For many festival goers, 2000trees is about discovering your next favourite artist. This year, one of the weekend’s most fitting debuts came from a forest, whose first-ever festival performance took place on the aptly named Forest Stage. Blending intimate songwriting with cinematic soundscapes, the project is the latest creative chapter for Matt Hughes. Fresh from an emotional set in the woods, we caught up with Matt to talk about the journey from lockdown voice notes to festival stages, the influence of old friends and timeless songwriters, and what’s next for a forest.

Hi Matt, You just played a gorgeous first a forest gig on the appropriately amazing forest stage at 2000 trees. How was it for you?

First off, thank you for saying that. I am not sure i was nervous, but i certainly wanted it to be ‘good’. I’ll def settle for ‘gorgeous’. But yes…It was really special. Playing a show, my first ever show, at a place i adore and love really did mean the world to me. a forest in a forest, you don’t get more on the nose than that, ha!

You mentioned on stage that you started a forest in 2020. What was the decision to start a musical project? Was it your involvement with the media that inspired you to pick up a guitar or had you had any previous musical experience?

The answer to this is pretty long, so i’ll try and condense it down. Basically, during Covid i wanted to reconnect with friends i had lost touch with. I guess in that very strange, once in a generation happening, we all needed connections and people and to put positivity out in to the world as much as we could. One friend was Andrew Groves, who at the time was ex Arcane Roots, living in Iceland with his young family. I missed my friend, and it was so wonderful to have it back in my life. Then pretty naturally we started talking about music, my old band Chalk (a diesel u music award winner, no less), and possibly looking to rework some of the songs in a new Matt Hughes 2020 prism. Slowly over time though, and with great encouragement from Andrew, i start to teach myself how to play guitar, write some of my own songs, and start again from scratch. What followed was over a year of me sending 100’s of pretty terrible voice notes of sketches of songs, choruses, cover versions, verses, ideas….all sorts. Over time, i sort of started to learn what worked, what didn’t work, i felt like i got better at piecing together these sketches and when i sent over a voice note of a song called ‘The Dread’, Andrew called me and said ‘That’s it. Thats what we do. Lets just write this sort of music.’. A few years pass, and slowly slowly i am now here, with a production partner, a brilliant team of musicians and friends that help me make and realise a forest. It all takes time, and takes a collective borrowing or life and moments, but i am getting there.

Who would you say are your biggest influences musically? 

I listen to a LOT of music, i always have. What inspires me as a forest is pretty varied, but i think essentially it’s story tellers that have a way with melody and can relay emotion in a truthful, beautiful way. That is for sure what i strive for. Music that reminds me of being young, hearing things for the first time on the car stereo and then having that music live in my brain as melodic memories. So the likes of James Taylor, Elliot Smith, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Bjork, Bon Iver, Nick Drake (also the reason i chose a Guild guitar…), Bob Dylan….all pretty lofty stuff, i know. In terms of a forest, i also try and draw on production influences, and that can be everything from the soundtracks to Studio Ghibli to Trent Reznor and NIN.

What’s on the horizon for a forest? More shows? new music? 

More shows i hope – if anyone wants them? I guess i am very very new as an artist, and with only one single out i have no idea if anyone is interested, or cares. I have no grand expectations to be honest, shows solo and acoustic would be amazing, some shows with Andrew and Bjarni i hope happen again this year and next, more festivals yes please. New music 100%, next single ‘Ghost Story’ is likely coming in November, which will be followed by more new music and then the debut EP in April/May 2027. I apologise for the up in the air nature to this answer, just know if i could release new music (and play more shows) tomorrow, i would. This though is the nature of a forest, and i think (hopefully) will make both music and shows even more special when they happen….i hope.

Will you continue to work with the guys from Arcane roots on future music or is there scope for you to work with other musicians? 

I will certainly keep working with both Bjarni and Andrew on this debut EP, at least as recording musical partners and in Andrews case, as producer. In terms of a live trio – basically when the two of them can be available, they will be playing as a forest with me. We hall just wait and see how often that can be the case. I hope a lot, but they are quite busy again these days…In terms of other musicians, for sure. maybe the live side will adapt and shift and i’ll work with more/different humans. The EP will feature all manner of friends. I just need to finish it….

Would you ever consider forming a full band for this project? 

I mean, yes, 100%! I would love love love to have that time, opportunity and interest in the project to invest in a full band experience. I think for me, it’s very much a case of needing to release some more music, build up a profile and find some people that like what i do. and go from there. I can’y see anything full band happening for a long while. But you never know.

If so are there any particular musicians you’d really love to work with in the future? 

Hello Murray from The Xcerts, one of the best songwriters in the country, Matt from Dinosaur Pile Up, who can write the biggest choruses on the planet. James Blake who is a producer i look up to and idolise, Bon Iver my forever muse, Mike Vennart a Mancunian legend, Chelsea Wolfe maybe the greatest ever sombre songwriter….i’d also have a chat with Beck, Ethal Caine, Sam Carter, Death Grips and of course, Nine Inch Nails.

Did you manage to catch many bands sets over the weekend? If so who were your highlights?

I never really do alas, in my capacity at the festival with looking after press and media, my main role isn’t to see bands. Even being part of the booking team, i rarely get to see much. i did however see and love Arcane Roots (of course), PUP, DPU, Love Rarely, Reclus.é, High Vis, The Xcerts (of course part 2) and Cancer Bats. All were 10/10/

Anything else you’d like to add? 

Music is coming, please go follow me on Spotify and Instagram and i’ll be back soon. And thank you!