Treetop Flyers at the Lexington

Treetop Flyers at the Lexington | Live review

24^th August 2018

24 August 2018

The Treetop Flyers blow the crowd away with an astonishing mix of gorgeous songs, demonstrating how much they have grown as a band since their 2013 debut album The Mountain Moves. Promoting their most recent release Treetop Flyers, the Londoners bring their newest hits to life in front of a live audience. And what an audience it is – even before starting the gig with the soulful Warning Bell, they receive a deafening applause in response to frontman Reid Morrison’s inquiry, “how’s everybody doing?”

This enthusiasm never subsides. As the quintet move through their repertoire, ranging from the classic British rock of Kooky Clothes with Laurie Sherman’s fantastic bass impressing the listeners, to the elegant and melancholic Lady Luck from their 2016 album Palomino, it becomes clear that the onlookers love them. How could they not? The concert is beautifully arranged, from heart-wrenching and desolate to rapturous and euphoric.

By the time the musicians play crowd favourite Sweet Green & Blues, the spectators are fully engaged, with the front row jumping and dancing to the upbeat number, clearly impressed by Morrison’s rich and warm vocal prowess and Rupert Shreeve’s pitch-perfect art as percussionist. Especially when Sam Beer joins the lead singer in providing amazing vocal harmonies, the viewers go wild, yelling and clapping at every possible moment. With Needle, the gang demonstrates its comfort in engaging with calmer and more peaceful Caribbean-touched tracks, allowing Geoff Thomas Widdowson to prove his mastery of the saxophone.

The five-piece finishes their performance with the crazy psych-inspired Art of Deception, an eight-minute battle between all band members as they fight for dominance and prove, one by one, their dexterity with various instruments and vocal techniques. This onslaught of riffs, harmonies and solos mesmerises everyone – and, predictably, creates a thundering ovation, persuading the ensemble to play another two bonus numbers to finish things off.

London can call itself lucky to be the home of the excellent Treetop Flyers. Their mad mixture of both the familiar and the innovative leaves us all in awe, and fans most certainly can’t wait to see to what soaring heights the group will be flying next.

★★★★★

Michael Higgs
Photos: Nick Bennett

For further information and future events visit Treetop Flyers’s website here.