Vol. 143
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Full Pelt Magazine
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2000trees Festival
Upcote Farm, Cheltenham
8-11 July 2026
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2000trees 2026 review
Those that know, know. 2000trees Festival has gained a special place in the hearts of regular attendees and once again we headed to Upcote Farm near Cheltenham for four days of glorious musical goodness.
Last year, a heatwave tempered the enjoyment for many, but the qualities of the event still shone through. That’s ok though because that couldn’t happen again this year… could it?
The slow build of worry, fear and acceptance was tangible on social media as the forecasts solidified and we all understood that the festival would for the second consecutive year be dubbed by many as 2000degrees!
WEDNESDAY
The Wednesday of 2000trees may just be the best day of the year every year. With early attendees getting the chance to soak up intimate performances in the Word tent and on the iconic Forest Stage.
Setting up camp during a heatwave isn’t our idea of fun but that’s ok because we know we won’t be spending long in our tent! Indeed, we take the opportunity to get straight into the woods as Split Dogs get the prestige of kicking off the 2026 edition of 2000trees with a raucous set.
Music lovers are spoilt at this fabulous festival, and it’s been said before that 2000trees is a marathon and not a sprint. Dubbing ourselves Full Pelt however does push us to attempt this marathon at a sprint pace and despite the devilish heat we manage to clock up sixty-six sets across the weekend. So, strap in for our big overview!
This opening day often spotlights acts from previous years that are treated as returning heroes and on this day the likes of Karen Dio, SOAPBOX, BLACKGOLD, VENUS GRRRLS and Split Chain all get that classic Trees reception.
It feels like every year we find ourselves saying we didn’t see a bad set and this year follows that pattern. If you are astute enough, you’ll clock the sheer volume of artists who heap praise on the festival during their performances, and you can tell that comes from a place of love rather than the clichéd “you’re the best show of the tour” head pat.
What you therefore get is artists ensuring that their show is special. Early on you again sense this from Love Rarely, Bruise Control and especially the energetic Hyphen whose set is one of the rowdiest of the weekend.
As the evening sets in, more and more early attendees join in the fun and each set lives up to the hype. SPRINTS who took home our Album of the Year award last year bring ‘All That Is Over’ to the beautiful Forest setting and it feels like a match made in heaven. Equally, the platform given to Lake Malice who headline the Word tent is seized with both hands by a passionate band who have fans spilling out the tent.
2000trees sets itself apart from other events in various ways but the willingness to repeat bands across the weekend is a big one. The Dirty Nil and today’s headline band PUP will both appear again this weekend, so what we get on night one are unique performances that ensure fans are kept on their toes.
The Dirty Nil opt for a set purely consisting of covers which starts with Metallica, Cheap Trick and The Police and concludes with Nirvana, AC/DC and Thin Lizzy! PUP on the other hand choose tonight to deliver their album, ‘The Dream Is Over’ in full, which results in many a lost voice amongst the audience.
THURSDAY
It’s often said that the atmosphere is what makes the event affectionately dubbed Trees so special. We should know. We’ve said it. Often. It’s sounds corny or even contrived but it really does feel like one big family.
Part of this is the dedicated audience getting to track the progress of bands that they discover at the festival in smaller slots as they rise through the ranks. Buds. are an example of this as they open the main stage on Thursday. Party bags are issued to attendees and its all very small family gathering like despite being the main stage of a well-established medium sized festival.
This is again something that many artists touch upon from their vantage point on stage. Like Goldilocks herself is assessing the scale of the event – it isn’t too big, it isn’t too small, it’s just right!
The festival doesn’t change for changes sake. What works, works well and you’ll find a lot of food vendors and stalls in the same spots year on year. Shout out to Happy Bangers whose simple yet effective hotdogs have provided Full Pelt with our daily brunch every day for as long as the memory serves.
One change this year is the evolution of the Neu Stage into the Marshall Stage. The legendary amplifier brand has been supporting the festival for a number of years but step things up a notch this year with a refurbished stage and interactive installations including artist led screen printing and more.
This sun-soaked Thursday we catch impressive sets in this tent from newcomer Ashaine White and two Full Pelt favourites Youth Killed It and snake eyes. Marshall don’t just make amps, they back talent and across the weekend this stage welcomes some of the best on offer.
Thursday does find us darting between the different stages a lot but at 2000trees if you are that way inclined then you absolutely can. The Axiom treats us to Tooth and Coach Party and The Cave allows us to catch two acts with big momentum behind them Bleech 9:3 and the incomparable Delilah Bon.
This year more than ever, it’s a blessing that most stages are good sized tents. We endure the unrelenting sunshine on the main stage however for an engaging Melanie Baker, a blistering Saint Agnes, a good time guaranteed Mariachi El Bronx and perhaps the most puzzling set of the weekend for us from The Skinner Brothers. No longer generic indie guitar wannabees, now perhaps looking to cash in on the popularity of masked rockers. Quite the transformation and one that might take a little while for us to get our heads around.
Thankfully we get to seek some shelter from the sun back in the Forest today also with a delightful run of young upstarts DeadWax, the ferocious Native James and another of our favourites The Virginmarys. The duo are in top form and deliver a superbly crafted set that gives the fans what they want but ensures that stunning new album, ‘The House Beyond the Fires’, remains very much in the limelight.
Now, it wasn’t just the weather warnings that gave fans and organisers a shock ahead of the event this year. Alkaline Trio had been set to headline tonight as part of a European tour however just six days before the event the Trio had to pull their dates for health reasons (get well soon Matt!).
This presented an enormous challenge for organisers but one that they were able to overcome, no doubt helped by the goodwill the festival has earned. Step up Don Broco on six days’ notice to again top the bill.
With a fresh album in the bag, the band are able to deliver something different to their previous headlining slot whilst ensuring that their undeniable energy producing machine is still turned to the maximum.
The band have bangers for the days and new tracks like ‘Nightmare Tripping’ and ‘True Believers’ are already in that terrain. Fair play to the band for stepping in, stepping up and ensuring that Thursday night is party night at 2000trees 2026!
Of course, another special feature of 2000trees is what happens once the main stages conclude. There is still plenty to do into the early hours such as the legendary silent disco, special live sets in the forest using that technology or the campsite busking stages.
Thursday night we head to Camp Turner (one of many named camps that helps build that special atmosphere at Trees) to again catch Ashaine White who delivers a beautiful acoustic set that delights those lucky enough to be nearby.
FRIDAY
Somehow, we are now halfway through the festival and Friday is set to be a hot one in every sense. The temperature rises and the talent on offer just continues to soar. We begin our day with (deep breath), IOTA, Prodigal, Guillotine, Bratakus, Grandmas House, God Complex and Knives who again all clearly understand the task.
A funny moment makes us smile during Knives as a big cheer occurs when a small cloud dares cover the sun. Only for it to quickly disappear after only the briefest respite, much to the chagrin of attendees.
Despite the continued unrelenting heat, we head back to the main stage for Higher Power and House of Protection (complete with Jordan Fish cameo) who both manage to eek energy reserves from the crowd with fun sets.
Call Me Amour then pick up on this challenge in the Marshall tent and won’t take lethargy standing still. The band pull out all stops to engage the crowd who duly oblige and ensure the set is one of the best of the weekend.
The Scratch, Free Throw and Militarie Gun all then follow back-to-back and evoke varying emotions but all in a good way. It’s then the home straight for the day as a much-changed Mallory Knox return with a set of crowd-pleasers and Sunny Day Real Estate offer a rare UK appearance.
We then rush over to the Axiom for the return of Arcane Roots after eight years away. A true Trees band, the tent is packed as the Trees family look to welcome back one of their own. The atmospheric assault that is Arcane Roots sounds even bigger than ever and the crowd eat up every big riff and every soaring chorus. Some sets you just know will live forever in the memory and this was one of those.
How then do you close out this eclectic day of musical delights? A big old nostalgia session with Funeral For A Friend of course. A band with renewed vigour thanks to the addition of Lucas Woodland on vocals, the likes of ‘All The Rage’, ‘Rookie of the Year’, ‘Bullet Theory’ and ‘Juneau’ all do exactly what you’d want for the big penultimate night romp. We even get a surprise appearance from tomorrow nights headliner Ben Barlow.
SATURDAY
Somehow, it’s already the final day of the festival. Time simply flies when on the farm and this year has been no different despite the heat (have we mentioned yet that it was quite hot?).
A somewhat chilled-out morning catching sets from Ain’t, Peach, Luxury Apartments and Lakes is punctuated by two fun sets on the main stage. First another of these bands that have worked their way up the bill each year, as CARSICK make their main stage debut with a typically brash performance. Then the madcap Aussie phenom that is Battlesnake draw a massive crowd outside to witness their unique show.
Bicurious, Heart Attack Man, LASTELLE and Pinkshift keep us on the move and each showcases their abilities well. Gallus then bring some Scottish charm as they give us one last trip to the Marshall tent for 2026.
The afternoon and evening however is anything but chilled as we stare down the barrel of an incredible run of favourites spread across all the other stages. First up, Mouth Culture who back up what we saw at Download. We said then that they are going to be massive and we stand by that predication based on their main stage showing today.
As Everything Unfolds then get The Axiom moving with a set of stirring tracks including ‘Ultraviolet’ and ‘On The Inside’; and Marmozets give us a strong contender for set of the weekend on main stage. The band are still weird and wonderful and ‘Captivate You’ provides us with one of those glorious moments when you just have to take it all in and remember why you love music.
A dash back to the Forest comes next for the always brilliant A who showcase their fantastic new album, ‘PRANG’, in amongst fan favourites such as ‘Nothing’ which includes a guest appearance from The Blackout’s Sean Smith.
The XCERTS may be the Trees band. In fact, I don’t think 2000trees can legally occur without the band being represented in some way. This year they hit The Cave and perform their newly released album, ‘i think i want to go home now.’, in full. The performance is so remarkable that singer Murray Macleod is moved to tears and the audience deliver an emotional ovation. A beautiful moment from a beautiful band at this beautiful festival.
How do you top that? Dinosaur Pile-Up at the peak of their powers of course! Complete with an actual dinosaur pile-up in the crowd, and a final run of ‘Sick of Being Down’, ’11:11’, ‘Thrash Metal Cassette’, ‘Big Dogs’ and ‘Back Foot’, which quite frankly should be illegal as it’s unfair for other bands!
But oh, this magnificent final run of bands isn’t over yet and we still have a big pop-punk party to enjoy with Neck Deep. The band begin their set with ‘Can’t Kick Up the Roots’ and the don’t relent for the next hour as they ensure that the festival gets the finale it deserves.
That however isn’t the end of the night. There is a big football match happening which has been the talk of the town and the festival erect a big screen to let fans see the second half of the game.
As another reminder that there’s always something happening at Trees however, we quickly jolt to the Word tent to catch a comedy set from the brutally hilarious Jamali Maddix! We return just in time to see extra time and an historic England victory!
The celebration that ensues then morphs into the final night silent disco and if anybody has anything left then they see 2000trees 2026 off in style.
Having first attended 2000trees ten years ago it has been a pleasure seeing this festival grow. It’s been an organic evolution and despite its growth the event has stayed true to the foundations that it is built upon.
Next year will be the 20th anniversary of the festival and no doubt will see heightened attention coming its way. The question may then be how can the festival ensures that it retains its unique charm when the secret continually is getting out?
But that’s a question for later. Right now though, let’s just bask in the glory of another successful year for the best festival in the UK!
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Vol. 139
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Vol. 138
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Levellers
UEA LCR, Norwich
Thursday 4th June 2026
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📷 Denis Gorbatov
LEVELLERs – Norwich – live review
Brighton folk-punks Levellers have long since secured their place in history. From their Britpop adjacent 90’s popularity and headlining Glastonbury, to creating their own much-loved festival Beautiful Days and their continuing longevity as a revered collective.
With festival season again upon us, the band are again out and about. Tonight they are at the UEA in Norwich where the typical British summer is in full flow. The weather doesn’t dampen the spirits of fans however as they queue round the block to get in and get their spot.
THE MEFFS
Early attendees are in for a treat as The Meffs have made the journey from Colchester to get us warmed up. Levellers have a knack for good supports, and this duo is one of the best new bands on the circuit right now.
They are given a generous opening set, and they absolutely make the most of it. With many Meffs t-shirts visible in the crowd it’s clear that many are already fans and for any in attendance not familiar, then they are soon converted with the crowd happily getting some crowd interaction practice in before the headliners.
With a new album on the way it’s great to see how new tracks ‘Business’ and ‘Disorder (Wake Up)’ fit in so seamlessly against fan favourites like ‘Broken Britain, Broken Bones’ and ‘Clowns’.
The Meffs are pretty faultless live with their punk energy always creating a fun atmosphere. Not many bands are going to be able to follow them in the future.
LEVELLERS
But that’s not a worry for Levellers, who are among the very best at bringing about a punk rock party full of singing and dancing!
You can feel the love from the audience immediately as they begin their set with ‘The Fear’ and ‘Hope St.’ from their fourth album, ‘Zeitgeist’, which turned thirty last year. Tonight though is centred around the thirty-fifth anniversary of their seminal sophomore album, ‘Levelling the Land’.
As such the vast majority of the album gets an airing this evening but intermixed with other tracks rather than the now standard album in full style celebrations. This works well and whilst giving the album the love it deserves ensures that this is still at its core just another big Levellers party.
The band are full of energy, and the crowd tonight are more than happy to reciprocate that passion. The likes of ‘One Way’ and ‘Beautiful Day’ naturally get big responses but its telling that the levels never drop throughout their performance. Levellers are indeed in blistering form.
Tonight is something of a teaser, an amuse-bouche if you will, for a full UK Tour this autumn which will also feature The Meffs in the opening slot (plus Neds Atomic Dustbin on select dates). On the evidence of this performance, those are shows that you will not want to miss.
Thankfully for those in attendance tonight, there is still time for an encore of ‘Far From Home’ and ‘The Riverflow’, which really is the cherry on top of the cake that this evening has been.
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Vol. 136
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Slam Dunk Festival
Hatfield Park
Saturday 23rd May 2026
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SLAM DUNK SOUTH 2026 REVIEW
The late May Bank Holiday means only one thing for rock fans – the start of festival season!
Yes, Slam Dunk is firmly rooted into the fabric of the scenes DNA, and we once again popped to Hatfield Park for the South version of the two-day event. Tomorrow the circus will travel to Temple Newsum in Leeds for the North edition of 2026’s event, but for today the sun is certainly shining on Hatfield.
Indeed, we are in the midst of a spring heatwave and that does add an element of lethargy to what is normally a full-throttle day of relentless music. Fans, as is always the case in these scenarios, seek out any inch of shade and the water points become as popular as the bars.
With only one tented stage this year, that shade is at a premium, but the water points do appear to cope with the demand unlike previous warm years. The queues for the bars are their usual busy selves but the wait for food (barring the ice cream vans) isn’t bad in our experience today.
That’s enough of the admin stuff though, let’s get to the music! We commence our full-on day in that tent with upstarts Call Me Amour who are playing their first ever festival. You wouldn’t tell as they make the most of the early excitement amongst the crowd to engage them immediately with a polished set of atmospheric rockers.
This festival is of course built both upon nostalgia but also a fair splattering of the best new bands on the scene. We catch perhaps the two biggest hopes of rock music at the moment next as Dead Pony captivate the tent and then unpeople bring the riffage to the sun-soaked main stage. Both you’d expect will become mainstays of this event as they work their way to the top of the bill.
Our first dose of nostalgia comes next as we stick on the main stage for A! The band are back with a new album, ‘PRANG’ (their first in two decades), and it’s great to see the crowd enjoying the likes of ‘Shit Summer’ and ‘Hello Sunshine’, just as much as ‘Starbucks’ and ‘I Love Lake Tahoe’. A mass line-dancing session accompanies ‘Kings of Lowestoft’ and ‘Nothing’ provides the perfect exclamation mark to a brilliant set.
Each year the festival changes up their stage types and locations as they try to shoehorn in as much music as possible. After complaints surrounding their double ended tent set-up, the Monster stages this year are outdoor side-by-side offerings, and we catch Set Your Goals next who clearly appreciate the love shown to them. The only issue with this set-up being the big sound-bleed from the larger outdoor side-by-side setup opposite.
Slam Dunk this year celebrates twenty years and it has been fascinating watching the event grow, expand and change throughout those years. Equally numerous bands on the line-up this year are celebrating their own various anniversaries which both makes their performances extra special and makes us feel extra old!
Over the course of the next couple of hours, we catch Trash Boat celebrating, ‘Nothing I Write You Can Change What You’ve Been Through’ and Boston Manor recognising, ‘Be Nothing’. It’s a unique variant of nostalgia when bands you consider to be newer are celebrating such anniversaries, but both bands do so stunningly in their own ways.
Trash Boat purely focus on that album, and the performance has a real throwback vibe throughout. Boston Manor, sandwich ‘Burn You Up’, ‘Lead Feet’, ‘Cu’, ‘Laika’ and ‘Stop Trying, Be Nothing’ between more recent bangers. Both sets though are memorable and with both bands announcing anniversary shows for later this year, fans will no doubt be motivated to check out the full shows.
We then head back to the main stage for an emotive serenade from Dashboard Confessional including their brilliant Spiderman hit ‘Vindicated’. After then enjoying the latter part of the stirring The Menzingers back over at the Monster stages we catch Tonight Alive who commence their performance with their own Spiderman hit ‘The Edge’!
The Australians deliver a fantastic performance which is amongst the best of the day and incorporate guest spots from Harmony Cavelle (South Arcade) and Bonnie Fraser (Stand Atlantic), not to mention a cover of Mumford & Sons (never expected to say that at Slam Dunk, but it was great!).
The clashes are always a conundrum for Slam Dunk goers and attendees are split between Tonight Alive, Taking Back Sunday on the main stage and the most-hyped band of the moment PRESIDENT who evidently draw a massive crowd to the heavy stages.
We then head into the tent again for a high energy VUKOVI performance and another dose of big-time modern nostalgia with Deaf Havana. With a set celebrating their seminal record, ‘Fools and Worthless Liars’, Deaf Havana provide the most emotive set of the day. The genuine outpouring of love for these songs clearly moving frontman James Veck-Gilodi as crowd and band share a beautiful moment together.
Going back to the ever-revolving stage set-ups of Slam Dunk, the tent this year has a literal revolving stage set-up which keeps changeovers to a minimum!
We conclude what has been another full pelt (see what we did there) day at Slam Dunk with main stage headliners Good Charlotte. The band announced a couple of huge arena shows this week and many mocked the band thinking they would struggle to sell them…
…Well, today they attract one of the biggest crowds we’ve witnessed for a Slam Dunk headliner. The show, the performance and the setlist all equally suggest that the Madden brothers will have no issue convening their fans again when they return.
With a never-ending parade of hits, there is plenty of singing for fans to do before going home. The band sign off with a run of ‘I Just Wanna Live’, ‘Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous’ and ‘The Anthem’. That ensures that as fans make that journey back home, they can once again reminisce about a wonderful day of music.
The sun is out, Slam Dunk is in the bag and festival season is underway – let’s gooooo!
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Vol. 133
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Millie Manders and the Shutup
Waterfront Studio, Norwich
Saturday 25th April 2026
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Millie manders and the shutup – norwich – live review
📷Denis Gorbatov
As you drive into Norwich on this sunny Spring evening, football fans are exiting the nearby stadium having celebrated the final home game of the season. This is an opportunity to reflect on the endeavours of the past year together with like-minded people.
Many chants will be sung, and fans will lose their voices supporting their team. Often, you’ll leave these festivities with a renewed sense of hope and ambition for the future and a general sense of togetherness.
Well, those emotions all also ring true of a homecoming show from a much-loved musical artist. Indeed, tonight at the Waterfront Studio is another milestone for Millie Manders and the Shutup as they continue to win hearts and minds on their latest nationwide escapade!
ALL EARS AVOW
Opening proceedings this evening are Swindon’s alt-rockers All Ears Avow who released their debut album, ‘Horrors’ at the end of last year. A thoroughly enjoyable record, it’s no surprise that the album dominates their setlist this evening, kicking off with singles, ‘Young Horror’ and ‘A Night Like This’.
The band have just jumped on the second half of this tour and already feel at home with the Manders crowd, with those in attendance clearly appreciative of the bands ability to mix rock intensity with an innate danceability.
By the time their set comes to an end with ‘Fire’, the band have undoubtedly left a positive impression on those in attendance and reinforced why it’s always important to get in early and catch the support act!
MILLIE MANDERS AND THE SHUTUP
A lightning-fast changeover means that fans don’t have long to wait until Millie Manders and the Shutup hit the stage and deliver a blistering opening trio of ‘Fun Sponge’, ‘Bacchus’ and ‘Windows’.
With a packed venue clearly in the party spirit, the gig tonight fits straight into that celebratory ethos. Manders and her Ted Army fanbase combine to create an electric atmosphere as the show continues with fan favourites ‘Shut Your Mouth’ and ‘Angry Side’.
It is a love-affair between band and fans and there is definitely love in the air tonight, especially with a couple of local fans celebrating their own wedding day at the gig.
Outside commentators will lazily attach the “outspoken” label on Manders, but in this space Manders is just stating the obvious with many of the songs tonight calling out injustices and standing up for the marginalised. The fact that Manders so passionately ensures that this is a safe space, just makes that feeling of togetherness feel even more powerful.
The entire set is jam packed with songs that you can’t help but sing along with including an incredible final run of ‘Bitter’, ‘Your Story’, ‘Rebound’ and ‘Not OK’. Throw in a fun cover of Limp Bizkit classic ‘Break Stuff’ and many in the audience will have no voices left comes the morning.
With new track ‘Age Disgracefully’ representing a glimpse of the future, it’s also hard not to have high hopes for what the future holds for a band that are building undeniable momentum.
So, whether you’re a football fan waiting for next seasons fixtures to be announced, or a Millie Manders fan waiting for that inevitable next tour, there is so much to be thankful for and plenty of reasons to be excited.
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