There’s a stellar line-up at this year’s 2000trees Festival and it’s hard to whittle down the ‘don’t miss’ moments to only five acts, but we’re going to give it a go… With apologies to The Gaslight Anthem, as you just know ‘The ’59 Sound’ is going to be THE sing-along moment of the weekend… Who will you be watching on Upcote Farm from 10 to 13 July? Lambrini Girls, 5.05pm in the Forest, Wednesday 10 July ‘Great Britain. Are you sure? Whilst the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer?’ Lambrini Girls were one of the highlights of 2023’s festival and are all set to be the same ..read more

When Liam Gallagher announced he’d be taking Oasis’ seminal debut album ‘Definitely Maybe’ on tour to mark its 30th anniversary, there was a wave of anticipation throughout the children of Britpop and beyond – and that was shown by just how quickly every ticket for his four nights at The O2 sold out. Never one to shy away from nostalgia, Liam promised these would be celebratory affairs and that he’d be delving deep into the B-sides of the era… But first there was a stellar support line-up. Liam’s son Gene’s band Villanelle opened the night, quickly rubbishing claims of nepotism with half an h ..read more

2000trees is just around the corner and once again we’ll be making the journey to Gloucestershire to see a bunch of our favourites play sets on Upcote Farm. As ever, there’s a whole selection of smaller and new bands to check out over the four days – here are five we’d recommend listening to and checking out if you’re joining us on the farm next month. Cherym, 11am on the Main Stage, Thursday 11 July It’s pronounced Chair-Um. A queer three-piece from Derry, Cherym started out as a kickback against their local music scene’s boys’ club and have since gone on to inspire a devoted fanbase who lo ..read more

Photo credit: Flower Up Nottingham quartet Divorce have shared ‘My Room’ alongside details of a full UK tour in October this year (dates below). Described by vocalist and bassist Tiger Cohen-Towell as ‘An ode to unconditional love’, ‘My Room’ finds Divorce in an emotionally vulnerable space – especially in its sparse opening moments as they talk about plans, meeting people in dreams and Heaven. The alt-folk-meets-chamber pop sound rattles up a notch as the the band sing in unison ‘you can’t see my house if you don’t want to see my room’ – a metaphor for how it feels when you’re afraid to let l ..read more

The legendary Mercury Rev have shared ‘Patterns’ ahead of the release of new album ‘Born Horses’ on 6 September via Bella Union. On the themes of the track, the band said: ‘When we gaze up at the stars in the sky at night, the flickering lights seem random. If we could zoom out and see all of the galaxies revolving around each other, we would see the order in it. There are only Patterns on top of Patterns…’ Jonathan Donahue delivers fragile spoken-word observations about broken hearts and promises – ‘I’m staring at the stars that no one else believes’ – over a bed of warming orchestral atmosp ..read more

James Smith (Good Good Blood) sadly lost his daughter Poppy at just a couple of days old last December and this overwhelming grief has driven the songs on his next album ‘forever scars’, due to be released on Fox Food Records this August. ‘Bosses’ is the first song from the record and it finds James addressing the various levels – or stages – of grief. Comparing this all-consuming feeling to defeating a boss, the stripped-back and darkly tinged eerie alt-folk sound opens in rhythmic style as James reveals how ‘All we wanna see is out there’ and contrasting this with how ‘All we want to beat i ..read more

Following a number of personal and professional hurdles – not to mention a global pandemic – Indoor Pets almost called it quits in 2020 but now they’re back at their spiritual home of Alcopop! Records with a brand new album called ‘Pathetic Apathetic’ – and it’s one that finds the four-piece embracing their love of the heavyweights of early ’90s grunge while keeping their pop sensibilities very much in check. The album opens with lead single ‘London (Love to Hate)’, their heaviest song to date that celebrates the multi-culturalism and rich culture of our capital city while also taking aim at ..read more

The Lemon Twigs’ fifth album – ‘A Dream is All We Know’ – finds the brothers D’Addario celebrating the joy and beauty of dreams – while throwing all kinds of new instruments into their finely honed pop sound, including cellos, mandolin, trumpets, horns and harpsichord. Recent single ‘My Golden Years’ opens the album and feels like something akin to Supertramp and The Byrds having a jamming session that ended with a relentless earworm – plus a touch of sadness and reflection: ‘Watch these golden years fly by’. ‘They Don’t Know How to Fall in Place’ is a song that demands handclaps with its bre ..read more

Masca’s ‘Stage Fright’, the latest release from forthcoming EP ‘Teen Dream Dealer’ (out on 5 June) finds vocalist and guitarist Tina Maynard confronting the demons that arrive when it comes to performing in front of people. Opening with scuzzy Reuben-style riffs, Tina sings about having butterflies and trying to cope with bright lights before explaining ‘I’ve been running away from having to think about you’. As the song veers into a jagged and more angular yet still grungey sound – somewhere between No Doubt and Sonic Youth – she explains how things are ‘Only getting started…’ This is a pers ..read more

Adult Jazz’s ‘So Sorry So Slow’ is the London four-piece’s first album in a decade and over its hour-long running time, the band get to explore the power and pain of passion, panic, devotion and remorse… ‘Bleat Melisma’ opens the record with loose, tribal drumming and beautiful vocals that talk about ‘how heartless you are’ while synths are stabbed in the background. Think Three Trapped Tigers meets Lamb and you’re halfway there… This is followed by the brass-led sound of ‘Suffer One’, which finds vocalist Harry Burgess asking ‘Can somebody tell me I am reasonable?’ over enchanting flourishes ..read more