off our Saturday with an awesome set by Ain’t. The Londoners say they ‘channel the stranger end of ’90s guitar’ music’ but we also heard elements of Rilo Kiley in their breezy indie-meets-twinkly emo sound. Vocalist Hanna Baker Darch also threw in some great dance moves and spins before finishing the set with the immortal words: ‘Thank you, we are the rock band Ain’t’.

It was then over to the Main Stage for Alcopop!’s Carsick. With football shirts and a Frodo cutout, the four-piece’s opening song sounded like an alarm going off and was sure to wake up everyone on site (the band did dedicate a later song to everyone ‘who said they were gonna come and see us but are still asleep’). With thunderous drumming and words about violence and today’s division, there was also a touching moment when the bassist dedicated ‘Nothing to Do’, a Streetsy song about Reading, to his father who has recently recovered from a heart attack. The father and son had also been attending 2000trees together for a decade. The band rattled through their last three songs in 6 minutes to close their set.

We’ve been excited about Northampton trio thistle. since being tipped off about them going on tour with last year’s highlight Humour. They did not disappoint. From grungey ’90s Seattle riffs to more catchy melodies in the vein of Teenage Fanclub or Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, the band make a grand racket, with vocalist Cameron Godfrey reminiscing on seeing Turnstile at the 2022 trees – his first ever festival. We took a trip into the Forest to see the appropriately named a forest perform their debut show. Matt Hughes delivered a series of deeply personal sad songs that had a hint of Elliott Smith running though, along with a Hank Williams cover. Ably backed in the live setting by Arcane Roots’ Andrew Groves on guitar and Bjarni Biering on piano, Matt’s song about his daughters growing up hit hard (especially as we were missing our son’s nursery graduation party!) and closing rendition of recent single ‘Something I Need’ was poignantly powerful.

We dashed to the Main Stage for the brilliant Battlesnake. We heard the brutal opening of ‘I Killed Satan’ en route and arrived as the band launched into ‘The Battlesnake’ – flying V guitars and keytars turned up to 11. The Australian metallers were still in their trademark robes and demanding circle pits before letting a kid called Seth close their set in style by conducting a ‘2000’, ‘trees’ call and response. Everyone was grinning at every guitar solo and if you get a chance to see them, just do it. Following this was the post-hardcore band Lastelle with their dual vocal battle between drummer and singer, falsetto from the first song and singer in the pit three songs in.

The indigenous band Dead Pioneers were next up with powerful and impassioned statements about how we all live in ‘a system designed for white supremacy to survive’ complementing their fierce Bronx-meets-La Dispute atmospherics. Things calmed down with the gorgeous sad emo of Have Mercy. Hailing from Baltimore and fiercely DIY (the band took time out from their jobs to tour over here), there’s a touch of Into It. Over It. in their songs and some powerful, personal innermost thoughts being shared: ‘I think I’ll cry in the basement where we used to spend all our days’.

It was then time for something completely different: The Ogretones. If you love Shrek, and to be honest who doesn’t, you need to check out this band. Playing all your favourite songs from the Shrek soundtrack – although, sadly, no ‘Hallelujah on this occasion as it might have brought the vibe down – they’re a hugely entertaining party band in Shrek fancy dress. The brass section is made up of the three blind mice and there’s real oomph to their grand green sound. The campaign to get them to open the Main Stage next year starts here…

Marmozets meant business from their very first song, Becca Bottomley declaring ‘We’re in paradise’ after the opening song and celebrating the number of 6- and 7-year-old girls who were dancing at the front of the pit while on parents’ shoulders. Laurie from Soft Play’s new band Big Truck followed over on the Marshall stage. More delicate and genteel than his other band, there’s plenty of joy and sadness to be found in Big Truck – a band named after an insult thrown at Laurie when he was an overweight teen: ‘I look out at my window and see signs of life’. A broken bass guitar meant Laurie had to change the set and debut a new song, which was largely just his vocals and piano before drums came crashing in halfway through. It was candid and charming, falling somewhere between Bacharach and The Streets.

Where do we start with The Xcerts‘ latest appearance at 2000trees? Playing their sixth album ‘i think i want to go home now’ in full the day after its release, the trio blasted through the new songs with ‘do it to myself’ already establishing itself as a firm live favourite. It was then that the emotions began to take hold, first the sheer pride from Murray Macleod as he watched his young nephews crowd surf for the first time and then more from the rawness of the new material and its subject matters (health issues, grief, relationship breakdowns) culminating in tears everywhere you looked on album closer ‘in your eyes’. After composing himself – ‘Daryl Palumbo (Glassjaw) won’t be crying on the main stage’ – Murray delivered another loud and proud rendition of the trees unofficial anthem ‘Aberdeen 1987’ and a bombastic, closing ‘Feels Like Falling in Love’. The trees audience is very much still in love with The Xcerts.

Now, what will 2000trees have in store for its 20th anniversary next year? We can’t wait to see.

Next year’s 2000trees Festival takes place from Wednesday 7 to Saturday 10 July, 2027. The festival is located on Upcote Farm, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. GL54 4BL. Buy super early bird tickets here.