Friday 17th and Saturday 18th July 2009 @ Upcote Farm, Cheltenham
Featuring Performances From: The King Blues, Imperial Leisure, Let’s Tea Party, Babel, Slow Club, Dananananaykroyd, British Sea Power

As rain teems down on the ancient countryside of Withington, a familiar feeling of doubt rises up; another wet summer festival then. Will it be worth it?

The answer is, of course, yes! 2000 Trees is a small festival, tiny even, with only two stages and a miniscule dance tent, but its size makes the personal efforts of the organisers all the more noticeable and affecting. A warm, communal spirit pervades the festival and sees that proceedings run smoothly for revellers of all ages. The facilities are excellent: clean, fully-equipped toilets, delicious food from Pieminster and Lechyd-da amongst others, and the ever-friendly Lebowski bars serving pints cheaper than most city bars, including the highly-potent Badger’s Bottom cider.

Friday’s line-up on the main stage is dominated by guitar bands at the heavier end of the spectrum. The King Blues, as with Imperial Leisure on the Saturday, offer up crowd-pleasing festival fayre, blending ska, punk and rap to inspire some enthusiastic skanking but headliners Fightstar offer little beyond the novelty of witnessing Charlie-from-Busted growling over a cod-metal riff. In the tented Leaf Lounge, Let’s Tea Party are an altogether more interesting prospect, but nothing comes close to the delirious pleasure to be had at the Headphone Disco. Equipped with headphones and the choice of two DJs, 750 party people are encouraged to dance into the early hours under the stars. The headphones, with some assistance from Badger’s Bottom, dissolve any self-consciousness and a battle to out-dance, out-sing and out-party commences in the Gloucestershire countryside.

Ushered in with glorious sunshine, Saturday is a more relaxed affair with roots and indie the flavour of the day. The highlights include Bristol’s Babel whose alt-folk inspires a toddler to perform impressive acrobatics to the delight of the crowd, and Sheffield duo Slow Club who play a sprightly mid-afternoon set of bitter-sweet bluesy-skiffle.

The effervescent Glaswegians Dananananaykroyd bring a merry chaos to the evening’s proceedings, delivering their frantic sounds with commendable energy. In the drizzle, they split the crowd into two halves and urge them to run at each other and hug the first person. It is a gesture that in some settings may seem contrived, but at 2000 Trees it feels right. British Sea Power close out the festival in style amidst their beloved foliage. Their grandiose take on prog-indie delights an exhausted but ecstatic branch-wielding crowd.

Affordable, spirited and highly enjoyable, 2000 Trees is small but perfectly formed.

www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk

Tom Spooner