2000trees festival 'celebrates its uniqueness'

The festival has hosted a number of artists including You Me At Six and Bristol band Idles

Nestled amongst the forest with the Cotswolds as its backdrop, 2000trees music festival has been a staple on the calendars of rock music lovers for some time.

Welcoming around 1,000 attendees when it was created in 2007, the festival has grown massively with about 15,000 visitors this year watching headliners The Gaslight Anthem, Don Broco and The Chats take to the stage.

Many key components of the four-day festival have remained the same, so what is it about the independent music festival that makes people come back for more?

The BBC has spoken to the people on and off-stage who make the festival what it is today.

Henry Cox from Blackpool-formed band Boston Manor, said the festival celebrates its quirkiness

"It sort of really knows what it is and it celebrates its uniqueness, its quirkiness and bands love that. That's why they keep coming back," said Henry Cox from Blackpool-formed band Boston Manor.

Mr Cox, whose band has played twice at the festival, said as a performer it feels "super unique" compared to other festivals.

"You don't get to play environments like that very often and that's the good thing about something like 2000trees," he told the BBC.

DIY fan-made stages have been created in the festival's campsite, including Camp Turner named after festival regular Frank Turner

Organiser James Scarlett said: "I think the thing about 2000trees is it's in a beautiful location, the staff are super nice, and the bands are really into the festival.

"Basically, you add all these things in and it kind of breeds happy people and then people come back year after year. Suddenly it's a community."

Mr Scarlett said one of his aims for the festival is to avoid it becoming "Groundhog Day-ish" and so they "change the festival a bit every year".

“Otherwise, all the years start to merge and then I think you can lose a bit of audience because they can get bored," he added.

Alongside its music offering the festival also includes a silent disco, camping pitches, morning yoga, face paint for children and various other workshops aimed at families.

Do things differently

Mr Scarlett said the festival began thanks to a desire to do things differently to other festivals.

"We all had proper jobs and we didn't like those jobs and were just kind of dissatisfied with our lives to be honest and it wasn't really like a business idea it was more just a sort of hobby thing," he said.

"We were at another UK festival one year moaning about various things like the toilets, the food and the price of the beer and we were just like 'should we start our own festival?', and then here we are 17 years later, still the same team and it's my job now," he added.

Bob Vylan said the festival was a supporter of helping bands grow

Hot Milk from Manchester, who played their first headline slot at the festival, said the more intimate setting and closer connection to fans makes 2000trees feel more important.

"It feels more gratifying and personally exhilarating," they said.

"When we started Hot Milk, we were like, we just wanted to play in a field in the dark and I'm glad it's happened here," they added.

'Champion newer acts'

Meanwhile, Bobby Vylan from the London duo Bob Vylan, said he believes Trees, as the festival is commonly referred to, is a great at helping bands grow.

"Well, there's a little more of a personal touch, I think," he said.

The duo, whose latest album was included on BBC Radio 6 Music's albums of the year so far, has played the festival three years in a row.

"They also champion younger and, I say younger, what I mean by that is newer acts. Acts that some of the other festivals will look over because they don't necessarily have the same online presence or monthly listeners or whatever it is," he told the BBC