The King Blues steal the show on day one of 2000trees
2000trees Festival 2009 review
Tuesday 21st July 2009
Being only 10 minutes from front door to field, 2000trees had me intrigued from the offset. Set in a truly stunning location surrounded by rolling hills and trees, it really wasn't hard to get into the festival's spirit. 2000trees is a green festival with some great initiatives installed on site to promote this ethos. Recycling bins were dotted nicely throughout site along with all of the vendors on site selling their products in recyclable containers. Even the toilets had a lick of the green brush with economical chemicals and pleasantly stocked 'necessities' through the weekend.
Unfortunately weather wise, the man upstairs was taking our green efforts for granted. Torrential downpours saturated the site for start of the day. A weather that only mirrored the previous days forecast for the more 'hardcore' among fans who have had to endure it. Unlike the weather, the music was off to a great start. This year's battle of the bands winners Che got to kick off the festival. Even though the weather may have been keeping people away from the stage, their music was certainly turning some heads. Che have a great equilibrium of sound. With solid instruments across the board their audio is only enhanced further by lead singer Lydia's vocals. With her truly hypnotic voice and brilliant band stage presence, this band has no place to go but forward. Truly one to watch out for. Their tracks still spinning in my head as I write this.
Unfortunately Godsized had pulled out just this morning, but the show carried on regardless with Crazy Arm's punk rock melodies. Bassist Jon Dailey was particularly stand out. He was animated yet tight. The afternoon continued into the Gloucestershire monsoon with Attack! Attack! firing onto the main stage. Keeping the tempo up with their funeral for a friend-esque sound, Attack! Attack! were more than happy for the now building crowd to participate. Their set slowed on the third track with a number in the vein of the Foo Fighters' 'Aurora'.
Next band Exit Ten certainly grabbed my attention. The first metal band of the afternoon, lead singer Ryan Redman didn't hesitate to share his appreciation for the attendance before him in these truly miserable conditions. Their progressive metal sound accelerated through the gears. Clear and concise vocals complimented by Chris Steele's drums made for a particularly solid show. The band ended their performance with the biggest crowd of the festival so far and probably with the best performance to boot.
With part of me thinking I could go for a lie down in the relentless aqua favoured weather, it was to my relief and reward that I stuck about for Amplifier. These guys were just what the doctor ordered- some traditional rock based, chuggy, head bopping music, they really were one of the gems of the weekend. "Let's hear it for the sun!" bellowed lead singer Sel Balamir as finally the clouds had given us the respite needed to enjoy the act before us. Their stoner rock vibe with a traditional three piece set-up really captured the heart. Imagine The Sword mixed with a little Muse, and you'd be heading in the right direction for what these guys are sounding like. Every instrument resonated beautifully around the quaint Cotswold setting. A quick turn around could see many of the tent based punters nodding their head in appreciation to audio delights coming from the main stage. Amplifier put on arguably the best performance of the weekend, even with the few technical hitches that reared their ugly head. A great festival band with a nicely receptive audience, the bar had been raised.
Our penultimate band of the evening came in the form of The King Blues. Playing to the biggest crowd of the evening, and most active for that matter too. Their politically charged punk beats were aired to the most receptive of audience. Sharing their hate for the political BNP group, front man Jonny Fox whipped up a storm in the crowd, ordering the people to tell the BNP to "Fuck off!" next time they are seen around town. With so much energy, movement, and band members dotted around the stage, The Blues played a truly inspiring sun setting show.
The Track 'The Streets Are Ours" was dedicated to Ian Tomlinson and all the other G20 protesters present. Hope, Peace, and Soul was the message sent out from this evening's show, and with their ability to supercharge a performance so politically, yet still entertain and enjoy, especially on tracks such as 'Save The World, Get The Girl', it was a performance that wont be forgotten soon. Maybe even could have stolen the headline slot.
After a top up on some of the local pie delicacy, it was back over to the main stage to catch this evening's headliners Fightstar. With more Busted jokes going around than recycling bins, it could have been easy to shun Fightstar and turn in early for the evening. The band emerged to a most gorgeous visual setting. Giant Lights lit up the surrounding trees to the stage. Front man Charlie Simpson may have his skeletons from the past, but the more sceptical among us should not be so hasty in our opinions.
His vocals were solid, with the rest of his band playing equally well. It wasn't the most fantastic headlining performance you'll ever see, and a lot of people have said The King Blues have been the real show stealer's this evening, but it wasn't a bad performance by any means. Some solid progressive metal riffs with a decent sound and stage, Fightstar successfully pulled off the good performance we've all been too quick to shun, bringing our first evening to a close. Apart from the silent disco which meandered late into the evening and resulting in one eFestivals' reviewers' gazebo getting mysteriously dissected come morning!
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