Features

Three Trapped Tigers, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Dawn Chorus, Jim Lockey & The Solemn Sun, Chris T-T - 2000trees Festival: Artist questions

GodisintheTV 09/05/2010

One of a brace of exciting looking emerging botique festivals 2000trees Festival returns to Upcote Farm in Cheltenham on 16th - 17th July for a fourth year running.This year's event looks bigger than ever 2000trees announced the return of folk/punk hero Frank Turner who will be playing a headline set on the Friday night. Previously at 2000trees Frank has played memorable performances on the Leaf Lounge and Treehouse stages as well as an impromptu campsite set for a select lucky few - but this year's headline show will be a monumental, fun-filled and raucous performance from one of the nation's most electrifying performers. . Saturday's line-up is topped by Sheffield's finest experimental rock outfit 65daysofstatic who will be bringing their mind-bending post-rock to 2000trees in what will no doubt be a mesmerizing performance.

Full list of acts:

Headline acts: Frank Turner, The Subways

Others: Metronomy, Bombay Bicycle Club, 65daysofstatic, Crazy Arm, Maybeshewill, The Xcerts, Flashguns, Little Fish, Jim Lockey & the Solemn Sun, The Dawn Chorus, Chris T-T, Kill It Kid, David Goo, Midnight Mile, The Tailors, A Genuine Freakshow, Lo-fi Culture Scene, Roundstone, OST, Every Other Ones, Shoes and Socks Off, Men Diamler, Dan Heaver, Ben Marwood, Daniel Conti, Oxygen Thief, Carlos and the Jackal.

With two full days featuring over 50 acts on three stages still to be confirmed, as well as the addition of comedy running during the day on the third stage, DJs, headphone disco and campfire sing-a-longs to keep the party spirit going till dawn, 2010 is shaping up to be the best year yet - with an extra day of music and fun for the first 500 people who purchase early entry passes for Thursday July 15.


In its short history 2000trees has established itself as one of the leading small festivals in the British summer calendar. Created by a group of friends in 2007, 2000trees was born out of frustration with the ever increasing corporate sponsorship and mass advertising nature of the larger traditional British festivals. Disillusioned by extortionate ticket prices and over priced food and drink, this band of festival veterans vowed to take matters into their own hands and in true punk rock style set about developing the perfect antidote. Set within the stunning countryside of the environmentally protected grounds of Upcote Farm, with award-winning green and ethical initiatives, means they have achieved just that.

Over the past three years the festival has witnessed some incredible live performances, from The King Blues, who had practically the entire field dancing and singing in the rain at last year's sold out event, with Fightstar and British Sea Power delivering crowning headline sets. The previous years have seen unforgettable performances from Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster, Art Brut, Slow Club, Future Of The Left, Beans On Toast, The Duke Spirit, The Ghost of a Thousand, Danananaykroyd, These New Puritans, Red Light Company and Wild Beasts to name just a few.



Tickets and Information

As with previous years, tickets are expected to go quickly.

Tickets are now on general sale for just £50. And one lucky person will win a 'golden ticket' - which will include the chance to meet and announce the band of their choice on the main stage during the event.

Tickets and more information are available from
www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk

As a special festival preview, and in an attempt to whet your collective appetites, we've been sent a series of interview Q&As with artists performing at this year's 2000trees Festival, in which they talk about their highlights of previous festivals and what they are looking forward to at this year's event. The first of which take in responses from Three Trapped Tigers, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Dawn Chorus, Jim Lockey & The Solemn Sun, and Chris T-T.

QUESTIONS

1. 2000trees festival showcases the best in British new music. What are your favourite up and coming British bands or artists at the moment?

2. Have you ever been to 2000trees before, if so what have been your highlights from previous years?

3. Who is your favourite British band of all time?

4. What are your plans for your performance at 2000trees?

5. Which other artists are you and your fans looking forward to seeing, at this year at 2000trees festival?

Full line up here:

http://www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk/line-up.php

ANSWERS

THREE TRAPPED TIGERS (Tom)

1. Gold Panda, Hudson Mohawke, Mount Kimbie, Untold.

2. I'm afraid we haven't, but looking forward to it!

3. For me band-wise I suppose it'll have to be Radiohead although the others might not agree (they tend to prefer American music anyway.)
There's close competition from Talk Talk, Human League, Joy Division/New Order, Led Zeppelin, the Kinks.

But it's a bit unfair to narrow it down to bands: what about Bowie, Kate Bush, Aphex Twin?

4. It's going to be one of our first festivals so it should be pretty
fun. We're very much a live band, so I hope we'll have played in our new EP by then and be able to take some risks with it.

5. We've played with 65 Days a fair bit before and they've been very supportive of us, so always nice to see them. I think Errors are good. The bassist in Metronomy is a good friend of ours, and I used to live with Johnny Flynn, and Johnny's bassist was in the original lineup of TTT!

BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB (BEN)

1. We are all big fans of a band called Dutch Uncles. We have played a few shows with them and they are always exiting to see live. There is another band from Oxford called Jonquil that we are following. We have not seen them live yet, butthey are amazing on record and we have invited them to play some shows with us.

2. We have never been to 2000trees before. But we are very exited to come for the first time and play.

3. The Beatles... but i guess they are my favorite band ever. I have been listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin recently, they are one of the best british bands ever.

4. We don't normally plan out gigs. We just have a good time and hope every one else does. We will be playing some new songs from our second album.

5. Metronomy, we went to see them in camden two years ago and they were amazing. Lofi Culture Scene are always good live aswell.

THE DAWN CHORUS (KYLE)

1. Where to start... The B of the Bang, Tom Fossum, Incredible Flight of Birdman, The Hornblower Brothers, Fanfarlo, Revere, The Strange Death of Liberal England, Wild Beasts, All The Shapes, Attack Vipers and Lonesome George. Ask me tomorrow and I'm sure the list will be different though.

2. We played last year, on both stages actually. We were a last minute stand-in for Godsized on the main stage. I'm not sure what their fans would have made of the swap... The weather was hurrendous but we all had a great time. I had to leave early but I know the other boys all enjoyed the headphone disco. I probably wouldn't be interested unless there was an
option to play Bonnie Prince Billy or James Yorkston on the headphones. I can't handle any more excitement than that.

3. At 14 I would have said The Beatles, at 17 Radiohead, at 20 The Smiths. But I'm currently having a big Pogues phase. A lot of people think of them as that drunk guy with no teeth who does the Christmas song, but they were actually one of the best British punk bands in my humble opinion.

4. We're going to be playing the majority of our new album 'The Carnival Leaves Town' with our new 7-piece line-up, we may also throw in a couple from our first album and a few surprises too.

5. Frank Turner of course, it's always great to see Frank. I like
Metronomy too so I'll be interested in seeing them on the main stage, and I haven't seen 65daysofstatic for a few years either so that should be good. Also i'm hoping that Chris T-T will be playing with a full band - not that there's anything wrong with seeing him solo, but I've only ever seen him with band once and they were great.

JIM LOCKEY & THE SOLEMN SUN

1. The country/folk stuff around british music is really exciting us at the moment the likes of Johnny Flynn, Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling etc are spending a lot of time on repeat in the van on tour.

2. We've been lucky enough to be at 2000Trees every year since it started and its always the best weekend of the year! Frank's set back in '08 was a personal highlight, as we were invited out to sing the end of his closing song - we're all big fans. The other best bits have been watching all of our label mates perform and the close community feel you get at trees -
there's always someone to have a chat to about what's going on and who's been amazing over the weekend.

3. That is a tough question - i think we'd all probably say different bands - but Biffy Clyro, Reuben, Mumford & Sons and Architects would probably be in there somewhere.

4. We're gonna have a tough job trying to have more fun than last year's Thursday night show so everyone can expect a few little treats from our set and a whole load of energy and singalongs.

5. The are lots of bands that are top of our list, everyone should check out Midnight Mile, Joe Summers and Ruth Bewsey as a matter of urgency, also Ben Marwood and Oxygen Thief are a must see. It's going to be a busy weekend, I can't see enough space between each awesome band this year to even have enough time to get to the bar - but i'm sure we'll figure something out.

CHRIS T-T

1. I love James Yuill and a brilliant songwriter in Sheffield called Neil McSweeney. I think Alessi's Ark is a talent, she started off too disingenuously twee but she's writing harder now as she gets older, a bit edgier and it's very promising - perhaps her tour with Laura Marling will rub off too. Tom Williams & The Boat from Tunbridge Wells are fantastic - but I played a bit of piano for them on their album, so I'm biased.

2. I went in 2008. I was officially there playing piano for Frank Turner but someone pulled out at the last minute, so they asked me to fill in with a solo set. It was a really fun crazy gig, lots of lovely people in a little tent.

3. Can I have two? Mogwai and Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine. With Radiohead in third.

4. Ha, well I wanted to take The Hoodrats and play loud but I think I'm booked onto the acoustic stage, so I'll take a piano and guitar - that's how I'm touring this year, anyway. Maybe recite an epic poem about vikings.

5. Definitely The Xcerts, Metronomy and Pulled Apart By Horses. Also look out for Men Diamler, he's really good. He's possibly on at the same time as me - go see him though. If I have the time to stay overnight and do the second day, I'm up for Johnny Flynn and then 65Days but I think I'm supposed to head to North America that day.

more info:

www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk