As 2000trees returns to Upcote Farm for another year, the headliners take us through what it means to be a part of such a special festival and what the future holds.

NECK DEEP

How does it feel to be headlining a festival in the UK, let alone one like 2000trees? It feels like the perfect thing for Neck Deep to be doing right now.

Ben Barlow: It’s one of those where we’ve played it once before and had a good time, and just know it’s a good vibe. We’re not doing a whole bunch right now, other than focusing on music and our normal day-to-day lives, but when a good opportunity to headline something comes in, it’s something where we really can’t turn that down. So, if we’re going to do anything this Summer, we may as well do something big and something that we feel good about. It feels befitting of where we’re at. We haven’t headlined a whole bunch of festivals before, and 2000trees was one of those where it feels like a nice little box was checked for us. It’s cool that people think that we’re good enough to do shit like this, too. It’s cool that we’re entering that phase of our careers. We’ve been at it for a long time now. There was a perception that Neck Deep was like a new band for a long time, but it feels like we’ve crossed over into big band territory now. So that’s really cool. I know it’ll be a good fest too. I had a great time last time we were there, and every time people go, they’ve only got good things to say about it. So, we are stoked.

You mention the last time you played, and that was back in 2016, which was in support of ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’. What do you remember about that appearance, and what do you remember about that period of time within the band as well?

Ben: It felt like there was a lot of buzz around the band, and we felt like we were buzzy at the festival, too. Not that we had anything to prove, but it was still our chance to go out and prove we had a great album under our belts and that we were a good live band. I remember there being loads of our mates there as well, and it just felt like a bit of a party, really. It all felt very tight-knit, and I remember meeting a lot of new people there, too. But the show itself, like all the shows from back then, felt rowdy. They were always energetic, like they are now, but that was one of the first times we were experiencing those bigger crowds. I think the festival circuit, in general, is a good opportunity for you to put yourself out there and meet new bands, and I remember being young and excited to be out there. No worries, no perception of things. We’ve been on this for a while, so we have more to prove. We have a bit more to prove as headliners. But in 2016, the pressure was off, and it was just such a good time. It was good weather as well, like blazing all day, so hopefully we get the same again.

And in terms of what working on right now, how does it feel to be able to really take your time on making sure what you are making is the best it can be?

Ben: We’ve made some good progress on this next album. We have the pool of songs we want to release, and now it’s just about making them as good as they possibly can be. In the past, we’ve been under a bit of pressure, whether that’s pressure from ourselves or whether it’s external pressure. Whether it’s a timeline or a deadline, we need to meet it, and that isn’t always conducive to the best possible record. I’ve generally always worked well under pressure, but I think the longer that we’ve gone on and done this, I don’t think any of us want to be doing it that way anymore. I think we’ve earned the right to take our time. Before, I think there was always this fear that if we weren’t releasing an album every two years, people would lose interest, but now we can just put our foot down.

I want to make sure the lyrics are the absolute best they can be and that they mean something. I’m inspired by life and my own struggles, and I’m being as honest and articulate as I can while also giving the listener a message to take away. I don’t want to keep writing the same shit and reusing the same stuff. I want all these new things to be original, poignant, and meaningful to people. I feel like that’s going to take time, and everyone is stoked to be in that situation. It’s what is going to be the most conducive thing to a good record. We could have rattled this album out in a couple of months, and it would have been done, but would we have been as stoked about it as we could have been? Probably not. So, fuck it, if it takes a fucking year, but it’s a banger of a record at the end of it then it will be worth it.

FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND

It feels like, at this point in Funeral For A Friend’s story, everything that you do is an occasion. Saying that, how does it feel to be able to add headlining a festival to that?

Ryan Richards: It’s definitely unexpected, for sure. I think if you were to ask most bands when they’re starting, it’s hard to look 20-odd years into the future. And here we are, you know, 25 years as a band, it’s kind of crazy to me. But where the band sits now, it really is a case of we get to do things that feel really special to us. When we did the Cardiff Castle last year, that was always one that was on my bucket list. We’re all from that area, and we had such a great show with our family and friends there. For me, I could have been quite happy with that being the swan song, the last show. I said that to the guys, but what I also said was, unless something comes along that feels fresh. And for me, 2000trees is that. And with how busy all of us are – me on the management side, and Lucas obviously with Holding Absence – it was about saying, ‘How about we really make it special, and it’d be the one thing that we do this year?’. The one exclusive show.

Lucas Woodland: Like Ryan said, he’s never played 2000trees, and I’ve played every single stage of 2000trees. Holding Absence has appeared on pretty much every rung of it other than headline. It always brings such a great perspective to see a group of Welsh dudes who grew up living the dream the same way I’ve been fortunate enough to, and to put my feet in their shoes, almost like a future view of what my career could be. It’s almost like I get to see my own aspirations firsthand, if that makes sense. Pretty much every show I’ve played with Funeral has been something to aspire to as a person, and then also something that I know has brought so much joy to the fan base. It’s a whole whirlwind of emotions, but all really positive ones.

How has the experience of putting the FFAF hat back shifted over the years? With every occasion feeling special, how have your own preparations changed, or not changed?

Ryan: Because we’ve been able to celebrate the anniversary of two different albums, approaching those records have felt very different. For some of the guys who joined the band a little bit later were playing some songs for the first time in a long time. Some of the tracks that we played from ‘Hours’ at the castle show last year, I hadn’t played in almost 20 years. So definitely approaching that was really interesting and challenging in a cool way.

Getting to dive back in and really forensically get into those tracks, in terms of learning them and getting them in my head. For trees now, it’s really celebratory, just trying to make the most crowd-pleasing set we possibly can. The fact that I was walking away from the Cardiff show last year thinking it could have been the last time we ever played as a band, the last time I would play these songs. So, we go into every show like that now, and I think there’s something quite special about that.

Lucas, how does it feel to now know that you have your footing in doing this? This is the third summer of shows you have played with the band, so how does how you feel now compare to the previous times?

Lucas: I think the first thing is that I truly am a product of the scene that Funeral For A Friend created in many ways. When I think about how I sing, it’s like Gerard Way and Charlie from Fightstar. I listen to a lot of that music, and I’m like, ‘Wow, I don’t realise how absolutely indoctrinated and trained by that era I am in most of what I do’. So I think stepping up to the vocals for these songs was interesting, because I realised that I’m really not that far away from what Matt [Davies] was doing all those years ago. After all, I was such a big fan of it, and what it meant in our culture. So, I think a big thing is making sure I’m doing right by it while still being natural with it. I think one thing that I’ve made peace with, with every summer now I’ve done this, is that I do feel a lot of pressure and stress in the lead up, and that’s because of me, not because of the guys. The guys are amazing, but I know how important and special it is, and I don’t want to mess it up. So last summer, that was ‘Hours’, and I know what albums mean to people. So for three months I listened to that album. It destroyed my Spotify forever. And then, as Ryan said, I like that idea of every time we are on stage, it could be the last time.

I love doing this. If I could do a Funeral show every summer forever, I’d look forward to it. But the main thing is respecting the rest of the guys, understanding that this is like the closing chapters of their musical careers, and wanting to be able to facilitate a special experience for everyone. I want everybody to have fun at 2000trees the way I have over the years, and in the same way I had a load of fun at the castle last summer and Download the summer before. It’s just about me facilitating the best trip for everyone.

As you look to the future, if there is one, what does it mean for FFAF to still be such a part in both of your lives from such different perspectives?

Ryan: I feel like I speak for the other guys when I say it’s about treating this with the respect it deserves. Not to run it into the ground, and not to let it become just a parody of itself. We feel like when we’re doing these shows, we still put on a great show, and Lucas is a massive component of that. If Lucas hadn’t wanted to, or been able to, commit to doing these shows with us, they just wouldn’t have happened. We’re not out there courting offers for shows. We’re not our agents, sweeping the land and trying to get the money in. There’s a real purity to it now: we will get invited out to do something, and because it feels good and right, we’ll go. And with trees being one of those things, it feels like we belong there, and that’s really important.

Lucas: A project like this can’t be run into the ground; it goes against everything it stands for. But at the same time, I don’t think a single summer festival will go by where somebody doesn’t have a better weekend because we could play ‘Roses For The Dead’. You don’t want to pick it up too much, but I think you don’t want to put it down either. This is genuinely just such a positive experience for so many people, and it’s figuring out where that line is. Who knows, in five years, Funeral might be the biggest they’ve ever been because culture changes that way. But also, the reason I relate to these songs so much is that good music is always good. These are real, timeless songs. And I think ultimately the door will never shut on timelessness.

ALKALINE TRIO [The band have cancelled their UK tour, including their appearance at 2000trees, and have since been replaced by Don Broco]

What’s it like to be this far into your career and still able to find that spark with new people? To know that you’re always able to inject some fresh energy into the band?

Dan Andriano: It’s amazing, and it just speaks to how many cool, creative people there are out there. I don’t feel like Matt [Skiba] and I have ever necessarily grown stagnant. We’re always trying to write new stuff, but it’s just fun to get someone else’s perspective after being in the band for so long. With new music, Matt and I tend to start with pretty simple versions of the songs. They’re like skeletons, really. From there, we want someone else’s perspective on them. I might have ideas in my head as I’m writing it, or as I’m putting down the guitar and vocals, but I always want to know what someone else is going to do. Nine times out of ten I’m blown away by the results. I’m like, ‘That’s so much cooler than what I would have done.’ That’s especially true with the people that have been working on our stuff as of late, like Travis [Barker], and the shit that Atom [Willard] brought to the band.

That’s often when you come out with the best stuff, when you have people with really well-informed views but very different perspectives. You’ve been working with Travis a lot recently, what has working with him unlocked in you?

Dan: We don’t want to ever limit ourselves to what the band should sound like or what our goals are going to be. If we’re going to keep making records, we always want to try to push ourselves and do something a little different, while still maintaining what our band is. “We want to try everything, and Travis is really good at that. He loves to play the drums; he’s got his studio where he’s just always set up to go. I’ll send a song to a group text with him and Matt, and he’ll be like, ‘This is awesome, thanks for sending.’ A few hours later, he’ll be like, ‘I was out on a run, and I was listening to it again. I heard this part, so I just tracked this. Let me know what you think of this vibe.’ I’ll hit play and my jaw is just on the floor.

We’re in the final stages of a new Alkaline Trio album, and it’s very exciting. We’re all super proud of what has been going on, and I think Trio fans are gonna freak the fuck out I hope they do anyway. It’s a little different from those three songs we did last year. There’s definitely more of a raw energy to it. We wanted to spend more time on it, but not to make everything super polished and produced. We wanted to spend more time on the writing, and time making sure we had the right take, so that we could maintain the energy. When we did those three songs last year, that was really quick. That was the first thing we ever did with Atom, and we only had a few days. Everything came together super organically, but there are things that we’re doing a little differently now. It’s about taking a little more time to get that natural sound.

How does it feel to be three decades in and still finding new ways to be excited about new Trio music?

Dan: We just always want to keep challenging ourselves, and when we do that and it feels like it’s successful, that’s what keeps it exciting. After being in a band for so long, I don’t listen to the same stuff or have a lot of the same influences that I had in the late 90s and early 2000s. Now, we’re not afraid to admit that we’re way more inspired by LCD Soundsystem and The Strokes. That’s the kind of music I listen to at home. I’m not saying that the record is going to sound like that, but we’re not afraid to let those influences into the songwriting process. We’re doing the stuff that we want to do, and that’s what gets Matt and I inspired. We’re always keeping it fresh. I’m very excited, and that’s got a lot to do with it. It’s about not being afraid to try new shit, while still obviously being who we are and doing what we do. There are some fucking heavy moments in this new music, but it’s dancy, it’s hard, it’s punk, and it’s exciting.