2000 Trees Festival 2007

13 to 15 July - Fed up of paying over-the-odds for the summer's music festivals? Cheltenham's 2000 Trees Festival could be just the ticket.

If you’re disillusioned with the usual mainstream summer festivals and the frantic dash for overpriced tickets, this year’s inaugural 2000 Trees Festival could be just what you were looking for.

The brainchild of six friends who couldn’t bear to raid their bank accounts for another year running, the new event aims to have less commercial emphasis, instead focusing on a love of live music, great performances and generally larking about in a field.

Frank Turner is scheduled as the festival’s main act on the Friday night – a Bahrain-born artist best known for his work with punk bank Million Dead. After two well-received albums the band split and Frank his since been forging his own solo career – this time drawing upon some of his favourite artists the likes of the Counting Crows, Weezer and the legend that is Johnny Cash. With a new backing band, Oxford’s Dive Dive, he’s been on a nonstop tour of the UK and US, with a debut album entitled Sleep is for the Week released earlier this year. If the support Frank Turner has managed to drum-up this year is anything to go by, Cheltenham festival goers are in for a memorable folk cum country performance from this established live performer.

A much-anticipated set is also due from punk-garage-rockers The Brian James Gang, headed up by the man who wrote what is often touted as the first ever punk single – The Damned’s ‘New Rose’ track back in 1976. The band went down a storm at gigs throughout the UK last year and their performance at the 2000 Trees Festival is likely to be no exception.

The not-for-the-faint-hearted British-Metal group Devil Sold His Soul are also on the bill, promising an energetic set perfect for the festivals’ moshers, while big band cum old-school hip hop performers The Anomalies will be offering an altogether different sound having previously toured with and been influenced by legends Grandmaster Flash, Goldie and Scratch Peverts.

The Saturday night sees another tour bus load of artists take to the stage – including INME, GoldRush, The Voom Blooms and The Piney Gir Country Roadshow.

Tickets are priced at a bargain £40 each (including booking fee and postage), which includes a full line-up of over 40 local and national artists playing on three stages – a main stage, acoustic stage and in the greenhouse – as well as two nights camping in picturesque Withington.

The organisers also promise that the food available won’t be the usual offensively expensive festival fodder – with stalls from Stroud Farmers’ Market offering a range of delicious cuisine to keep you going. There’s also a licensed bar, of course, so chilling out on the grass with a pint of local cider sourced from only five miles away is practically compulsory. There’s even a sign-posted nature walk around the Upcote Plantation for those genuinely interested in hugging a tree or two.

Event: 2000 Trees Festival
Venue: Upcote Farm, Withington, Cheltenham GL54 4BL
Date: Friday 13 July to Sunday 15 July
Time: The festival site is open from midday on the Friday until midday on the Sunday
Tickets: Tickets cost £40 per person, including camping. Visit the official 2000 Trees Festival website to purchase.

James Fryer
26 May 2007