2000 Trees Festival 2025 – Saturday: The Review
Closing out a beautiful weekend, the sunburned, thirsty crowd witnessed pure mayhem. From hardcore guttural screams to some expert climbing skills. Here is what we caught whilst keeping hydrated.
Words by Cece Lawless, Emily Simister & Will Marshall
Love Rarely – NEU
Mathy emo newcomers Love Rarely have already made a big splash with their debut EP, and the NEU stage is packed out for them even as its first band on today. It’s easy to see why people have gravitated to them so quickly; emotional screams and melodies from vocalist Courtney and off kilter riffs coalesce into something emotionally fragile and stirring. They’ve adjusted well to such a rapid ascent, making the most of the space with constant movement around it, and their performance is stellar. It’s their first ever time at the festival – both as punters and as a band – and the turnout shows they’re very welcome here. – WM
Last Hounds – The Cave
A band who have attracted a huge following on social media due to clever lyric performance videos helping viewers get to know the music better, Last Hounds proved this tactic works as fans belted songs back at vocalist Mikey Skelcher. The tent was full for this hardcore band from the Midlands, perfect for the type of live performance antics they have become known for. Skelcher encouraged the crowd to form a wall of death back to the sound desk as he joined the pit in the chaos. The energy was unrelenting as they brought the fun and dance vibes, and it’s undeniable that there is a talent in making a performance feel like utter chaos whilst being incredibly organised, something Last Hounds nail every time. In a standout moment, the band brought out Jason Butler from Letlive. who joined them for a duel rendition of ‘Snakeskin’ and the two vocalists battled with charisma firing around the stage. An exciting and fun performance. – CL
EYES – The Cave
Danish Hardcore band, EYES came screaming onto the stage, predictable given how their latest release SPINNER sounds. Lead singer Victor Kaas widened his eyes at the crowd, staring everyone down and adding to the intensity of the music. Strobe effect lighting accented the atmosphere and shifted the feeling from their stage predecessors Last Hounds from fun and exciting to fierce and intimidating. Grinning like a maniac, Kaas, paced the stage hitting every beat under his feet as the rest of the band stood firm, banging their heads in time. This is their first time playing in the U.K., so was surprising news given the largely positive critical response to their releases. EYES are an incredibly heavy sonic force of nature and to see them live is to realise that music can be created to scare and alarm the audience. The mosh pit was filled with dancers who had donned makeshift face masks to protect themselves from the dust being kicked up (it was very hot inside the tent!) which added to the apocalyptic scene created by this band. – CL
Photo Credit: Jez Pennington
Vower – Main Stage
Vower’s story will be well known by Trees attendees, and their appearance on the main stage this year is well deserved. With just their debut EP apricity and recent single ‘Deadweight’ released, they stack their thirty-minute set with everything and get an enthusiastic reception despite the crowd suffering from another excruciatingly hot day. “Thank you for cooking for us,” Josh McKeown grins midway through, as the band deliver a thrilling set even if the heat drives many away before time. – WM
Split Chain – The Axiom
Split Chain’s trajectory over the past few years remains impossible to ignore, infusing a myriad of UK festival line ups this summer with their gazey nu-metal sound and aesthetic. Set against a backdrop of old TVs playing fuzzy late-’90s imagery, their set on the Neu Stage feels like a time capsule pulled straight from that era. Smashing through their set with unyielding energy and drenched in hypnotic textures, the band deliver a blistering, high-octane performance highlighted by the grungey ‘Future’ and the post-hardcore, ethereal weight of ‘(Re)-Extract’. With each festival appearance, their following grows, and their momentum only accelerates. As a steady wave of crowd surfers soar overhead, Split Chain’s 2000 Trees set feels like a glimpse into a band on the cusp of something big. – ES
Anxious – The Axiom
Since their debut LP Little Green House in 2022, Connecticut’s Anxious have been followed by a palpable buzz, their post-hardcore-infused sound seeing them bolster impressive line-ups including the likes of Basement and Knuckle Puck. Their set on the Axiom Stage takes the crowd on a journey through inner turmoil, growth, and the bruising that comes with it, all echoed through a bed of hook-laden guitar passages and hair-raising vocals. Sometimes you need a live show where you can let it all out, and Anxious provides us with just that. – ES
Vukovi – Main Stage
Grinding away for the best part of a decade and change has paid off for Vukovi; the duo went stratospheric with NULA and new album My God Has Got A Gun cemented them as a tour de force of pop infused rock. That makes today’s set on the main stage even more of an occasion, kicking off with the bouncing ‘Gungho’ after a brief electronic introduction. Janine Shilstone isn’t letting it show, grinning after their first song, “I’m gonna be honest, I need somebody’s shoes. This stage is like lava!” It’s partly that grounded humour that’s endeared them to first a dedicated few, then to growing masses of fans. The other is, of course, the bangers they stack their set with. ‘Misty Ecstasy’ sounds huge on this stage, and the crowd get a sizeable pit going at her command. “I can’t believe I’ve resorted to wearing fucking Crocs,” she laughs after being handed a pair, getting a good chuckle especially after asking photographers to crop her feet out of shots. There’s a chaotic energy throughout the set, particularly during closer ‘La Di Da’ where Shilstone crowdsurfs and at one point apologises seemingly for laughing too much to sing. Rock out with your Crocs out. – WM
letlive. – Main Stage
Who had a letlive. reunion on their 2025 bingo card? Be honest, because we sure didn’t. It’s obviously very welcome, as they’re on what is ostensibly one final tour to say the goodbye they didn’t get to first time around. From the sheer volume of people headed to the Main stage, you’d be forgiven for thinking this is a headline set, and it sure as hell feels like one as they burst into life and give nothing less than 100% for an entire hour. “We are letlive. and we didn’t know what we had when we had it,” Jason Butler admits early on, visibly and audibly emotional about the impact the band has had since they went away. The set starts big and gets more unhinged; mic stands are thrown, hurriedly reset by stagehands only to get thrown around again, Butler launches his mic to the rafters only to catch it with ease, or another time brings someone dressed as a Marshall amp onstage, situates them next to their stack then grins “you know I used to break every amp on stage? Your time is up, motherfucker!” That feral energy extends to the crowd, who give security a serious workout with the sheer volume of crowd surfers. We’re even treated to an extended rant about someone saying they’d love to hang out onstage but then not turning up before they’re pointed out to Butler, and he gleefully eats his own words. By the time the set ends, there’s been a pantless Butler swinging from the rafters and the PA briefly disconnected til he climbed down to end the song. It’s also been utterly perfect, a band that were years ahead of their time finally getting their dues. Hopefully, this isn’t goodbye because they are just too damn good to bow out. – WM
Alexisonfire – Main Stage
Letlive. are an almost impossible act to follow, but Alexisonfire put their best foot forward to close this year’s edition of 2000 Trees. They do make odd choices with playing a couple of slower tracks during their opening salvo, but easily win back the crowd with the likes of ‘We Are the Sound’. The light show is spectacular, rapid colour cycling, beams and more creating a visual feast throughout. Alexisonfire are undeniably excellent, delivering the hits alongside a few deeper cuts for their devoted. There are the likes of ‘Sweet Dreams of Otherness’ from their post-hiatus album Otherness, alongside the Crisis classics, all delivered with conviction and to an adoring crowd. “Thanks for sticking with us all these years,” they smile midway through, the gratitude clear in the vigour they perform with, even if crowd banter is minimal. That lack of chatter means they pack in as many songs as possible, all delivered with the same level of energy – no mean feat given the enduring heat of the day. It feels as if the band truly still love what they do, like they’d be just at home playing in dive bars as to thousands of people. That camaraderie and passion shines tonight, making this career spanning set a stunning end to the weekend. Same time next year? – WM
Photo Credit: Joe Singh