RANKED: The best artists to see at 2000Trees Festival 2025

Now the British weather has crept above 20 degrees, it’s time to get excited for festival season! In the spirit here’s 10 bands and we won’t be missing at 2000 trees this year.

Kneecap

The last year has been massive for Kneecap: a steady rise exploded by their biopic, two academy awards and (perhaps controversially) a performance at Coachella this year. The masked Dublin trio bring their pro-republican underground rap sound to the headlining spot of 2000 trees this year, mixing Gaelic with English to promote the sovereign rights of Northern Ireland and lyrics about Irish political and party culture. If there’s one thing about Kneecap, though, is that they always have something in their back pocket, so we’ll be waiting with baited breath to see what they have in store for us in July.

Coheed and Cambria

We were so excited to see Coheed and Cambria on this lineup after getting our hands on The Father of Make Believe earlier this year. Their high concept prog rock sound scratches the technical itch of musicians and listeners alike, while the universe they have built through every album is a joy to unpick. Get yourself down on Friday if you want to catch this set.

Pvris!

Pvris! Have been staples of the scene since their seminal 1st album White Noise dropped in 2014; their brand of drum-heavy emo pop the perfect soundtrack to any yearning crush and one-sided breakup. After a lull it's great to see Pvris! Getting active again, with the ever shy Lynn Gunn looking increasingly confident in their stage presence if their last stint in the UK with Fall Out Boy is anything to go by. They’ll be fresh off the White Noise anniversary tour by the time we meet them at 2000 Trees, so we can’t wait to see what revisiting this will bring out for them.

Hot Milk

If you were lucky enough to get tickets for Wednesday you get the joy of catching Manchester quartet Hot Milk’s headline set. Bringing a perfect blend of 2010s pop punk revival and the harder electro-rock sound that’s defining the 2020s scene, tracks such as candy coated lie$ embody a mature angst swallow that adds an anti-establishment edge to their discography.

Vukovi

Bringing a little sex appeal is Vukovi, a party-punk duo from North Ayreshire, Scotland. They’ve recently dropped banger 4th album MY GOD HAS GOT A GUN, a full electro-infused take on their high energy rock sound which will have half the crowd dancing and the other half moshing. They’re at their best when serving sensual angst, combining deep metalcore instrumentals with hyperpop/heavy electronic beats and we can’t wait to see what their live performances are going to bring.

Hyphen

Hyphen is an indie rapper turned punk-rap artist hailing from Portsmouth, serving pro-south asian/anti-racism tracks that are equal parts raw and honest as they are cheeky and charismatic. Their early work is more focused on confidence-core, with tracks like Confident and Cocoa Butter promoting feeling comfortable in one's skin, but it has been the beautifully condescending and comedic offerings including Marching Powder and Hate Yachts not Dingies that have seen Hyphen begin his take off in the scene, helped in no small part by his bouncy full-on stage presence.

As December Falls

Also in that pop punk revival wave is Nottingham natives As December Falls, adding a strong flavour of emo to their sound that hits right in the 00s nostalgia. They are remarkably easy to listen to, with tracks such as therapy having every emos favourite blend of upbeat soundscapes and angst-packed lyrics. As December Falls will be up on the 2000 trees stage on Saturday.

Malevolence

If you came to this list for hardcore recommendations, the one we have for you is Malevolence. Punchy drums with a tastefully slower tempo to their hxc counterparts, tracks such as it’s all the same to you have a great mix of windmill ripe breakdowns with a more swinging sound that lets a listener take a breather. They’ll also be up on Saturday, which is proving to be a stacked day!

Mallavora

Bringing some ethereal hard rock to 2000 trees on Friday is Bristol-based Mallavora. Their searching melodies and dissociative vocals are transcendent; their lyrics talking of solidarity with the trans community and the injustices of the current world order. If you’d like to indulge in timeless dad-rock-esque sounds without worrying about their politics, Mallavora will do just that for you.

Panic Shack

While you’re waiting for Hot Milk on Wednesday feminist punk quartet Panic Shack are worth the listen. Bringing Riot Grrrl realness with a messy girl aesthetic, panic shack are sure to get you dancing while promoting women’s liberation.

2000 Trees will be returning to Cheltenham between 9th-12th July.

Words: Julia Brunton