And Also The Trees are a bit of an enigma or mystery. The band formed in 1979 in Inkberrow, Worcestershire, a village thought to be the model for The Archers and around twenty miles from Birmingham. Simon Huw Jones on vocals and his brother Justin Jones on guitar are the remaining original members but are supported by three ably gifted musicians in Colin Ozanne on keys, clarinet, guitar, Grant Gordon on bass and Paul Hill on drums.
They share poetic lyrics and evocative music which is strongly influenced by the English countryside.
The quintet released their latest opus `Mother-Of-Pearl-Moon` last month and are undertaking a rarish seven date tour of Belgium and France with a solitary date, in what was essentially their original hometown, Birmingham.
There was a real tangible sense of anticipation in the room as the lights dimmed and the band took to the stage.
The show opened with a couple of tracks from `The Bone Carver` album released a couple of years ago with the delicate `In a Bed in Yugoslavia` and shimmering `Beyond Action and Reaction`. We head back a few years for the questioning `Your Guess` before a further couple of The Bone Carver numbers follow with `The Seven Skies` and `The Book Burners` which has a delightfully haunting clarinet guiding us along it`s frail path. The song, for me, always brings to mind a gentle klezmer like ambience. The jazz like `Rive Droite` is aired before a few cuts off the latest release are shared with the part spoken `The Whaler`, the equally haunting `Town Square` with a lyric of the Riverman which could refer to Charon the ferryman of the Greek underworld or I like to believe a reference to another local deity Nick Drake. `This Path Through the Meadow` has a delicately haunting quality while title track `Mother-Of-Pearl Moon` is wonderfully reflective and darkly evocative as `Visions of a Stray` has an almost David Lynch like cinematic atmosphere as it brings an end to tonight`s set. We also enjoyed `Dialogue`, `The Legend of Mucklow` and `Brother Fear` sprinkled in-between the latest numbers.
The band return with a four song encore with an acknowledgement of times gone by and their beginnings which included their first single the goth tinged `Shantell`, `Wallpaper Dying` with its themes of longing, isolation, and the transient nature of life before leaving us with the mesmeric `Slow Pulse Boy`.
How can you describe the eighty five minute set we witnessed? Enigmatic, perplexing, captivating, enthralling, enchanting and fairly spellbinding. It`s been around forty years since I last saw the band and I left the venue with a real sense of emotion, maybe nostalgia for times gone by but with a real sense of joy in my heart.
I can quite happily say without question, that there is no other band like And Also The Trees.
