Four days, one relentless heatwave and a farm packed with the most gloriously unhinged crowd in the country. 2000 Trees proved once again exactly why it’s the best festival going…

Words by by Jaimie, photos by Day Rutherford (@dayshootsphotos) | July 18, 2026

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Oh, we are so back. It’s TREES BABY!!!

Not even blistering temperatures or relentless sunshine could stop thousands of people throwing themselves headfirst into one of the UK’s best alternative music weekends.

From the moment the gates opened on Wednesday, the heat was brutal, and with the forecast showing absolutely zero sign of cooling down, it was obvious we were just going to have to embrace the stickiness. The weather quickly became the second biggest talking point of the weekend, right behind TREES BABY!!! Itself.

Despite feeling like we were all one bad decision away from melting into the grass, the atmosphere around Upcote Farm was exactly what you’d expect, buzzing. Armed with bottles of SPF 50, water bottles and questionable levels of optimism, everyone was determined to make the most of a rather busy day one. Once again, 2000 Trees proved it has one of the most passionate and slightly unhinged festival crowds anywhere in the UK.

Right then, onto the music.

Bruise Control got things moving with a set bursting with energy and infectious punk attitude, shaking everyone fully awake after the dreaded camp setup. Hyphen followed with a loud, politically charged assault packed with razor-sharp riffage and undeniable stage presence, winning over plenty of new fans, myself included.

Over on the Word Stage, Venus Grrrls delivered one of my personal afternoon’s highlights. Their mix of grungy, slightly classic rock-inspired riffs and haunting melodies made for one of Wednesday’s standout sets. Split Chain kept the momentum going with a wall of shoegaze-soaked, reverb-clad goodness, and somewhere during their set, amongst the Split Chain beach balls, I spotted the weekend’s first big proper circle pit. It always brings a happy tear to my now-sweaty eyes.

As the sun finally disappeared behind the hills and the temperature became vaguely bearable, it was time for Lake Malice to close the Word Stage. Their mix of crushing breakdowns, electronic chaos, commanding vocals and a guitar player who spends the vast majority of the show off his feet. It was the perfect way to end the day, while the crowd somehow found enough energy for one last explosion after cooking in the sun for hours.

If Wednesday was anything to go by, 2000 Trees was already shaping up to be something pretty special. As it turned out, the festival was only just getting started.

After throwing myself into the chaos on Wednesday, Thursday started at a much gentler pace with Saint Senara on the Forest Stage. Their dark, folk-inspired sound suited the woodland setting perfectly, offering a rare moment of calm before the distortion, stage dives, and circle pits took over.

Night Swimming slowly raised the tempo with their trip hop, ethereal, dreamscape sounds. before Happydaze turned another sweltering afternoon into one massive singalong. Their catchy pop-punk, emo, and etched choruses made it impossible not to join in with some bopping.

Then came some good old fashioned sonic punishment.

Stress Positions tore through their set with uncompromising hardcore fury, delivering exactly the kind of chaos Trees does so well every single year.

But the biggest surprise of the day and one of the weekend came from J’cuzi.

I wandered in knowing next to nothing about them and honestly just checking them out because of the band name and I left convinced I’d just seen one of the festival’s defining performances. Fusing hip-hop, punk and electronic chaos into something completely their own, J’cuzi owned every second of that set, even if they did arrive on site moments before their stage time. Fearless, unpredictable and impossible to look away from, it was the sort of performance piece from the bubble and money gun-toting ripped dudes hanging from the stage, to the headstands in the crowd.

Pool Kids kept things nicely rolling on, showing exactly why they’re one of the most exciting bands in modern emo. Their musicianship was ridiculously tight, but it never came at the expense of the emotion that runs through every song and who doesn’t love a band that has guitar tapping riffs, right?

If J’cuzi stole my heart, Native James nearly buried me in dust.

As I walked towards the Forest stage, all I could see was a huge cloud hanging over the audience, kicked up by a relentless circle pit that refused to stop. It summed up 2000 trees perfectly, absolute carnage with everyone wearing the biggest grin imaginable. Native James fed off that energy like a wild animal, delivering one of the wildest sets of the weekend so far.

As we all know, original Thursday headliners Alkaline Trio had to pull out due to illness in the band, so that meant that the wonderful people behind the curtains needed to find a suitable replacement and that they did, with Don Broco stepping into fill the headline shoes at the last minute.

Taking on a festival headline set with very little prep time is no small challenge, but of course, the Bedford quartet not once looked fazed by it at all.

From the moment they hit the stage, they totally owned it. Massive hooks, huge sing-alongs, and, might I add, a rather impressive lighting setup and bursts of pyro, which is always fun. They really turned what could have been a difficult situation into one of the weekend’s biggest highlights.

The crowd responded instantly, screaming every word back and proving Don Broco were oh so capable of filling a monster of a slot. Honestly, they didn’t at all feel like a replacement. They made the moment their own, delivering a killer end to a killer day.

Friday arrived with the heat showing absolutely no signs of letting up. Sorry, did I mention the weather before? By now, the relentless sunshine had basically become part of the 2000 Trees experience, but somehow it still wasn’t slowing anyone down. Three days in, the crowds were just as energetic, the pits were just as mental, and everyone was still wearing the same huge smiles, just with more sweat-covered faces.

Unlike Thursday, there was no easing into the day for me. Prodigal came out swinging with some sexy nu-metal-inspired riffs and bags of swagger, delivering the perfect wake-up call and getting everyone ready for another full-on day.

Truck kept the momentum going over on the forest stage with their good time jams and even a happy, fun and very different sort of cover of Metallica’s’ Enter Sandman. Footballhead brought another effortlessly enjoyable set, while Beauty School continued to prove exactly why they’re one of the UK’s most exciting rising alt bands.

One of the weekend’s biggest highlights came from House of Protection, but let’s be real, if you know HOP or have even seen videos of these guys, then you already know that this set was going to be a monster. Their set was complete chaos from start to finish, but the moment everyone will remember came when former Bring Me The Horizon member Jordan Fish joined Stephen Harrison on vocals from the middle of a swirling circle pit rather than the stage. It was pure 2000 trees, ridiculous, unexpected, and did I mention it was hot?

After that madness, Anthony Green provided a much-needed breather with a captivating performance that reminded everyone just how powerful his voice remains. Anthony even graced our ears with a cheeky Circa Survive song, and as the people around me may have noticed, I very much enjoyed this.

Mallory Knox arrived without second guitarist James Gillett, who had welcomed a new addition to the family earlier that day. A completely understandable absence, but it didn’t stop the band from delivering a brilliant set from start to finish and James had got a hell of a voice message waiting for him when he gets to his phone.

Then came the moment I’d personally been waiting years for.

ARCANE ROOTS! The band split in 2018, and it genuinely felt like a huge loss, not just to me I’m sure. Their music has meant so much to me over the years, so seeing them back together and sounding even bigger and better than ever was something genuinely special.

This wasn’t just one of the best sets of the weekend. It was one of the best live performances I’ve witnessed in awhile. Behind me (I was obviously at the barrier), one of the biggest crowds of the festival erupted into constant crowd surfing and huge mosh pits, but nothing could take away from what was happening on stage. Arcane Roots were flawless, ridiculously tight, emotionally powerful and a reminder of exactly why they had been missed by so many for the last 8 years.

Closing out the day were Welsh emo giants Funeral for a Friend, and they delivered exactly what the occasion demanded nostalgia, emotion and masses of people screaming some post-hardcore classics.

Within seconds, it felt like the entire crowd, well, the ones old enough to remember the good old days of chain wallets and “being random”, had been transported back 20 years or so. Thousands of voices screaming every emotion-filled lyric made it impossible not to feel like I was 15 again, rediscovering songs that had shaped mine and so many other lives.

After once again another incredible day, Funeral for a Friend provided the perfect finale. A true reminder that some songs never really leave you and that doll will always be emo at heart.

Saturday arrived with that familiar bittersweet feeling that comes with the final day of trees. Somehow, we’d almost made it through another weekend at Upcote Farm. Four days of incredible music, what felt like a marathons worth of miles walked between stages, very little sleep, and, of course, did I mention that it was pretty warm?

But once again, the heat couldn’t slow anyone down. Everyone was determined to squeeze every last drop out of the weekend.

The Cave Stage was already packed by 11am for Lickshot, and filling that tent so early is no easy achievement. Their explosive set made it clear there would be no gentle start to the final day.

Thistle. continued the strong run of performances before one of the weekend’s most wholesome moments took place in the Forest. A Forest (A forest in a forest, who would’ve thought) delivered a beautifully intimate acoustic set featuring Andrew Groves from Arcane Roots on guitar and backing vocals, creating a genuinely special and hauntingly quiet atmosphere beneath the trees.

If anyone wondered whether a duo could command a festival crowd, Bicurious answered that immediately. They had everyone completely hooked from the opening note, proving that incredible musicianship and endless energy are sometimes all you need.

Then came the mighty Battlesnake.

Dressed in their trademark robes and headgear, how they survived the heat is anyone’s guess. How they then spent the final minutes of their set wandering through the crowd while still delivering their gloriously ridiculous riffs is even more impressive. It was impossible not to smile.

Lastelle brought another emotionally charged performance before Arcane Roots returned for a stripped-back acoustic set. Between songs, we were treated to stories and quieter moments, which made it feel like a completely different, but equally special, experience to their full force electric set the night before.

As the afternoon rolled on, Marmozets reminded everyone exactly why they’ve been missed so much, before Big Truck, another new band on me kept the energy firmly in top gear, even with some technical difficulties, which I still don’t know if they were real or not. But hey, the set ended with a bass being utterly destroyed on stage. So, either way is very cool.

Another band that completely blew me away was Dinosaur Pile-Up. Their massive choruses and huge guitar sound felt almost impossible from just three people, and they delivered one of the biggest sing-alongs of the entire weekend. Adding to the chaos of the filled axiom stage, the barrier was packed with fans wearing giant inflatable dinosaur costumes, creating one of the most wonderfully ridiculous sights of the festival. Honestly tthough, there were loads.

Finally, it was time for Neck Deep to close out 2000trees 2026.

A festival headline slot needs to celebrate everything that came before while giving everyone one last reason to go batshit crazy, and Neck Deep delivered exactly that. Relentless energy, sad songs, happy songs, hell, songs about aliens and of course thousands of pop punk fans singing every single word right back created the perfect final act atmosphere.

Another year at 2000 Trees and another year of proof of why this festival is the best one out there. Incredible music, incredible people, incredible staff and an incredible tan. So, Trees, I shall be seeing you next year for more of the same.

Before I end this too. A massive shoutout has to go to everyone who made the weekend actually happen. From the organisers, bookers, security, food truck people, medics, sound and lightening engineers and just generally all the crew working behind the scenes. Keeping a festival of this size running smoothly during a heatwave can’t have been an easy task. So, massive thank you to them all.