‘2000trees can provide you a line-up with extra energy and depth than Download’ | Music | Entertainment | EUROtoday

Objectively, 2000trees grows annually. The annual forest-based competition pits a few of different music’s greatest, greatest and most powerfully rising stars on phases all through the woods of Gloucestershire.

By placing an emphasis on intimate performances, nice music, and a welcoming environment, it truly is a competition like no different within the UK.

This yr, it is being headlined by The Gaslight Anthem, Don Broco and The Chats.

While now 2000trees is without doubt one of the best-loved experiences within the scene, organiser and band booker of 2000trees James Scarlett recalled beginning the venture as a manner of hitting again at different festivals.

“We set it up as a lover of festivals,” James completely informed Express.co.uk. “And we basically made a list of all the things we didn’t like about other people’s festivals and we tried to change them. It’s intentionally a nice place to be and a nice thing to go to. There was all these boutique festivals out there, but they didn’t really have rock line-ups. They had indie and pop line-ups, electronic. So we took that kind of boutique feel from festivals like Truck Festival, but we put a proper rock line-up on it.”

Although James and the 2000trees workforce are taking over the choice and rock aspect of the music business… they definitely have numerous competitors.

Glastonbury definitely has quite a bit to reply for with Foo Fighters hitting the phases, in addition to different stalwart annual occasions. But does James really feel a way of rivalry in opposition to these different occasions?

“I don’t feel any competition with Glastonbury – because I think Glastonbury is going to sell out whatever … I think we used to compete with Reading Festival, Reading and Leeds, but that’s changed so much. So I don’t really see that as a competition for us.

“If you are speaking about large festivals: Download [Festival] is the one – though Download is much more steel than 2000trees. But yeah, there’s undoubtedly competitors there. But that is so completely different.”

He went on: “You know, can I offer you headliners like Download? No. I have not bought Queens of Stone Age, and I’m by no means gonna get Metallica – however I can undoubtedly offer you a line-up that is bought extra energy and depth. And I can provide you a line-up that it is possible for you to to get near.”

James is obviously passionate about the festival, and that bleeds through into the event and keeps his punters happy… but there’s an inherent problem.

As 2000trees’ popularity blooms each year, more people attend, and the bigger it becomes. This, naturally, removes some of its familiarity and its personal experience. How do you combat that?

“I imply, we do not actually have a long-term plan,” James laughed. “I believe the primary factor that we all the time come again to is: Don’t wreck the factor that folks like most about 2000trees. So, the neighborhood, and the vibe, and the texture of the competition. No one on this planet may make a 90,000-capacity competition that seems like 2000trees does, it is simply not doable. So there’s a quantity someplace between 15,000 and 90,000 the place you have ruined it.

“The only way I know to manage that is to only increase 2000trees very gradually. The moment we feel it’s too big… that will be the end of that.

“It is a really arduous recreation to make financially sustainable – nobody’s like retiring to the Caribbean in the event that they run festivals. They are extraordinarily costly. Costs have gone up since COVID by about 35 p.c, and meaning you should promote extra tickets… individuals do not wish to pay the next worth, so that you do have to squeeze 1,000 individuals in yearly, in all probability. I do not know the place that ends, however sooner or later it undoubtedly does. Because the 2000trees vibe was why individuals like it… and we have got to maintain that.”

2000trees takes place from Thursday, eleventh July to Saturday, thirteenth July, 2024. Get tickets right here.