One of the most beloved weekends on the festival calendar, 2000trees returns this month with a line up stacked full of Upset faves.
The festival, which will take place in Cheltenham from 5th-8th July, will host sets from the likes of (Upset cover stars) The Xcerts, plus The Wonder Years, American Football, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Empire State Bastard, Joyce Manor, Prima Queen, Brutus, Kid Kapichi, Loathe, Martha, Sprints, Dream State and loads more.
We caught up with a few of our 2000trees up-and-coming faves to find out what they have planned. First up, Joey from KOYO.
Hello Joey! How’s it going? What are you up to today?
All is well; at the time of writing this, we’ve been on tour with No Pressure, illusion and Fleshwater. Currently driving to Columbus; it’s been an incredible tour.
2000trees is a festival with its own strong sense of community – have you been before, either playing or as a fan?
I’ve never been prior, but I am excited for that very reason. For sure a festival we were very excited to be looped into from the jump. Can’t wait to see what it’s all about.
What was the first festival you went to as a fan? What was it like? Who did you see?
This Is Hardcore 2014, right after I graduated high school. Converge, Turmoil, Cold World, E Town, Fury of Five, it was a fat year. The list goes on; so many bands I still love to this day. The vibe was electric; I’d never experienced anything like it prior while attending smaller local hardcore shows.
What’s your favourite thing about playing music festivals? How does it compare to a normal gig?
The energy, especially for a band like ours. Festivals are usually logistically scaled up, big rooms and stages, but when the vibe as if it was any other normal show persists, just sized up, it’s unreal. It’s different on paper, but it doesn’t feel all that different when the experience is right.
Do you change the setlist up for festivals compared to your own shows?
Depends on the fest/vibe. We like to curate special setlists for certain festivals. Our band sonically has a decent amount of range, so we’ll lean more melodic or more hardcore setlist-wise, depending on who we’re playing to.
What are the key elements of a good festival set, do you think?
Varies per band, but for us, nonstop energy. No breaks, just endless stage diving, moshing, whatever feels good. Just high energy.
Who are you looking forward to catching up with or checking out at 2000trees this year?
Stoked to play the same day as our friends in One Step Closer, as well as seeing The Chisel and High Vis on their home turf.
If you could book any 3 bands to headline three nights of a festival, who are you taking?
Hatebreed, Taking Back Sunday, Silent Majority.
2000trees is doing a lot of work on being a sustainable festival. Is that something that’s important to you when playing an event?
For sure, as it’s just a positive effort/notion. Good for the world, good energy to put out there.
What else are you working on at the moment?
We have a record called ‘Would You Miss It?’ coming out 29th September. That’s our entire world right now; just rolling out that record and making sure as many people as possible give it a chance.
Taken from the July 2023 edition of Upset. Visit 2000trees.co.uk for more information about this year’s festival.
