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2000trees review: crowd surfing in the Cotswolds hills

Post-hardcore, yoga mornings, folk-rock bangers, the legendary Bunnymans, and four nights of silent disco. Where else could we be but 2000trees Festival?

With the United Kingdom buzzing in the strange afterglow of a landslide general election and the flags of Glastonbury only just beginning to fade from memory, all is quiet and peaceful in the rolling hills of Cheltenham, the picturesque home of 2000 Trees Festival for the last 17 years. All will not be quiet for long, though.

As is tradition, the gates open mid-July for 15’000 loyal fans to return to Upcote Farm for a weekend of alternative, emo, and hardcore. The Festival bagged the 2022 and 2023 Best Medium UK Festival Awards and also boasts an award for Best Festival Loos- we went to check out what all the fuss is about. Long story short: We Get It.

Placeholder image — Photo by Carla Mundy (2024)

In No Particular Order, Here’s What We Liked…

Waking up to a sea of tents, the distance sound of hardcore, and a portaloo line exclusively of bearded, tattooed men may not be what most associate with ‘zen’- however, this was not to stop the alt-loving festival-goers from rising with the sun and stretching through guided morning yoga in the forest. To be fair- yoga is the best way to warm your body up for a day of push pits and crowd surfing.

For the keeners, the gates open on Wednesday, where you could enjoy an intimate Boston Manor set in the Forest and a whole extra night of silent discoing (don’t knock it till you try it m’alright).

I arrived with the masses on Thursday morning, and after a brief struggle with a tent pole (“Why did I bring a five-man tent?!), it was straight to the bands. It doesn’t take long to re-familiarise yourself with the Trees layout – it never changes much from the year before. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! The Axiom and The Cave are my favourite spots to relax; I find them to have the broadest mix of bands and often the wildest crowdest. There is something about two huge tents parallel to each other in a field (The Cave often harbouring the heavier bands) teeming with back-to-back music that is unparalleled in its coolness.

Enola Gay @ The Axiom. Photo by Carla Mundy (2024)

My first band of the festival is Enola Gay @ The Axiom which is one hell of a way to get started. The tent quickly filled up – maybe their 2023 Trees set had set an exciting precedent, or maybe the promise of new music got people down early. There seemed to be a huge mix of fans and pleasantly surprised foot traffic out exploring the festival for the first time and stopping to get involved. The band brought their usual electric-charged set, with their infamous political commentary ranging from George Bush ‘it was an inside job!’ to borders and racism ‘fuck you if you spread hate!’. Very much in keeping with their Irish new wave counterparts Girl Band, they are as loud and pissed off as ever, with guitarist Joe McVeigh creating such a wall of sound with his pedalboard that he has a chance to drink an entire pint between riffs onstage. Very impressive.

Next up we are heading over the dirt track and into the second field which sports three bars, a kids area, the NEU stage and the Main Stage, with food vans dotted around the perimeter.

There is a definite buzz about the crowd. I overhear a couple discussing how this is the reason they purchased tickets for 2000 Trees Enola Gay @ The Axiom. Photo by Carla Mundy (2024) it’s Manchester Orchestra @ Main Stage time! I am an old school fan of MO and hugely respect their catalogue, having been immensely inspired by their songwriting over the years. However, I feel open-air stages do not do them many favours, and the set falls somewhat flat of what I had expected. To be fair though, the vast majority of the audience seem captivated by the performance. I find myself looking around during this set, taking in the experience of thousands of people united in one moment.

A couple embrace during Manchester Orchestra. Photo by Gareth Bull (2024).

As luck would have it, me and my partner were celebrating our one year anniversary on Thursday, having met the year previously at Trees and enjoyed seeing Origami Angel, Heart Attack Man, Microwave and Prince Daddy & The Hyena together. We were stoked to be catching Hot Mulligan @ The Axiom next, as they are his favourite. They are playing The Axiom, and the tent is packed out to catch the American emo quintet. The crowd was especially memorable for this performance, knowing every single word to the songs and going over the barrier time and time again. Singer Tad looks equally happy and exhausted, as he explains this is the final date on their tour ‘I can’t wait to go home and hang out with my girlfriend’ he tells us. Compared to their set at Outbreak’s main stage a few weeks previous, where we felt slightly let down by the performance, The Axiom is a perfect pressure cooker for the energy of the band, the sound is spot on, and the vibe is immaculate.

Hot Mulligan at The Axiom. Photo by Gareth Bull (2024).

Friday @ 2000trees Festival

Having had an early one Thursday night, I’m up bright and early to catch the next wave of bands on Friday morning. Mouth Culture @ The Axiom is the first stop on the list, and I have to spend most of the day recovering from the shock of how good it is! I’ve seen these guys so many times before- their charming Leicester accents and larger than life rockstar attitudes are always a pleasure to be around. I really do mean that!

Leaving the Axiom we wandered down through the crowds of festival go-ers, smells from the world over punctuating our slow meander, every stall a comma as we pause to read the diverse menus. My partner is vegan and definitely felt accommodated. But it was early, and though not priced unfairly, we’d decided to try and be a little sensible-cossy livs and all…

Our first time on the main stage. A fairly large open air stage surrounded by stalls, a bar and a cider bar (my boyfriend was a happy man and made a beeline, never too early at a festival right?) As Norwegian pop-punk/indie outfit Slotface began playing their unique brand of pretty, afternoon music, we spotted our tent neighbours and joined them, comparing war stories of nights, gigs and pits. The unmistakable opening chords into slamming snare could only be “Nancy Drew”, one the songs i’d been most looking forward to of the whole festival. They didn’t disappoint. A crowd once sat down in the early afternoon overcast sun rose to their feet. Slotface had done the job of an opening band on a bill or yoga in the forest: the loose crowd was now ready to move.

The first drink of the day courtesy of the Westons Cider bar had gone down so well we simply must have another, and the next band on at the main stage can only be described as “cider music”. The beauty of 2000trees are the occasional out-there band bookings. Australian Celtic Punk band The Rumjacks were that band (though in a few hours we’d find that Trees had another unconventional 30 minutes of beauty for us…). Think knees up to your nips not your hips, an Irish jig, big swig over hard rock riffs. A brilliant time.

Friday’s line up was frankly awesome. A great mixture of high energy, through former Press To Meco members Unpeople. A band I’d actually never heard before but had been told by many of the lovely approachable people I’d met to not miss. Fist pumping, big riffs, catchy hooks. They definitely made some fans that set. High energy went into technical wizardry with the extremely up and coming Philadelphia based Sweet Pill. Just insane levels of technical abilities from all the band but especially their guitarists Jayce Williams and Sean McCall. They have my vote for the best guitarists of the festival, perfectly melding mathy virtuoso riffs, with twinkles and prettiness. From the wizards to nostalgia. Turnover’s Peripheral Vision will always have a special place in my heart. In the 9 years since its release i’ve lost count of how many times i’ve heard it on long drives, late night walks or at the end of an afters. “Up and down like a red rubber ball” belted out by the whole tent as they too jumped up and down in tandem. A level of energy that doesn’t really suit a sleepy band like Turnover but the passion and nostalgia around that album was palpable.

As I said, Trees has a knack for booking unconventional bands and it’s those who tend to be the set of the weekend. This year was no different. As we wandered down past rows of tents, flags embroidered with inside jokes and stand up comedy in the Word tent, we entered The Forest Stage. Stopping by the bar for a White Russian (£10 but money well spent, Heroes buy Beeros after all) we gracefully traversed an almost litter free forest floor, dodging between trees and Trees 2024 tshirts into an electric atmosphere. It was as though the thick canopy above was containing the excitement of what was to come like a kettle. Then came the whistle. Dressed in matching white boiler suits a band enter the stage, a permanent wooden structure that blended in naturally to the forest at Upcote Farm. A bassist dazzles playing at almost laughable speed and accuracy. If it was a video I’d think it was 1.5x speed. A song starts, more jam than tune, each member displaying their proficiency, near mastery of their instrument. The singer starts but there’s technical difficulties. The sound tech brings another mic, the singer starts, technical difficulties…The singer uses this opportunity to be as playful with the crowd as the band are with their jam, offering his hand to the masses of fans only to slyly pull away. Oldest trick in the book. Trees is officially at boiling point. The rhythm, the energy, the….Funk…It’s Thumpasaurus! The band come crashing in to You Are So Pretty. Instantly the forest is dancing in unison, a Richtor scale event you would expect from Shambala not 2000trees. Pretty soon, the festival’s rock and hardcore sensibilities come out. The likes of Jaco Pistorious and Herbie Hancock could never have expected that one day jazz funk would have crowd surfers coming in from every angle down a forested hill. The security team weren’t expecting it either. What started as 1 lonely high vised staff member soon escalated to 8 heavies frantically scanning the crowd, carrying laughing punters over the barrier. By far, it was the most high-energy, fun performance I’ve seen all year, if not ever, and it was all for a comedy jazz funk quintet. Cannot recommend them highly enough. Thumpasaurus made us “Dance Like It’s Your Life”

Saturday @ 2000trees Festival

Public Service Announcement: Remember to fill up your water bottle BEFORE you go to bed….

A heavy, loud night at the silent disco…Though you can control the volume of the multiple stations on the headphones, and can control the amount you drink, when one goes up so does the other…A 10 minute queue for the water station gave me chance to take stock: wallet – check, phone – check, camera – uh oh, dignity – does screaming along to My Chem until 3am count??

Testament to the festival’s popularity, especially the Wednesday, by the time we’d arrived mid afternoon on Thursday we already had to make the 15 minute ascent up the hill to find a spot in the overflow camping site. Next year we’ll definitely be coming on Wednesday, always a great line up and 1 more day in paradise!

We ventured down from our 5 man palace just in time to catch Michael Cera Palin. The full-to-the-brim and beyond tent showed the appetite for sad, awkward dudes writing catchy songs about life is still as prevalent as it was 10 years ago. Their cover of “If It Makes You Happy” is required listening for everyone in the scene, and should be counted among the likes of “Hurt”-Johnny Cash as covers that feel more like the song than the original.

Saturday was a slower day for me in terms of bands I was really excited to see- so warm can in one hand, and Bunnymans in the other I sat down at the main stage to listen to something new. Though Dune Rats were pretty good, playing their brand of “lunkheaded punk noise” in a no-nonsense-all fun way, the star of the show was Bunnymans. A hunk of soft white bread hollowed out and filled with chilli, topped with hummus and your choice of spicy or mild. I went for the spicy to blast out the demons of the previous night. There’s something carnal and primal about the ability to eat the vessel one’s food is served in, like Heston Blumanthal of the Medieval. Now, back in the real world, I find myself disappointed every time I eat with knife & fork from a plate or bowl. My heart yearns for the hearty Bunnymans Bunnychow. Dune rats were pretty good, too.

Though I am not well versed in Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, I have camped in his eponymous campsite in previous years, and have seen small bands having the time of their lives on the Camp Turner stage playing an acoustic set to a sea of revellers for whom live music will always beat silent discos. Bands like Our Nameless Boy, Trashed and Blank Atlas, who impressed so much with their glorious 3 part harmonies, actually played the Neu stage on Thursday this year. To a crowd that proves why Frank Turner and 2000trees go hand in hand, the part folk/part punk rocker made an explosive entrance with “No Thank You for the Music”. My personal highlight was “Worse Things Happen At Sea”, an old Turner song that shows off his emotional writing abilities extremely well. It’s impressive for an artist to make it to their 3000th show, and this set showed how he did it, and how many fans there are out there willing to see 3000 more.

Sunday @ 2000trees Festival

That’s it. Time to go back to reality for another year. Well first we have to leave the car park…

We’d managed to score a lift back with some friends we’d bumped into at the festival, loaded our packed away (crammed away) tent and bags into their boot and joined a queue to exit. Spirits are high, and music is on (Dub, as requested by our friend who didn’t actually like alternative music and was just there for the vibe, though they are now a convert to Enola Gay & Spanish Love Songs). Minutes become an hour, become two. We leave the car to see what’s taking so long. The whole time, we’d been queuing behind a parked car with no one in…User error. We got out pretty quickly after that.

2000trees Festival

I love 2000trees. You can really see how it won its awards and acclaim. A multi-generational group of fans of different strokes of alternative music united in their love of guitars and being nice to each other. Every year when the lineup comes out, there’s always a handful of bands I’m really excited to see, then a load of bands I’ve not heard of or heard properly. I find it’s the second group that makes this festival worth coming to every year. If you have a gap on your Clashfinder, you can wander into a random stage or ask one of your fellow Trees goers, and you’re guaranteed to find something decent.

A great selection of food and drinks, expensive but not outrageous, and you have the opportunity to bring your own if times are tough (though heroes do buy beeros). You never have to queue very long for a drink and if you do then talk to the people around you, big shout out Sam! Toilets aren’t bad at all, with the poo dudes cleaning every portaloo every day. The accessibility platforms seemed in good places and the staff were very helpful to people’s needs.

I don’t have kids but the amount of parents who brought their little rockers shows it is a family friendly festival, important as fans of emo and hardcore finally start growing up. I plan on coming back year after year, so it’s nice to know as life changes there’s still a place for everyone at 2000trees at Upcote Farm.

Words: Jace Hawker (she/her)

Cover image: As December Falls, captured by Jez Pennington (2024)

Keane live at Glastonbury Abbey Extravaganza review: a spellbinding, euphoric celebration of Hopes and Fears

Glastonbury Abbey Extravaganza, 3rd August 2024

With it being 20 years since the release of their debut album, some may dismiss Keane as a time-worn band, superseded by newer alt-rockers. However, situated amongst the picturesque ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, and coupled with the slowly setting sun and a gentle summer breeze, Keane’s performance is ethereal and otherworldly. With a crowd of 10,000 people, the show is more of a cathartic, collective experience than a simple gig.

The set is a mix of their hit songs, with a particular focus on tracks from their debut album, Hopes and Fears, released 20 years ago. Beginning with the upbeat ‘Can’t Stop Now’, Keane set the tone of the night as energetic but nostalgic, and the crowd are captivated from the start.

A few songs in, singer Tom Chaplin has only three requests for the audience – dance, clap, and sing along – and everyone in sight does so. The crowd is a whirling mass of singing and dancing, with each person basking in the electric, energetic atmosphere induced by the lively numbers ‘Spiralling’ and ‘Crystal Ball’, both of which have a distinctly pop-y sound and shout-worthy choruses. This energy is contagious and spurs the band on, with Chaplin jumping and spinning around the stage, feasting off of the crowd’s enjoyment.

His crowd engagement remains fantastic throughout, such as conducting the whole crowd through the echoing ‘oh-oh-oh, oh-oh’s’ during ‘You Are Young’. This jaunty song is backed by a cheery piano and places Chaplin’s belting voice at its forefront. There are no dynamic visuals on the background of the stage, just a simple stationary, sketch-style drawing, and it is Chaplin’s presence alone that keeps the crowd enchanted.

Hidden amongst the throng within the Abbey grounds, this uncharacteristically peaceful moment feels sacred

Following a touching, heartfelt speech about the importance of discussing mental health is ‘The Way I Feel’, a cathartic pop-rock tune which combines the sensitive topic of mental health struggles with a rather energetic, uplifting beat. The vulnerability of this song makes this performance particularly poignant and moving, amplified by the thousands of voices screaming, wondering if there is “something wrong about the way [they] feel”. By Chaplin’s own admission, ‘The Way I Feel’ is a newer track but a firm fan favourite, and the energetic flurry of jumping bodies and waving arms throughout the song solidifies this.

Richard Hughes’ drumming is also a really impactful, integral part of Kane’s performance. Each thump reverberates deeply and brings each song to life in an even more powerful way when listening to their studio recordings. Nowhere is this more apparent than in ‘Perfect Symmetry’, which sounds significantly heavier and rockier than its studio counterpart.

A hush descends on the crowd during the softer, piano-driven ‘My Shadow’, whilst a sea of phone torches twinkle in a magical spectacle of dancing light. Hidden amongst the throng within the Abbey grounds, this uncharacteristically peaceful moment feels sacred, and the audience’s reverence and wonder is palpable as this is also the first time ‘My Shadow’ has been played on Keane’s Hopes And Fears anniversary tour.

‘A Bad Dream’ also begins slowly with a simple drum beat, but Hughes’ thumping drums eventually erupt into a dramatic, immense instrumental section, with Chaplin even playing the piano. This is a really stand-out moment showcasing the incredible musical talent of the band. Whilst most of the set is very energetic, fast-paced, and upbeat, these slower songs are equally gripping.

The gig literally goes out with a bang, closing with an impressive fireworks display that ties together the spectacle.

The main set ends with the classic tune ‘Somewhere Only We Know’, which is met with a spine-tingling, choir-like reception as 10,000 voices unite to recite every line whilst Chaplin watches on in awe. Paired with the ambience in the Abbey, this is truly magical.

The epic, emotion-driven ‘Bedshaped’ closes the encore with its haunting keyboard and dramatic guitar solo. The song’s rocky quality is really amplified, and Chaplin’s powerful, dynamic voice is stronger than it was when it was released in 2004. The band seamlessly carries the show to its end. The gig literally goes out with a bang, closing with an impressive fireworks display that ties together the spectacle.

Keane put on a stellar performance, showcasing their incredible catalogue spanning the last two decades. The audience’s constant singing, dancing, and laughing is a testament to how deeply their songs still resonate with listeners, and their performance is more refined and engaging than ever before. Having grown up listening to Keane, I feel truly lucky to have attended this gig and to have celebrated 20 years of fantastic music by a band who have defined my music taste for pretty much my whole life.

Words: Abi Manley

Photo: Alex Lake via SJM concerts

This Is How Tomorrow Moves review: a return down a well-trodden path

It has taken a while for beabadoobee, or 24-year-old Beatrice Laus, to find her sound. From the bedroom pop of her early EPs to the alternative grunge rock of Fake It Flowers to the potpourri of genres found on Beatopia, beabadoobee is no stranger to experimentation. But amidst the experimentation, she still maintained her signature dreamy melodies and introspective lyrics, which made thousands of Gen-Z fans flock to her. Having laid such strong groundwork for herself on her previous albums, she easily could have ventured into any of these different directions. However, experimentation takes a back seat on This Is How Tomorrow Moves. The result is a distinctly beabadoobee-esque album that lacks the thrill of something new.

The album has enough elements to make it enjoyable: sonically, the bossa nova and Latin jazz influences make ‘A Cruel Affair’ feel like a sequel to ‘The Perfect Pair’ from Beatopia, but still feel fresh and exciting in the context of the album. Similarly, the country-tinted ‘Everseen’ – a product of her time touring with Taylor Swift as her opener for The Eras Tour – is a welcome shift in sound mid-record.

In fact, it isn’t difficult to imagine many of these songs slotting in seamlessly with her previous efforts

With Laus having enlisted legendary producer Rick Rubin on this album, there is no denying the production on This Is How Tomorrow Moves is polished and beautifully slick. The instrumentals are skillfully layered and do well to bolster her breathy vocals, whether it be the jazzy saxophones on ‘Tie My Shoes’ or the string arrangements that make several appearances throughout. But instead of driving her down any one of the avenues she dipped her toe into on Beatopia, or, indeed, in a completely new direction, the samey production pushes her into a comfortable yet overly familiar beabadoobee-shaped box. In fact, it isn’t difficult to imagine many of these songs slotting in seamlessly with her previous efforts. The thrashing guitars in ‘California’ would sound right at home on Fake It Flowers, whereas ‘Tie My Shoes’ eerily echoes tracks from her 2021 EP, Our Extended Play.

However, where This Is Where Tomorrow Moves shows significant growth is in its songwriting. The LP sees Laus step away from blaming others for her feelings and instead take accountability for her actions, whether it be her commendable self-awareness on ‘Take a Bite’ and ‘One Time’ or her newfound maturity on ‘Real Man’, where she recalls an underwhelming one-night stand.

This Is How Tomorrow Moves still marks a step forward in beabadoobee’s growth as an artist

When she isn’t basking in her outward-facing confidence, Laus still leans into her vulnerability, perhaps another product of her time touring with Swift. Pairing razor-sharp lyrics with a silky piano arrangement, ‘Girl Song’ is an emotional whirlwind of a track where she methodically breaks down her insecurities. And then, without a moment to reflect on the emotional weight of what has come before, Laus proceeds to propel the listener into ‘Coming Home’, a heartfelt ballad describing coming home to her boyfriend and cats after being on tour, providing some much-needed comfort in the wake of ‘Girl Song’.

Despite this brief stalling in the evolution of her sound, This Is How Tomorrow Moves still marks a step forward in beabadoobee’s growth as an artist. Strong lyrics with newfound boldness make for a record that is, while not particularly innovative, still relatable and enjoyable. In the words of beabadoobee herself, “In a way, I’m still figuring it out in my own way”, and that’s okay. There will be more beabadoobee records in the future, and one minor hiccup will not tarnish everything she’s accomplished thus far.

Recommended listening: ‘Girl Song’

Words by Sophie Flint Vázquez.

Image: Ian Cheek PR

Photography: Free Throw, Saturdays At Your Place, and Eat Defeat at Bristol’s Exchange

The Exchange, Bristol, 27th July 2024

In a really hot, sweaty, sold out Bristol Exchange, Free Throw and Saturdays at Your Place brought the Midwest Emo and Eat Defeat got things going with some classic punk pop…. from Yorkshire.

The punters were down early, with virtually a full house taking in all 3 bands. The temperature just got hotter as the bands got the whole place jumping with circle pits, stage divers, and crowd surfers.

Check out these bands, you won’t be disappointed!

Photos and words by Glenn Morrison.

Frank Turner live review: setting the gold-standard for Folk Punk

O2 Academy 2, Birmingham, 19th July 2024

It’s a sweltering 27°C in Birmingham tonight, but that doesn’t matter much. Because rain or shine, with Frank Turner playing in the O2 Academy’s second room tonight, all 600 people in the venue will be drenched in sweat by the end of the night anyway.

Before Turner even comes on, the temperature inside the intimate venue is already rising. Security guards frantically hand out cups of chilled water, clammy shoulders press against each other, and a murmur of excitement ripples through the venue as passionate fans wait for the show to start.

Finally, Frank Turner and his band, The Sleeping Souls, saunter on stage. Wasting no time – for they have a 25-song setlist to get through – they launch into ‘No Thank You for the Music’, a boisterous punk number from his latest album, Undefeated. It’s just the first song, but it already feels like the venue’s energy (and temperature) can’t get any higher.

‘Girl From the Record Shop’, ‘Get Better’, and ‘The Next Storm’ receive an equally booming reception. Bodies are smashing into each other, arms and legs are flailing, and people’s foreheads are shimmering with sweat. Seizing the moment, Turner motions to the crowd to part.

“Rule number one,” he says. “If you’ve already been to one of my shows before, you know what I’m going to say.”

And as if to prove his point, the crowd shouts back, “Don’t be a dickhead!”

“Rule number two, sing along if you know the words. And rule number three, look after each other.”

Wasting no time, his loyal fans obey, starting the first of many moshpits of the night. With each song fading into the next, the show is mad and frantic, and the crowd revels in the bedlam.

“During the pandemic, I didn’t write any music about what we were going through because it felt a little on the nose,” he explains in one of the show’s few moments of respite. “But now that we’re past it, I wrote this song,” he chuckles as he breaks into the aptly named ‘Pandemic PTSD’.

‘Long Live the Queen’, ‘Balthazar, Impresario’, and ‘The Ballad of Me and My Friends’ mark the set’s acoustic portion, with each song receiving an even more joyful reception than the last. While most artists prefer to stick to the same setlist every night of a tour, Turner keeps the crowd on their toes, playing tracks across his impressive ten album discography. A fervent singalong accompanies each song, serving as a testament to the dedicated community Turner has built. He may not have performed these songs for a while, but judging by the euphoric cheer each song receives, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking they were his most popular.

‘Somewhere Inbetween’ marks a definite interlude in the audience’s sustained commotion. While Turner ordinarily exudes confidence and mastery, ‘Somewhere Inbetween’ reveals his more introspective, vulnerable side.

“I’m 42, and I still have no fucking idea what I’m doing with my life,” he admits before diving straight into the song’s heartbreaking first line: “I’ve been pretending to be somebody else since I was just fifteen,” he sings thoughtfully into the microphone.

“No sense of where I’m standing, half my fucking life caught somewhere in between,” he cries, face contorted in discomfort, fists clenched, and grasping at his sweat-soaked shirt. As a singer-songwriter often praised for his honesty and earnestness, Turner is no stranger to being vulnerable on stage. But here, singing about how he still suffers from impostor syndrome and uncertainty despite having built up a worshipping fanbase, he seems more exposed and sensitive than ever before. And if his fans’ reaction is anything to go by, is more than deserving of his continual success.

Without taking a moment to breathe, he dives into a flurry of his more upbeat hits, old and new, including anti-fascist ‘1933’, ‘Non-Serviam’, and the toe-tapping ‘Do One’, which elicits a unanimous singalong from the crowd.

Fan-favourite ‘Photosynthesis’ marks the end of the main show before ‘Undefeated’, ‘Recovery’, ‘I Still Believe’, and ‘Four Simple Words’ end the night on a frenzied high note. After having heard stories of his tumultuous teenage years (‘Caesefire’), struggles with his mental health (‘Haven’t Been Doing So Well’), and finding meaning in life without religion (‘Glory Hallelujah’), there’s no better way to end than by asking the crowd to join their hands above their heads, spin in circles, and dance like nobody was watching.

No one is quite doing it like Frank Turner. He might not have fancy pyrotechnics, elaborate stage setups, or a troupe of backup dancers, but if there’s one thing Turner knows how to do, it’s put on a show. And with this being his show number 2921, it’s no surprise he’s mastered his craft. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll dance, but most importantly, you’ll have a roaring good time. Because, after all, in Turner’s own words, “Who thought that something as simple as rock and roll would save us all?”.

Words and images: Sophie Flint Vázquez

Placebo at Bristol Sounds: a sold-out show of rock and roll madness

Bristol Sounds, Canons Marsh Amphitheatre, 28th June 2024

Prior to entry, we were informed that this would be a ‘no phones’ show, and we were encouraged to keep our devices in our pockets, and enjoy the show with our eyes, not our screens. This was something we were reminded of again about 10 minutes before the band came on, and with security shining their torches at anyone with a device out, we couldn’t forget it.

Placebo’s set was a mix of their classic hits, with songs from their newest album, Never Let Me Go, throughout the night.

Opening with ‘Taste In Men’, the crowd were warm and receptive, but it took a few songs to get people really moving along.

They had a slightly odd stage layout, with frontman and singer Brian Molko taking stage left and bassist/guitarist/pianist Stefan Olsdal taking stage right. Although different, it still worked well for the show.

Number 1 hit ‘Every You Every Me’ really got the crowd going, and at the halfway point it picked the energy up for the rest of the set. A couple of mosh pits even broke out and one person crowd surfed!

‘Nancy Boy’ brought the main set to a close, with thunderous applause and the classic chant of “One more song!” bringing the band back on to please the crowd once more.

‘Infra-Red’ got the crowd moving one last time, before they closed the night with their unique cover of Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’. Although a bit slower and not as much for movement, it still got everyone singing along for one last song.

And before we knew it, that was the night over. A massive thank you to the team from Crosstown concerts and Bristol Sounds for organising a great night.

Review by Ted Stargatt and photos by Glenn Morrison.

Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us: a frustratingly underwhelming sophomore record

Gracie Abrams’ highly anticipated second album, The Secret of Us, was released on Friday 21st June. Since the release of her debut EP Minor in 2020, Abrams has solidified herself in the soft, ‘sad-girl pop’ scene through her emotional, yearning lyrics and her ethereal, gentle voice. Despite this, The Secret Of Us is not without faults and doesn’t quite live up to my expectations for Abrams’ sophomore album.

There are a few great tracks on The Secret Of Us. Both of the album’s singles, ‘Risk’ and ‘Close To You’ are real highlights. In ‘Risk’, Abrams’ voice shifts from her signature, Phoebe-Bridgers-esque breathy vocals to a louder, frantic urgency, drawing the listener in with a sense of desperation to reach the song’s climax. The lyrics “I feel like I could die/ ‘cause you’re not here/ and it don’t feel right” are particularly haunting, and encapsulate the themes of love, loss, and longing which repeatedly appear throughout the album.

The album’s second single, ‘Close To You’, provides the final track, and compared to the other songs on The Secret Of Us offers vibrant, classic pop beats whilst Abrams laments over her desires for intimacy with somebody who seems unaware of her existence. It is musically reminiscent of Lorde’s ‘Green Light’ and progresses from soft, almost spoken singing to pounding drums and powerful, exhilarating belting, providing a strong, cathartic emotional release.

Pretty much every song begins with quiet singing which eventually increases in intensity but fails to climax

‘Tough Love’ also stands out for its jaunty, acoustic melody and faster pace. Abrams takes on a more singsong voice than in the other tracks, resulting in a song that is more memorable, catchy, and uplifting. In this song, Abrams considers the significance of her female friendships, a refreshing contrast to the relationship focus of the rest of the album. Abrams sings “no chance I waste my twenties on random men/ not one of them is cooler than all my friends”, reflective of the complexities of navigating dating a string of ‘random men’ in your early twenties alongside the preciousness of strong female friendships.

Track 5, ‘us.’, is the only song featuring another artist; Taylor Swift accompanies Abrams on this titular track which begins softly but develops into a more intense, emotionally-driven number with Swift and Abrams’ whimsical voices complementing each other well. Abrams is undoubtedly more well-known amongst Swifties due to being Swift’s support act during the American leg of the Eras Tour, and her influence on Abrams is especially clear in this song’s punchy, Swift-style bridge, which definitely gives this song an edge.

However, aside from these tracks, The Secret of Us severely lacks variety and excitement. Pretty much every song begins with quiet singing which eventually increases in intensity but fails to climax, backed by a relentless acoustic guitar, causing each song to blur into one and leaving little impression on the listener. Tracks ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’, and ‘Good Luck Charlie’ exemplify this – they both begin with soft, calm singing and simple, background melodies, continuing persistently in this way throughout, with no burst of energy, excitement, or emotion.

Many of the songs fail to build in intensity or emotion, making the album hard to listen to and engage with in its entirety

Similarly, the violin build-up in the penultimate track ‘Free Now’ is admittedly beautiful, but it fails to erupt into the euphoric crescendo it teases, again reinforcing the underwhelming feel of the album. Even the opening song, ‘Felt Good About You’, falls victim to this monotony. Backed by a quiet, constant, electronic melody, Abrams’ soft voice is at the forefront of this track, and at no point do the instruments or her vocals build in intensity. Collectively, this gives the album an arduous, never-ending feel, and whilst each song individually is quite good, repeating the same formula becomes tedious and frustrating.

Overall, there is a cohesiveness to The Secret Of Us, and some of the songs are really catchy and compelling. However, whilst each song individually is fairly easy on the ear, as a collective they are just too similar, and I doubt I will be playing the whole album on repeat. Many of the songs fail to build in intensity or emotion, making the album hard to listen to and engage with in its entirety, unfortunately resulting in an underwhelming, rather bland collection of songs.

In July, Abrams embarks on a small run of shows in England, as well as a large US and Canada tour in September, so it will be interesting to hear these new songs performed live. I am also excited to see how Abrams’ music evolves and develops further in the future, hopefully with a bit more variety and flair than this album provides.

Words by Abi Manley.

Troye Sivan’s Something to Give Each Other tour is a vibrant celebration of human connection, love, and sexuality

Utilita Arena Birmingham, 28th June 2024

In the fifteen or so years that Troye Sivan has been in the public eye, we’ve seen quite a few different versions of him. Initially emerging as a cornerstone of the early 2010s YouTube scene, Sivan swiftly pivoted, releasing his first LP Blue Neighbourhood in 2015. By 2018, with the release of Bloom, he had cemented himself as a pop tour de force, collaborating with the likes of Ariana Grande (‘Dance To This’) and Gordi (‘Postcard’). However, it’s 2024 and the release of his third full-length album, Something to Give Each Other, that mark the Australian/South African singer’s arrival into his own. And if the eponymous tour is anything to go by, Sivan is only just warming up.

As the lights dim and the synth riff of the smooth and sultry ‘Got Me Started’ starts playing, electric blue light floods the venue. Thunderous applause welcomes Sivan’s arrival alongside a six-piece dance troupe, scattered on the colossal metal scaffolding adorning the stage. The accompanying choreography for ‘Got Me Started’ – and, indeed, for the rest of the show – is as sharp as it is sensual, with clockwork-like precision determining Sivan and his dancers’ every move. The palpable chemistry between them makes the crowd feel like intruders in an intimate moment, a feeling accentuated by the fact Sivan singing is into a strategically placed microphone held between a dancer’s legs.

It becomes clear that Sivan has taken no shortcuts with the staging

The slick ‘What’s The Time Where You Are?’ and the lovesick ‘My My My!’ are equally visually stunning, with Sivan and his dancers weaving seamlessly around each other with impeccable grace. “I wrote [Something to Give Each Other] to be performed live,” Sivan tells the eager concertgoers. And work well live, it does. Below, the crowd is an amalgamation of bodies dancing, singing, laughing, and relishing the welcoming, inviting atmosphere Sivan creates.

‘In My Room’, a collaboration with Spanish singer-songwriter Guitarricadelafuente, sees Sivan shirtless and sprawled out on a king-sized bed, complete with a dazzling silver duvet. “I’m just thinking of you, it’s a feeling I can’t describe,” he sings earnestly into the microphone while grinding on the sheets. It becomes clear that Sivan has taken no shortcuts with the staging, gleefully reaping the rewards as he delivers an engaging and mesmerising show.

During ‘Dance to This’ and ‘supernatural’ – both collaborations with Ariana Grande – and ‘You’, a collaboration with DJ and producer Regard and recent breakout star Tate McRae, it becomes painfully apparent that Troye Sivan should be a much bigger star than he is. The fact his collaborators aren’t there to share the stage with him doesn’t faze him. Sivan is a bona fide pop powerhouse and is more than capable of providing the joyous, thumping dance hits the audience is ravenous to hear on his own.

Sivan and the crowd’s desire to have fun is so intense that the blue-tinted, slower-tempo section of the set comes with an apology: “Sorry guys, I’ve got five more minutes of being emo left. Then we can go back to being slutty,” he quips, before launching into the tear-jerking guitar-led break-up ballad ‘could cry just thinking about you’.

In a time where it almost feels like LGBTQ+ rights are going backwards worldwide, Sivan carves a safe space for people to explore queer love

As the lights dim once again, and before the hangover from the melancholy of ‘Still Got It’, ‘Can’t Go Back, Baby’, and ‘could cry just thinking about you’ settles in, a video of Sivan, clad in full drag fills the screens. The crowd’s emotional faces are illuminated and Sivan wastes no time launching into the start of the lustful ‘One of Your Girls’.

Here, Sivan delivers a masterclass in pop performance. Wearing a black, satin ribbed corset, Sivan seduces one of his dancers, straddling the line between sexuality and tenderness. “Give me a sign if you ever get lonely, I’ll be like one of your girls,” he sings, as does every single person in attendance.

The explosive ‘1999’, a collaboration with fellow electropop star Charli XCX, with whom Sivan is set to tour later in the year, receives a raucous reception. Mammoth screens tint the arena ‘brat green’ – the lurid shade of lime green Charli XCX is using to promote her latest album – while Sivan and the crowd indulge in the song’s witty lyrics, chock-a-block with references to 90s nostalgia.

The show reaches its climate during the encore, where the blissful ‘Honey’ and the thumping dance-floor track ‘Rush’ bring the night’s euphoria to a peak. As the arena erupts into one final cheer, it becomes evident what the Something to Give Each Other tour is really about: human connection after COVID, sweat, sex, and having the time of your life in a judgement-free zone. In a time where it almost feels like LGBTQ+ rights are going backwards worldwide, Sivan carves a safe space for people to explore queer love. And with Something to Give Each Other marking a definite new chapter in Sivan’s career, this might just be his opportunity to plunge into mainstream stardom.

Photos and words by Sophie Flint Vázquez – no use without permission.

Gaye Bykers on Acid bring heat to the heart of Bristol

The Exchange, Bristol, 14th June 2024

First up is Wyr, a local female-fronted 4 piece shoegaze band, formed in 2023. Wyr is a collective of shimmering guitars, ethereal swirling vocals, and lots and lots of reverb. They have been playing frequent shows and obviously are gaining a bit of a following if the early crowd are anything to go by. A gig at Rough Trade is due in September all while writing and recording songs for their upcoming EP. Keep an eye out for these guys in the coming months (Sorry, no pics of these!).

Next up are The Priscillas, launching straight into their own brand of, in their own words, Glam-punk-power-pop-female-foxy-foursome tunes. Singer, Jenny Drag, clad in a black leather catsuit and shaking a star-shaped tambourine is backed by crunching guitar hooks and supported with sweet harmonies as their poppy songs with searing social commentary get everyone bouncing. Moreover, it looks like they are having fun, just how rock’n’roll should be. They’ll finish the weekend supporting L7 at the Electric Ballroom and I’m sure they will smash it.

Finally, and rather unassumingly, the Bykers drift onto the stage and once the drummer Kev Byker is located, it is time to get going. This was a very partisan crowd, with plenty of GBOA t-shirts on show. Considering the merch stand had a selection of more than 15 different shirts, this was no surprise.

After a promise of a set list full of new and old material, the tunes come thick and fast as Mary Byker (Ian Huxley), illuminated by projections throughout the set, deliver the vocals with passion. The in-between song chat is engaging and the crowd love it. Although encouraging Robber Bykers (Ian Reynolds) in his falling off the wagon is probably not the best use of his platform! Robber, however, seems unperturbed.

Billy Boy Byker (Will Crewdson/ScantRegard) on guitar is truly brilliant. Not only does he really look the part, but his mastery of some of the complicated guitar work in a live environment was some achievement. The crowd start dancing and singing along from the get-go and doesn’t stop.

GBOA are legends of the short-lived Grebo scene in the late 80’s, and early 90’s and the energy is still there. And the social commentary is just as relevant today as it was 20-plus years ago, with songs about the environment still striking a chord. A great night in Bristol.

Words and photos by Glenn Morrison – no use without permission.

Bring Me The Horizon’s POST HUMAN: NeX GEn review: continuously pushing the boundaries of what music can be

When Bring Me The Horizon first announced their seventh studio album, POST HUMAN: NeX GEn, it was originally meant for release in September 2023. The second instalment in their Post Human series, NeX GEn had big shoes to fill as it followed the critically acclaimed 2020 Post Human: Survival Horror. But after keyboardist and producer Jordan Fish left the band in 2023, the band were forced to rethink their plans and postpone the release of NeX GEn. The result? A string of singles released over the course of a painful three-and-a-half years. That is, until the 23rd of May 2024, when the band announced they were going to be surprise-dropping the album the following day.

So when the release of an album has been delayed countless times, a key member of the band leaves halfway through making the record, and with the album already toured well before its release, how good can it really be? The answer: surprisingly good.

BMTH are a band that refuse to stand still. From the deathcore of their debut album, Count Your Blessings, to the metalcore of the ever-popular Sempiternal to the electronic pop-rock of the controversial amo, BMTH might not always get it right, but what they refuse to do is stay put and rest on their laurels. NeX GEn is no different. A dynamic and complex mélange of Oli Sykes’ characteristic post-hardcore vocals, glitchy electronica beats, touches of hyperpop, and a healthy dose of pop and rock, had any other band released NeX GEn, it’d be hailed as a radical 180-degree shift in sound and direction. But this is BMTH—of course each release is going to be different.

The inconsistent quality of its songs means it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Survival Horror

Considering the disjointed release this album had, the resulting body of work is surprisingly cohesive. With each track blending seamlessly into the next, the songs on this album work satisfyingly well with each other, something which wouldn’t have been obvious listening to its six wildly different singles.

The transitions between songs are flawless. The spoken-word eulogy at the end of ‘R.i.p. (duskCOre RemIx)’: “We will start today’s ceremony with a few words from our dear friend” flows brilliantly into ‘AmEN!’, an unlikely collaboration with Lil Uzi Vert and Glassjaw’s Daryl Palumbo, where Sykes’ guttural screams open the song with “I hope you have fun rotting in hell”. Similarly, the transition from ‘YOUtopia’ to ‘Kool-Aid’ is so smooth it’s impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins. It’s clear the band intended NeX GEn to be listened to in full, but this is where the album falls short—for all its strong points, the inconsistent quality of its songs means it doesn’t quite reach the heights of Survival Horror.

NeX GEn is less of a misstep and more of a sign of Bring Me The Horizon’s ambition

NeX GEn boasts some of the band’s best songs—‘Kool-Aid’ is a roaring earworm of a song that flows flawlessly between hardcore verses and pop-rock choruses, ‘LosT’ is a frantic hyperpop-flavoured banger, and ‘LiMOusIne’, featuring Norwegian art-pop singer Aurora, joins the long list of BMTH collaborations that should not work on paper, but very much do.

Another standout is ‘n/A’, where Sykes, at his most introspective, reflects on the despair and hopelessness he felt during his struggles with addiction. The song also features the lines “Hello, Oli, you fucking knobhead / Did you think you had us fooled?” sung by a chorus of fans’ chants recorded during their NeX GEn January UK tour. Straddling the line between heartwarming and cheesy, the line is a welcome memento for those who attended the tour. Like ‘sTraNgeRs’ and ‘DIg It’, ‘n/A’ sees the band lean into a more acoustic, ballad-like sound that has been largely absent from their discography thus far.

However, other tracks, such as the album’s many ‘[ost]’ interludes, fail to leave such an impression. Instead, these melt into a grating, overproduced blend of tinny electronic noises, thumping beats, and spoken word that fail to add much to the album as a whole. For an album that is made to be listened to front to back, there are far too many skips and filler tracks. And with the last minute of ‘DIg It’ being almost entirely silence, it’s easy to see how the band could have shaved ten minutes off the album and still had an equally strong—if not stronger—body of work.

And while new tracks such as the bombastic, emo-adjacent ‘Top 10 staTues tHat CriEd bloOd’, ‘LiMOusIne’, and ‘R.i.p. (duskCOre RemIx)’ are very welcome addition to BMTH’s repertoire, another of the album’s pitfalls is the fact its best tracks were released months, if not years, prior to the album’s release, making the release of NeX GEn fall ever-so-slightly flat.

NeX GEn is less of a misstep and more of a sign of Bring Me The Horizon’s ambition. However, with two instalments still left in the Post Human series, the band is sure to keep evolving and experimenting as they have done all these years and continue to reach new heights.

Recommended listening: ‘LosT’, ‘Kool-Aid’, ‘DArkSide’