AND ALSO THE TREES @ THE LEXINGTON, LONDON

After playing a succession of European dates, pastoral post-punks And Also The Trees arrived in the UK to promote their latest studio album, ‘The Bone Carver’, their 15th release. Founding brothers Simon Huw Jones (vocals) and Justin Jones (guitar) are the remaining original members of the band.

They began on the new record with opening track ‘In A Bed In Yugoslavia’; its introduction and ending a gentle medley of clarinet and guitar. The band then played off their last studio album, ‘Born Into The Waves’, performing ‘Your Guess’; mandolin guitar, Spanish drums and cymbal crashes.

AATT moved onto their older material with their 1983 debut single, ‘Shantell’ – waltzing strokes and wailing clarinet – and second studio album, ‘Virus Meadow’; its echoing, trance guitar riffs invaded by stormy drums and shrieking clarinet. They interjected these with a new song, ‘The Book Burners’; its Hebrew feel taking you down winding corridors played out on the clarinet against stubby drums.

The band also played from their eponymous debut album, performing the more fast paced early punk track, ‘Wallpaper Dying’, featuring its dark trembling riff. They returned to their latest material with ‘The Seven Skies’ and stretches of Jones’ warm metallic trills.

For the encore they performed again from their new album with title track ‘The Bone Carver’ and their debut album ‘So This Is Silence’; a stripped down, noise track full of wirey, chord scales and feedback, Huw Jones shouting out the vocals.

19/11/22: And Also The Trees @ The Lexington, London.