2000 Trees Festival 16-17.07.10

Held over only 2 days, this short but sweet shindig is situated on a tiny site with only 2500 revellers able to enjoy the uniquely friendly atmosphere. The nice mixture of alternative punk/rock, folk and rock ‘n’ roll led to a diverse audience, which is always conducive to rollicking good time.

Due to travel delays, Bearded unfortunately missed favourite Shoes and Socks Off but heard on the grapevine that it was a cracking set. And So I Watched You From Afar stunned the crowd with their instrumental mentalisms, heavy riffage and erratic time signatures. Angular and powerful, this was a great start to the best day of the festival.

On to Pulled Apart by Horses, raucous and rocking, these boys really whip the crowd into a frenzy. ‘E=MC Hammer’ and ‘Back to the Fuck Yeah’ are stand out tracks and clearly crowd pleasers, judging by the chaotic response from the legions of PABH fans. They are a post hardcore juggernaut and a perfect warm up to the next band - who were head and shoulders above the rest in terms of stage craft, songs and the size of their balls…

Future of the Left should have been headlining. Full stop. A blistering set of tracks, old and new - including a couple of Mclusky numbers - sent the crowd slightly doolally, in a good way. The set was angsty and the audience replied in kind. Frontman Andrew Falkous was gnashing his teeth at the mic, spitting out his politically sarcastic lyrics and commanding the stage. He is of small demeanor, but boy does he make up for it with his ominous presence. You really wouldn’t fuck with him. Seriously, the best set of the weekend by possibly the best British band out there at the moment.

65 Days of Static played a set of their more dancey numbers, as oppose to a more heavy set. Still in your face and extremely tight, you can tell this band have been touring almost none stop for years. Not one of the best times Bearded have seen them, they make for a bigger impression playing indoors and LOUD, but still highly enjoyable. Well worth trying to catch them on their up and coming tour.

Overall, this is an intriguing little festival. Quite refreshing was the fact that it took no more than five minutes to walk between stages and the campsite. The cider was great and the music was better. Definitely worth checking out next year.