To close out day two of 2000trees Festival, we stayed up past the noise curfew for an after-hours silent disco with Dream State. Just a short walk from the main stage, where minutes ago we were raving to the antics of Kneecap, we now find ourselves in the Forest, an idyllic yet contrasting setting for the lively Welsh band.
While it has become somewhat of a regularity at 2000trees, full-band silent discos are still a fairly uncommon phenomenon on the wider music festival scene.
Earlier in the day I caught up with the voice of Dream State, Jessie Powell, about the idea of such a unique performance. “I can’t wait,” she told MetalTalk. “We play with ears anyway, so it’s not going to be any different for us. So yeah, just really excited for that.” 
It’s Dream State’s third 2000trees appearance in a row, and much like many of the bands who visit, they have completely fallen in love with our little slice of joy in the Gloucestershire countryside.
There is a unique atmosphere that is simply addictive about 2000trees, and it is the driving force behind why so many of the artists that are lucky enough to visit come back. I asked Jessie what she thought this undeniable subcurrent stems from.
“I think there’s a beautiful sense of community here,” she said, “and I think, yeah, it’s just like it’s a really positive place to be. I can’t put my finger on it, but I’m with you completely that this festival does feel very, very, very special, and I feel very privileged to be here for the third year in a row.
“You know, to play the Cave, the Forest and then be invited back the year after to do a silent disco is what a privilege. We’re buzzing!”
Dream State are rolling full steam ahead in 2025. Not only have they been diving headfirst into some of Europe’s most iconic festivals, such as Rock For People, Slam Dunk and Radar Festival, but they have also been building up momentum with their studio releases.
The four-piece released their latest single, Bittersweet Scars Of My Past, as recently as May, following up on the previous single, Bloom, which they shared last autumn.
When I probed as to whether this steady release of new music was possibly leading to an album, the vocalist replied, “I don’t know, you’ll have to stick around and see.” A tantalising little cliffhanger to leave us on.
Later in the evening, the crowd gathered in healthy numbers for the familiar band, many of whom were clearly no strangers to their work. One of the most iconic images of 2000trees 2024 depicted the very vocalist I had just spoken to crowd surfing in an inflatable unicorn, and the unicorn has returned to cause some more chaos in the forest this year.
Other than a momentary microphone malfunction, the band bounded into what they do best, and the receptive audience lapped it up as they bounced amidst the mosh pit which had engulfed the once serene woodland area. The unicorn was a centrepiece in all of the rowdiness, ricocheting off the moshers beneath and even offering a raft for some brave crowd surfers to board.
The emotionally powered lyrical content of the Welsh band is aptly suited for the 2000trees demographic, many of whom, like myself, proudly carry the Elder Emo moniker. The attendees jumped at the opportunity to give anxiety the middle finger at the request of the lead singer.
Unfortunately, still early at the festival, there were a number of technical tumbles to be ironed out, and the set had to pause briefly until normality was recovered.
This was no problem for the band, though. Keen to keep the entertainment flowing, Jessie led us through a procession of hymns. It was truly bizarre to hear the gaggle of Metalheads passionately return the harmonies of Kumbaya, My Lord, but equally wholesome and absolutely representative of the undeterrable joy of a 2000trees crowd.
Fortunately, the band was able to get back on track and wrap up their set in vibrant force, the crowd’s energy refusing to decline. They pulled out what appeared to be the sort of parachute that British children may be familiar with from primary school. Paired with the hymns from earlier and the unicorn, which was still bouncing about, things were feeling very surreal, but nobody came here for normalcy.
Dream State delivered a fantastic way to close out our second day of 2000trees entertainment. I am absolutely certain they will be back to meet their cult of admirers, and given the tease from earlier, we may even have a new body of music to sink our teeth into.
The future is bright for this growing project. See you soon, Dream State.
2000trees Festival is being held from 9–12 July 2025 at Upcote Farm, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. You can read all of MetalTalk’s 2025 coverage here.
